Showing posts with label f(e)asting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label f(e)asting. Show all posts

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Fruits and Veggies F(e)ast Conclusion + lots of yummy food!

i've got some catching up to do! our wireless router has been giving us troubles, so i haven't been able to use the laptop. another snowstorm came, and john, biggles and i have been in the house for what feels like weeks! of course i'm enjoying it, the homebody that i am! lots of time to play in the kitchen and with my sweetie pies keeps me happy. =)


mrs. bigglesworth writes, "thanks for all the kind words!" in response to her compliments. =)

we made it almost 5 days on our fruits and veggies f(e)ast. after a trip to whole foods, i caved and savored the tastiest handful of cashews ever! though tough at times, the f(e)ast was very refreshing and i'm so glad we went through with it. the experience was an opportunity to reevaluate and reconnect with our food choices. we watched Food, Inc. again, and i thought a lot about elvis and the veal calves on Peaceable Kingdom. i want to remember those animals every time the thought to choose dairy crosses my mind.

we feel really good, and we'd like to continue to eat the foods that make our bodies feel aligned and well. green smoothies will continue to be consumed daily, and i'd like to make sure fruits and veggies make up a large majority of our diet.

i was really itchin' to get in the kitchen, especially since the f(e)ast gave me time to organize my recipes and come up with a meal plan system that i think will work for me.

for dinner on day 5 i made asian-style veggies with ginger sauce over jicama rice. it was DELICIOUS. very light but nourishing.

Asian-Style Veggies

choice of :
mushrooms
bok choi
yellow and red bell pepper
zucchini
broccoli
snow peas
mung bean sprouts

chop veggies and marinate in equal parts olive oil and tamari. to serve slightly warm, dehydrate a few hours at 115°F.

Jicama Rice

1 jicama, peeled and chopped
a handful of cilantro

in a food processor, pulse both ingredients until jicama resembles rice. that's all! =) 

Ginger Sauce
by Carmella 

1/4 cup sesame or cold pressed olive oil
2 tbs lemon or lime juice
2 tbs tamari
2 tbs grated ginger
1 soft dates
1 garlic clove
3/4-1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like your food)

blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.

you can also serve the asian-style veggies and ginger marinade over zucchini pasta or brown rice vermichelli.

kelli's notes:
next time i would add more mushrooms, as i really enjoyed the "meatiness" they added to the dish. i used just one tablespoon each of the lemon juice, tamari, and ginger for the ginger sauce.

~*~
that night i whipped up some flax crackers to eat with my "tuna" the next day. (if you haven't noticed, i'm very excited to be "eating" again! =)

Oh My this is a Tuna!
posted at the Raw Freedom Community Forum by ocean

1 Cup Sunflower Seeds (soaked)
1 Cup Raw Walnuts (soaked)
1/8 Cup fresh squeezed Lemon juice
1/2 Tsp. Garlic (minced)
1/2 Tsp. Kelp flakes
2 Tbs. Nama Shoyu (i used tamari)

In FP blend seeds, nuts, lemon juice, garlic, kelp and Nama Shoyu. Transfer to bowl and add:

1 pickle chopped (Bubbies pickle)
1 Tsp. Ume Plum vinegar (i used apple cider vinegar)
1 Tsp. Herbamare seasoning (didn't have)
3 Tbs. Bubbies pickle juice
1 Tbs. fresh Dill Weed (chopped)
1/4 Cup Onion (chopped)
1/4 Cup chopped Celery
1/8 Cup Parsley (chopped)

~*~
i had a much needed d-day on what would have been day 6 and dehydrated herb pizza crusts, Raw Food Real World's soft corn tortillas, ani phyo's black sesame sunflower seed bread, nori snacks, and potato chips.


on what would have been day 7 i made ani phyo's sun burgers and catsup with the sesame sunflower bread. bad move. my system was not ready for the onslaught of nuts and flax, and after eating half of the sun burger, my body naturally did a "flush". though terribly gross and painful at the time, i felt much better after, and learned some very valuable lessons: take it slow, and don't overdue it with the nuts!

don't think we'll be making this one again. 

since i felt well enough to enjoy some dessert later (yippee!) we made gena's amazing banana soft serve with almond butter and heathy's chocolate sauce from her Just Desserts ebook. (yes, there were nuts, but just a little! =) if you haven't tried this "ice cream" yet, you must! all that is needed are frozen bananas and a food processor.


