Day 5 • Achievement

I feel a huge sense of achievement today, I made it to Day 5 and survived! A group of super nice people  on facebook are also doing this fast/cleanse they call it Juiceuary. Juiceuary, meaning we juice the whole month of January. The group was started by a single father from New York Steven Robalino and they have been doing this for a couple of years. It's nice to have some support from all over the world during those dark times. I had a couple of those dark moments today like ...what the heck am I doing?? Am I crazy?? I haven't eaten in 5 days!!! They pass, the day goes on and before you know it, it's Day 6. Only 26 more days to go!

I even was awarded a little Day 5 badge today  :)

Day 5:

Breakfast Juice
carrots, golden beets, cara oranges, clementines, pineapple

Lunch Juice
spinach, kale, kiwi, green apple, ginger

Dinner Juice

spinach, red lettuce, beets, raspberries, strawberries

Day 4 • In the Bag

Achievement, yes I made it through day 4! I had a lot of energy this morning, went to the gym and was killed by my personal trainer. Today my PT and I did mostly weights followed up with a 4 mile run. It felt great. I didn't have any hunger pains until later this evening while watching T.V. and every other commercial is about food... water, water, and more water!!! It is super important to drink lots of water while fasting/cleansing. Hot water with lemon is also a favorite, especially in the winter. I'm a little excited for bed and to get on with Day 5!! 



Day 4:

Breakfast Juice
carrots, clementines, red apples, ginger

Lunch Juice
spinach, zucchini, pears, strawberries

Dinner Juice
spinach, zucchini, green apples, pineapple

Snack
Hot water with lemon :)

Day 3 • Over the Hump

Day three is almost done and I couldn't be happier. I've heard this cleanse is supposed to be smooth sailing from here. I woke up this morning without a headache and without my tummy growling, which is great. The only odd thing I experienced today was that my urine was bright pink!! Yup, I believe it's from the beets I juiced. I looked it up and it seems to be totally normal. I even made it to the gym today and had lots of energy. I plan on working out during this fast, I can't miss a workout. I love the gym.

The only obstacle that came my way today was picking up dinner, takeout sushi for my family and watching them devour it in front of me. I was strong, very strong! I did enjoy my dinner juice though, it was tasty although it didn't look it. :)
Day 4...look out!




Day 3:

Breakfast Juice
kale, zucchini, beets, radishes, green pepper, blackberries, mint

Lunch Juice:
butternut squash, carrots, red apples, pineapple

Dinner Juice: 
cucumber, celery, red pear, grapes

Juicing in the New Year

Happy New Year!

I am excited to kick 2013 off with a bang and doing this I plan on participating in a 30 day fast/cleanse of only juicing fresh organic fruits and vegetables. No alcohol, tea, coffee, or solid foods of any kind, just juice.

 Last summer I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis an autoimmune disease which threw me for a major loop. I always thought of myself as a healthy person. I exercise regularly and eat fairly well. Although I will be honest food has always been my weakness. I love food and I love to eat it. After being immobile for a couple of months due to my RA I gained about 16 pounds and was miserable. I finally got medication figured out for this painful disease and was back in the gym, thank goodness! My medications are extremely toxic and I knew I had to get off of them as soon as possible! I knew deep down inside my diet had to change, and that the foods I love and have such an addiction for were slowly killing me.

I had heard of juicing and was very curious, after doing a little research I went and purchased my beloved juicer. I picked the Breville Juice Fountain Plus. It's been great so far, and easy to clean!

 I am not going to ramble on forever so you loose interest. It all boils down to this your body needs fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis instead of white, packaged, over processed foods. Juicing is the only way to get a lot of fruits and vegetables into you fast in it's raw state. A great documentary on juicing to watch is... Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. The movie is only an hour and 30 minutes and is about two men who are over weight with autoimmune disease and how juicing changes their lives.

I plan on documenting my journey here on my food blog I hope you all will follow me and maybe be inspired to make the change in your diet. I am already on day two of my fast and let me tell you it's not that easy. I'm hungry, tired, irritable, and have a pounding headache. My body is definitely detoxifying. I woke up last night dripping with sweat. Ewwww, I know! I hear the first 3 days are the worst and after that it's smooth sailing. Lets hope! It's not that I'm starving, it's that eating is so social and comforting. I keep telling myself is that tomorrow is day three, Here's to day three!!

I will be posting my juicing recipes daily along with a little journaling about how I am feeling. Thanks for taking this journey with me.

Enjoy!:)




Day 1: 
(you can use as much or as little of the ingredients as you would like depending on your taste and the amount of juice you want to make)

Breakfast Juice:
spinach, celery, mango, meyer lemon.

Lunch Juice: 
kale, cucumber, green apples, red grapes, ginger
*a little bit of ginger goes a long way, I use 1 "

(not sure why I didn't photograph my ingredients??)

Dinner Juice:
beets, carrots, spinach, strawberries, cranberries

*Also when fasting/cleansing remember to drink lots of water!!

Day 2: 

Breakfast Juice:
butternut squash, carrots, pineapple, cranberries, strawberries

Lunch Juice: 
kale, zucchini, beets, grapes, red apples

Dinner Juice: 
spinach, carrots, blueberries, green apples

The Best Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

These cookies are my husband favorite, and if he likes them that must mean they are good. I think he just ate four in a row. Hard to Please is his middle name, but in all seriousness who doesn't like a soft, and chewy oatmeal cookie?

