ROAD TRIP

I was away for my birthday weekend -- blog will continue.

But first, I want to share the birthday cake my daughter made for me -- along with sprucing up my house and giving it a makeover as a surprise when I was gone. I know! Do you believe it?


"The red peppers are the candles," she said, making me what? 12

Tomorrow -- Juice Machines.

Here's mine

Hamilton Beach

ORGANIC OR NOT?

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life..." Proverbs 11:30

One might think, with all the media hype, that the only way to do a healthful juice fast, is to use only organic fruits and veggies. One might – but I don't. I can’t afford organic prices. And, in my small town, I can’t always get the different vegetables I might want for variety, let alone the same versions with organic ribbons and bows.

None of us, except maybe the chemical companies, would prefer to have food treated with pesticides, nor am I arguing for them. In a perfect world we would want all our food organic and easily affordable. But as far as vitamins and nutrients go, they are virtually equal.

Crystal Smith-Spangler, who led a team of researchers from Stanford University and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care, examined more than two hundred studies with her colleagues and found, “There was no difference in the amount of vitamins in plant or animal products produced organically and conventionally. The only nutrient difference was slightly more phosphorous in the organic products,” they stated.

I won’t use the fact that I can’t afford organic produce as an excuse to substitute greasy food. Organic or not, which would your body (not your mind) rather have?

I don't know if I will eat hamburgers after this fast, but I plan on a  vegetarian diet for the next six months. I'll let my body decide. I will be using fresh juices along with my food because of how good I feel right now. I have greater energy, as witnessed by my family, and I have been free of the usual pain in ankles and knees. I feel lighter, walking is easier, and for moments at a time feel youthful. Can't wait to see the end results, though it 's only the beginning of a better lifestyle. (Oops, there's that yuppie word!)

Yesterday I promised to show the results of my purchases from the store and my newfound desire to store it better. Here goes: These are my F&V's, washed, prepped, put into containers, and ready to slide into the refrigerator. With the exception of the onions, carrots, squash, and beets (which I already had), this produce cost $45.70 and will last several days. 

For breakfast, toddler and I had glasses of this lovely juice (1 whole pineapple, 1 kiwi, 2 bananas, 2 oranges. "More juice pease, Ga'ma."

CLEAN UP & STORAGE

“Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.” Deuteronomy  28:5

CLEAN UP:

Ironically, I’m watching Snow White with my 2 ½ year old grandson.

Snow is trilling and warbling “Whistle while you work” in an annoying fashion. She, of course, has an army of rodents, hopping things, and flying things helping her clean the cottage. Raccoons are washing clothes on scrub boards as we speak. They’ve never shown up at MY house to help I can assure you.

Let’s face it, buying, washing, cutting up, and storing vegetables is a chore. However, last night my DIL spent about three hours making homemade pot pies and mini-dessert pies for her family –a labor intensive work of love. God bless her.  So, I guess chopping a few vegetables is nothing compared to that. But, as I do this daily task, I am learning there are better ways to do things. Good ol’ trial and error. The steel mesh basket that extracts the juice is tough to clean. Its fine pores hold the vegetable fibers.

• Steel wool pads work well to clean it, but they rust quickly and only last a day or so.
• A bottle brush, for baby bottles, works well to clean most parts of the juicer.
• One of the top juicer manufacturers ships a nylon bristle scrub brush with theirs. Sounds ideal, but we will discuss juicers later.
• A small 5” rubber spatula works best for scraping pulp out of the juicer. I’ve tried larger ones, but they don’t get in there as handily as the baby one. (I grew up calling these "child cheaters" because they robbed a child from licking the  frosting bowl.)

STORAGE: 

Let’s talk about storage. Behold, my plastic bags of vegetables and fruit (V&F) in the refrigerator. I thought this was clever storage.

 

I could grab 2-3 sacks and then I’d dig through the bags to find what I wanted to juice.

Then I spotted this picture on the web and thought Duh! How nice is that? So, my project today is to shop for and put my (V&F) in the refrigerator in a pretty and handy fashion. I'll let you know how that works out.

D-I-L had, yet, another good idea: she suggested plastic tubs for convenience and freshness. One can slide them in and out of the refrigerator for use.  

FLASH! I already have several plastic bins I'm not using. Life gets better and better.

JUICE HAPPENS

“See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop …” James 5:7

Dang it! I did it again,

Last night I juiced two, huge Granny Smith apples –  you got it –  right onto my counter top. When will I learn to put a container under the spout?

This morning, when I assembled the juicer, I put the glass with it as part of the whole kit. No more wasted juice! I had to laugh, though, when I found another online juice head sipped hers off the counter with a straw. Remember, we are foregoing coffee, maybe for the first time in years. This expensive, hard earned, labor intensive juice is precious.

I've discovered a juice machine that has a built-in juice catcher, and even better, an external pulp catcher. We will discuss the finer aspects of juice machines on DAY SEVEN. Wait for it. . .

