Can I get a "Re-do?!?"

I've been thinking this a lot lately. Every time I start on a path to wellness, something happens to knock me backwards 10 steps. I've not made a single ounce of progress

I began my juice reboot in the middle of me curiously getting sick every few weeks. The bouts with sickness kept getting more and more severe, until I ended up in the hospital having gallbladder surgery. Since then, I have been testing the waters of what I can eat, and have been amazed at finding I can now eat pretty much anything without feeling like junk immediately! And that is where my downfall has been. My body is no longer screaming out when loaded with junky foods.. Or is it?

Since my surgery, I've been unbearably tired. After realizing that it's probably due to lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and the gray time of year, I'm finally doing some forward thinking again. I have found that when you REALLY listen to the signals your body sends you, you can better serve it. Tonight after dinner I had some fat free frozen yogurt, and a Rice Krispie treat. Then I had an instant headache. I've learned that processed sugars cause me to have headaches. BAD ones! So time to get back to juicing and heal my body once and for all. I know how great I've felt after a few days doing a juice fast and I look forward to that again. Hopefully I won't be needing a "re-do" this time. :)

Day 3

Day 3 weigh in : 157lbs

I made a big batch of this in the morning:

1/2 grapefruit

3 carrots

Handful strawberries

2 sweet apples

1 beet

I love grapefruit juice, so this was a nice twist on it. I normally stick to carrot apple ginger, or carrot orange cranberry in the AM, but sometimes I just get tired of drinking carrot juice. 

My mood today is slightly improving. It improved after I saw the scale today, which was nice from seeing a 164 at the drs last week.. However I am under a lot of stress at the moment that's got me pretty irritable most of the time. That, and being surrounded by people who aren't exactly supportive about what I'm trying to do. I think I am going to take some time each day to meditate, breathe, regroup, and shut out all the negativity around me. I am one to normally shut down when there's that perverbial "chill" in the air, so I think it's important to take that time for myself.

Juice Reboot

Nearly 2 years ago I watched the documentary, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." I went that week and bought a juicer, dabbled in juicing for a bit, but have never seriously committed to a juice reboot. I love to cook, bake, eat, and couldn't imagine going that long without eating solid food. 

Until now.

This "blog", or lack thereof has been pretty lacking. To bring you up to speed, in the past year I have started having gall bladder attacks. Or at least what I'm 99% sure are gall bladder attacks. After I have them, I'll go in spurts of eating vegetarian for awhile, until a special occasion rolls around. Then the unhealthy eating continues a little at a time, until BAM; I'm woken up at 5am with searing abdominal and chest pain, throwing up, and thinking that I really need to get a living will in order. 

I'm not even 30 yet, should I really be dealing with this? Should meds, frequent doctor visits, and talk of surgery really be something that's taking up my time? I nearly ended up in the ER this Christmas, and I don't think I would have ever forgiven myself for missing my daughter see what Santa left her under the tree. So I have decided; it's time to commit. Commit to healing myself from the inside out. I've learned enough to know now what I need to do, now I just need the will power to do it. (Like I said, I love to cook!)

When I was at the doctors last week, I mentioned the idea of healing myself with proper nutrition. She scoffed at the idea. Now I've come to learn, doctors don't really spend any time learning nutrition. Why? Because there's no money in it. I won't even get started on that rant...

For awhile now I've been researching the benefits of a Paleo diet. (P.s., I don't like the word diet. We'll say, 'lifestyle'.) The paleo lifestyle is the "natural human diet", the way our ancestors ate, and the way our bodies naturally digest food. Since the development and advancement of agriculture, our bodies have yet to adapt. So I've read. You can do research for yourself, but the benefits seemed pretty great. So I decided to try it for myself. Meats, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats only. No processed foods, grains, dairy, refined sugars. I ate this way for a few weeks and noticed a difference right away. My blood sugar stayed pretty balanced it seemed, as my hunger never seemed to peak high or low. I never had any stomach or digestive upset whatsoever. I was simply satisfied at each meal, and it helped me to really be creative in the kitchen and try new foods. 

THEN... My husband bought me a new Breville juicer for my birthday! *insert Hallelujah choir here* So I watched FSND again, and decided it was time for a juice reboot! 

