Beet and Orange Juice, Raw Vegan Reflections

Half of 2014 is already gone! I can’t help but feel that I should be reflective on what has transpired during the first 6 months of this year as it pertains to my new mostly raw vegan lifestyle. In summary…IT ROCKS!!!! It’s amazing, it’s fun, it’s filling and fulfilling, it’s energizing, it’s everything I dreamed it would be and so much more. Let me make it perfectly clear that I have not been 100% raw vegan the entire time, if I had to give it a number I would say 90% on average with very very very many 100% days. I went with ‘the flow’ as they say and I did not beat myself up for indulging in unhealthy eats. What I found instead was that after eating ‘clean’ my body became hyper sensitive to processed/unhealthy food that I naturally didn’t want any of it. I often felt sick, had an upset stomach and severe acid reflux after eating such food. I still really struggle with social gatherings. There are often absolutely no options to eat a raw, fresh fruit and/or vegetable meal in restaurants and even in people’s homes which I think is really sad. I have to say that eating this way has brought me so much JOY and I have experienced enormous benefits from eating this way. I will try and outline some of them below.

• Grocery shopping is effortless and fun. I don’t need to look at labels. I simply purchase organic, whole, fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. That’s it! A few other things I also buy are dates, ground flaxseeds, hemp seeds and dehydrated unsweetened coconut. A plant-based diet made up of whole foods (fruits and vegetables) is the way to go!
• Meal prep is so fast and there are no stinky lingering oil/cooked food smells in the house. Every meal/dish is always so colorful. Radiant is the word actually!
• Fruits and Vegetables are delicious in their most natural state. There is nothing like a ripe fresh mango, crunchy & salty celery, a sweet & juicy orange or smooth & creamy avocado. Nature/God is PERFECTION.
• I have boundless energy all the time and I have released (lost) 20 pounds 🙂 which is FANTASTIC. I truly feel like my body is healing itself from the inside out with fruits and vegetables. I have indulged in the most delicious juices, smoothies and salads the past 6 months and I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months brings. The weight loss was a nice bonus. My creative side has evolved and I feel so inspired when I’m in the kitchen now so much so that I made this new recipe this morning and I’m calling it BEETASTIC! Try it y’all. I know you will love it.

BEETASTIC JUICE

1 Beet and 2 Oranges. That’s it! 🙂 As always, use organic ingredients if possible.

 

~Juice, Try Something New & Enjoy!~

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5 Juice Recipes for Weight Loss

Many of us have a few (or more) extra pounds that we have and just can’t seem to get rid of. It’s annoying. We want to look and feel our best so why not take a chance and add 2-4 glasses of fresh fruit and vegetable juice to your daily diet and see what happens! I highly recommend starting your day with these juices. It sets the tone for the rest of the day which makes it more likely for you to make healthier choices throughout the day.

Here are 5 Juice Recipes for Weight Loss you will want to make to help you become the most healthful version of yourself you can be. These recipes yield 2-4 glasses.

1. Apple and Grapefruit Juice

Grapefruits are available year round, have lots of potassium, vitamin C and aid in digestion. The combination of grapefruit juice’s sour and tart taste with the sweetness of apple juice is fantastic. I make this juice for family and friends and it’s always a hit.

-2 apples
-2 grapefruit

2. Celery, Romaine and Apple Juice

This is one of the most simple and tasty green juices you can make. Almost any green juice I make will have celery because it is a powerful diuretic which means it’ll get rid of excess water you may be retaining and help you look leaner in no time! Go celery!

-4 celery stalks
-2 apples
-1 romaine heart

3. Celery, Cucumber, Kale and Apple Juice

Green juices are the most powerful juices you can make if weight loss is your primary goal. Greens pack a ton of nutrients, are low in calories and are very filling so they can help you get in shape. Juice those greens away. I highly recommend a masticating juicer like an Omega J8006 if you want to get the most out of your greens.
-4 celery stalks
-1 cucumber
-2 kale leaves
-1 apple

4. Apple, Beet and Carrot Juice

It just wouldn’t be right if this juice recipe wasn’t on the list. I make it so incredibly often (like today!) and I have happily released a few pounds in the past few weeks. It’s filling, it satisfies the craving for something sweet so well and it’s loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, potassium and a slew of other nutrients.
-1 apple
-2 beets
-5/6 carrots
-feel free to add a 1/2 inch of ginger for an extra kick!

5. Cucumber, Romaine, Pineapple and Orange Juice

To round out this list I just have to add yet another green juice recipe. They are that amazing. Greens rock! Get creative in the kitchen and don’t be afraid to throw in a few extra greens or fruits. Many a recipe posted on this website were highly experimental. You might just create a masterpiece. Here is juice recipe #5.

