Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

~Seneca

Preparation is comprised of hard work, small gains, and unwavering focus. For Raw Juice Girl and I, we knew that the small gains, hard work, and focus in our preparation would bring about some changes in location – for each of us. Last week, Raw Juice Girl received the opportunity to take her opportunity to uproot and replant in a new location. She will share with you where that is and what is taking place in her neck of the woods soon!

For me, I am preparing for a similar trek in the coming weeks. Life happenings have shifted what I planned to happen over the next few months into something bigger, better, and much more enjoyable. The latter being the most important aspect. Between the time where I pack, load, move, unload, and settle in, I will be working many, many hours outside my current home. In fact, I’ll be working 15 out of 17 days!

We know that we will be scarce over these next few weeks here and on Facebook, but you can bet we will be back with many new recipes, stories of embracing the greatness of life, and all the healthy tidbits we can muster.

Until our returns – may life bless you with impeccable health!

Mysti & Raw Juice Girl

I love making dehydrated goods for my children. I can whip up any combination of fruits into a puree and dehydrate them. These fruit rolls serve as a healthy snack option at home, on the road, and in their lunches. One of their favorites is Apple Strawberry Roll-Ups.

• 2 C Strawberries
• 2 C Applesauce
• Fruit Roll Sheets or Parchment/Wax paper
• Oil

Puree fruits together in a blender until smooth, but thick.  Take the fruit roll sheets or wax paper and lightly dust with oil for ease of removing once dry.  Spread the fruit puree about 1/4 inch thick on the sheets and dry at 120-135 degrees F for 4-8 hours, until moisture is removed.

There are moments in my life where we are extremely busy and making time to dehydrate something delicious for my children would be staying up well past my bed time or missing out on an evening of reading as a family. Knowing that this school year would have more of those type of moments, I set out to find a healthy alternative to me creating these treats myself. What I found was the all-natural, non-GMO fruit strips by Stretch Island Fruit Co.

These fruit strips contain 1/2 serving of fruit, no artificial additives, and no sugar. There are 7 flavors:

• Abundant Apricot
• Autumn Apple
• Harvest Grape
• Mango Sunrise
• Orchard Cherry
• Ripened Raspberry
• Summer Strawberry

My children love my own dehydrated fruit purees, but these definitely hit the spot and see rave reviews from classmates in the lunchroom. Adding extra nutrition is simple with the right products from the right companies.

What are your favorite lunch fruits?

The mention of Stretch Island Fruit Co’s Fruit Strips was done on my own accord. There is no agreement between Healing With Juices and Stretch Island for a paid or sponsored review. I am endorsing this product as it is and will remain a great addition to healthy lunches on-the-go for my family. 

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you know that while there is a guide for creating every meal the menu offers, each cook on the line doesn’t necessarily measure ingredients. When you are talking about butter or other fatty aspects of preparation, an ounce one way or the other adjusts the total calories and fats immensely. Packing a lunch is a healthy, inexpensive way to combat the unknown with restaurants and other grab-and-go type places. Today, we’ll satisfy the desire to enjoy pizza without the grease.

Ingredients:

• 1 tortilla (8 inches)
• 2 tablespoons pizza sauce
• 3 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
• Baby Spinach (around 15 leaves)

Spread the pizza sauce evenly on the tortilla. Arrange the spinach to cover the tortilla. Sprinkle cheese atop. Microwave for 30 seconds and roll up. Allow the cheese to cool slightly before slicing. If microwaves aren’t your thing, add a pan of water into an oven set at 400 degrees and allow steam to build. Place the tortilla in the oven for 1-2 minutes to warm without becoming crisp. Pull it out and roll it up.

Last week, we discovered the health benefits of tomatoes. Today, we’re going to find out how nutritious kale is.

I didn’t appreciate kale until I was in my twenties. But once I tried it, there was no going back. I fell passionately in love with kale, its texture, its taste, its health benefits. Everything.

Kale is delicious to me either way – cooked or raw. I’ve enjoyed it as a base for salad, ingredient in smoothies, and cooked like traditional turnip, mustard, or collard greens.