So here's my plan:

15 day juice reboot, longer if I can continue (maybe 30?) -3 large batches of juice a day (green juice being drank midday) and coconut water (8-16 ozs)

Ease back into eating afterwards with raw fruits and veggies, slowly introducing meat by eating fish for awhile.

Continue juicing for 1 meal a day, while eating Paleo foods.

Exercise 3-4 times a week;walking or yoga

I will list my results as I go along. Officially, I am on day 2 of the reboot. I was too afraid to weigh myself from the damage Christmas left, so I will weigh in tomorrow. Yesterday, being day 1, was insanely hard. I almost broke down and threw in the towel, if not for a reminder that my sister (who lives in Denmark), is also doing a juice reboot. It's nice to have someone doing it with you, but my cravings for food came at a time when the time difference is completely unconvienient for me to message her.

Today has been slightly easier, despite the fact that I decided to bake some fresh banana bread for work tomorrow.

Morning:

1/2 head purple cabbage

1/2 grapefruit

Handful of grapes

Small cucumber

 Peeled Orange

Handful of pineapple

I drank that all morning while I worked in the kitchen. Not crazy about purple cabbage, but it was decent enough. 

Afternoon/evening:

"Sour Apple"

Head of Romaine lettuce

Handful of parsley

2-3 kale leaves

Small cucumber

2 Granny Smith apples

Peeled lemon

2 handfuls of pineapple

Kiwi

This is by far, probably my most favorite juice of all time. It tastes a sour apple jolly rancher. (Use your imagination, people). I will be making this often!

"Dessert" juice:

"Pear pie" (can also sub peaches for pears)

3 sweet potatoes

2 pears

2 golden apples

Handful of blueberries

Cinnamon

This was extremely tasty and enough to stave off my severe junk food craving. I juiced all the produce and stirred in probably 1/2 tsp or so to the mix. Very, very good!

So that's day 2. I'm feeling hungry, and crabby, and a slight headache, but I will up my water intake and hang in, as each day will get easier. I hope. I'll take pictures to post up in a few days. 

Until tomorrow, happy juicing & bottom's up!

-NJ

Avocado Boats

I have a wonderful book on raw foods, called "Raw Foods Made Easy: For 1 or 2 people. When I first started out experimenting with raw foods, I bought a few books, but all too complicated. My advice? Start slow, start simple. As my high school band directer always told us, "Keep It Simple, Stupid." (nice). Don't worry about getting a dehydrator, juicer, or food processor right of the bat, work your way up. On that note, I so happened to come upon a dehydrator this past weekend from a friend, and that thing has been going all day, with fruits, homemade flax crackers, and nuts to make walnut flour. mmmm... I love my days off.. Anyways, onto this delicious little lunch.

You would think it wouldn't be very filling, but it is. The combination of the flavors satisfies every single morsel. And its ridiculously easy. So here it is:

Ingredients:


1 avocado
1/2 cup diced ripe mango
dash salt (I use Himalayan)
2 tsp lime juice

-Cut the avocado's in half and remove the pit by using the large end of large knife. (It should come right out.) Scoop out a little of the avocado to make a larger hole for the filling. Fill with the diced mango until it is heaping.  Sprinkle on salt to taste, and drizzle the lime juice all over. (I use a fresh lime and just squeeze from there.) Dig in with a spoon!!  Makes 2 servings.

So simple, yet so divine. Enjoy!

Cilantro Tofu Burgers

I was feeling creative tonight so I decided to come up with this mouthwatering concoction. TOFU BURGERS mmm...... I guess you can pretty much throw whatever you'd like to your taste in the mix, but I was feeling some Thai flavors. It came out milder than I expected, but still delicious. I made a cilantro guacamole to top it off, and it was a hit. Keep in mind, these measurements are all guesses, so experiment as you will.

Ingredients:
1 package firm tofu
1 cup shredded carrots (I just used one carrot)
chopped green onion (I used 2)
fresh garlic (from 1 clove)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste (make sure to use a natural salt, such as sea salt, or himalayan)

-Mix all ingredient in a bowl and form into patties. Bake for 15 min at 400 degrees, then flip (carefully), and bake for another 15. Then eat, and jump for joy at how tasty these are! You're welcome. :)

Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

It's official- this is my new favorite soup! Next time, I am going to try making it with almond milk instead of skim to cut down on sugar.

