Good-MorZing!

Citrus Fruit Smoothie

 

(and a bit on Emotional Eating)

 

Hey Guys and Girls!

 

This is day 3 (yes, I am forever starting over and getting this thing right....it takes practice - Don't judge me! :) ) and I wanted to share some meals I put together for today.

 

My good friend told me I needed to start posting again....so here I am.

 

I stand before you, professing that I am an EMOTIONAL EATER.  I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I'm bored, I eat when I'm mad (no I am not quoting Dr. Suess!)  But surprisingly, moving towards "eating right"this time really hasn't been a huge challenge.  I think it is just time to do it. I must admit I almost got a glass of wine last night when my family was driving me crazy, but I said "No, go in your art room, sit quietly, do yoga".  So I was able to find my peace.  And the craving went away. 

 

If you are like me, I encourage you to check in with your emotions before you put something in your mouth.  I raise my kids that way, but I have to extend that same discipline to myself.  It is the real challenge for me.  But drawing focus towards the quality of my food has allowed me to become more conscious of what I eat.  I generally hate fast food, but in a pinch I will grab a combo knowing it will make me feel bad after I eat it.  So now I'm thinking, "I don't want to feel sluggish, I like this light feeling that I feel in my body." 

 

On with the recipes....today I made two juices/smoothies that will probably last me two days.  I don't need to survive off of juice, because right  now I am still eating solid foods (mostly raw, but there may be some cooked beans, tofu, rice, etc. at this point until I get it to being less refined).  Both juice/smoothies are quite tasty!

 

Good-MorZing! Citrus Fruit Smoothie

1 orange

1/2 grapefruit

1 banana

piece of ginger (or ginger powder if you are in a pinch)

water and/or apple juice

ice

 

Mix in blender and serve fresh!

 

Mean Green & Lean Juice

1/2 cucumber peeled

1 stalk of celery

handful of spinach

1 pear

water and/or apple juice

ice

 

Mix in blender and serve fresh!

 

Normally I only use water, but I had apple juice and it made it super sweet.  Use this trick if you have someone who thinks they don't like Green Juice.....it will fool them every time!

 

 

 

 

Liver Salad - from MyYogaOnline.com

LOVE YOUR LIVER SALAD
myyogaonline.com
By Andrea Potter • April 3rd, 2012

The energetic nature of sprouts are UP and OUT! All the potential life energy of the plant, breaking through the seed's protection. Sprouts are an enormous source of energy! The first spring foods- baby sprouts and quick-growing veggies like radishes help to kick us out of our winter slumber and prepare us for lighter times ahead!

The following are just some of the ingredients used in this Love Your Liver Salad:
Green apples (and the sour flavor) stimulate the gallbladder and cleanse the liver. Green apples are even used as a therapeutic food for breaking up gallstones.
Beets are liver-loving foods too! They are blood cleansers and so help the liver to do its job. Eating them raw gives us more lightness- perfect for spring!
Clear that winter Brain Fog! Flax oil contains omegas 3 and 6- essential nutrients for brain and nervous functioning.

Ingredients
1 bunch radish, 8 small or 3 medium sized.
2 medium beets, peeled
2 carrots
1 green apple
1 handful of sprouts (try alfalfa, broccoli, mung bean, sunflower…)

-Grate or julienne hard veg and apple, mix in sprouts, add desired amount of salad dressing, enjoy!

Essential salad dressing

Lemon- that sour flavour again! See a theme here? Yes, your liver loves lemon too!

Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup flax oil
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
pinch chili flakes, cayenne or black pepper (opt)
pinch sea salt

- Put all ingredients into a mason jar.
-Put the lid on tightly and shake before using.
- Keep in the fridge.
-Make small amounts at a time and use quickly.

List of Alkalining/Acidifying foods:  http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/acid_alkaline_foods_list.html

Excerpt from below from: http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/alkaline-foods.html


Alkaline foods are foods that raise the the amount of oxygen that your blood takes in. The most alkalizing foods are RAW green leafy vegetables, non-sweet fruits and (wheat) grasses. The opposite of alkaline foods are acid foods.
How much oxygen your blood can absorb is measured on a pH scale that ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 0 is most acidic while a pH of 14 is most alkaline.

The Right Acid - Alkaline Balance

Our blood is in balance when we're slightly alkaline: with a pH of 7.365.
In the beginning of the 20th century, very smart scientists and nobel prize winners made a great discovery. If our blood cannot absorb enough oxygen we get sick: cancer, heart issues, arthritis and candida infections, diabetes are the result. When our pH is too high or too low, we don't feel well, we feel tired, gain weight, have poor digestion and get aches and pains.

Most people in the US and Europe are too acidic: they cannot absorb enough oxygen. That's why cancer, heart disease, arthritis,diabetes are epidemic.
Why are we too acidic? The famous four:

• Stress;
• Toxins;
• Parasites; and
• The FOOD we eat.

Acid Foods List

It's too bad that the foods we like most make us most acidic and thus sick. What are these food? You guessed right:

• Junk & Processed foods;
• Sugar;
• All animal food (meat, eggs, chicken, fish, lobster, oysters);
• Grains: (white) wheat, rice, pasta, flour, bread etc.;
• Some Fruits;
• Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter);
• Bad fats;
• Peanuts, cashews.

Alkaline Foods List

During most of our lives, the majority of the foods we eat are (highly) acidic. These make us sick and tired. By eating raw alkaline foods and drinks, we can help our body to heal it self from most diseases:

• Vegetables - especially raw green leafy vegetables.
• Fresh Herbs & Spice - parsley, basil, cilantro, cayenne, ginger;
• Fruits - watermelon, avocado, cucumber, young coconuts; lemon
• Wheat grass;
• Sprouts: i.e. alfalfa, mung bean, broccoli etc.

Green Goodness Juice

 

Green Goodness Juice

 

Video Instruction.....try some~

Kidney Liver Flush

KIDNEY LIVER FLUSH - Detox Video

Old vid but good info....guess it's time for a new one.

The Green Detox Kick Starter

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 handful of parsley
• 1 celery stock
• 1 lemon squeezed
• 1 green granny smith apple
• Ice if using a blender (it tastes better cold to me)

Once again, I like to have the whole fruit or vegetable, so I use my blender.  But if you just want juice you can use a juicer.

Spring time is a wonderful time to start a cleanse.  Its time to "lighten the load" and get healthier, whether that means juicing for weigh loss or purging your body of a buildup of toxins.

While there are a variety of recipes out there that are incredibly healthy and great for managing your wasteline, this one helps your body to eliminate toxin buildup due to environmental issues, alcohol, and eating heavily processed foods, all while kick-starting your metabolism so that your body burns fat and calories more efficiently, thus aiding in weight loss.

Don't let the "green look" fool you! It just tastes really good! 

 

MISO SOUP

 

 

• 2 cups of boiling hot water
• 1 heaping tablespoon of miso paste (amount is to taste)
• dried shrimp (you can also use fresh)
• 1-2 shitake mushrooms (fresh or dried)
• 1-2 button mushrooms
• 1/2 tomato
• 5 basil leaves
• bean sprouts
• tofu stips
• bok choy leaf (diced)
• diced bell pepper (red, orange or yellow for color)
• cayenne pepper (to taste)
• hot sauce (to taste)
• Dried seaweed flakes (to taste)

Mix all ingredients  above in a containder with a top.  Feel free to modify the quantity of any ingredient or leave out any that you dislike.  The flavor comes from the mushrooms, shrimp and miso mostly so feel free to adjust to your taste buds.

 

 

Pour the boiling water over the ingredients.  Cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

 

 

Eat and enjoy!