Articles with the spinach Tag
Hi, y’all!
How’ve ya been doing? I know you probably thought Raw Juice Girl “flew the coop” but I didn’t. I’ve just been busy as a little worker bee doing all sorts of cool stuff – including gardening and writing about gardening!
I’ve also been hunting for treasures (which I’ve found!) for unique container gardening. I’m so excited to be growing yummy goodies to eat. Not only is gardening fun and healthy exercise, it’s rawsome to be able to eat produce you’ve grown yourself.
First up, is an old wheelbarrow that was full of junk. I knew right away it was a treasure that could be filled with rich soil and that it would make a wonderful home for produce of some sort.
Now that I think about it, strawberries would have loved living here, but pepper plants it was: cayenne, jalapeño, and sweet bell peppers to be exact. 
Before
After
Note two things:
- The recycled trash can lid turned upside-down in order to lift the bottom and result in using less soil.
- That the wheelbarrow is now PINK – my all-time favorite color!
(I blogged about my “Pink Pepper Patch” here!)
Next up is an old shelf that was laying in someone’s yard and would have literally just rotted away to nothingness. I could envision a fantabulous raised garden bed and just had to have it!
Thanks to my sweet husband, with some scraps of thin plywood nailed on the back to make a bottom, I was in business….
Before
After
On each end of the above raised garden bed is yellow crooked neck squash (four plants on each end).
Along the back, is four cucumber plants.
Down the three center rows is tomatoes (green zebra striped and beefsteak). I’ve never grown green zebra striped tomatoes. I bought them from a lady down the road. They’re supposed to stay green even after they mature. Now, she also sold me some Ananas Noir tomatoes – more about that in a future post.
Squash Blooms Already!
Tomato Blooms!
(I blogged about How Gardening with Grandma as a Child Brings Writing Success Today HERE!)
Lastly is an old, rusty washtub. Oh, the joy! This beauty was lost in the weeds and it just spoke to me. Yep, it did. It said, “Michele, you need me. I’ll grow delicious spinach and basil for you!”
It won my heart over. (I blogged about the story: Grandma’s Washtub Transformed!)
Before
After
And so it grows….
What about you? Are you a gardener? Have you discovered the peace and joy of gardening? Do you love garden-fresh produce? Do you remember gardening as a child? What’s your favorite veggie or fruit? How has life been treating you? I’ve missed you so – fill me in!
Keep your eyes peeled for more gardening adventures!
Hi,y’all!
I haven’t forgotten about all the upcoming reviews, contests, and information-packed posts – I’ve been soaking up the sunshine and gardening!!! 
You know me, I’ve been snapping photos all along the way. Folks are calling me “shutterbug” lol!
(Organic) gardening is definitely therapeutic and as I recently wrote, you can be reinspired by stopping to smell the roses.
There aren’t any roses to smell yet, but I’ve been taking my own advice!
It’s hard sometimes being a freelance writer and blogger because naturally, I tend to throw myself in to my work and as you know, I’m pretty thorough in the reviews I write – and everything else I do. Some days, hours have past before I realize it and I haven’t taken time to stretch or enjoy a little fresh air.
I’m working on changing that. Life is precious and we need to absorb all we can while we have the chance.
Gardening is perfect for that! Besides, it gives me even more to blog about. 
I took some photos of various flower blooms and veggie and fruit plants around the yard and edge of the garden to share with you….
Lilac Bush
Redbud Tree
Daffodils
Amish Windmill
Rhubarb
Brussel Sprouts
Rainbow Chard
Brussel Sprouts + Cauliflower
Potatoes
The posts and string are temporary – we’re planning to eventually have all raised beds with pathways all along the way!
Far back is the potatoes, right top corner, strawberry patch.
As you can see, this garden is HUGE (100×100!!!) – the above photo doesn’t even show 3/4 of it! There’s still a LOT to plant and TONS more work to do. And to the left, there’s a long row of thornless blackberries!
Also not shown: peony bushes scattered around the garden’s edge, tulips (coming up, not blooming yet), an iris bed, more lilac bushes, comfrey, mock orange, and also several rose of sharon bushes.
Grapes
And the orchard (not in the garden, a different area)
So far, our orchard consists of the following trees:
-
2 apple
-
3 (tart) cherry
-
2 peach
-
2 elderberry
-
2 paw paw
-
2 plum
So exciting!!! Can you just imagine all the yumilicious raw treats, smoothies, and juices I can make??!!
And not all of those are visible in the above photo – several are back to the left and out of the camera’s eye.
For fun: the old silo (not in use)
Why Companion Gardening?
Companion gardening is RAWsome. Why? Because there are certain plants that do exceedingly well side-by-side. There are also some plants you need to avoid placing next to others. There’s not enough room in this post to share all the information, but here’s a few examples:
- Spinach + Lettuce + Peas + Beans. We planted spinach and lettuces so they’ll be at the bottom of snap peas and green beans. This way, the lettuce and spinach work to crowd out the weeds, helping the peas and beans grow and the spinach and lettuce are shaded by the peas and beans. Win-win!
- Basil + Tomatoes. Sounds like ingredients for a salad, sandwich, or sauce, right? Then doesn’t it make sense to plant basil and tomatoes together? How RAWmazing is it that basil enriches the taste and growth of tomatoes??!! So, you know where these two will be found in my garden, eh?
- Flax + Potatoes? That’s right! The linseed and tannin oils found in flax helps fend off the potato bug!
And that’s just the beginning! I also love that if you plant garlic near your roses, it repels aphids!!
If any of you are interested in learning more about companion gardening, let me know and I’ll post more about it as I plant and tend the garden!
I’ll also be talking more about heirloom, organic plants and gardening.
Are you in to gardening? Do you have a garden? Want one? What do you have in your garden (or what would you plant if you had one)? Do you strive for heirloom, organic gardening?
I’m off to fantasize about all the RAWsome smoothie, juice, and salad concoctions that will come from my garden…. Yum!
Giveaways!!
Janetha, from Meals and Moves, is having a Kombucha giveaway!!
I’m hosting a shopping spree giveaway – there’s over 400 comments!!! Eeeek!!! Have you entered yet?? Why not?? Hurry!! Deadline is TOMORROW!!!!
Get Your Discount!
10% Discount code – You can get a coupon code for 10% off ANYTHING in my OpenSky store until Wednesday, April 14th.
Save $5 on your www.iHerb.com order by using the following code at checkout: TUN499
So, if you’ve been (cyber) window shopping, now’s your chance to take the plunge and go for it!
Coming Soon
In no particular order…
- Review of the Paderno World Cuisine Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
- Review of Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel
- Review of Aurorae Slip Free Rosin Bag
- Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses – And Why I Drink It
- Tart Cherry Concentrate Health Benefits – And Why I Drink It
- More recipes
- More reviews and giveaways – lots of surprises!
