I Bought a Juicer!

I am so excited to have found a steal of a deal on craigslist. I found a Tefal Juice Master Juicer for $10. It's certainly not a high end juicer, but I just wanted something to get me started while saving a few dollars. After making my purchase, I went straight to the store and bought a little bit of fresh produce to add to what I already had at home. No sooner than I had entered my home did I have my fruit cut up and the juicer plugged in. I used 1/2 of a pineapple, a handful of cilantro, a few stalks of celery, 1 lime, and 2 apples. I pushed all of it through the juicer and enjoyed a nice glass of juice.

My girls were so excited and ran to the fridge and grabbed a few apples and pears that I juiced for them. They drank it down fast!

Now the possibilities are endless!

Here's to health!

The fruits and veggies I used.

The juice looked really pretty before I stirred it.

Bon Appetit!

Raw Food Cleanse Journal

Day 1

I had mentioned before that I was concerned that I would lose weight during the cleanse which is something I did not need to do. I checked my weight upon waking and I was 126.4. I started my day off without coffee for the first time in quite a while. I drank 32 ounces of water with lemon instead. For breakfast, I had a green smoothie. In my smoothie was a new ingredient for me: chia seeds which are loaded with essentials such as protein, calcium and omega 3’s and 6’s. Around 10:00/10:30, I became very hungry and tired. I also had a touch of a headache. I think I was hungry because I would typically have a banana or a piece of fruit at that time. Being tired with a headache was mostly likely caused from the lack of coffee. I typically only have a 6-8 oz cup in the morning. I was really shocked to see that I was having slight withdrawal effects. The girls wanted their morning snack and I struggled a bit while making their snack. It took a lot to not eat a spoonful of the natural peanut butter that I was spreading on their crackers. I read through a bit of the raw cleanse book to keep myself focused. It was 11:00 and I was still very hungry, but the headache had subsided after drinking some water. I decided to make the fresh tomato and corn salad I was going to have for lunch and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so. I had a bite of it while preparing it and it was so good. I was truly looking forward to that 12:00 hour. I ate my salad at 12:15 and it was fantastic! It left me feeling very satisfied but not stuffed even though it was very large. I had never eaten corn raw before and I was quite pleased. I never liked it overcooked anyway. At 1:00, I became tired again, so I took a 30 minute cat nap. It looks, to my surprise, like I am experiencing some detoxification symptoms. The slight headache comes and goes and I am having cravings. The funny thing is that I am craving just extra healthy food like bananas and apples. I think my mind is telling my body that I am hungry. The only thing in my diet that I would be having a withdrawal from is the coffee. I was truly looking forward to my evening yoga practice to clear my head and refocus my intentions. I had a cup of herbal tea. For dinner, I was supposed to start my dinner with fruit such as berries and finish off with a salad. Since my yoga class was at 6:30 and I don’t like to eat a large amount before yoga, I decided to have the fruit before yoga and the salad afterwards. This worked out well. Yoga was good. I was a bit off and kind of touchy but made it through. I was in bed by 10pm.

Day 2

I woke up feeling rejuvenated and consumed my 32 ounces of lemon water. I had lost a little weight. I had a lot of energy and made by green juice. Honestly, at first taste, it was awful. I drink green smoothies quite often but I typically add fruit in with the greens. This one was just straight greens and only lemon as a fruit. After a few sips, I acquired a taste for it and drank the whole thing. I went to boot camp which is a very intense workout. I was concerned I wouldn’t have the energy to make it through, but, to my surprise, I had a lot of energy and excelled during that workout. I went through the rest of the morning with a ton of energy. At lunch time, I had a tomato and cucumber salad, but was unable to finish it. I prepared the balancing broth that I was going to have with my dinner. I then took a 20 minute nap. Upon waking, I had a cup of rooibos tea. I performed a dry skin brushing and took a shower. After the shower, I sat in a massage chair. The book recommended either a deep tissue massage or a sauna. I thought this was close enough. For dinner, I had a large bowl of the balancing broth and a large mixed green “fiesta” salad with lime cilantro dressing. Again, I was unable to finish the large salad. I was in bed by 10:45 which was a little late than the recommended time but I would still be able to get 8 hrs in. Overall, day 2 was a success. I had a very busy day with the girls and the food I consumed gave me plenty of energy to do all that I needed to accomplish. No coffee cravings or headache all day long!

Day 3

I woke up and consumed my 32 ounces of lemon water and had a green smoothie for breakfast. I welcomed it since it had a banana in it and bananas are a favorite of mine. I proceeded throughout my busy morning and waited too long to have lunch. I didn’t eat lunch till 2:30 pm. My lunch consisted of a bowl of yesterday’s balancing broth and a spinach and orange salad with orange tahini dressing. This salad was fabulous! I made a smaller serving because the other salads seemed so large, I was afraid I wouldn’t have been able to finish. Now I wish I would have made it. I was planning on going to pilates, so I had another green smoothie before. When I came home, I had a mixed green salad with purple cabbage and grated carrot, a bowl of steamed broccoli and onions with liquid aminos and an ecstatic elixir which consisted of kombucha, freshly squeezed juice, lemon juice and topped off with sparkling mineral water. This was a satisfying dinner. No headaches, body aches, fatigue or anything out of the ordinary today. I didn’t feel the need to nap as I did the first two days.