~*~
happy birthday to me! 
today is my 29th birthday. it was an awesome day! the weather was chilly, but super sunny with snow all over the ground, giving my backyard the feel of a ski resort. sun poured in through our windows as we enjoyed a citrusy-mexican meal, reminding us of summer. the best of both seasons in one day! oh yes, and john did all the dishes! =)

Raw Tacos
serves 4-6
(adapted from Joz's Fajita's)

2 portobello mushrooms or 6 button mushrooms, sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
handful chopped cilantro
1/4 C. tamari*
1/4 C. olive oil*
1 Tbsp chili powder
pinch of cayenne pepper

in a large bowl, mix all ingredients. you can allow the vegetables to marinate all day, or place in dehydrator at 115°F for a few hours. serve when veggies look "cooked".

*in my opinion it's best to start with about 2 tablespoons each of tamari and olive oil. mix well to coat all veggies, then add more if needed.


we made our taco's in Raw Food Real World's Soft Corn Tortillas, then topped with Nacho Cheeze (Carmella's adaptation of Kristen Suzanne's Cheesy Nacho Sauce) and Holy Guacamole!, my adaptation of Carmella's Guacamole Supreme . so fulfilling and flavorful, and one of our favorite raw meals thus far!

Carmella's Guacamole Supreme

2 ripe avocados
1⁄2 cup diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion, rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1⁄4 tsp. cayenne (or mince in fresh, hot chilies with seeds removed)
1⁄2 tsp. celtic salt
mash all ingredients in a bowl with fork or potato masher, folding in the tomato last.

kelli's notes:
i use 1/4 tsp. onion powder in place of the green onion and just a pinch of cayenne.

Adapted from Kristen Suzanne's Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce

1 1/4 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup water
1 medium carrot
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne (use less if you prefer it not too spicy)
2 tsp taco seasoning

Blend all ingredients in high speed blender until smooth.

kelli's notes: 
this cheeze sauce is AMAZING!!! i had to halve the ingredients to fit them in my magic bullet, as the recipe yields plenty of sauce!

Sweet Lime Cilantro Dressing
(makes about 1/3 cup)

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp agave
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 C. cilantro
1 garlic clove
pinch cayenne
pinch salt
pinch cumin

blend all ingredients until smooth.




~*~
that's all for now! enjoy your weekend, and have a lovely valentine's day, mi amours! 
xoxo

Monday, February 8, 2010

Fruits and Veggies F(e)ast Day 4


Day 4

still going, but really wanting something dry and crunchy!
  • yogi's healthy fasting tea
  • green smoothie: spring mix, braeburn apple, banana, blueberries, lemon
  • banana
  • blueberries
  • veggies with mashed avocada
  • hippiemom's citrus and cinnamon elixir
  • smoothie: braeburn apple, banana, celery, fresh squeezed oj, cinnamon = YUM!
  • more blueberries
  • more veggies with mashed avocado
~*~
    mrs. bigglesworth likes to come out with me while i take photos of our treats. here's our old lady-baby chillin' on the step, observing the white mess that has temporarily ruined her playground.

     

      
    "outta the way, it's frikkin freezin' out here!"

     

    Sunday, February 7, 2010

    Fruits and Veggies F(e)ast Day 3

    when john and i were planning the f(e)ast, we agreed that it would be best to keep ourselves busy so we wouldn't think about food too much. this weekend we thought we'd take trips to the art museum, barnes and noble, and to spend time with our nieces and nephews...


    ...then the snow came. 

    2 feet again! second time this winter! but this time it left pretty skies for us to enjoy while we shoveled our way out.

     
     

    there's a lot of time to think about food when you're snowed in and watching movies. i wanted popcorn, raw cheez-its, philly soft pretzels, garlic bread, and pizza (of course). but i wasn't fantasizing about cheese pizza - i was thinking of tomato pies and raw pizza, which is a big step in the right direction for me! =)

    i've also been craving oh my this is tuna and nori snacks (can't wait to make both!), so i munched on a few raw nori sheets throughout day 3.


    Day 3
    • yogi's healthy fasting tea
    • smoothie: banana, braeburn apple, kale, goji berries, lemon
    • veggies with mashed avocado
    • juice: beet, celery, kale, carrot, blueberries, lemon, ginger
    • decaf green tea
    • raw nori sheet
    • salad: spring mix, avocado, tomato, cucumber
    • mango
    • orange
    • salad wrapped in a nori sheet
    • blueberries
     

    we've been making juice using the ol' hamilton beach blender and a nut milk bag. see, you don't need a fancy juicer or $400 blender to eat raw!


      

    (but this doesn't mean i wouldn't like a blendtec or vitamix... i'm just sayin' =)

    Friday, February 5, 2010

    Fruits and Veggies F(e)ast Day 1 and 2

     
    the first green smoothie of the f(e)ast. cheers!

    john and i started our f(e)ast thursday morning as planned. so far so good! tuesday, i felt like i was coming down with something but felt ok after my evening yoga class. i've been a bit sniffly at times and woke up this morning with a slightly sore throat, but all is fine for now.