Just stopping by? Have you tried my coconut peanut butter honey overnight oats yet? Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at my chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls or raw tuna fish-less salad. And you simply HAVE to try my latest, simple creation: Coconut Peanut Butter Cream. YUM!
Hope you had a fantabulous holiday! I sure did.
I know a lot of you are curious about what I ate for Thanksgiving. A part of me feels proud of my choices because I didn’t eat meat and I didn’t eat dressing (aka stuffing).
No animals were harmed for my dinner.
But…
A part of me is disappointed with myself (make sense?) because my Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t 100% raw AND vegan. 
Night Before Turkey Day
On Thanksgiving Eve, my mom had leftover batter from the pineapple upside down cake (she makes hers in a cast iron skillet) and so she made cupcakes.
I wasn’t going to eat one, then I just did – it was the smallest one, though!
That was the first time I’d had any (real) cake since my birthday (in mid-August).
Choices, Choices
Aren’t we are own worst critics? Are you hard on yourself, too? Sometimes I think I’m too hard on myself. Most ALL of the time, other people think I’m too hard on myself.
I’ve been really torn about the direction my eating habits have been going and in an upcoming post, I’m going to share my feelings and plans for 2010. Since I lost my cousins (at such young ages) this year, I’ve really battled emotional eating. I’m going to address emotional eating and my food choices soon…
My Thanksgiving Dinner
I filled my plate with mostly salad: baby spinach leaves, kale, broccoli, carrots, avocado, pink sea salt, drizzle of olive oil, pecans.
Then I decided to have a couple spoonfuls of my mom’s sweet potato casserole, real mashed potatoes, baked pasta, and green bean casserole. And the cranberry sauce isn’t raw either – it’s fresh from the can.
Sounds like a lot – but it really wasn’t that much. I suppose some would say I went overboard; others would say I didn’t eat enough. I am proud that my plate is filled with mostly raw veggies. I ended up not have a vegan Thanksgiving because there’s butter in the mashed potatoes and cheese (+ butter) in the pasta. I don’t think I did that badly, though: I didn’t eat turkey, dressing, or the other stuff available.
Iced tea with stevia
Most importantly on Thanksgiving, though, I enjoyed the company. Good family and friends are hard to come by!
How did your Thanksgiving turn out? Did you get to see family and friends and have a good time? Did you eat all raw or high raw vegetarian/vegan? Did you worry about it? Did you splurge and have cooked foods and maybe even turkey? Did you go all out and work hard on mock raw or vegan options? Tell me all about it!
If you’re just tuning in, be sure to enter Healing With (Raw) Juices’ latest contest for TWO containers of Amazing Grass – one is CHOCOLATE! (Thursday, October 22 is the last day to enter.) You can also use the code hwj (small J as in JUICE) for a 15% discount on your order, if you can’t wait. And a BIG thank you to Amazing Grass for sponsoring!
Fun Treats for Fall
Nathalie, at Raw Foods Witch, recently shared a new raw recipe video: How to Make a Festive Raw Pumpkin Pie Recipe. I love Nathalie. She’s fun, creative, informative, and I just adore her enthusiasm for raw living!
Cindy, from A Sparkle A Day, made us readers drool with her version of a healthy pancake. If you aren’t 100% raw/vegan, I’d definitely recommend you give this a try. I haven’t yet, but I will!
Love Veggies & Yoga? Averie sure does! This gal is RAWkin the blogosphere with her creative raw recipes. She has a passion for raw, vegan living and shares all sorts of recipes and tips–with pizzazz! One of her creations I’m lookin’ forward to making myself: Raw, Vegan Apple Crumble! Of course, Averie’s recipe archive is exploding over there, so dig through and find yourself some stuff to eat!
Mysti, of Life’s Approbations, shared her original recipe: Fall Perfection Pumpkin Muffins. This one isn’t raw or vegan, but is made with healthy ingredients! If you’re looking for a raw recipe from this gal, she offers that too at her new site, Dining Family: Sweet, Smooth and Cold! (And you’ll find a real little pumpkin at the end of that recipe!) UPDATED TO ADD: “Egg can be substituted out with 1/4 c applesauce and 1/8 tsp baking soda,” says Mysti. She wanted to share that for vegan readers. Thank you, Mysti!!!
I love pumpkin seeds, so Katy Joy’s recipe (from Raw People), sounds like a delicious treat. I’d like to make it sometime. Have you ever had Pumpkin Spice Milk?
And, here’s one of my recipes–that I haven’t enjoyed in quite a while!
Pumpkin Pie Yogurt
Ingredients:
- a container of organic, Greek yogurt (I love Oikos, but you could use raw, nut based yogurt)
- about 1/4 to 1/2 can of organic pumpkin (or raw)
- pumpkin pie spice
Stir pumpkin into your yogurt and sprinkle on as much pumpkin pie spice as you’d like.
Optional Toppings:
- trail mix
- granola
- raisins
- cranberries
- cookies
- raw pumpkin seeds (or nuts)
Do you have any favorite Fall recipes? Do you stay 100% raw in the Fall and Winter seasons, regardless, or do you stray and enjoy some warm (or other non-raw) comfort foods? Have you ever had the recipes I mentioned today? Do you plan on trying any of them? Hope you enjoy your weekend! Can you believe we’re half-way through October??!!
Want to REALLY enhance your recipes?? Enter the contest for NuttZo over at An Apple A Day blog! Hurry, contest ends soon!
Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more? Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ve also been working on a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!
First, I’d like to remind you about the current contest I have running: The Bolder Mat Company Yoga Mat + Stacy McCarthy’s Yoga DVD. (Contest ends Wednesday, August 19th. There are SEVEN ways to win!!)
My day started out with an hour of yoga, which was fantabulous! I almost fell asleep during Shavasana, I was SO relaxed! (Have I mentioned lately that I’m in LOVE with yoga??!!) After that, I gobbled up an organic Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries on top (this is by far my FAVORITE, non-raw meal)!
Then, I did some writing + blog work and some other stuff. Once it was time for lunch, I was STARVING.
Spinach Salad
a bunch of baby spinach leaves (this is a bigger bowl than it seems)
organic tomatoes (from my garden)
frozen peas +organic bell pepper from my garden (lightly steamed with coconut oil + Italian herbs)
hemp seeds (from www.manitobaharvest.com)
macadamia nuts
THIS SALAD WAS DELICIOUS!!! YUM!!! 
Once lunch was finished and cleaned up, it was time for me to stop procrastinating and make some chocolate pudding from avocados! Enter: Chocolate (Avocado) Pudding Heaven!
