Well, after watching more health documentaries than anyone should ever watch, I have finally decided to try a juice cleanse. Since changing my diet over to 50% vegetables & fruits, 30% beans, legumes, rice, potato, etc. and about 20% protein, I feel even better than I was already feeling. Besides that, I've been unhappy since my foot surgery....since I have very limited mobility and have not been able to do simple tasks for weeks, I've not felt as well. I attribute that to the lack of activity & loss of control in my diet.
I finally decided to try juicing for about a week. I am hoping that it will help to get my body back in balance and maybe help me get a few quick pounds off so I can continue in my downward direction. ;-) I have lost about 40% of the weight that I need to lose to be "done." It's not enough, and after getting the OK from the podiatrist to resume most of my normal activities, I am more than ready to jump back on the wagon.
One of our main concerns with juicing is the expense. Eating organic, local food is EXPENSIVE. Organic meat & dairy is the most expensive, with produce being the next most expensive thing. I decided to spend what I would normally spend in one week on groceries, buy as much fruits & veggies as possible, and see how long it lasts.
I cruised over to Costco today & picked up a juicer for about $90. I got 10 pound bags of oranges, pears, apples, & grapefruit. Then I added 15 pounds of carrots, a large tub of baby spinach, a crate of kiwi, a box of mangoes, 9 cucumbers, a clamshell of nectarines, 2 pineapples, and a large clamshell of blueberries. I stopped at the farmer's market to get 1.5 lbs of ginger root, a bag of lemons, 3 jalapenos, 3 clamshells of strawberries, and 2 large bags of kale (red & green).
We will see how long it lasts. In retrospect I think I need more green veggies but we will see as we go. I had read to start with 75% fruits and work your way up when you can stand the taste of more veggies. I tried that tonight and both of us loved the juices I made. I made just under a half gallon of juice tonight and I still have lots and lots of fruits & veggies.
I'll post regular updates!
First juice recipe
1 pineapple
1 mango
1 lemon
1 orange
2 kiwi
2 pears
2 carrots
2" length ginger knob
4 handfuls spinach
1 cucumber
Delicious!!!! This filled a 28 oz container & I had about 8 oz leftover, so I added 2 more carrots, 2 pears, & an apple to fill up the second 28-oz container.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Two Hour Cleansing Process
I never dreamed that just getting clean could be so exhausting and excruciating. Before my foot surgery, the Dr. told me that I would not be allowed to take a shower for 2 full weeks afterwards. With the additional surgery, that extended things by about 3 days. My last real shower was on January 29, and my next allowed shower will be between February 11-15, depending on when my sutures are ready to come out.
When the Dr. told me that I could not shower for that length of time, I envisioned two-week-old hair sprouting off my legs and laughed with all the scorn of a spoiled princess who'd been told to go to her room (or the "West Wing.") After spending nearly two hours desperately trying to get clean, my laughs are more like those of an insane hyena. For one thing my hair is extremely long and thick, and I had planned to go to the hair salon tonight to get it washed. But, the husband's job kicked in and at this current time he's at the emergency room with an employee. I decided I could not wait one more day to be clean. I am "allowed" to sponge bathe and wash my hair as long as I don't get my sutures wet (which I didn't!!), but I have to admit, the experience was pure insanity. I now understand why perfectly civilized women turn into mountain men after surgery.
Bring in Task Force Grandma. One thing I learned is that having water poured over your head & face from a pitcher while you are lying on the floor next to the bathtub with your shoulders hanging over is....well, it's not very pleasant. Before long we were both laughing hysterically. My hair is ridiculously thick & curly we tried a variety of ways to get it clean. I washed off with my favorite lavender soap bar the best I could & even shaved my legs! Yes, Mr. Dr.-Man, I had the last laugh on that one! lol.
After about two hours I was completely and utterly pooped, the entire bathroom was covered in soap, shampoo, and water, my foot was aching, & my pets were staring, but I had earned the glorious badge of "clean" and even struggled into clean shorts & t-shirt before I plopped onto the couch with an ice pack on my aching foot and reached for the Percocet.
When the Dr. told me that I could not shower for that length of time, I envisioned two-week-old hair sprouting off my legs and laughed with all the scorn of a spoiled princess who'd been told to go to her room (or the "West Wing.") After spending nearly two hours desperately trying to get clean, my laughs are more like those of an insane hyena. For one thing my hair is extremely long and thick, and I had planned to go to the hair salon tonight to get it washed. But, the husband's job kicked in and at this current time he's at the emergency room with an employee. I decided I could not wait one more day to be clean. I am "allowed" to sponge bathe and wash my hair as long as I don't get my sutures wet (which I didn't!!), but I have to admit, the experience was pure insanity. I now understand why perfectly civilized women turn into mountain men after surgery.
