Wednesday, February 26, 2014

cleanse 1/day 10 and some wildlife

This morning when I went out in the back garden, I saw this guy. Squeeker, the outside cat was just sitting on the path watching this little fella walk by about a foot away from him. I walked up to get a closer look and he wasn't even scared. He moved really slowly. Has a strange pig/raccoon/rat look to him. There are tiny little tusks or fangs coming out of his mouth and that flat pig nose! My thought was maybe this is a possum....I'll have to google it. Second thought: I hope he won't stay long. I made a noise and he slowly moved toward the fence and with great effort climbed up and just sat there.


the cleanse report:

DAY 10!!

I finally got to Whole Foods and stocked up my fridge again with some fresh veggies and fruit.

I made a really good green smoothie today with apples, apple juice, kale, spinach, and a teaspoon of green super food powder. It was really good.

I haven't really been eating too much the last few days. This morning I had a hand full of walnuts before going to work.

I did have some pasta this afternoon with some asparagus, shitake mushrooms, and zucchini cooked in a little Bragg's and coconut oil. 

This is the pasta I made. 


I have never seen it before and have heard so much lately about how the wheat we have now is so different from the wheat from forever ago and how it has affected so many though gluten sensitivities and allergies. Since I am not giving up wheat just yet, but have limited my consumption, I thought I would try it. If you are gluten free, this will not work for you, but it does have less than typical pasta and I didn't have that super full, bloated feeling after eating it. If you want to know more about what einkorn wheat is you can visit here and here.


The texture is the best I've ever found for whole wheat pasta. THE BEST. The box says to cook 12 minutes, but I found it to be done perfectly at 9 minutes. Sprinkled nutritional yeast on the pasta and some good quality olive oil and topped with the veggies. 


The roundup:

In the last 10 days, I have eaten vegetable soups (A LOT), life changing bread, fruit, hummus, avocados, and leafy greens. I had pasta 2x and and rice 2x. 

After 4 days, I had coffee. 2 glasses of wine. And some chocolate. 

I met my water quota everyday.

I have to say that the water consumption was major for me. That and getting off of the crackers habit. I honestly never even thought about cheese. So all in all I consider it a success!

I plan to carry the water quota on with me and my intention is it just becomes a habit. I will continue to keep track of it though, until it's second nature. It made such a difference that I really feel...plumper. In a hydrated way :) 

I also will commit to 3 green smoothies a week. I want to say one everyday, and maybe I'll get to that, but 3 a week feels like a goal I can easily meet. Micro steps!

The last word on this for now it that I would probably have done better doing this in the warmer time of year. I just have a hard time with raw food in cold weather. I may do another little bit rawer cleanse this summer. I'll keep you posted!

Any thoughts, opinions, words of advice or comments in general are welcome.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

cleanse 1/day 9

A couple of weeks ago, I received my organic & non-GMO seeds in the mail! I ordered them from SeedsNow.com and I am excited to see how they do. I ordered the following:

aren't they nicely packaged?

arugula
basil - genovese and herb mix
beans, tender greens
broccoli, calabrese
cilantro
cress-I am not 100% what this is
cucumbers - lemon, muncher and tendergreen
eggplant - black beauty and pandora striped
fennel
kale
peas, sugar snap
peppers - banana, jalapeno, bells, serrano
squash - zucchini, pattypan and butternut
swiss chard
tomatoes, cherry

My tomatoes have not done well for the last 6 years, so I am only trying cherry tomatoes and I'll support the local farmers at my neighborhood farmer's market. They seem to be much better at growing them. I've had ok luck with eggplant and peppers. I also saved some seeds I'll experiment with, but they are mostly melons and will be seeded later.

I was hoping to get a cold frame built in January and have lettuces going, but it was too dang cold to be in the garage. I'll get it built this summer for late fall winter. Maybe I'll plant some arugula anyways and see how it does. There is still a lot of time before it's too hot.