Ingredients:
2 Tbls olive oil
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and rinsed
4 cups chopped cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
2 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white or black pepper
3 Tbls flour
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese ( I prefer 2 cups)
1 Tbls lemon juice (I just juice a whole lemon and use it all)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, 2 cups milk, water, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl. When the cauliflower is soft, remove the bay leaf and stir in the milk mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the soup has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese and lemon juice.

I found this recipe on www.eatingwell.com . This recipe was pretty easy as well and really quick for such enjoyable soup. 

Spinach Enchilada Verde

Not all of the recipes I share on here will be raw food, as I am still dipping my toes into the water with this whole nutrition change. Its a lot to take in, so I am working on it. For now, I am successfully 75% raw. Meaning, I eat 2-3 meals a day of raw, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. Then for dinner I will most likely have a cooked vegetarian meal. Last night I made the below recipe. It was AMAZING! And incredibly simple.

• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 (7 ounce) can green salsa
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package corn tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, stir together half of the sour cream and the green salsa. Spread enough to coat the bottom into a 9x13 inch baking dish. On each tortilla, spread a small amount of the salsa and sour cream in the center. Lay a small handful of spinach over that, and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up, secure with a toothpick and place into the baking dish. When all of the tortillas are in the pan, pour the remaining salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the enchiladas are browned and heated through.

The major changes I made were, instead of making enchiladas, it was just easier to make this into a casserole, so I did layers and made it more of a mexican lasagna. Don't let the spinach scare you, it is quite tasty in there. It was probably a little too spicy for my daughter, so maybe next time I will experiment and make my own milder green sauce. Sorry for the absence of a picture, this was scarfed down! Yum! Enjoy! 

Accountability

So since I started this blog 1 1/2 yr ago, I lost nearly 20 lbs. I put back on 10. Then I lost some more. Then I gained some more. Very frustrating! Basically for the past year, my life has been a little hectic, and I have gotten away from the strict nutrition I was following that had led me to such success. I also didn't make exercise such a priority.
So here I am again, deciding to hold myself accountable to my blog. Maybe someday I'll even have a few readers! Who knows. But one thing I've learned in this insane past year is; no matter how stressed and distracted you may be with life's curveballs, never neglect your own health. Ever. Stress can do some pretty off the wall things if you don't do anything about it. I have gotten pretty sick in the past 6 months or so, and I chalk that up to stress. Never did I consider that exercise might help to ease the tension. Well, now I am learning that. I am starting to train for a 5k, running/walking every day, and strength training 2-3 days a week. I must be dedicated, because I'm pretty sure I've got the flu, and yet, there I was, at the gym this morning. First song on my playlist? "My Body" by Young the Giant. When the words, "My body tells me no, but I won't stop, cause I want more", played in my ears, I literally laughed out loud, I ached so bad, but I'm not letting anything stop me now. I have too much at stake.
I have recently entered the world of raw/whole foods. I watched a documentary a few months ago called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead". It moved me so much that I went and bought a juicer the next day. I have been dabbling with all kinds of fresh juices/raw foods, and the more I learn, I realize how little I have really known about nutrition. What, may you ask, is my reason for doing this? 2 main reasons: 1st, weight loss. 2nd, to fight cancer.
That's right, cancer.

I may not have anything, or I may have something. All I know is, when a nurse is yelling at me on the phone that if I don't get taken care of the cells that were found, and get further testing and biopsies, I would have cancer. Really? Nice phone skills, lady. One of the risks of having this more serious biopsy is increasing chances of miscarriages/infertility. So that's scary. On the other side, if I have the biopsy done and something is found, I would have to more than likely have to have a hysterectomy, and not be able to have kids at all. So I say, to heck with them all, I'm doing what I can to fix myself first. And Raw nutrition is the number one way to go. Thomas Edison stated, “The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” ...Smart man.

So from now on, I will be doing what I can to get better, look better, feel better. I will be posting recipes, tips, results, information, and whatever else I can to share my ever expanding knowledge.

My tip for the day: Don't constantly subject yourself to a stressful situation. If you can remove the unnecessary and unwelcome stress and unhappiness, by all means, do it. Do it to save your life. Stress can be as toxic as a disease. It's time to detox. :)