One of the things I love most about kale is its texture. It has a chewy texture that remains when cooked. I love chewy foods (like steel-cut oatmeal) so I think that’s why kale appeals to me so much. Some of you may not love the chewy aspect of kale – but I urge you to give it a try!

In smoothies, you may have to add a little extra fruit or sweetener to balance out the earthy taste kale brings to the table but I don’t mind that either.

Fun Fact

“Like broccoli, cauliflower, and collards, kale is a descendent of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in Asia Minor and to have been brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers. Curly kale played an important role in early European foodways, having been a significant crop during ancient Roman times and a popular vegetable eaten by peasants in the Middle Ages. English settlers brought kale to the United States in the 17th century.”—WH Foods

 

Kale is chock-full of vitamins, minerals – and even fiber! – that will help keep our bodies healthy. Our bodies crave such nutrition. Feed the need!

Just check out this handy-dandy nutrition chart from Whole Foods.

Additional benefits of kale:

• rich in antioxidants and micronutrients
• anti-cancer (due to “glucosinolates” nutrients)
• anti-inflammatory
• lowers cholesterol
• aids in detoxification
• and more!

Berry Coconut Kale Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 small frozen bananas
• 1-2 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 cups coconut milk (accidentally poured this much so it was a runnier smoothie and not real thick)
• 5 big strawberries (with tops)
• 1 single serving packet berry flavored Amazing Grass (I just typed Amazing GRACE lol)

Directions:

1. Toss in frozen banana chunks, strawberries, almond butter, coconut milk, kale, and Amazing Grass.
2. Crush ice (for the frozen banana chunks).
3. And then hit blend for a few seconds.
4. Lastly, hit liquefy for a few seconds. (I feel the liquefy button at the end creates a super smooth smoothie.)

Note: Use less coconut milk (or liquid of choice) for a thicker smoothie. This one made 3 cups – definitely enough for 2 hungry bellies!

Other ways to incorporate kale in to your life:

juices

salads

soups

kale chips

Warning: If you have kidney or gall bladder issues, you may want to avoid kale as it contains Oxalates, a naturally-occurring substance that can become too concentrated in body fluids. When this happens, they can crystallize and cause health problems. Consult your doctor before consuming if you have thyroid issues as kale is sometimes considered a goitrogenic food.

Have you ever tried kale? Do you prefer it raw or cooked? Have you tossed it in a smoothie yet? If you haven’t given kale a chance yet, will you now that you know how nutritious it is? Let’s talk about it!

Reference:
WH Foods: Kale

Disclaimer: The information in this post is intended to simply share the abundance of nutrition kale can provide. I am not a doctor, nor do I hold any nutrition title. I have a fascination with raw foods and their health benefits and healing powers. Please consult your physician and nutritionist or dietician, etc., for your health care needs.

Have you heard that old saying: “great minds think alike”? Well, it’s true!

Imagine my surprise yesterday as I envisioned a delicious smoothie made from ingredients I had on hand:

fresh strawberries

spinach

banana

coconut milk

almond butter (she used pb)

… when I logged on to Raw Juice Girl’s Facebook account and realized that my business partner, Mysti Reutlinger, had already posted the very smoothie I was dreaming about?!

Crazy, huh?

I did enjoy that same smoothie yesterday but today I whipped up a slightly different version and thought I’d post it here for you all to enjoy as well.

Instead of coconut milk, I used coconut water (with pulp) and I snuck in extra greens with a single serving packet of Amazing Grass (Barley, Wheat Grass, Alfalfa). The frozen banana gave it a luscious, smooth texture.

Tropical Storm Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 (big) fresh strawberries (with tops)
• handful fresh spinach leaves
• 2 small frozen bananas
• 1 cup coconut water (with pulp)
• 1 serving Amazing Grass (Barley Wheat Grass, Alfalfa)

Directions:

1. Toss all ingredients into the blender (putting frozen banana chunks on the bottom).
2. Press ice crush until the ingredients start whirling.
3. Once the banana is blended, press blend or grind.
4. Lastly, press the liquefy button. I like this as it seems to create an extra-smooth smoothie for me.

(Makes two (approx. 10 ounce) servings or one large serving.)

This tropical storm smoothie was super hydrating, energizing, and delicious. I loved every last drop!