I'm going to start with broccoli and swiss chard and I found these 2 charts at Cultivator's Corner.
This chart says peas, but the Arkansas specific chart  (scroll down for link) suggests March, plus I thought that peas were supposed to be seeded directly in the ground. I may have to double check that.



The chart I really like is from The Arkansas Extension, Year Round Home Planting Guide. I could not figure out how to get a picture of the pdf over here, but it's one of the most comprehensive list I've found and it's specific to Arkansas so I'm thinking it'll be a very reliable guide.

Also, somewhere I read last year that it's better to start tomatoes late, especially here, because then you avoid some kind of caterpillar or something. I'm not sure how late but as our summers are long, maybe a month or so? Anyone know?

the cleanse report:


I am 100% back on coffee!

Today, my smoothie was a bit odd due to the fact that I am out of green things. I had a carrot, ginger, 1/3 of a cuke (that's cucumber for short, a friend of mine didn't know what I meant when I said it the other day, so I'm telling you now in case it's new to you to. Maybe it's a Texas thing? I thought everyone said it), s&p, and cilantro. I thought about putting in a pickle since they are green, but that just sounded gross. :/ It's more of an orangey/brown smoothie. Oh well.

 Water quota: Check!


To be honest, this was not very tastey. I only drank 1/2. Bleh.
As a punishment, I made nice cream shake with frozen bananas, almond milk and part of a chocolate bar. :/  it WAS 70% dark and organic. It was VERY cold, but I made myself drink it.

There's always tomorrow.






Monday, February 24, 2014

cleanse 1/day 8

Despite falling off of the no coffee train, and indulging in an glass of wine on saturday AND sunday night, I am feeling AMAZING! Oh, I also forgot to drink my green smoothie yesterday.

Anyhoo, I am starting to think the whole water thing is THE main issue for me, but that said, I have not eaten ONE stitch of food I didn't prepare myself from fresh & simple ingredients and that, I'm sure, played a role. Not one single Dr. Kracker cracker, Akmak, Suzie's thin rice cake or Ryvita. I swear. But I miss them, I'll be honest.

One thing that has helped is having the basic essentials on hand. I almost always have hummus on hand because I make it myself in large batches and freeze it. I have been making hummus for years and it's so easy and WAY better than anything I can buy. And I can know exactly what's in it and play around with the recipe. One day I'll post my recipe and method. It's super easy, especially if you have a food processor and crock pot or slow cooker. The other thing I decided last week is that every monday, I will make a loaf of the Life Changing Bread. Having this on hand has saved me. Did I mention that it freezes really well? I cut it and then freeze it. Just pop in the toaster oven to thaw and/or toast. It didn't event last long enough to freeze last week, since I have been off crackers, but out of the fridge/freezer, my experience is it lasts about 5-6 days, maybe fewer in the summer. Also, I try to keep avacados, arugula, and lemons. Plus the usual suspects like, Bragg's, really good olive oil, coconut oil, etc.....all organic and non-GMO.

this is the one I am currently using and I buy it at Drug Emporium in Little Rock

I have had major brain storms in the studio, which may be a result of purifying the machine, if you will. Did I mention I have another blog? It's a studio site where I update my creative goings on. You can check it out here.

One of my goals is to get my studio and art making as close in line with my overall philosophy for living green and clean, etc. It is very challenging to have a green studio as a potter, sculptor, painter, maker. Art supplies are notoriously toxic and ungreen. Sad face. Not to dwell on the negative, I decided at the beginning of this year to ONLY purchase items and supplies that I absolutely need. For example, I use a lot of paint and if I run out of titanium white, I will have to buy a tube. I have a ton of supplies built up in my studio from over the last few years. I am curious to see what develops just working with the supplies I already have on hand. I already know I will have to replace certain paints, and occasionally buy some large pieces of wood, but other than that, I will use what I have. This will also create some much needed clean out and space in my studio, force me to creatively use stuff I shoved to the back of shelves, and it feels like the cousin of recycle/reuse, whom I love.

I'll definitely keep posting about how this goes.

Btw, I didn't realize this when I bought it, but look closely at the label.....ORGANIC! woot!