Cleanin’ Out the Fridge + Garden Overflow
There was a little of this, that, and the other in the fridge where veggies are concerned. I’ve been eating a LOT of salad but needed to clean out those odds and ends. Also, I needed to use up some freshly-picked garden veggies…
Organic, Heirloom Tomatoes
Organic Heirloom Bell + Banana Peppers
All from My Garden
First Up: Tomato Juice
(After I washed all that garden dirt off!)
Beautiful Tomato Juice Bubbles!
Made 3 Cups + a Little Leftover
Just for me!
Next Up: Juice Concoction
rest of the tomatoes
3 bell peppers
5 big banana peppers
whole bag of organic carrots (16 ounce) + a few other stray (organic) carrots
2 big cucumbers (from my garden)
teeny bit of spinach
Juice Concoction Bubbles
Juice Concoction Pulp
(The pulp went to the ducks, chickens, and turkeys.)
Organic, Heirloom Cucumbers
9 big cucumbers went into this juice!
Gorgeous Cucumber Juice Bubbles
Those 9 cucumbers made 3 cups of juice (shown above) + half of my oversized, favorite cup for drinking right away!
Cucumber Juice for Me!
It’s a Raw Juice Party!
In all, I ended up with:
1 – 3 cup container of tomato juice
1 – 3 cup container of cucumber juice
1 – 3 cup container which contained 3/4 cucumber juice + 1/4 juice concoction
2 – 3 cup containers of juice concoction
1 – 12 ounce Amazing Grass shaker cup of cucumber juice
1 – 12 ounce Amazing Grass shaker cup of cantaloupe juice
leftover 8 ounces or so of cucumber juice, which I drank in my polka-dotted cup (shown above)
Cantaloupe Juice
I forgot to take a photo of the cantaloupe but it was organic, heirloom (from my garden) as well.
It made 12 ounces–which fit perfectly into an Amazing Grass shaker cup! This one went into the freezer for later. Yum!
Juices in a Nice, Clean Fridge!
What’s in your fridge?
Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life PLUS get to enter all sorts of awesome contests! 
No yoga for me today. I listened to my body and I knew I should take a rest day, so I did. I can’t wait for my date with Polly in the morning, though! I wasn’t hungry when I first woke up. I didn’t feel like my usual warm lemon water, so I skipped that. I had a tall glass of plain water instead. After that, I had some herbal tea. When I finally got hungry, I didn’t know what I wanted! And guess what? I went crazy and had an organic Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries on top. Yeah, it isn’t raw but this is what I’m talking about when I say I sometimes craves a non-raw food, yet what I’m craving isn’t really junk food just because it isn’t raw. I’m still really close to 100% raw, really, but once in a while (once a day, once a week, once a month–whenever the urge hits), I have decided to treat myself to a non-raw (yet still healthy) food.
Oikos (Organic) Greek Yogurt
After my yummy-to-the-tummy Oikos Greek yogurt, I had my daily shot of E3 Live.
Snack/Lunch
Since I had a late breakfast (around 11 a.m., or so) I didn’t eat lunch at noon. Instead, I ended up having a snack around maybe 1 p.m.? I was a little hungry but not much, so I had a big banana with a spoon of raw honey. Yum! (No pic, sorry!)
Mid-Afternoon Snack
By this afternoon, I still wasn’t really craving anything–except chocolate! I realized I’d been craving chocolate all day, so I had me some! LOL Double the chocolate, double the fun, eh? I started with the totally delicious Amazing Grass Chocolate SuperFood bar. Yum-O! It has a thin layer of chocolate coating on the outside and nutty, green, chewy goodness on the inside. It’s healthy, tasty, and chocolate. What’s not to like? Seriously, I could eat one of these every single day! And they’re very dense and filling–AMAZING!
Amazing Grass Chocolate Bar
I decided to double up on my chocolate fix and had my other sample packet of Amazing Grass chocolate superfood powder, mixed with almond milk. Yum!
Amazing Chocolate Shake
(Just click on the photo below to read all about this yummy chocolate superfood powder! )
Dinner
It was most definitely time for some raw veggies, so I fixed myself a salad. And here’s the sad news: all of my camera batteries are dead and I’m having to charge them–so no salad pics tonight! Sorry! Use your imagination, though, and picture this:
a base of baby spinach leaves
with chopped Napa cabbage
chopped heirloom organic banana peppers (from my garden)
diced heirloom organic bell peppers (from my garden)
sliced heirloom organic beets (from my garden)
Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds
scattered fresh blueberries
Yummy to the tummy!
Contest!!
Want to win a giant 2 pound container of healthy deliciousness? Special K wants to know what nourishes me. So, here it is: raw juices, smoothies, raw foods, and healthy thoughts nourish me. What nourishes you? Head on over there and tell her so you can be entered to win!
Coming next: various foods I’ve eaten when breaking other juice fasts I’ve been on, and also why I don’t incorporate vegetable broth into my juice fasting regimen like some juice fasters do. <—– I am working on this post!! 
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. 
I’m still sticking with Polly’s yoga videos. I love her positive attitude and her style!
I went with Yoga for yummy abs again this morning. I’m going to see how switching things up goes for me. So far, I’ve tried the following of Polly’s videos: Yoga for low back, Yoga for yummy abs, and Yoga for newbies. I love ‘em all!
Let me tell you, although Polly’s yoga videos seem gentle and easy, I’m feeling the soreness, people! Sheesh, who knew?! LOL
I think I’ll take at least one day off each week to let my muscles rest. Maybe two? How many days each week do you practice yoga? Do you take a day or two off?
Breakfast
Anyway, after yoga with Polly, I decided to have a bowl full of frozen blueberries. I absolutely love frozen blueberries! They’re so tasty!
Frozen Blueberries
I drank some herbal tea after that (I didn’t make my warm lemon water this morning). I also had my daily shot of E3 Live.
Lunch
By lunch time, I was starving! My eyes were bigger than my appetite, though, when I made this ginormous salad. LOL
Giant Veggie Salad
Napa cabbage
Spinach leaves
Heirloom lettuce
Sliced celery
Sliced carrots
Sliced beets
Sliced tomato
Diced bell pepper
That was a huge salad and I was only able to eat about half of it. That’s okay, I’ll finish it off as a mid-afternoon snack, or as my dinner. It won’t go to waste!
Snack
I still have some more Amazing Grass products to sample (but couldn’t because I was juice fasting when they arrived) so I thought I’d try out the Chocolate Green SuperFood Drink Powder for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Oh. My. Goodness! It’s DELICIOUS!!!!
(Just click on the photo below to read all about this yummy chocolate superfood powder! )
Amazing Grass Shaker Cup
Added Organic Rice Milk
Added Chocolate SuperFood Powder
All Shook Up
Up Close
Non-Raw Milk?