    Day 1
    • warm lemon water
    • smoothie: banana, braeburn apple, kale, lemon
    • handful of blueberries
    • peppermint tea
    • salad: field mix with tomato, cucumber, avocado, and mushroom
    • lots of water
    Day 2
    •  yogi's healthy fasting tea
    • green smoothie: banana, braeburn apple, kale, blueberries, lemon
    • juice: beet, celery, carrot, kale, golden delicious apple, lemon
    • handful of blueberries
    • warm miso soup with chopped veggies and ginger
    • banana
    • fruit smoothie: banana, apple, frozen blackberries
    • chamomile tea  

    i wasn't too impressed with whole foods' selection of organic produce. i guess it's to be expected for february in the northeast. maybe we'll wait for summer to start another f(e)ast!

    they did, however, have a great selection of herbal teas. i chose yogi's healthy fasting tea and really enjoyed it. it has an interesting, pleasant flavor and i like that it contains dandelion to aid the liver in eliminating toxins.

    how timely is this?! yesterday, i read in my grandmother's first magazine that "the potent plant compounds [in dandelion tea] can trigger a 240 percent increase in the liver's output of glutathione S-transferase and other enzymes that are critical to destroying and disposing of toxins."

    also, " a warm bath opens pores and dilates skins' blood vessels to accelerate toxin release. to enhance the benefit, sprinkle in 2 cups of epsom salts. british researchers found that the salts' stores of magnesium heighten enzymatic activity in the liver's phase 1 detoxification pathway, where energy-sapping toxins are chemically dismantled."

    ...so i squished my 5'9" self into our small bathtub and took a nice, hot epsom salts bath. ahhhhhh. =)

    Tuesday, February 2, 2010

    Fruits and Veggies F(e)ast prep

    (welcome mary, and thanks for following! =)

    after much thought and deliberation, john and i have decided to switch from a green smoothie fast to a Fruits and Veggies F(e)ast, starting thursday. as it is our first time f(e)asting, i feel its best to open the challenge up to all fruits and veggies, in all shapes and forms.

    my intentions for this f(e)ast are to give my body a rest from the processed foods i've been consuming and to gain control of my cravings for dairy and fried foods. i am trusting this experience will help align me with the high raw, animal-friendly lifestyle i'd like to lead.

    good news for me, john has already gotten a hang of smoothie-making. look how nice and neat he is with his smoothie prep!

    Saturday, January 30, 2010

    going with the flow

    hello friends, and welcome, julia and nelly!  i appreciate your visits. =)

    first off, let me say that i loved everyone's snack ideas from my last post! i'm happy to report my cravings have led me away from milk chocolate snacks... but are now guiding me towards fried potatoes! yikes! i am also craving lots of greens and fruit, so i've decided to feed that craving and take it to the next level with a green smoothie fast (edit: a green smoothie FEAST! =).


    when i first became serious about transitioning to an animal-friendly lifestyle, i heard of the master cleanse (aka lemonade diet). many testified that the cleanse helped align their taste buds to animal-friendly raw foods, which eliminated cravings for toxic treats.

    i thought of trying the lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper cleanse, but never felt fully compelled to give it a go. i find i'm sensitive to cayenne pepper in the urinary region. many health sources are now making the claim that maple syrup as well as agave nectar may not be as healthy as i thought =(. "Lick the Sugar Habit" author Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. explains that, “maple syrup and other sugars literally make the white blood cells go dormant or sleepy [which] opens the door to infectious and degenerative diseases.” ouch.

    i would love to do a juice fast (as i hear such wonderful things about them), but i don't own a juicer. yes, i can blend the veggies and strain them through a nut bag, but i know myself all too well and doubt that will keep up more than 2 days.=)

    after reading kimberly snyder's post, the green smoothie vs. the master cleanse, i decided to create a fast plan to accommodate our lifestyle.

    it feels right to start the fast 7 days before my 29th birthday, to begin my 30th year on a healthy note. we've been prepping by having a green smoothie every day, eating lots of raw food, and cutting back on our vices.

    goodies from our shopping trip a few days ago to aid in our fasting prep

    my idea to fast was affirmed when i was greeted online tonight by three posts in a row on the same topic! my friends hippiemom and heathy are fasting, and the lovely debbie from vegan family style posted a review for Robyn Openshaw's "The Green Smoothie Diet." the stars are aligned, my friends! =)

    this fast will be a challenge, as i don't think i've gone a few waking hours without "food"! john and i are doing it together, so that will help tremendously. i'm still working out the details, but i think i'd like to have 1-2 green smoothies per day and 1-2 glasses of juice, depending on how we feel. i'd also like to incorporate teas, lemon water and some type of flush. if all goes to plan we will begin thursday, february 4th. of course i will document my experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly! =)

    advice and tips from those who have done any type of fast, cleanse, or flush will be greatly appreciated!
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