What is your favorite smoothie combo? Like Mysti and me, do you whip up a nutritious green smoothie for an on-the-go breakfast or lunch to help fuel you through the day?

Some other smoothie recipes you may enjoy:

1. Chocolate-Covered Tart Cherry Smoothie
2. Black Grass Smoothie Recipe
3. Blueberry Blackstrap Bomb Smoothie Recipe
4. Rainbow Grass Smoothie Recipe

Here’s how the school year starts for us:

New clothes – Check

New shoes – Check

New backpack – Check

New hairstyle – Check

New lunch box – Check

A variety of meals – Wait a minute! Children need variety in their lunch boxes just as much as we do, right? So where do the new ideas come from that fit into the healthy spectrum and contain little-to-no preservatives, cover all nutritional needs, and taste good?

Within a few weeks of school starting, my oldest son is begging me to eat school lunches for the desserts. As much as he loves healthy foods, seeing all those kids scarf up cakes, cookies, and sugar-filled treats makes his boring sack lunch – boring. This year, my check list looks a little different – partially in thanks to great companies looking out for the health of children with organic, non-GMO products that excite them! As an added benefit, I’ll be bringing you healthy foods and meal ideas that are just as exciting as ripping open a bag of potato chips or seeing cookies at the bottom of the sack.

Coming up -  (more…)

I have long been told that healthy meals are boring, bland, and take too much effort. Nothing is far from the truth! I love healthy meals that are full of flavor and keep my hands fairly free as a parent of two young boys. This meal fits my healthy, simple, and flavorful requirements. This enchilada dinner is also complex enough to serve at a dinner party as it mimics enchiladas served in a restaurant.

Meal components: (more…)

I love tomatoes. There’s nothing like a fresh, juicy tomato on a hot summer’s day. The flavor is so intense in home-grown tomatoes. I haven’t had good luck with buying them from the grocery store. I end up with pink-ish, bland things that are a poor excuse for a tomato, in my opinion!

Garden tomatoes have been a favorite of mine since I was a child. I lived next door to my grandma (my mom’s mom) and she had a garden every year. Some of my fondest memories are traipsing out to her back yard and gathering everything from fresh okra to collard and mustard greens to new potatoes and green beans to big old juicy tomatoes.

The best part was when we got all our goods back inside and grandma began transforming her home-grown produce into a delicious meal. I was always fascinated how she could throw this and that here and there and come out with delicious, healthy meals that have never, ever left my memory.

My grandma passed away in 2001 but I know if she’s watching from somewhere that she was SO proud of me today when I stepped into my yard and plucked a gorgeous heirloom beefsteak tomato off the vine!

Of course, I can’t leave my papa (my dad’s dad) out of this tomato talk. He passed on in 2000, but while here he grew a really impressive HUGE garden (the majority of his backyard!) every year and he was well-known for his green thumb. He was never without giant, juicy tomatoes and an abundance of other fresh produce – from blackberries to peaches and okra to peppers.

(Photo of heirloom beefsteak tomato I picked off my vine today!)

Not only are tomatoes delicious and fun to eat – they’re very good for us. And that is excellent information, especially considering I could eat – or juice! – my weight in tomatoes. Yum!

I love discovering the health benefits of the foods and drinks I put into my body. This handy chart from Whole Foods is RAWmazing! How cool is it that tomatoes not only pack a powerful punch in their taste factor, but are absolutely LOADED in the nutrient department as well?!

Check out the long list of vitamins, minerals, and goodies. Woo hoo!

Besides this in-depth chart of tomato nutrition, Whole Foods also went on to share the following information about tomatoes:

Tomatoes are a treasure of riches when it comes to their antioxidant benefits. In terms of conventional antioxidants, tomatoes provide an excellent amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene; a very good amount of the mineral manganese; and a good amount of vitamin E. In terms of phytonutrients, tomatoes are basically off the chart, and include:

Flavonones
naringenin
chalconaringenin

Flavonols
rutin
kaempferol
quercetin

Hydroxycinnamic acids
caffeic acid
ferulic acid
coumaric acid

Carotenoids
lycopene
lutein
zeaxanthin
beta-carotene

Glycosides
esculeoside A

Fatty acid derivatives
9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid

 

Wow. So much nutrition in a juicy ball of goodness. Amazing.