Bring in Task Force Grandma. One thing I learned is that having water poured over your head & face from a pitcher while you are lying on the floor next to the bathtub with your shoulders hanging over is....well, it's not very pleasant. Before long we were both laughing hysterically. My hair is ridiculously thick & curly we tried a variety of ways to get it clean. I washed off with my favorite lavender soap bar the best I could & even shaved my legs! Yes, Mr. Dr.-Man, I had the last laugh on that one! lol.
After about two hours I was completely and utterly pooped, the entire bathroom was covered in soap, shampoo, and water, my foot was aching, & my pets were staring, but I had earned the glorious badge of "clean" and even struggled into clean shorts & t-shirt before I plopped onto the couch with an ice pack on my aching foot and reached for the Percocet.
Yes, this is my hair over a basin of water in the bathtub. It was awesome.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Cauliflower Crust Pizza (flourless/gluten free)
My sister-in-law's sister, Colleen, gave me the most AMAZING recipe for cauliflower-crust pizza. With the way I've been eating lately, this is a definite splurge, but I made it a few days ago when I was really craving pizza, and it was fabulous. Delicious!
2 cups cauliflower, riced (about 1/2 head)
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup marinara
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, for topping (Colleen used 1/4 cup. ha!) :)
Toppings (veggies, pepperoni, etc) I used sliced olives, orange and yellow peppers, & purple onions)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with parchment OR you may use a pizza stone, etc. Remove the stems and leaves from the cauliflower and chop the florets into bite-sized pieces. Put the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the texture is similar to rice.
Saute the cauliflower in a non-stick skillet until translucent (6-8 minutes over medium heat). I have to be honest, I started by adding 2 tbsp of olive oil but I think in the future I may just "steam it." It didn't need the extra calories and I ended up needing to add water anyway. You could add water and microwave it for 6 minutes, but I try to avoid the microwave as much as possible.
In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower with the mozzarella, egg, basil, and oregano. Spread it out onto your prepared pan. It should be 9-10 inches in diameter. I used a cookie sheet, thus the shape. ;)
Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until the crust turns a pretty golden color. Remove the crust and add the toppings. Go light! You don't want to weigh down the crust. Broil the pizza about 5 minutes (don't put it too high in the oven!) until the cheese is bubbly. Cool for 3-5 minutes and serve.
You won't regret making this pizza! It is worth every minute in the kitchen--it is delicious! I may try it in the future with daiya cheeze. I think it would still be yummy. Also next time I am going to top it margherita style with fresh tomatoes and basil leaves. I think this crust is very versatile!
If you prepare it without the olive oil, each piece (8 pieces total) is about 150 calories. I'll have to get a better calorie count next time but I shredded the cheese from a block and forgot to weigh it. Sorry kids.
2 cups cauliflower, riced (about 1/2 head)
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup marinara
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, for topping (Colleen used 1/4 cup. ha!) :)
Toppings (veggies, pepperoni, etc) I used sliced olives, orange and yellow peppers, & purple onions)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with parchment OR you may use a pizza stone, etc. Remove the stems and leaves from the cauliflower and chop the florets into bite-sized pieces. Put the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the texture is similar to rice.
Saute the cauliflower in a non-stick skillet until translucent (6-8 minutes over medium heat). I have to be honest, I started by adding 2 tbsp of olive oil but I think in the future I may just "steam it." It didn't need the extra calories and I ended up needing to add water anyway. You could add water and microwave it for 6 minutes, but I try to avoid the microwave as much as possible.
In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower with the mozzarella, egg, basil, and oregano. Spread it out onto your prepared pan. It should be 9-10 inches in diameter. I used a cookie sheet, thus the shape. ;)
Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until the crust turns a pretty golden color. Remove the crust and add the toppings. Go light! You don't want to weigh down the crust. Broil the pizza about 5 minutes (don't put it too high in the oven!) until the cheese is bubbly. Cool for 3-5 minutes and serve.
You won't regret making this pizza! It is worth every minute in the kitchen--it is delicious! I may try it in the future with daiya cheeze. I think it would still be yummy. Also next time I am going to top it margherita style with fresh tomatoes and basil leaves. I think this crust is very versatile!
If you prepare it without the olive oil, each piece (8 pieces total) is about 150 calories. I'll have to get a better calorie count next time but I shredded the cheese from a block and forgot to weigh it. Sorry kids.
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