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (I like to taste the salt in my cookies)
3 cups of Old fashioned Quaker Oats (uncooked)
1 cup of Craisins (not a raisin fan)


Directions

Heat oven to 350˙. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium in a electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs one by one and vanilla, beat well. In a separate bowl add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix and slowly add to the wet ingredients. Add oats and Crasins, mix well. Drop dough by tablespoon onto un-greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Make about 4 dozen cookies.

 Enjoy!

Healthy Bites

I am not much of a snacker but I find these healthy little bites a great way to keep my energy up on those crazy busy days, or after an excruciating workout. They are also a yummy treat for your kiddos without giving them a bunch of sugar.

Ingredients

1 cup of Old Fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/3 cup of honey
1/2 cup of flax seeds
1/3 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla


Directions

Mix all together in a large bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll or press into small bite size balls. The batter will be a little crumbly. Keep refrigerated. These balls are also yummy with sunflower seeds, cranberries, or other dried fruit.
Enjoy!
 

Chicken Noodle Soup

After nearly taking a year off of blogging I am back! I really missed my food blog and I am going to try my hardest to keep posting clean and healthy recipes. Fall is here and warm comforting foods are in order. Here is a family favorite, healthy homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Ingredients

1 package of fresh linguini pasta
2 32oz containers of chicken broth
3 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken
4 whole carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1/2 of a yellow onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
5 mini white potatoes, quartered
2 Tbs. pre made basil pesto
Fresh Tarragon and Marjoram (add as much as you would like)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Chop up all of your vegetables and toss them into a large soup pot. Add the basil pesto to the vegetables and let them simmer for 5 minutes at medium heat to soften them up a bit. Add your chicken stock at this time along with your chopped chicken and your fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Let your soup simmer at med high heat covered for at least one full hour. At the very last minute add your fresh pasta to your soup and bring to a boil, just long enough to cook your pasta. Serve hot with a crusty bread.

Enjoy!
 

Greek Tortellini Salad

Keeping with this months salad theme here is a hearty, flavorful salad that is easy to whip together for a quick lunch. I always keep tortellini in the freezer, it comes in handy when you want to make a simple meal or snack.


Ingredients 

fresh whole wheat cheese filled Tortellini Pasta, family size
1/2 cup of pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half
1/2 a jar of roasted red peppers marinated in oil, sliced
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Directions 

Cook your tortellini till it is al dente, about 3 to 4 minutes once your water comes to a rapid boil. It is very important to not over cook your pasta, because then your salad is soggy. Drain your pasta and place in a large bowl. Add to you pasta all of your chopped vegetables, olives and cheese. The oil from your chopped peppers and artichokes make a nice natural dressing. There is no need to add more oil. Add your feta, toss and serve. This salad is delicious warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Lemon Orzo Salad

Happy New Year! 

2012 is going to filled with healthy delicious cooking. To start this new year off right I am dedicating the whole month of January to salads. This first salad is a quick, light, pasta salad that is not only nutritious but bursting with tons of tangy flavor!



Ingredients

12 oz. Orzo
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 lemon, zest and juiced
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
1 cup of freshly grated parmesan
kosher salt and pepper


Directions

Cook orzo, blanch asparagus the last minute of cooking the pasta. Add cooked orzo, asparagus and sliced tomatoes to a large bowl.

Mix olive oil, lemon, zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl, whisk. Drizzle the oil dressing over pasta. Stir in fresh parsley and parmesan. Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Herb Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

This dinner is my husbands favorite meal. The meal itself looks intimidating but really it's quite easy. I make this dish at least twice a month in the winter. We are only a family of three but I always roast two birds for leftovers. As for the mashed potatoes, I am the queen of potatoes. I could live off them, so you know my mashed potatoes are the best, YUM!


•Herb Roasted Chicken• 

Ingredients 

2 fresh whole chickens
1 stick of butter, softened
1 bunch of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 bunch of fresh sage, chopped
1 bunch of thyme, chopped
1 apple, quartered
2 lemons cut in half
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 cups of dry white wine
salt & pepper to taste


Directions 

I buy disposable foil pans big enough for one bird. This just makes clean up much easier! I always roast two birds so there are plenty of leftovers. Gather your herbs and chop all of them together. Loosen the chickens skin and place half of the chopped herbs under the skin of each chicken. Rub each bird with a half a stick of butter and sprinkle the rest of the chopped herbs over your chickens. Pour one cup of wine in each of the bottom of the foil tins. Chop two lemons in half place one of the chopped lemons inside the chicken cavity and the other chopped lemon in the foil tin. Quarter your onion and apple and place in the foil tin. Season your birds generously with salt and pepper. Cover your birds with foil and place both birds in a preheated 450˙oven. Bake your birds covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 45 minutes, basting now and then with the juices in the pan. Your chicken should be golden brown when finished cooking. Remove your chickens from the oven and transfer to a serving dish to let rest. Reserve one cup of the chicken drippings for your gravy.


•Mashed Potatoes•

Ingredients

6 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 quarts of chicken broth
2 cups of sour cream
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Peel and chop your potatoes, place them in a large boiling pot. Add your chicken stock to the pot, your potatoes should be all the way covered by the broth. Boil your potatoes in the chicken broth, until completely tender. Drain about one cup of liquid off your potatoes and mash with one stick of butter and 2 cups of sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.


•Gravy•

Ingredients

1 cup of chicken drippings
1 cup of chicken broth
1 Tbs of flour
salt and pepper to taste


Directions 

In a large sauce pan on medium high heat add your chicken drippings. Add a tablespoon of flour to your drippings, stirring constantly cooking your flour for about two minutes. Add the chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly until thickened, serve.

Enjoy!