The Juice Fasting Experience

I made it through eight days of juice fasting recently.  I was aiming for ten, but MyBoy got the best of me during our outing in which he was rewarded for his amazing grades.  We putt putt golfed together and then went out to lunch.

My breaking point was somewhere between his sweet face wanting to share lunch with me, and my favorite dish at McMennamin's; their West African Peanut Soup.  Eating is awesome.

Juicing has been a part of my life for many years.  I go through phases of juicing every day for months and then a dry spell, but I always come back to it because I love fresh juice!

During my fast, I experienced a beautiful clear sense of body and mind.  There were more days where I was extremely productive, and a few where I was dragging.  Every day I was challenged with the temptation to break the fast, and I enjoyed enforcing my will to keep with it.

To stay focussed, I photographed many of my juice concoctions because the ingredients are so beautiful, but I also found that when I engaged in the act of photographing the food, it helped my mind and body to appreciate the sustenance it was getting....almost like giving thanks.

I also mixed my recipes up a lot to keep my body interested.  I generally had success juicing almost everything, even bell peppers!  I especially enjoyed juice with papaya and pineapple added to some veggies.  Juicing beets is my favorite.  Most of my juice recipes are at least half vegetable (or green juices).

One day ended up to be a particularly bad juice recipe day. I tried using collard greens and they are oh way too bitter (kale and spinach are much better)!  Later on the same day, I made a juice with too much lemon and too much ginger.  I think that was on one of my tired days....plus two very bitter faces!  Another challenge for me was cooking meals for the kids that I couldn't eat...almost too tempting!

It has been a few weeks now since being off my juice fast.  I have found myself not wanting dairy or meat and have changed my eating habits to accomodate.  I crave juice still every morning, sometimes a make a smoothie, but every morning since the fast I have started my day with raw fruits and veggies.

Fasting can be an incredible exercise in re-evaluating habits.  I noticed how much better I felt drinking most likely three times as much water as I normally do in a day.  I also kicked coffee during my fast (wow, do I appreciate that cuppa now!).

Which brings me to gratitude.

Fasting brings that emotion to the front of everything.  When your body is hungry, it is also that much more grateful for any sustenance it is given.  It feels good to have taken a step back, appreciated the abundant availability of food which I experience every day for myself and my family, and to have made a conscious choice to go without for a while.

Gratified Friday: Good Food

Garlic stuffed green olives, homemade mac & cheese, and a thai lunch buffet.

Good food is like the glue that keeps my life together.  No matter how hectic things are (and they are!!), I love looking forward to a good meal, discovering a new restaurant, or planning dinner for the family.

Mmmm, yum.

Raw Tacos: Simple Veggie Lettuce Wraps

Wowzah, these raw tacos really taste southwestern!  And all that tomato juice and raw corn and crisp lettuce make these lettuce wraps deliciously crunchy and juicy.

So simple to make, just pile the ingredients on a piece of lettuce and wrap it up like a taco.  Munch away!

Ingredients:

Raw Corn
Diced Tomato
Fresh Cilantro Chopped
Minced Garlic
Raw Sheep Cheese
Whole Leaves of Iceberg Lettuce
Salt and Pepper to Taste


I'm sure any other bit of tasty veggie you can think of would be a great addition here.  I love the simplicity and fresh flavors.

Enjoy!

Most Delicious Bean Dip

This is definitely one of those little recipes you find, and think to yourself...oh gosh!  How have I even lived before this??

Maybe it is the springish weather, maybe not...but I am on a fresh & healthy foods kick again.  It feels (and tastes) so good.

I have been on the prowl for good looking recipes and when I saw this one over at Gastronomical Sovereignty I just had to get Kristy's permission to post about it.  Permission WAS necessary because this is her top secret recipe!

Click here to see her post and get the exact directions!

I served it with almond rice crackers to make it even healthier, but it would be good with chips and I'm thinking even as a sandwich spread.

Simple is the magic word here, not too many ingredients:

Garlic
Black Beans (canned)
Onion
Honey
Red Pepper
Cumin
Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

Kristy adds hot stuff like red chile and chile powder, but I made my version sans *kick*, because my taste buds are not so tough.  But I imagine that with the sweetness of the honey, a little spice would add another awesome element.

The Makings

The Most Delicious Bean Dip 

 "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well,

if one has not dined well."

~ Virginia Woolf, "A Room of One's Own"

Creamy Pesto Adventure

Summer makes me CRAVE salad!  Today I was out of my favorite salad dressing (hazelnut vinaigrette) but I had to have something on my salad..so I dug some stuff out of the fridge door and got crazy.

Faking It Creamy Pesto Dressing

One Part:  Olive Oil Mayo
One Part:  Pesto Sauce (leftover from pasta)
Splash:  Lemon Juice (I actually only had lime, still GOOD)

Pesto was so good with sweet apple, crunchy celery and carrots, and quick toasted sourdough croutons over romaine. Afterwards, I was all set to take the big dog for his swim in the river (he nearly pulled me in, I have the bloody scrape to prove it) but I wasn't crabby because my belly was full of yummy salad and pesto.

Good Salad, Naughty Pup. :)

McKenzie River Trail Backpacking

Backpacking Food

While fireworks go off all over the neighborhood, I am in the kitchen making chocolate chip coffee biscotti and measuring out portions for planned meals for an awesome backpacking trip which should start tomorrow, if all goes as planned.  One af my favorite things about backpacking trips is meal planning.  I love the creativity behind having to think about weight, how easily the food can be prepared over a camp stove, getting the right amounts of calories, and of course planning something slightly gourmet to make on the trail even more gratifying after a long haul on the trail.  Here's what's cooking this trip:

Chocolate Chip Coffee Biscotti

Cream Cheese Fruit Rollup Wraps

Cheesy Eggs (they cook right in the ziplock bag in boiling water)

I'm really excited to try a new recipe: chicken soup with dumplings using instant chicken noodle soup mix, dehydrated veggies, and biscuit dough (the kind from the can that opens when you knock it against the counter).  This will all be made at camp.  My old standby recipe will also be taken along:  packaged cheesy pasta, canned chicken, and dehydrated veggies.  There is nothing better than a warm meal after making camp.