I weighed myself the morning after the cleanse and I had lost 2.7 lbs....weighing in at 123.7. I need to gain a little over a pound back. I like to keep it at 125. I'll try to gain it back in muscle weight.

Over all I think this cleanse was a success. Throughout the cleanse, I didn’t feel bogged down and truly had a lot of energy. I did have the mental alertness to do the work in my current advanced composition class that I am taking. This class requires quite a bit of work, so this was a huge bonus for me. I didn’t have any stomach issues or churning like I might have after having some cheese or dairy. I learned how to exhibit a great amount of self control because on two of the three days, I was in social situations with food as the center. I was able to not have a bite. Each day, I consumed over 66 ounces of water.

I would recommend this cleanse to anyone. Especially those who feel their system is sluggish, have a lack of energy or need to release a few pounds.

Now, all I want right now is a nice bowl of warm oatmeal. :)

My Exercise Routine

Many of you have asked what kinds of work outs I do. Here they are. My weekly exercise routine consists of a variety of activities. I mange to keep the same basic weekly routine while changing one activity every few months and still keeping all the important factors of an exercise plan. I also switch up my strength training exercises every few months. This is my current weekly routine.

Cardiovascular activity: 30-60 minutes 4-5 days per week

Strength training: 20-30 minutes 3-4 days per week

Stretching and flexibility training: 30-60 minutes 4-5 days per week

My daily routine breaks down like this:

Monday
Rest day. I may do a 30 minute yoga practice mid-day at home.

Tuesday
60 minutes of yoga mid-day (self practice) and 60 minutes of yoga in the evening (group practice).

Wednesday
60 minutes of boot camp training. This is a combination of cardiovascular and muscle endurance exercises.
45 minutes of yoga (self-practice)

Thursday
30-40 min of yoga and either 60 minutes of pilates or a 60 minute step and sculpt class.
45 minutes of yoga (self-practice)

Friday
30 minutes of cardio machines.

I usually split it up as follows:
Bike- 10 minutes at level 10
Eliptical- 10 minutes at level 15
Treadmill- 10 starting at 6.5 mph. I gradually increase my speed until I hit 9 mph. I run this speed for 1-2 minutes at the end of the session.
Strength training: When I do weights, I typically do 3 sets of 8. On some days, however, I increase the weight and do only 3 sets of 3-4. All exercises are free weight unless otherwise indicated.
Legs and shoulders
Squats (120 lbs)
Front raises (15 lbs)
Leg press (240 lbs)
Dumbbell shoulder press (15 lbs)
Jump lunges or squat hold (no weight)- 3 sets of 15 or squat hold 3 sets @ 30 seconds.
45 minutes of yoga (self-practice)

Saturday
30 minutes of cardio

Strength Training
Biceps, triceps and abs
Bicep curls (25 lbs)
Tricep extension (30 lbs)
Wide grip bicep curls (30 lbs bar)
Tricep kick backs (15 pounds) or tricep push-ups- 3 sets of 15
Hanging leg raises (abs) 3 sets of 15

Sunday
30 minutes of cardio

Strength Training
Back and Chest
Bench press (80 lbs)
One arm row (35 lbs)
Chest Flies (20 lbs)
Reverse Flies (15 lbs)
Low back extension (3 sets of 15)
Reverse fly machine (60 lbs)
Push up (3 sets of 10)
Lat pull down (65 lbs)

Coming tomorrow....raw food update, day 1 journal of my 3 day raw food cleanse. Yes, I finally took the plunge!

Raw Update

I haven’t been able to start a raw cleanse yet. My window of opportunity is from Monday to Wednesday and I haven’t sat down to make a shopping list yet of everything I need. I have most everything but am lacking a few items. However, I have been truly paying attention to foods and how they make me feel. I have eaten a very high raw diet this week. My days have ranged from 70%-90% raw. Eating raw foods gives me a lot of energy and the ability to stay focused and complete tasks I need to complete. Here are a few easy recipes that I have used this week. They are high raw and vegan.

High raw veggie wraps



I was hungry and trying to stay high raw so made I made this up as I went along. Amounts are approximate.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• 2 large romaine lettuce leaves
• Bragg’s liquid aminos

Dice the following veggies:

· ½ tomato
· 1 celery stalk
· ½ zucchini
· ½ bell pepper
· 1 tbsp leeks
· 1 green onion
· ½ yellow squash
· A few leaves of dandelion greens
· 2-3 baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cucumber

Put all veggies in a bowl and sprinkle on liquid aminos to taste. Lay out romaine; place a ¼ cup quinoa on top of each leave. Top with diced veggies. Wrap and eat. Serves 1


Zucchini “Pasta” with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

For this recipe, I used the raw spaghetti recipe as a guide, but customized it and used a pesto instead of marinara.

Ingredients:

For the Pasta

1 zucchini

For the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

2 TBSP olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
A few leaves of fresh basil
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked
Dried oregano
1 TBSP water

Toppings

2 tsp capers
A few black olives
½ tomato – diced
A few pine nuts
Sea salt to taste

Grate or thin julienne cut a whole zucchini to make the “pasta.” I julienned mine with a mandolin but have also made this type of “pasta” with a cheese grater. There is a special tool available to make this kind of pasta but I do not have one yet. See photo below for guidance.

Put all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Pour over pasta. Top with toppings. Eat and enjoy. Serves 1.