Saturday, February 22, 2014

estate sale finds!



this sturdy little hand brush

perfect for straining almond milk, perhaps?

some handy green string

it says on the box they burn for 7 hours!

all for just under 5 bucks, what a day!

the cleanse report:

I had coffee again today. I don't think I'm very good at cleanses. 

Anyways, I did have a delicious green drink of apple, apple juice, fresh ginger, and arugula. And I met my water quota early. As a reward, I am currently thinking about having a glass of wine. :/





Friday, February 21, 2014

cleanse 1/day 5

I had coffee this morning with a little coconut sugar and it was so amazingly good.

Sigh.

I have figured out a good way for me to get the required amt. of water in, though. I have a glass the size that if I drink 6 and 1/4 glasses of water from it, I'll get my quota. I drank one upon waking. Just chugged it down. In fact, that's how I take them all, like a giant shot that takes 7-10 swallows to finish. I always count my swallows, don't you? I have all but 1 and 1/4 finished now and it's only 9:19 pm! As i write this I'm drinking some red chia tea. I'm not sure if other liquids count as part of the water quota so I'm not counting them unless I get to the end of the day and need them. :)

I also got in my green smoothie. More of the cucumber, cilantro, arugula ( I LOVE arugula) and s&p.

Oh, I also got some greens in (double because I had it for lunch and dinner) when I had some soup.
I just chopped up some arugula and put in bowl. When soup is hot, pour over greens. It wilts them a little but they are often still a bit crunchy so it's a really nice texture and flavor addition.

I made another soup yesterday.

BUTTERNUT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

cut butternut squash in half long ways and put into a 350 degree oven for about 40 min (until soft), I cooked mine on a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with edges) and poured a little water in it to keep it from drying out. It worked!

remove from oven when done and allow to cool a bit.

in a heavy bottom pot add:

knob of coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 leek, chopped small

cook until they soften and begin to caramelize, at this point I added about 1/2 cup water to keep them from burning.

next add:

2 sweet potatoes diced
5 carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 butternut squash, use a spoon to scrape out the flesh, it should come out really easily
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
about 20 fennel seeds, use a mortar and pestal to break them up a bit
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp black pepper
sea salt to taste
about 8 cups of water

cook for about an hour, covered, and stir occasionally

once it's done, let it sit for another 30 minutes covered, then using an emersion blender, blend the soup till creamy. You may need to add a little water.






Isn't it beautifully orange? And so delicious with some arugula.....mmmm....



Thursday, February 20, 2014

cleanse 1/day 4

I wanted coffee so bad this morning that I just stood and stared at the tea kettle for a few minutes till I got over it.

I made the Life Changing Bread today. I love this stuff. It's just nuts and seeds basically, plus a few other things, and vegan and gluten free. It ticks all the boxes, more than I'm even trying to tick for that matter. MyNewRoots written by Sarah Britton, is one of my favorite blogs and you can find the recipe here. There are so many things I love about this blog. She has the most amazing recipes, they are almost always vegan, she gives substitutions for special diets, and she understands the science of nutrition.

I have the method down as I've made it so many times now. You'll have to get the recipe from her, but here are my pics of the process.

The two things I do differently:  I roughly chop the nuts. I find the bread holds together better for me that way. Also, I use a glass pan, only because that's what I have. She recommends a flexible one and I bet they work great. To get the 'bread' out of the rigid pan, I run a knife around the edge and then I use a flexible spatula and go around the sides and slip it underneath. The it pops out beautifully every time.

It is so easy! Just put all the dry together, add the liquid, and after coating the bread pan with coconut oil, put in the "dough". Cover and leave on the counter over night.




In the morning, I pop it in the oven, first in the pan, then again upside down on the rack.



She recommends waiting till it's COMPLETELY cool and I echo this. It stays together perfectly if I wait to cut it after it's room temp. And I use a really sharp chef knife to cut it. Anyways, if you like it you can see how it works for you.