Here's an interesting link I found:

Naked Juice

WISDOM OF THE DAY: Have patience with yourself and the process. 

YAY ME!

“And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” Genesis 2:9

Hello: What you see before you is my breakfast – and what I took to work. I enjoyed a glass of green drink made from green, seedless grapes, apples, and some carrot juice. 

To make it through work, I juiced an extra lot this morning: carrots, kale, lots of broccoli, apples, cranberries and cucumbers.

I put it in the refrigerator at work, because my morning juice filled me up. I drank some of it for lunch – finished it off in the afternoon. I didn’t forget to drink water too.

In my family, I am known as “Miss Sahara Desert” attributed to me lovingly for the amount of water I consume, or do not consume, more precisely. Though I have been consciously trying to consume more water since summer, it has never been a strong suit for me. Point 1, goes to juicing – think of all the extra liquid the body is getting. I even had some tea and boullon today to keep me warm. What could be prettier than unwrapping a tiny little, gold wrapped package of bouillon? 

The day went well, as long as one’s mind is not on food, one feels great. Therein, lies the kicker. It’s hard not to think about what you’re going to have for lunch and dinner, and then you’re caught up short thinking – oh yeah, I’m juicing. The trick for me is, go ahead and do it anyway. Sure I’d rather have food, but not really, I’d rather be successful in this weight loss and revitalization thing that I’ve undertaken. Yay me!

Yay you! (You've decided to give it a try and feel better haven’t you?) 

When I came home this evening, on the first day of having to scrape my windows of frost, I was chilled and wanted something warm and thick. I cut an acorn squash in two, popped it in the microwave for several minutes, and nothing ever smelled so good. I made a cup of broth and added them both in the blender, together with onion and garlic flavoring and the tiniest bit of salt & pepper. Blended and enjoyed. Hey, it’s a vegetable, and I made it into a liquid – what’s wrong with that?

FUNNY OF THE DAY: When I come home, I usually kick my shoes off and unbutton my pants (that have been too tight all day). As I photographed this evening’s picture, my pants fell off around my ankles. (giggle)

P.S. I watched the movie: "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead" again last night for
inspiration. And it did just THAT! You can download this off of Netflix. 

SUNDAY MORNING TREAT

“Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.” Song of Solomon 2:5

The dollies in my room greet you

The world isn’t perfect; I am not perfect. But I knew that already, or I wouldn’t be in this place. So, to get this out of the way, I took a couple of bites of my son’s pizza the other day, and my grandson popped two olives in my mouth. I was at my kids’ and the lady of the house made homemade pesto and put it on homemade pizza – with mild Italian sausage and tomatoes from her garden. Well, I’m only human. I did not indulge in a meal, but I admit to a taste.

And, on I go into the world of juices. It’s Sunday morning, and I am a little cold and hungry. I didn’t feel like going out in the kitchen to make juice AGAIN, so I resorted to a treat bottle I had in the refrigerator. I was going to save it for work on Monday, but now seems a better time.  

The drink is from Bolthouse Farms and called Blue Goodness with 25 blueberries and 21 blackberries; 1 2/3 banana, and 7 ¼ apples. It will amaze you how much fruit or vegetables goes into making one drink; which is another reason a juice diet is so nutritious. One could not possibly eat that much fruit or veggies. This is a 32 oz. bottle and cost $5. Ouch! Hard to believe one bottle of juice could be so costly. But it takes a lot of ingredients to make it (and I live in a town where a jar of mayonaise costs $6). It probably explains why one can buy a soda for under a buck. It is thicker and creamier than what I’m making at home – more like a smoothie. I'm pretty sure the juices I make at home don't have "xanthan gum" and coloring in them. Just sayin.

 Not a bad way to start a Sunday morning on day three.

Enough of the mood lighting, I'll brighten this so you can see the label.

Orange, banana, pomegranate smoothie this afternoon

TIP OF THE DAY: Have something on hand for backup in case you can't, or don't want to make juice.

CAMMOMILE COMFORT

Evening

It's 7:30 in the evening. I want to go get something to eat; it's comfort. But I thought I'd kick back with a cup of Camomile Mango herbal tea instead. It's a chilly evening out, lots of rain.


I was wanting something with some ZING in it, so I made myself a beverage of tomato juice, celery, a tiny bit of salt & pepper and a dash of Tobasco Sauce. (My son will never believe this! He thinks I won't eat anything hotter than butter.) It was a tasty drink, and I bet you're envious.

I always think of David Letterman, "Enjoying a beverage." I mean, who ever says that? Love you Dave.

TIP OF THE DAY: A warm beverage soothes hunger pangs.