Fun Fact:

“Today tomatoes are enjoyed worldwide – to the tune of about 130 million tons per year. The largest tomato-producing country is China (with approximately 34 million tons of production), followed by the United States, Turkey, India, and Italy.” – WH Foods

Along with all of the above nutrients, eating tomatoes is believed to keep diseases such as the following at bay:

* heart disease

* prostate cancer

* breast cancer

* neurological diseases

Tomatoes are also believed to promote bone health and the following functions:

* liver

* bloodstream

* kidneys

If you’re interested in raw produce and/or gardening, you won’t want to miss Mysti’s Simple Guide to Pollinating Plants!

Updated to include warning (brought to my attention by a reader in the comments): If you suffer from psoriasis or other autoimmune disease, eliminating or significantly reducing your intake of raw nightshade foods (such as tomatoes) can drastically improve the symptoms you suffer from. You can read more on this topic here: Nightshade Vegetables and Psoriasis (Livestrong.com).

Reader Linda Kann said this in her comment:  “I realise that the main source of methanol is from smoking and aspartame but now I make sure I only have small amounts of raw tomato, and if I make a sauce I simmer it long enough in an open pan to boil away the methanol.”

That is just an excerpt, as her comment was lengthy.

I do suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia but have personally not experienced negative results from my raw tomato/juice intake over the years. Read my story here.

Do you grow your own tomatoes? Do you have childhood memories of picking fresh tomatoes from a grandparent’s or neighbor’s vines? Or, are you making your own memories with your children or family members today? Do share the juicy details!

Reference:

WH Foods: Tomatoes

Hi, y’all! Thank you to everyone who entered the NuNaturals Stevia giveaway. I truly love this product and have used it for years. It’s a delicious way to sweeten iced tea, coffee, oatmeal, smoothies, and any recipe you want to whip up.

Four of you have won a box of stevia packets (50 count) and one (2 ounce) bottle of liquid vanilla stevia. These products are two of my favorites.

I love the convenience factor of the packets – just pop a few in your purse or pocket and while you’re out running errands (or at work!) you have access to a healthy sweetener for your tea or coffee, etc.

And the vanilla liquid stevia is SO good. It’s truly delicious in coffee and so much more.

I’m so excited and happy for those of you who have won!

Speaking of which….

Drumroll please…

And the winners are: according to Mr. Random, comments # 36, 30, 11, and 25 are the lucky folks!

And who belongs to those comment numbers?

CONGRATULATIONS, WINNERS!!!

I will be contacting you via email to let you know you’ve won and will need your physical mailing address to pass on to NuNaturals so they can ship your sweet prizes to you.

If you are a winner, feel free to go ahead and contact me with your information.

FTC Disclaimer: NuNaturals is providing the products for this giveaway. I have not been paid to write a review or host a giveaway for this company. I did receive samples but was under no obligation to share them here or anywhere on the web. All opinions are my own.

I have always been a fairly healthy eater. As a young child, I was often criticized for ordering salads at restaurants. I was told that if I wanted to eat rabbit food, I could do so at home. Restaurants were a place to enjoy large slabs of red meat, greasy goods, and everything disproportionate to what a body really needs. I seldom let the criticism to sway my decision to enjoy heaping mounds of lettuce, beans, peas, carrots, sunflower seeds, hard boiled eggs, and every other good thing I could find on salad bars. My love of fresh produce has carried through into adulthood and further into parenthood.

I’m adamant about educating my children on the benefits of a well-balanced, clean diet. With both of my boys, we’ve been down the limited allergy-related diet and the one who faced more challenges than most with a premature birth and continuing issue with Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). The end result for each of my children were diets heavy in processed foods that didn’t facilitate proper growth and health. Finding a way to change those bad habits without shocking their systems took ingenuity, persistence, and a broken freezer.

Introduction of smoothies

A few years back, I made a very subtle change in the way my children enjoyed desserts. I jumped to blend frozen and fresh fruits with vegetables, yogurts, and almond milk. I created delightful beverages filled to the brim with living nutrition. Smoothies were the gateway I needed to slowly begin incorporating more and more raw foods into their diets under the false assumption they were enjoying desserts.