One last word, if you try this, you will want to be sure to drink your quota of water! It is very dense and  cleansing in it's own way. It's awesome:)

I had so much more to share today, but I'm so tired I keep making typos and it's annoying! I'll have to get to it tomorrow or over the weekend.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

cleanse 1/day 3

All I have to say is habits can be formidable foes. I didn't break down and have cheese or anything like that, just not drinking enough water and I can really feel it. For me the symptoms are fatigue and dullness. Plus I had pasta last night with some cooked and some raw veggies, but I think pasta can do that to me too. Sigh. Oh well, chin up, right? Tomorrow's another day and really can't believe I haven't had coffee yet, so that's a huge win! I'm not 100% I won't ever drink it again, I mean really, let's not get too crazy, but I want to go the 10 days.

I had a shot of wheat grass juice while I was at Whole Foods today and I swear I had an allergy attack (itchy eyes, ears, nose) for a couple hours afterwards. Later I heard that the pollen count has been high here, so maybe it was that, but I'm suspicious, because I've had seasonal allergies involving grasses and pollen most of my life, and especially since I've lived in Arkansas. It never occurred to me that wheat grass might trigger that reaction. If anyone knows about that, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. My green smoothie was like the 1st day's: apple, apple juice and spinach. It was refreshing, but not quite as enjoyable because of the wheat grass/pollen reaction.

Tomorrow I'm going to spirilize some zucchini. I think I need a bit more raw added to the mix. (I had some brown rice at dinner with avacado and it was so delicious with just a squirt of Bragg's Liquid Aminos and black pepper. Also, I am making the Life Changing Bread tomorrow and I'll post about that and one of my favorite blogs and veggie chef blogger.

Btw, when I find the need to purchase veggie broth, this is the one I buy:


It's the only one I've found that has ONLY vegetables, herbs and salt. That's it. And they are all organic. The other brands I see around have really long ingredient lists with weird and questionable stuff in them.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

cleanse 1/day 2

today began well. i actually got up earlier than i have in months (not that early mind you) but i have been wanting to start to rise a bit earlier to get more out of the morning hours. morning is SACRED to me and on top of it, i take a while to get going. probably as a result of staying up so late, but i always have been a night owl. i get so much done when i know the rest of the world is sleeping. it does gives me an unusually late start to things, at least in terms of our culture. although i don't see myself becoming a 5 am type gal, i would like to become a 7 am'er. that seems a bit more civilized and doable.

my mornings are comprised of:

get up
feed baxter and squeeker (my kitty companions)
make hot lemon water
sit (meditate)
sun salutation
prepare black tea with honey (up until yesterday it was black coffee with sugar, sigh)

this extra time each day would allow me to add a couple yoga classes to my week.
that is a main goal for this year. i'll let you know how it goes.

2 things about me i didn't mention:

i am a studio artist and my studio is at my little house. i don't even think of it as a house. i basically live in a studio and that is just fine by me!

i am a massage therapist and my office is a 10 minute drive or 40 min walk from my house. i love this. it's tucked away, but central to the neighborhood and it feels like a tree house (from the inside).

this morning i received a fantastic massage from a friend. we only just got acquainted and she is awesome, and among many other things, a massage therapist. lucky me! we set up a trade and viola! i feel like a million bucks. i'm so happy to have this trade. i traded for years with a good friend who moved away and i had not had any luck (read: made time) finding a new barter partner. massage is such an important part of self care and i tell all my clients this and i BELIEVE it and KNOW it to be true. so i'm super stoked that this is back on my books.

i made a delicious green smoothing when i got back from the massage:

cucumber
mixed greens
cilantro
pinch salt and pepper (i'm not sure if this is kosher for smoothies, but it was damn good)

it was like a liquid salad.



i had to add a little filtered water to get it going and i almost drank it all before i snapped this last pic.
btw, the gadget is a magic bullet blender and i have wanted one for a year. ever since i visited my friend allison in pittsburgh last year (you can check out her blog here). no, they are not that expensive, but i like to stay on my budget and other things kept taking priority. you know how it is! my sister gave me one for my birthday in january. bless her!

i had a request to post the recipe for the spring green soup from the first post and so, here it is.