JUICING STATION

They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31

I grew up with a Momma that dragged me through health food stores. I knew all about molasses, carob candy, brewer’s yeast, goat cheese. My Mom believed in healthful foods and providing good nutrition for her family. She canned, and the jars lining the shelf were a thing of beauty -- homemade jams and jellies, shiny green beans that we picked, yellow corn, and many other things. She baked the whole wheat and sprouted breads, right up until her last week on earth. If only, I had kept up with what Momma taught us. . .

At the end of July, I began a healthful diet which involved counting calories, eating whole foods, and avoiding, fat, sugar, white flour, and pasta. The diet itself (which shall go unnamed) was not a bad thing. But, being my lazy self and not having to cook for anyone else, I found myself living on cheese sticks, cottage cheese, meat (not always lean), and nuts. I was aiming for that glorious "protein" fix which did take off about 14 pounds. But I wound up in the hospital last week from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. At 62 years of age, and grandchildren I want to see grow up, I have been turning from one program to the next, determined to get my weight off and flexibility, strength, and energy back. I decided to go back to my Momma's way. She was BIG on fresh vegetable juices. A few years ago I bought a bread machine online, which came with a juicer. I should have thrown the bread machine away and stuck to juices! I downloaded a movie called: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. 

It's the story of Joe Cross and Phil Riverstone, who went on juice fasts that literally saved their lives. To watch their progress was exciting -- it was like watching them go through a time machine -- backwards as they achieved health, fitness, and renewed youth. It's day two of my juice fast, (day one of the blog). How am I doing? I'm doing fine. 

They say the first couple of days are the hardest, and having been on fasts before, I can say that is true. There is a lot of cleansing and detoxing going on in a fast – which at first can lead to some discomfort like headaches. But the energy is good. I continue to take my blood pressure medicine, and with the approval of my doctor, embarked on this journey for a renewed body. My doctor recommended taking some protein such as beans. So, I have been adding garbanzo beans, chick peas to the diet. I have always found them delicious, and it’s kind of like snacking on nuts or popcorn. One enjoys something to chew. I’ve also added bananas. On a fast, it is often easier to quit all whole foods because then the digestion process is slowed down, and hunger cravings cease. But for now, I’m adding bananas and garbanzos as something to fill in the empty spaces. I’ve found that, when I’m hungry, if I go and make a glass of juice I feel satisfied. The mind thinks otherwise, however, and is constantly searching for food. I have to remind “self” that, 'No, we are choosing not to eat that today. There are plenty of other days in life in which to eat delicious foods. Right now, I am celebrating all the good foods and vegetable vitamins I am taking in. Cells are getting scrubbed, waste eliminated, and oxygen is going to every part of my body.'

I began by creating a place on my small countertop which I call a Juice Station. I have very, very little space, so I had to turn my microwave sideways -- I may end up taking it out for the time being. Then I dug out my orange juicer, my blender/smoothie maker, and borrowed my daughter-in-law's vegetable juicer after a failed attempt at finding mine in my storage shed.

I've found if I do the prep work first, rinsing and cutting the vegetables and fruit, it's more streamlined. All one has to do then, is poke them down and watch them magically turn into vitamin rich, colorful, nutritious juice that may save my life. Yumm!

I've already confessed to being lazy, so I made a rule for myself that after each juicing, I would clean the machines immediately. This has worked well for me; I did not want to return to a big mess before I could make more juice. I found that a plastic grocery bag, placed on the countertop, gives me a place to scrape out the pulp. And it's at the right height that I don't have to aim at a garbage can and possibly miss. You will be amazed at the amount of pulp you throw away. My D-I-L suggested saving some of it for her chickens, or one could mulch with it or throw it in a compost pile. Good suggestion!

Mixing some fruit in with the vegetables sweetens it and makes it pretty tasty. Above, you'll see a sampling of what I may put in one glass of juice. Celery stalks (they are fun to poke in the machine), kale, apples, carrots, broccoli, spinach. You will find you like some vegetable flavors more than others. While I adore cooked beats, I didn't care for the taste of raw ones juiced at all. Hmmm. Maybe I'll try one again. I experimented with adding a little bit of Agave Nector to naturally sweeten a drink. But found it really isn't necessary most of the time. The carrots and apples are plenty sweet. Using smaller apples (school boy size) is easier. I also found if I will take time to cut up broccoli, it makes it easier to juice -- rather than trying to force it down the juicer's opening. 

Breakfast is a good time to lean more on the fruit juices, orange, cranberry, apples of different varieties. It's fun to experiment. Yesterday I juiced some fresh oranges and also a pomegranate which gave it a pinkish glow. That was a mid-morning treat and delicious. I used the orange juice machine for both of those.

TIP OF THE DAY:  If your juicer is like the one I am using, don't forget to put a cup or glass under the spout to catch your juice as it comes out. It took me two times of wasting my juice and making a big mess to remember this simple fact.

See you tomorrow; I've got to get out and enjoy this beautiful fall day in Idaho.