Within a few months, I began sharing with my children what was contained in those delicious blended creations. (more…)

First of all, I want to give an official welcome to Mysti Reutlinger. She has joined forces with me to show the world how to achieve healthy eating, while not being hard on ourselves for enjoying those not-so-healthy options along the way. And we’re co-authoring a book together!

Already, Mysti has opened her heart to us and shared her personal breast cancer survival story – what a strong woman and true inspiration!

Please give her a warm welcome. She has a lot of inspiring thoughts, meals, and snacks in store for us!

And I’m so excited to be back! Your response to my spill-the-beans post (Raw Changes) has blown me away. Besides the heartfelt comments on this post, I have been contacted via various social media sites and email and your words of love and encouragement have touched my heart so deeply – you are all simply the best. 

I’ve been busy as a bee revamping my writing career and enjoying this beautiful weather but I have also been working on the book project with my new business partner and have made myself take the time to nourish my body as well!

Following are some raw – and cooked! – goodies that made their way into my belly over the past few days (including a birthday treat – or two! – at the end!).

Of course, this isn’t every single thing I have eaten – just a round-up! :

(Steel-cut oatmeal w/ cinnamon, pb, unsulfured molasses, brown sugar)

(leaf lettuce, chopped broccoli, corn, black beans, bell peppers, half of a burger, chopped, sea salt, organic coconut oil drizzled over)

(Omelet: 2 brown eggs with a splash of water, whisked, added to a skillet with melted butter and chopped broccoli, bit of cheese, and sprinkled with a little parsley and garlic salt, flipped and a dash of salt for good measure. DIVINE!)

(Similar salad as above with romaine and radicchio, topped with peas, corn, bell peppers, black beans, sunflower seeds, broccoli, sea salt, drizzled in organic coconut oil.)

(a luscious smoothie with a secret ingredient for the upcoming book!)

And… a sensibly sized mini chocolate cupcake with

mocha frosting to celebrate my 37th birthday – or two!!

How do you work healthier options into your busy lifestyle?

We want to know:

What is your favorite memory thus far in your life?

What will you do today to celebrate?

What special treats will you find to enjoy?

In all the years that we have known one another online, I have known you to be one of the kindest and most sincere women I have met. You lift people to reach their highest potential through your words of love and wisdom. These are my words for you as a new chapter in your life is opened, awaiting to be written:

Take today and make it yours. Fill each moment with happiness and joy as you walk forth into greatness. Love each person in your life and never fear being you. You are a woman worth knowing and loving. I am blessed to not only call you my business partner, but also my friend.

Happy Birthday Michele!

Where do I even begin?

First, I’d like to apologize. I am so sorry for disappearing and for not sharing my heart with you this whole time.

I’ve been missing from the blogosphere and social media world for quite some time now. Some of you have questioned; others may have given up on me and moved on to blogs that are updated more often—and I don’t blame you one bit.

I didn’t go missing because I don’t have passion, or because I got tired of writing, or because I don’t care about y’all – ‘cause y’all are FANTABULOUS! And you’re always, always close to my heart. I could reach right through this computer screen and hug you! What? I could!

There are several reasons I’ve been missing:

I became overwhelmed.Things were going so well and I was SO close to really succeeding beyond my wildest dreams and I totally freaked out. I mean, I’m a writer. I wasn’t comfortable with thoughts of maybe being interviewed on a radio station or posting a lot of YouTube videos or meeting y’all in person. I was such a hermit that the mere thought of anything that would put me outside of my comfort zone was a giant red flag I ran away from. I regret that now. Look how far I could have been by now. And just imagine where this blog could be?!

I made wrong choices.Yes, I took raw foodism way too far (for me) and came to a place where I was literally living 100% on raw food not for myself, for my happiness, but because I felt like I owed it to my readers and peers. Sure, that’s nonsense. I see it clearly now. But back then, when I felt SO ashamed if I had cooked oatmeal or roasted nuts… it was a very big deal to me.

It wasn’t healthy for me in any way. I tried to live like so-and-so raw foodist or so-and-so vegan and it just didn’t work for me. I love farm fresh eggs. I could eat them DAILY. So, to deprive myself of that… It just didn’t work. I enjoy honey… not every day –but sometimes, in tea or oatmeal or a recipe. It’s yummy and delish.