-1 cucumber
-1 head of romaine lettuce
-1/2 pineapple
-1 orange

 

If you’re ready to start juicing but don’t have a juicer yet please read Types of Juicers to figure out which one will work best for you.

Do you have a juice recipe you really enjoy and seem to make over and over? Has juicing improved your health? Kindly share…

I think I’m RAW, VEGAN and Juice Recipe #31

I’m not sure how in heavens name I have a blog and don’t own a laptop. It makes no sense to me, hence the lack of blog posts. I do intend to fix that sometime in the next few months and get a really nice laptop. Suggestions welcome. I have spent the last few months wisely though and chosen to make food my medicine especially since the latter part of 2013 came with lots of physical and emotional trauma. 

I have never planned any of my life’s major changes. I spend as much time as the next person setting goals but I almost always get side tracked. I probably intuitively ‘plan’ all of the changes that happen in my life by ‘day-dreaming’ about it, reading about it, talking about it, being truly grateful for where I am, excited about all of the changes that I am already experiencing and then WHAM! my life’s on a whole new path.

So my latest life change is that I’m my diet is now RAW and VEGAN. I have been reading and thinking about eating this way for a few years now. The urge to try this lifestyle became so strong that on the night of January 22nd I’d had enough and decided I just had to do it. My diet was already significantly healthier than the average American’s diet thanks to the changes I’ve been making in the past several years. I had (and still have) juices/smoothies for breakfast, fruits for snacks and delicious home made salads very often. I purchase organic fruits and veggies when available as they are my absolute favorite food. In spite of all this I felt like there was plenty of room to expand, not physically! 🙂 . I have since had a few cooked meals because my husband and I traveled out-of-state for 5 days. Boy oh boy! Traveling and trying to remain raw and vegan with only 14 days of experience at the time was haaaaaard. I’m back home now and its been much easier. I don’t want to ramble on and on about this so I will just outline some of the benefits I have experienced from eating this way for 3 weeks.

• I feel lighter after meals
• I have increased energy
• Meal prep is FAST and EASY
• Increased mental clarity
• Better and less sleep necessary
• Weight loss 

The hardest thing has been trying to eat enough. With this lifestyle, your food is digested much quicker so the best thing is to either snack more often or have larger meals if your stomach can handle it. Snacking more works better for me now. The cooked meals I had were at restaurants with family and I have only experienced TERRIBLE effects, not side effects… EFFECTS 😦

• I felt sluggish/lethargic after eating
• SEVERE acid reflux
• Nausea
• SEVERE Indigestion
• Excessive gas

No matter how small or large the cooked meal was I experienced ALL of the above effects ALL the time. I am now wondering…was I experiencing some/all of the above effects before and just totally oblivious to them? How sad is that? Or…did my GI tract love raw food so much (after only a few weeks) that it’s trying to let me know that cooked food is not the way for me anymore? I honestly don’t know what the answer is but I do know I enjoy eating raw and vegan for now and I will continue to do so to the best of my ability.

Here’s today’s breakfast green juice recipe.

New Beginnings GREEN juice recipe

• one large cucumber
• one head of romaine lettuce
• half a pineapple, peeled (do not core)
• one orange, peeled

It’s light, refreshing and on the sweeter side. I prefer stronger green flavors in my green juices but I craved something slightly sweet this morning and this juice satisfied that craving perfectly!

~Do something new, juice and enjoy!~

Anyone make any new (small or big) changes to their lifestyle in the past few months? Please share. 

Here are some pics from my raw food adventures. I took all of the pictures in today’s post with my iPhone so excuse the not-so-awesome quality.

Juice Recipe #23: Lean Green Juice!

This green juice recipe is sure to make you feel & look great. It was the perfect light and super healthy breakfast recipe and it has super ‘green’ powers to make anyone lean (after lots of doses on a consistent basis alongside a healthy diet of course). Yes, being lean doesn’t come easy. I know because I’m still on that path but I love and appreciate every step I make in the right direction. And by lean, I don’t mean skinny, I mean… ‘right & tight’ 🙂 I just can’t think of a better way to describe it. Feel free to help me out.

Anyway, here’s the recipe to this delicious and refreshing green juice. Your whole body will thank you for it. This made exactly 32 ounces which is a whole lot but I woke up starving, ran a few miles and needed that much. Cut ingredients in half to make the usual 16oz.

• 4 medium/large collard green leaves
• 5 celery stalks
• one handful of mint leaves
• 3 granny smith apples
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 lemon (I juice with the peel on)

Some of the benefits of this green juice, just to name a few, are that it is anti-inflammatory, alkaline, a diuretic, promotes weight loss and improves immunity.

Ingredients of The Lean Green Juice

Lean Green Frothy Goodness

Lean, green and filled to the brim.

Settling in

~Juice & Get Lean!~

Sources:

Benefits of Juicing Collard Greens

The Incredible Powers of Celery Juice