No, the organic rice milk is NOT raw. I’m not a milk person, really. I have never been one to just guzzle milk–even before my raw food adventures. When I ate the S.A.D. diet, I only used milk on my cereal. I tend to shy away from processed cereals nowadays, so I pretty much don’t use milk at all–not even in my smoothies (I use herbal tea instead).
Anyway, although it will be pretty rare, I may decide to enjoy a treat once in a while that isn’t 100% raw. I’ll let you know when I do, like today with this organic rice milk.
I would have made a smoothie with the chocolate powder, a frozen banana, and some herbal tea but my blender died on me. So, I remembered Jenna saying she just added the Amazing Grass chocolate powder to her shaker cup with rice milk so I just went for it–I’m so glad I did! I’m telling you, it’s soooooooooooooooooo good!!! Yum!
Dinner
For dinner, I had the other half of my salad from lunch. And now I’m ready to call it a night. Can’t wait for yoga in the morning!!
Off-Topic:
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a freelance writer. I write about all sorts of things, including writing! Check out my latest post over at The Writer’s Round-About: 7 Tips for Getting that Writing Gig Without an English Degree.
Coming next: various foods I’ve eaten when breaking other juice fasts I’ve been on, and also why I don’t incorporate vegetable broth into my juice fasting regimen like some juice fasters do. <—– I am working on this post!!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
I can’t believe this is day 3 of my yoga adventures and I’m still excited about it–I LOVE it!
This morning, I did the video called Yoga for Yummy Abs by Polly from Yoga is Yummy.
I did the cobra pose, too! Fantabulous, people!
I was hesitant to try a different video. I’m trying to be very careful with my (bad) back. But, while I could really feel the yoga poses and stretches burning and using my muscles, it was a good, warm burning and relaxing experience. I’m just madly in love with yoga!
After my date with yoga, I had breakfast:
Blueberry-Kiwi Salad
1 whole kiwi, peeled + sliced
handful frozen blueberries
Yum-O!
I also had some herbal tea and, of course, added a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar to one of my glasses of water.
About mid-morning, I had my daily shot….
E3 Live Brain On
I think the Brain On formula tastes just a little stronger (or a little different) than the original E3 Live I’ve tried but it’s definitely do-able for me. You could always disguise the taste (if it’s too strong–aka green–for you) in a smoothie or juice. I just take a tablespoon straight up. What? I love my greens–and I’m lovin’ how it makes me feel: clear-minded and mentally alert!
Juicy Ingredients!
4 small heirloom organic beets, with leaves (from my garden)
3 organic carrots
2 heirloom organic cucumbers (from my garden)
small apple
2 handfuls spinach
handful Alfalfa sprouts
1-inch piece of ginger
medium heirloom organic bell pepper (from my garden)
1 whole kiwi, peeled
Raw Beauty!
Juice Pulp
(Looks Like Confetti!)
Yummy Juices
Raw Lunch
1 celery stalk, cut up
1 carrot, cut up
shaker cup full of today’s juicy concoction
+ a scoop of berry flavored Amazing Grass SuperFood powder
(To learn more about this berry-licious superfood powder, click on the photo below! )
Snack
I had another carrot and another celery stalk (I was craving carrots and celery today! LOL)
And…. some of the juiciest, most delicious…
Organic Cherries
Dinner
I thought about having my other juice in the place of my dinner but then I had an overwhelming craving for the following spinach-based salad. I absolutely adore baby spinach leaves–they’re my favorite veggie! I love them raw, in juices, in smoothies, in salads… you get my point.
Oh-So-Good Salad
generous handful of baby spinach leaves
heirloom organic cucumber slices (from my garden)
generous handful of fresh blueberries
Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds (Yum!)
2 stalks heirloom organic okra, sliced
Have you ever eaten okra raw? It’s delicious! I’m serious! The above combo is absolutely YUM! What’s your favorite salad combo? Do share!
Coming next: various foods I’ve eaten when breaking other juice fasts I’ve been on, and also why I don’t incorporate vegetable broth into my juice fasting regimen like some juice fasters do.
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Hmmm…. I forgot to drink my warm lemon water on an empty stomach this morning! Ah well, can’t always get it right, can we?
I really didn’t have an appetite at all this morning, so I went with my feelings and skipped breakfast. I wasn’t craving a juice either. I did have a glass of cold herbal tea with lemon.
I do want to share with you what worked for my swollen arm (from all those nasty red wasp stings)….
Here’s what I tried:
- wrapping it in vinegar
- baking soda wrap
- leaving chewing tobacco on for hours
Know what finally worked? Raw onion! Yep, I knew about the onion’s healing properties. Sheesh, I’ve even written about it (Onion for an Oops!).
I sliced raw onion and placed it on the parts of my arm where the wasps stung me (my arm got the worst of the stings) and then wrapped plastic wrap around my arm so the onions would stay in place overnight. The next morning? Almost ALL of the swelling was GONE and the pain and most of the itching was, too! Yippee! So, while the tobacco (wet) does help when held on a fresh sting, you can also give the old raw onion a try if you should get stung by a nasty flying creature.
Lunch, Anyone?
I decided to have a small salad. It was sooooooooooooooooooo delicious, and very easy on my system.
Spinach-Blueberry-Hemp (Seed) Salad
handful baby spinach leaves
handful blueberries
sprinkles of Manitoba Harvest hemp seed
Dinner
I was going to have a juice for dinner (and really I should have) but I’m still getting my strength back up so I copped out and threw another small salad together–it saved me all the labor of dragging out the juicer, preparing the produce, juicing them, and cleaning it all up. I was just too tired after losing so much sleep to do all that. So, another salad it was…
Heirloom Salad
(Note: ALL of the vegetables in the photo above (except the spinach leaves and hempseed) are heirloom + organic from MY garden!!)
baby spinach leaves
snap peas
sliced cucumber
raw okra (yeah, it’s delish!)
hemp seeds
Manitoba Harvest
Hemp Seeds
I’m really LOVING these Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds. They’re nutty, delicious, and so good for you! (More about these babies in an upcoming post! ) I had received these before starting my 30-day juice fast so I tried ‘em a few different ways: On my salad, in smoothies, etc. And I love ‘em!
Reflections
So, what should have actually been day 30 of my juice fast, was day 2 of my back-to-eating program. It didn’t end the way I had hoped, but I did give it my best shot. Not everyone would have sailed through a broken juicer, an out-of-commission back, and being attacked by a swarm of the biggest, nastiest, red wasps like I did–and for that, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished this time around. Sure, I could have finished the 30 days. I only liked about a day and a half, but this is where I’m different than other folks: I listen to my body. I know what it can and can’t do and it hasn’t failed me yet. Listening to my body has brought me a long way. I’ve lost over 100 pounds and have juice fasted extensively–for up to 52 days at a time. Sure, I’ve fasted for 3 days, 5 days, 7 days, etc. Shorter fasts are awesome, refreshing, and are absolutely a great thing to do. But just like with runners, who challenge themselves to run greater distances in less time, etc., someone like me who has been on a long journey of juice fasting, likes to challenge themselves –and their bodies– to a deeper level of cleansing, healing, and accomplishment.