The pressure I put on myself was uncalled for. I felt like I had to eat only raw foods because you all expected it of me. I’m sure that isn’t true. But it is what I thought at the time.

I also made other wrong choices but those are a story for another day.

I got married. Yes, I married someone who loves meat, soda, Reese’s and Twinkies. You can probably guess that I started not only eating eggs and honey but also different meats and over time more and more processed foods and soda now and then. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE whole foods. But I went from the 100% raw food extreme to the other end of the spectrum with more meat, eggs, and some processed foods and less whole foods. (I’ve already put a halt to the processed foods and my intake of meat and am making my way back up the whole foods ladder.)

I gained weight. I’m embarrassed, ashamed, and SO mad at myself. I lost about 150 pounds that I kept off for YEARS. And then: BOOM! The fat starts creeping on me, enveloping my once-slimmer body. Where did it go? It’s hidden beneath the layers now. I’ve still managed to keep off just right at 100 pounds or so. But that once vibrant, cheerful, proud Raw Juice Girl that you all fell in love with, now feels defeated by this fat and humiliated that I EVER allowed myself to re-gain a chunk of what took me years to lose, and that I had kept off through maintenance for years. Hard on myself? Yes, because I knew better. And I let it happen.

I’ve caused pain. There have ups and downs in my personal life. Big, significant ups and downs. The kind of stuff that takes a realtoll on the old mind, body, emotions. I have made choices that hurt people I care about deeply – to the point of almost no return. I did not set out to hurt these people that I cherish, but it happened. I can’t take it back. It will never be erased or forgotten. All I can do is ask God for forgiveness and ask them for forgiveness and try to rebuild bridges and build new ones to a better day. You know who you are. Joy cometh in the morning. The sunlight is beaming in; it’s a brand-new day! I love you with all my heart, mind, soul and body and I am so honored to have received your forgiveness and love.

I lost myself. Raw Juice Girl became lost beneath the layers of emotion and fat and guilt and shame and pain and…. so much more. Sure, I have excuses. My juicer broke. I couldn’t find the time to do this or that. I was craving a Snickers and ate it. I didn’t know how to fix problems that were beyond my control (and some within) so I did what the emotional eater I am does, I ate. I cried. I prayed. I sunk deeper. I became so lost that I wondered if God – or anyone – heard me. I felt like a little girl, all alone.

I was giving up; I was dying inside. I didn’t think there were any more opportunities for me. I was afraid I’d missed the boat one too many times. That the people I had hurt were gone forever. That the opportunities I had let slip through my fingers vanished, never to appear again. That I had fallen so far off the raw food wagon that it was too high to climb back up again, and that the wagon had left me in its dust.

I was afraid. Of what? That this blog I started out of a deep, great desire to help others who longed for hope in the still hours of the night as I once had, searching the computer for answers, for inspiration, for a little glimpse of beauty to hold on to so they could make it ‘till dawn breaks, had died, that it would no longer be here for you to grab ahold of. But it is not dead. It’s very much alive! It is still full of passion and hope and my dreams aren’t dead—they’ve just been lying dormant in the reservoir of my heart and soul, slowly making their way to the top for the raw birth that is in the midst.

I’m coming back! That’s right. I’m going to lose this fat one pound at a time. I’m going to hold my chin up and if that radio interview opportunity comes, I’m going to be a big girl and go for it. If TV opportunity comes, I’m going to find something to hold on to and try to stand up. Sure, you may not see the slim Raw Juice Girl. If it happens sooner than later, you’ll see a chunky me. The slimmer Raw Juice Girl is under here somewhere… but I still have the same heart! I’m going to take a deep breath. And I’m going to go for these opportunities with all my heart!

I’m 37! Today is my birthday and I anticipate an AMAZING year. I can’t wait for all that it holds in store for me. I’ve already received an out-of-this-world early birthday gift:

I’ve been asked to co-author a book with raw juice and smoothie recipes that will also be filled to the brim with inspiration and encouragement for all of you precious souls who crave the healing power of raw, living liquids. And you’d better believe I’m going to write that baby and promote it like mad!