I can't wait to explore the McKenzie River Trail.  Things to look forward to are, the Blue Hole (where the River returns above ground after a long trek underground, some waterfalls, an old lava bed, old growth forest (douglas firs, cedar), Clear Lake, and a natural hotspring!  I think the trip will be wonderful...and I can't wait to bring home pictures to share.

Bikes, and Breakfast for One

This morning called for some rallying to get me on my bike and out the door to pick up the Touareg (yay, it's fixed!!).  I huffed it up some rolling hills and froze my ears off, but it was a pretty exhilarating way to start the day!

Cars are much faster but bikes make you feel better.

Once home, and Matt out the door to work, I started cooking up some awesome breakfast for one:  Two eggs over medium with dashes of basil and garlic with sourdough toast and lingonberry jam (thanks, Ikea!).  Of course, coffee on the side is a daily must.

I hope the car doesn't break down again anytime soon, but it was a great reminder that I'm a true biker at heart.  I spent a lot of time behind the handlebars as a kid.  My dad would have me and my sister riding with him to the swimming pool to swim, the store for treats, even to a haunted house in the dark (I advise against this for small children, I was scared to death on the way home!).

Well, cheers:  To keeping up good bike habits!

Think Happy Thoughts

I've been reminded that today is the day that, seven years ago, my Mother passed.  Instead of dwelling on the unchangeable, I thought I would mention some happy things, because after all, it is spring and I'm not as mad at the flowers for blooming as I used to be this time of year.

The planters are planted..and pretty

The Touareg is in the shop, so I got the challenge of carrying potting soil home on the back of my little road bike.  Pretty talented, eh?

Much deserved dinner and desert fondue

After a delicious day of biking, tennis (my serve was HOT, and I have the sunburn to prove it), and planting flowers, Matt and I spoiled ourselves with fondue (again).  If I hadn't mentioned it before, the go-to fondue cookbook at our house is Not Your Mother's Fondue, by Hallie Harron.

Happy Easter, all.  

First Barbecue of the Season

The rain let up just enough yesterday to clean up the grill and try out barbecuing some burgers at the new house.  I had been looking forward to this all day, ever since Matt texted me the key ingredients:  Gruyere, thyme, bacon, and apples....all from a recipe he found in Men's Health at work.

We got to cooking.

organic beef ready for cooking
with all the ingredients mixed in

green apples cooked and softened in butter

adding the ground cardamon
to delicious bacon and shallots

I don't know about you, but this is making me hungry all over again.  I would call the recipe a major success (we didn't make the sauce so I can''t vouch for that) although there were quite a few steps involved.  The burgers ended up being cooked half on the grill (till they started falling apart) and then salvaged and baked for the remainder of the time.  The flavor of these burgers was PHENOMENAL!

What better way to bring in the spring?

A girl, her dog, and BBQ

Linens and Caprese Salad, two wonderfully simple things

I finally had a moment (and a good reason) to go through this huge box of linens I've inherited from my grandmother who is still alive, but has had the odd reason to pass down her things as if she weren't.  Since the assigning by my grandparents of all things to be prematurely inherited (about a year ago), this particular box has sat in my garage undisturbed.  It turns out I inherited a jackpot of cloth napkins, table runners, and table clothes.

And look how simply pretty, all in linen and cotton, with embroidery and lace:

My weekend was also complete with a homemade Caprese Salad, my absolute favorite.  MyGirl and MyBoy love it too.  So simple:

Kid portion....Mmmmmm

Caprese Salad

Fresh Organic Roma Toms

Beautiful Organic Basil

Fresh Mozzarella

Balsamic Reduction (just cook the balsamic vinegar in a pan and simmer until it thickens)

I could eat this salad every day, I love the sweetness of the reduced balsamic with the herby flavor of basil.

Nine is Beautiful

MyGirl turned a big 9 yesterday and I had a great time spoiling her rotten.


Happy Birthday, honey!

Birthday Glow

My mother had this paperback book with different cakes in it all shaped like something and decorated with candy.  There were cakes that looked like a bear, a train, a candy cart, a clown...you get the idea.  I loved picking out a cake every year on my birthday so I've diligently continued the tradition with my kids.  The only difference is that I don't have the book, so we just make cakes up!


This year MyGirl wanted a Hello Kitty cake.  Even yummier in red velvet with cream cheese frosting:

Hello Cake

She was served a special Birthday Brunch with her favorite potatoes and bacon.  Inspiration for the eggs found here.  We added extra sharp white cheddar.  To try MyGirl's favorite potatoes yourself, just make the usual breakfast homefries in olive oil and garlic.  In the middle of cooking them, add a generous amount of tamari and then at the end of cooking, add a generous amount of brown sugar.  *sweet 'n salty*

Heart Omelets

Birthday Brunch

There was of course much ado about gift receiving, and then a movie night of "Mean Girls 2", popcorn and snuggles.


The highlight for me was before bed when we were goofing around with Photo Booth on my Mac (top photo) and I said to her, "You're mine.  MyGirl said, "No, you're mine."  Then she smiled really big  and grinned, "We're each other's!!!"