SPRING GREEN SOUP

in a heavy bottom pot add:

a knob of coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 leek, with the outer dark green removed, i used part of it though from the inside pieces. btw, leeks have a lot of sand and dirt so the easiest way to clean is to chop, then rinse in a bowl and then shake water out in a colander or spinner.

after the onion and leek have softened and started to caramelize (5-10 min), add:

1/2 a bunch (is celery a bunch?) celery, diced

cook about 5 min, then add:

2/3 bag of frozen peas
2/3 bag of frozen corn (i don't usually purchase fzn veg, i had this in my freezer and needed to use it)
2 medium yellow gold potatoes, diced. i don't know if that is the official name, but it's what they looked like:)
3 good sized handfuls of any greens you have on hand, copped
water or veggie broth to fill the pot
a good shake of black pepper and some salt to taste

all ingredients are ORGANIC and NON-GMO

that's it. after cooking it on low for about an hour, i let it cool a bit and then used my emersion blender to puree about 1/2-2/3s of it. it will have a slightly chunky creamy texture. the flavor was amazing and i admit i was a little surprised b/c i didn't add any herbs or spices (other than pepper). 

i make most of my soups with what's on hand. if you need to use up carrots or some other veggie or herbs, by all means, DO IT!

also, i often make too much and freeze soups. after freezing, the texture of a veggie soup is not always a delight. luckily, i prefer a blended soup, and the texture of these never disappoints!


Monday, February 17, 2014

greetings!

i'm super excited to start this chronicle of my journey towards a vegan and raw diet, super healthy, ethical and spiritual living, urban gardening adventures, kitchen experiments, and whatever else might fit in along this path. i'm learning as i go and have several mentors (i know them, but they don't know me!!!) that i've found through the vast and wonderful world of health/veggie/yoga bloggers on the internet. i'll share them here, too!

i have been moving in the direction of 100% vegan diet for a few years now. this is not a first for me. i have been vegetarian for over 25 years. i have eaten a vegan diet occasionally during those years, and twice, for very short periods, pescatarian. i am currently eating a mostly vegan diet, with the exception of very occasional cheese, ghee, and honey.

my mom was an organic urban gardener when i was growing up in the 70's in richardson, tx. she would grow and can food, was a member of a local co-op. we were not allowed to eat fast food and cokes were pretty much off limits except as an occasional treat. as my sister and i entered into jr high and high school, things loosened, probably as a result of my parents separating and my mom having to go back to work. but for me, the foundation was already set.

as an adult, i have had huge urban gardening successes and failures. i currently live in a little garden cottage in an historical neighborhood in little rock, ar. i have attempted to build a food garden here despite the shade in my yard and the poor soil that i'm told is an issue. i'm learning to work with what i have, and i will give it a go again this spring.

i am also very much interested in eliminating all processed foods from my diet and using only organic and non-GMO ingredients. my goal is to be disciplined but keep a flow, and avoid rigidity. i'm exploring the alkaline/acid info that is out there and finding that to be a whole new ball of wax. it can seem daunting at times, which is why i feel i will be happier if i keep it loose around this process. that said, there are some things i am not willing to compromise on. flesh foods being #1 on the list. i think i'll explore this list a little later in detail.

my reason for all of this has always been the same.

optimum vibrant health and compassion and respect for ALL sentient beings.


i am starting a cleanse today and so is a good friend of mine. we are customizing to suit our needs and i hope that by having a cleanse pal, i'll stay motivated and excited about it.

my goals for the cleanse are:

substitute black tea and honey for coffee and sugar
to eliminate all processed foods. i don't eat that many, but crackers taunt me.
80% veggies and fruit
20% grains seeds nuts
to consume 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water daily
to have at least 1 green smoothie a day

today is getting off to a good start and i have a beautiful green spring soup on the stove.
it smells amazing and i plan to blend 1/2 of it so it will have a lovely creamy/chunky texture.