I’ve learned that beauty truly is and always has been all around me, in me, and shining through me. And that success comes from stepping outside my comfort zone. It’s going to be a great ride! Isn’t that right, Mysti Reutlinger?

In December 2011, I found a small lump in my left breast. I wasn’t too concerned about it as I’ve had many fibrous bits come and go over the years thanks to hormonal fluctuations. The general rule I was told to follow was to wait 30 days and see if there was any change. If the lump was gone, great! If it changed in any manner to see the doc.

This lump fell into the latter of the two categories. In fact, in the course of a month, the lump that started out the size of a pencil eraser had grown tremendously and hurt. This wasn’t the norm for all the lumps I had found in the past and I called my gynecologist.

I saw that doctor the same day I called. Upon examining the lump, he felt it was best to get me in for a mammogram and ultrasound. The next day, I experienced my first mammogram. It wasn’t as bad as all the horror stories I had heard before, though it was quite uncomfortable. The technician had me wait while the Radiologist viewed the x-rays. It was decided that I would need to have an ultrasound to rule out a few possibilities.

The next morning, I had my ultrasound. The same technician that had performed my mammogram did the ultrasound. She was kind and chatted with me about anything other than my breasts or the lump. After a few minutes, she became silent and measured and measured the same lump again. She took many pictures and said she would be back in a few minutes after the radiologist viewed the images. She also told me that he often comes in to talk to patients and not to be alarmed.

I heard her footsteps down the hall and heard two sets of footsteps returning. I knew the radiologist would be coming in and nervously awaited the discussion.

When the radiologist came in, we discussed the lump that was over an inch in length. He said that while most of the tissue looked like your standard fibrous tumor, in the very center was a spot that concerned him as it “behaved like an aggressive form of breast cancer.” He recommended I see the surgeon immediately to schedule a biopsy or  surgery to remove the entire mass.  (more…)

Swept up. That’s what happened to me. I woke up one day and realized that I had taken raw foods to an extreme level and discovered it wasn’t healthy for me. I wrote confession posts and falling-off-the-wagon posts but I gradually began to just write less and less here, partly from being discouraged that my body couldn’t hold up to being 100% raw and partly because I felt like maybe you all had the impression that I should stay 100% raw since this is a raw foods, juicing, and smoothie blog.

Case-in-point: I didn’t want to let y’all down.

I made a terrible mistake, dropping off the planet. And I am writing an in-depth post and am going to pour my heart out to you. You will understand why I’ve been gone and where I have been. You don’t want to miss this upcoming post, I’m telling you!

And… just as I was ready to give up on this blog forever, God sent a beautiful angel to pick me up, dust me off, and say: “Michele, you’re not a has-been, you’re still a passionate, beautiful blogger who has a passion for whole foods and an unconditional love for your readership.”

Yes, this angel lifted me up, encouraged me, told me that I have talent and a future in the blogging business—and that my wee little blog here does, too.

Who is this angel, you ask? Mysti Reutlinger, who has joined forces with me to take the blog world by storm. She has set a fire under my rear-end (oh, yes! but in a very good way!) and has chosen me to co-author a book with her. Oh, yes, you’ll be seeing that in the coming months.

Don’t believe me? Below is what Mysti told the world:

“Raw Juice Girl and I will be combining our knowledge of extremely delicious raw drinks to bring you a beautiful new book in the coming months. You’re sure to find something amazing your family cannot live without between the covers!”

Uh-oh! Now I’m held accountable!

To Mysti and anyone who is out there reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I still love juices and smoothies. And I still love each and every one of you….

And a big ole raw food salad doesn’t hurt either.

I live in a region of the country where growing fruits and vegetables takes careful planning, most often starting seedlings under lights. The prospect of sowing the ground to plant seeds and water is minimal. A mid-spring move to a new city put a damper on growing an elaborate garden on my patio. Once we settled into our new home, I didn’t wait before planting seeds to nurture into delectable produce we can enjoy this fall.

In front of my home, I have a rock garden with a small planter space that was established by the prior owners. The space is perfect for 8-12 full-sized plants depending on the type. Knowing I had to battle grazing deer (more…)