Don’t forget about the contests! And catch up on the juicy details of my 30-day juice fast.
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Wow, do I ever wish I could hit the rewind button and go back to yesterday morning!
Last night was simply atrocious. My arm kept swelling and throbbing and hurting and I didn’t get ANY sleep. None. Zilch. Zero. That makes for a VERY exhausted raw juice girl!
I finally gave in and got up at 5 a.m. That’s early for me, but there was absolutely no way I was going to be sleeping any time soon with all that pain.
I probably should have just laid in bed because not long after I got up, it started….
My tummy was turned inside-out! I started throwing up and couldn’t stop. Now, I’m no medical doctor, but guessing from how my body normally works, I’d say that my system must have been overloaded from all those red wasp stings and it made me sick, overall (I’ve never thrown up on a juice fast before, and I’ve done a 52-day juice fast!).
I can’t count how many times I threw up.
My Mom urged me to eat a couple of crackers to try to calm my tummy.
“But, Mom, this is day 29! Day 29!!! I only have the rest of today and tomorrow to complete my 30-day juice fast!!”
I was horrified by the thought of breaking my fast–and not the way I had planned on breaking it, at that!
Since I was way too sick to handle my daily warm lemon water, I tried sipping on a glass if ice-cold herbal tea. That helped a little. But, still, I kept throwing up.
I was really weak and in a LOT of pain from the swelling/throbbing of my arm where so many wasps stung in one area.
I hated to do it, folks, but I know my body. I know how far I can push myself. And I had reached my limit.
Broken
Breaking a juice fast is a very special event. When I decided to share this juice fast with you all, I had visions of sharing photos and details of my first raw meal after the fast. I planned on telling you why I chose raw fruit (because of all the enzymes that aid digestion) and why I didn’t choose vegetables (because they’re harder to digest when coming off a fast).
The fast wasn’t the only thing that was broken here: My heart and spirit were as well.
Cowboy girl Up
So, as my neighbor says: It was time to cowboy girl up and realize I’d reached my limits and that more importantly than stopping at the end of day 30, I should love my health enough to do what’s best for me at the time–and not worry about what the world would think of me for breaking the fast just a tad early.
So, I sucked up my pride (cowgirled up) and listened to mom: I nibbled on a couple of salty crackers. They were organic, but still….
I also nibbled on a piece of ginger.
“You look like death.” Mom said (thanks for the compliment, Mom! LOL). I took that as a cue to lay back down. My tummy finally settled down enough for me to get in a decent nap.
I knew I needed something but I didn’t really have the strength to drag out the juicer. Since I’d already nibbled on a couple of salty crackers (I’m still upset that I did this!!! ) I decided to make a green monster. Next best thing, right?
Amazing Green Monster
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 scoop berry flavored Amazing Grass SuperFood powder
1 big handful spinach
4 ice cubes
1/2 cup herbal tea
(This needed “something” so I added a tiny drizzle of raw honey–then it was perfect!
And it wasn’t as thick as I normally make my smoothies, so it was almost juice-like! )
A Monster Alright!
I had all my ingredients in the blender–and it wouldn’t start. Can you believe it?! Ugh. I was really tired and sick and not in the mood for a dead blender at all! I’m not one to waste, so I dumped the contents of the blender into the food processor and started it up. (Where there’s a will, eh?)
Red Wasp Stings
This photo doesn’t do my arm justice. Several stings were on the other side of my arm (not visible in this photo) and my arm was swollen double its normal size (or more!). Very painful. It felt like burning, heavy concrete that was about to explode and worse.
Since I didn’t get to share a raw meal that broke my fast, I’ll be writing a post with tips for breaking a juice fast, possible foods you could eat, and also share ideas for meals in the coming days after a fast.
What really gets me about this, is that I wasn’t hungry! I wasn’t even craving food and didn’t NEED to break the fast–even on day 30. I could have kept going.
I blame that yoga mat! LOL
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Don’t forget to catch up on my 30-day juice fast…
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Day 15 + Living Tree Community Contest Winner!
Day 16 + Books by Dr. Bruce Fife
Day 17 + Green Pineapple Juice
Day 19 + July 4th Celebrations!!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing
and Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing
by Dr. Bruce Fife
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. 
And here we are: day 26 of my 30-day juice fast!
This morning, I drank my warm lemon water. I wasn’t craving juice at all so I went with my feelings and skipped the breakfast juice.
I did have some water with organic apple cider vinegar.
Snack
I livened up my brain with E3 Live‘s Brain On (I took a tablespoon straight up)!
Lunch + Dinner
I had a TON of freshly cut heirloom lettuce from my garden to use up, so I thought I’d use it as the base for today’s juice.
Heirloom Lettuce Concoction
2 small cucumbers
1 medium tomato (from a friend’s garden)
3 strawberries
2 carrots
2 handfuls spinach leaves
5 big handfuls heirloom lettuce (from my garden)
1 green apple
5 stalks celery
a 1-inch piece of ginger root
Heirloom Rainbows!
Amazing (Grass) Green Goodness
(Made about 40 ounces: enough to fill up a 3-cup container + my Amazing Grass shaker cup)
I added a scoop of Amazing Grass Green SuperFood (Natural) powder. This juice tasted REALLY green, with a hint of spicy gingerness–and I LOVED it! I’m going to make it again!
(To learn more about this AMAZING green superfood–or to purchase your own–click on the photo below!)
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Don’t forget to catch up on my 30-day juice fast…
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Day 15 + Living Tree Community Contest Winner!
Day 16 + Books by Dr. Bruce Fife
Day 17 + Green Pineapple Juice
Day 19 + July 4th Celebrations!!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Hi, y’all! I’ve missed you!!
I’m working on getting caught up on posting details about my 30-day juice fast. As I mentioned in the previous post, I fell behind because of back pain. Let me tell you, I’d have sailed right on through this juice fast without a problem (as I have many times before) if it hadn’t been for that back pain zapping my strength. It has really, really taken it out of me!
My Mom (who I feel is the fasting Queen) even suggested I go ahead and break the fast early because the back pain was taking so much out of me. I’ve told you before just how stubborn I am, so if a broken juicer wasn’t going to hinder this 30-day juice fast, you know a bad back wasn’t going to make me stop after making it 17 days!! So, I did what I had to do: I stepped away from the blog and focused on the fast–and it worked! Today is day 26 and I’m still juice fasting. The back pain has become easier to cope with and I’m feeling a lot stronger.
I will say that since I gave you the details on day 17, days 18 through 24 I really didn’t sleep well at all. Last night I slept much, much better and feel a lot more rested and refreshed today. Yay!
Note: Although I haven’t blogged daily the past few days, I have kept pretty good notes on each day’s juicing events. So, let’s get caught up, shall we?!
Morning, day 18
Lemon water was first on my mind (as always!) After that, I got busy making up various juices to have on hand for the next day (which was July 4th and we were having several people over to the house). I started with day 18 breakfast juice: 100% apple juice!
Plate of Apples
6 apples, chopped
(Made 3 cups + my Amazing Grass shaker cup full)
Tasty 100% Apple Juice
While caught my breath and thought about which juice concoctions I’d create, I sipped my yummy apple juice. When it was gone, I cleaned my Amazing Grass shaker cup and started making more juice.
Next up: 100% grapefruit juice.
I forgot to take photos of the 3 grapefruits I used and had already poured a serving into my Amazing Grass shaker cup (so I’d have it to grab for my lunch juice) before I remembered to take a photo. I ended up with 3 cups of grapefruit juice and the following photo is what was left in the container after I poured my shaker cup full. (I also forgot to take a photo of the shaker cup filled with grapefruit juice… guess the back pain was getting to my brain! )
Grapefruit Juice = Delish!
Cucumbers for Juicin’
I can’t remember for sure because I forgot to count them, but I believe I juiced 5 or 6 cucumbers to make my cucumber juice….
100% Cucumber Juice
Amish-Grown Cabbage Concoction
2 handfuls parsley
3 handfuls spinach leaves
2 small beets
5 (skinny) carrots
2 chunks ginger (about 1 inch or so each)
almost a whole bundle of celery
rest of the Amish-grown cabbage (it was HUGE!)
Gorgeous, Swirly Colors!
Snack
While cleaning up, I had a shot (a tablespoon) of E3 Live and and sipped on a glass of water with a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar.
Lunch + Dinner
For some reason, I forgot to write down which juices I drank the rest of the day on day 18!! If I remember correctly, though, I do believe I had a cucumber juice for lunch and the Amish-grown cabbage concoction for my dinner juice. And I know I put a scoop of Amazing Grass Superfood (All Natural) powder in my lunch juice.
(Just click the photo below to learn more about this AMAZING product!!)
I also (of course) drank water and herbal tea.
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Day 15 + Living Tree Community Contest Winner!
Day 16 + Books by Dr. Bruce Fife
Day 17 + Green Pineapple Juice
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- 2 books (Coconut Water for Health and Healing
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
I can hardly believe this is day 15 of my 30-day juice fast!!
Last night I slept well again. I jumped up this morning and discovered I was out of lemon! So… no warm lemon water this morning. I grabbed my Amazing Grass shaker cup, added some ice, a scoop of Amazing Grass Green SuperFood powder and some leftover cucumber-apple juice, and also grabbed my bottle of water with organic apple cider vinegar (a tablespoon) and left to run some errands (including picking up some lemons!).
On the way home, I stopped at that Amish produce stand again and bought some more beets (forgot to take a photo of ‘em this time–sorry!) and then came home….
Lunch
After a busy morning, I decided to drink more of my cucumber-apple juice (it’s so refreshing!!!) and added another (yes, a second scoop for today!) of Amazing Grass Green SuperFood powder. I decided to drink my grass outside.
Dinner Concoction
1 apple
1 celery stalk
1 nob ginger
1 handful spinach
1 handful parsley
5 (heirloom) rainbow chard leaves (from my garden)
4 (heirloom) beet leaves (from my garden)
2 small beets (from an Amish produce stand)
Looks Like Sherbet Juice!
Yum-O!
I had drank half of that juice when I realized I hadn’t taken a photo of it! I was getting ready to start this blog post so I just snapped a photo at the laptop. It was a beautiful, rich color and the taste was simply divine!
And a Winner!
It’s awesome to finally be able to find out which lucky reader wins the Living Tree Community contest (a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
I used Random.org to select a winner. There was a whopping 164 comments (whoa!) and it generated the #10….
…. which means Jocelyn (from Jocelyn Eats Fresh blog) won!
Here’s here comment:
- Jocelyn { 06.22.09 at 4:22 pm }
-
whoa whoa whooooa..I so would love to try these products..
for one: I’v never even heard of such a thing as organic coconut mango persimmon butter..lol Like..we don’t get those kind of products in Canada!Also Awhile back I was reading up on the website and I really like their *way* of living
http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/grow.asp
especially loving relations and restful sleep
also..look at all thoes fine ingrediants that goes into the final product! Sounds like a dream to me!
Congratulations, Jocelyn!! Just e-mail me at healingwithjuices at gmail dot com with your mailing address and I’ll get your package in the mail!!
Thanks so much to Living Tree Community for sponsoring this contest. They are truly an amazing company with their heart in the right place!
And thank you to each of you who entered the contest. I appreciate every single one of your comments and entries and I SO WISH I could have awarded each and every one of you with these delicious products but I couldn’t. Keep striving for ultimate health and I hope to see you around!!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
Hello, it’s day TWELVE!! Can you believe it?? I can’t! Time is just whizzing by like crazy!
Details
I didn’t sleep all that great last night. I honestly think it was because I wrote a LOT yesterday to meet deadlines and I just overworked my brain. I couldn’t shut it off last night!! That’s a good thing and a bad thing all wrapped in one when you’re a writer/blogger.
I’m feeling okay today, though!
Breakfast
As soon as I got up this morning, I headed straight for my tea kettle. I heated some water and poured it over my half of a lemon to make my usual lemon water. Half an hour after that, I had my breakfast juice…
Since I didn’t sleep all that great, I was feeling just a little lazy so instead of being creative and making a fresh juice, I drank a cup of my defrosted pineapple-strawberry juice.
Pineapple-Strawberry Juice
(In my Amazing Grass shaker cup–LOVE this thing!!!!)
Snack
E3 Live (I’m LOVING this stuff!!!) and water with organic apple cider vinegar.
Lunch + Dinner
My plan for making my lunch juice was to double the ingredients so I’d end up with enough juice for lunch and dinner later. I’m going to an early July 4th celebration tonight so I didn’t want to be messing with produce, the juicer, and cleaning up later this afternoon.
Creative Chaos!
I ALMOST forgot to take a photo of my ingredients! Some of them had already gone into the juicer. LOL There was a big pile of sprouts on top and I grabbed a handful of stuff to juice, messing that up. Also, one beet is missing from the photo and some spinach. What? I wanted my lunch!
All piled onto a plate (so you can’t see it all):
4 carrots
3 small beets
2 stalks celery
big handful parsley
2 big handfuls spinach leaves
4 kale leaves
nob ginger (about an inch)
2 small-ish apples
chunk of Amish-grown cabbage (shown here)
+ about 2 ounces of Alfalfa sprouts on top!
Raw Colors are Beautiful!!
Prepared!
A lot of folks who juice fast either freeze their juices or make up a little ahead of time (especially if you’re working outside the home) and fill jars up to the very top with the juice and then put the lids on tight. You may lose a little of the nutrients, but it’s waaaaaaaaaaayyy better than storebought juices that are filled with preservatives.
I didn’t dilute the juice that went into my Amazing Grass shaker cup but I did dilute the juice that went into those two glass jars: 50% juice/50% water.
Amazing Grass Green Superfood Powder
(Going in)
(Just click the photo below to check out this AMAZING superfood!! )
Ready to Shake!
Amazing Grass All Shook Up!
This juice was so sweet and tasty I didn’t even taste the green Amazing Grass powder!! I sure felt the energy it gave me, though. These Amazing Grass powders are rockin’ my world–especially the wheat grass!! Since it was juice, though, once I got near the bottom of the cup, there was some grainy action goin’ on. That was because I didn’t shake it well enough. It doesn’t bother me. I love to taste health!! I haven’t had the chance to try this powder in a smoothie yet (’cause I’m juice fasting) but I don’t think you’d notice the powder at all in a smoothie.
I’ll probably drink both of those extra juices before the end of the day. I also always, always drink plenty of water and herbal tea.
I just can’t believe tomorrow is day 13 already! It’s craziness. Today was another great day… Yay!!!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Day 11, Grapefruit Juice Heaven!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
- Erica over at I Run Because I Can is having a super fantabulous contest for peanut AND almond butter PLUS other yummy stuff!! Check it out!
- Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a super duper cool contest for Real Simple magazine and RAWsome Pure Bars!! Hurry and enter!!
- Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
I slept pretty good last night but I’ve slept better–especially during long juice fasts. I’m feeling fine today, though!!
Breakfast
Warm lemon water is what I drank first. Half an hour or so later, I decided I’d have fresh grapefruit juice. If you’re a grapefruit lover, you’ll adore fresh grapefruit juice!
Two Grapefruits
(I peeled ‘em before juicin’)
100% Grapefruit Juice
It made about 14 ounces–all for me!!
Fantabulous!!
Snack
Instead of another juice, I had a glass of water with organic apple cider vinegar and my daily dose (a tablespoon) of E3 Live.
Lunch
I felt like switching things up for my lunch juice and I came up with a….
Cabbage Concoction
chunk of my Amish-grown cabbage (shown here)
handful of spinach
2 kale leaves
small apple
half of a lemon (peel, seeds and all)
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
nob ginger (about an inch thick)
handful of parsley
Love the Colors!
Spicy!
I actually loved the spicy flavor of this green juice but if you don’t like ginger or spicy flavors, you’ll want to leave the ginger out of this one or use way less.
Snack
No afternoon snack today. I just had some iced herbal tea with lemon.
Dinner
I sat out that container of frozen pineapple-strawberry juice from yesterday earlier today and just had a cup of that. I felt like having a simple dinner, so I did!
That’s it for day 11. And I’m happy with how it went!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
- Erica over at I Run Because I Can is having a super fantabulous contest for peanut AND almond butter PLUS other yummy stuff!! Check it out!
- Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a super duper cool contest for Real Simple magazine and RAWsome Pure Bars!! Hurry and enter!!
- Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
I didn’t sleep that well last night but, surprisingly, I wasn’t that tired or feeling that bad this morning. It’s crazy how a juice fast keeps my energy level up–even when I don’t sleep that well. I just kept waking up for some reason!!
Breakfast
My day began (like always) with a hot cup of lemon water (more about this below in a reader’s Q & A !! )
I was craving pineapple juice, so that’s what I made! I am loving being so in tune to my body! These longer juice fasts are so serene and holistic for me.
On to the morning juice concoction…
Pineapple, Chopped
(The whole thing except the leaves)
Yummy Pineapple Juice!
Added 6 Strawberries
+ a Scoop of Amazing Grass!
Amazing Grass Green SuperFood
(Berry flavored: Acai + Goji)
(Learn more about this amazing superfood by clicking on the picture below.)
My Breakfast!
(Don’t let the green fool you–it was berry-licious!!)
Besides my Amazing Grass shaker cup, I had enough pineapple-strawberry juice to share 3 small-ish glasses with family and store the container below (which holds 3 cups) in the freezer. I also made a few popsicles for later. Yes, you can have your juices frozen as popsicles while juice fasting!! How fun is that–especially in the summer time??!!
For Later
(I hear pineapple-strawberry juice is so yummy frozen and thawed–like a slushy!!)
After my juice, I had a glass of water with organic apple cider vinegar.
Snack
I had my daily shot (a tablespoon) of E3 Live and a tall glass of iced, herbal tea with lemon. Yum!
Lunch
For lunch, I finally decided to try the juice concoction Jenna keeps raving about. Jenna, over at Eat, Live, Run keeps talking about the following juice. And I keep forgetting to pick up ginger root at the grocery store so I haven’t been able to make it until today! I searched Jenna’s site and discovered she also plays around with her recipe. She sometimes adds cucumber or half a lemon to the recipe but I went with her original version today…
New Concoction!
2 small beets
1 green apple
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1 nob ginger (about an inch thick)
Note: I absolutely adore how there was just a hint of ginger in each sip. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely there, tickling my tongue and throat! I didn’t dilute this one. Yum!
She’s a Beauty!!
(And yummy to the tummy–just like Jenna said!! Thanks, Jenna!!!)
Snack
For an afternoon snack today, I had a homemade pineapple-strawberry popsicle (from my breakfast juice). It was sooooooooo delicious! I enjoyed this yummy treat outside.
Sweet Treat!
Dinner
Tonight’s dinner was inspired by yesterday’s lunch–but I tweaked the recipe a little to come up with…
Kale Kreations!
2 apples
2 carrots
1 small beet
2 kale leaves
handful of spinach
nob and half of ginger
few sprigs of parsley
(The recipe shows 2 carrots and 2 apples because I threw another of each in the juice after the photo just to make a little more juice.)
Rainbow Swirls!
Yummy Goodness!!
(Made 16 ounces… I didn’t dilute this one.)
Reader’s Question
Why do you drink warm/hot lemon water first thing every morning?
Answer
Lemons are loaded with goodies your bodies need such as Vitamin C and heart- and cancer-fighting compounds like limonin and limolene. I love them. I have been drinking warm lemon water each morning before breakfast for a long time now. My Mom is a HUGE advocate of lemons and we have been having them in our iced tea for oodles of years. The warm lemon water (drank on an empty stomach) helps alkalize the body, jumpstarts your liver and bowel and flushes your kidneys and bladder. It’s very cleansing to your body. Lemons boost your immune system, lower histamine levels, and help give your skin an overall healthy glow. I definitely feel less energetic and have less “umph” on days I don’t get my lemon!
Hope that helps you understand my obsession with warm lemon water.
That’s it for day 10. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this 30-day juice fast has in store for me!!
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Day 8, Let’s Talk About Weight!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
- Erica over at I Run Because I Can is having a super fantabulous contest for peanut AND almond butter PLUS other yummy stuff!! Check it out!
- Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a super duper cool contest for Real Simple magazine and RAWsome Pure Bars!! Hurry and enter!!
- Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.
References:
McKeith, Gillian. Gillian McKeith’s Boot Camp Diet: Fourteen Days to a New You! 
Yeager, Selene. Doctor’s Book of Food Remedies
By
Making Up Your Mind to Juice Fast
Okay, so you’ve decided to go on a juice fast. Maybe it’s just because you want to get healthier, or perhaps you’re looking to get a jump-start on weight loss. Let’s hope you’ve decided to sacrifice your favorite foods and survive a few days on raw juices because you want to focus on cleaning your body and helping it get rid of years – maybe even decades – of all the bad stuff that’s caked up inside. Let’s also hope it’s because you’ve truly searched your heart and wholeheartedly decided to lead a lifestyle that promotes life instead of one that promotes sickness, premature death, and obesity.
If you’re only planning on juice fasting to lose weight, you may as well not do it. Yes, most people lose several pounds juice fasting – I have. But weight loss is about so much more than lost pounds. Weight loss is about changing your entire lifestyle – mind, body, and soul. Weight loss is about targeting why you gained weight in the first place and what you’re going to do to prevent yourself from gaining weight again once you’ve lost it. So, although you probably will lose weight during your juice fast, it’s best to think of those lost pounds as just part of the process and not your sole reason for juicing fasting. Trust me; I do know what I’m talking about. I’ve lost over 100 pounds – and kept it off.
Made up your mind yet? Fantabulous! Let’s get started!
A few ideas for that pre-juice fast menu:
Organic Greek yogurt with raw walnuts, and fresh or frozen blueberries
This is a yummy treat you can enjoy any time. I prefer Oikos organic Greek yogurt myself, but you may like another brand. (Nope, I didn’t get paid for saying I love Oikos – it’s delish, filling, and most importantly, healthy!) Besides the protein in the yogurt, you’re getting protein from the heart-healthy walnuts, and loading up on antioxidants in those juicy blueberries.
Chopped avocado, tomato, red onion, juice from a real lemon
This is yum-o!! Simply cut up a fresh tomato and avocado and toss in a bowl. You can add a homemade vinaigrette if you want to. I don’t. I do squeeze the juice of about a half of a lemon over the avocado. (I wouldn’t use the lemon juice that comes in a bottle.)
Salad: raw spinach, Napa cabbage, carrots, blueberries, raw walnuts, salmon
This is one of my favorite salads ever. You can throw in whatever your favorite veggies are. The blueberries are optional but they are divine on salad! If you’re a big meat eater, adding salmon or tuna to your salad is a wonderful way to still feed your body a protein that will satisfy you while staying away from red meat. I normally don’t eat salmon or tuna within a few days of a juice fast, simply because it’s a little bit difficult for our bodies to adjust to an all liquid diet after consuming a lot of protein each day.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
I’ve mentioned this before but it really is crucial to prepare your body and your mind before setting out on this amazing journey with raw juices.
I’m so used to juice fasting it’s pretty much become second nature for me. I listen to my body – and mind – and I know when both are craving a raw juice fast. You’ll learn to do this too as you become more experienced with juice fasting.
I never, ever recommend that you start a long juice fast right off the bat. Like anything else, you want to ease your body into juice fasting. Think about it. You wouldn’t wake up one day and decide you want to be a runner, hop out of bed, and run the longest marathon there is. No, you’d go buy yourself some running shoes, maybe pick out an area to start running, jump online and study the stretches you need to do to prepare your muscles for a run. You might start jogging and/or doing some other exercises.
The most important message I want to share is that juice fasting is a marvelous way to nourish your body and mind. It’s a beautiful journey between the person who is fasting and the raw food our bodies were made to consume. It’s a great way to slow yourself down and find the calm that lies within you, but is drowned out by all the world’s chaotic noises.
Have you ever juice fasted? Are you just venturing out to try it? What are your thoughts on juice fasting? I’d love to hear them!
Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health.
Published Sunday, December 28, 2008
By
The thought of juice fasting can be a scary one. It might seem like folks are always trying to talk you out of trying it. “Oh, you need to eat!” or “You can’t live on liquid alone.” are things you might here if you mention you’re thinking of going on a juice fast.
What they don’t understand, though, is how beneficial raw juice fasts actually are. In my experience, I have slept more soundly and woke up more rested, gained better vision, thought more clearly, and I simply love how “light” and healthy I feel while juice fasting.
One thing that did surprise me is that juice fasting really becomes a spiritual experience - whatever that means to you. It’s like you’re more in tune with yourself, your goals, your dreams, your visions. I love that feeling and personally take the opportunity to pray more, reflect on my spiritual walk and absorb all the peace I can, while in that quiet, still place juice fasting brings me to.
So, how do you start a juice fast? First, you need to do a little research. What types of fruits and vegetables do you like? What are the benefits of those particular fruits and/or vegetable juices? Do you have any health issues? If so, would certain juices interfere or cause problems? For instance, if you’re a diabetic (and, I’ll tell you that it isn’t recommended for diabetics to juice fast; however, I was on diabetic medication when I started juice fasting.)
If you’re trying to control your blood sugar, and you do decide to try a short juice fast, (or even if you’re just juicing for health), focus on the dark greens: spinach, turnip, beet, etc.
I learned to listen to my body, I stayed away from too much fruit (because the fruit/fruit juice turns to sugar in your bloodstream), and I had to accept that I wasn’t physically able to do a 30- or 40-day juice fast at the beginning.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a freelance writer. Two articles I’ve written recently that will be of great benefit to you before you begin your juice fast is:
How to Prepare Your Mind for a Juice Fast
and
How to Prepare Your Body for a Juice Fast
With a new year fast approaching us, it’s a great time to focus on improving your health by juice fasting. It’s not necessarily a great idea to write a long list of new years’ resolutions because, let’s face it, most of us never keep them and it only makes us feel worse about ourselves. No need for negativity when 2009 can be the best year of your life!
Here’s to health!
