Spendin Money, Cookin Treats, Being Awesome.

Well I went grocery shopping. We now have lots of healthy food items but not so much money. I went pretty far over my budget, (which is already RIDICULOUS living in the state of California). I would prefer not to discuss how much money I actually spent, but I will say that my budget for 2 weeks of groceries is $250. This is usually what I spend give or take a little, and that is shopping sales and ads. If you are really curious about the cost of this grocery trip take into account the fact that the $250 has previously been spent on Walmart brand everything. I am sure if you have ever walked in a whole foods store you can approximate close to how far over budget I went, especially because I had to replace staple stuff. I had to buy almond flour, coconut flour, spices, coconut oil, coconut aminos (a product of which I had no idea what it was till I miraculously found it among the oils), bulk raw almonds and other nuts ect ect. Look I even have ghee, (another product of which I had little to no understanding as to what it was or why I needed it)! I am pretty much totally alternative now. On the fringe.

Not only did I go over budget, it also took me about 5 hours to get it all done. I went to four different stores to get all the things I needed. Trader Joes was first, then Sprouts Farmers Market (they had what Joes didn't plus cheaper produce), followed by Costco to get some meat (and a $12 bag of pork jerky that is the most delicious dehydrated treat I have EVER had), and finally Target which was really for bathroom crap but I grabbed some odds and ends. I literally shopped the entire time my kids were in school. It was awful and I am really hoping now that I have a feel for who has what and where it is located next time won't feel so much like a marathon. Anyways, I got it done like a boss. A money spending boss. I didn't cook yesterday because I was tired of looking at food, but today I made two new things!
First I undertook the Raw Carrot Cake Balls. Carrot Cake is my second favorite dessert of all time and the idea of a health AND raw version was super exciting. I have never been a baker/dessert maker type but the recipe was easy and because they were raw I didn't have to turn on my oven in these disgusting and unnatural California winter temperatures, (85 today. It's January.). They called for Medjool dates, which I had purchased and tried in process of making the carrot balls. OMG its like eating nature candy. Seriously, they are pecan pie without pie or pecans. I could have eaten the whole tub of them, but I didn't. If I had I may have gone into a sugar coma because they are like 27grams per 2!!! I only have a mini food processor which made it not as easy because I couldn't just dump everything in, I had to do a little at a time and then hand mix. I know, rough life. They turned out really yummy. The kids were asking for them after dinner and preferred them over ginger cookies we have left from Christmas!

You can find the recipe here. Next time I would cut the almonds in half, add more dates and cinnamon, but that is my taste. It was super duper easy and a great little grab and go snack.
I also ventured into the world of made from scratch soup. My mom recently made some chicken soup and said it was the most delicious thing she has ever concocted so I figured I better follow suit. I got a rotisserie chicken from Costco, (I know I know not organic but freaking delicious and cheap as crap), took the meat off and boiled the carcass (SUCH a better word than bones) for awhile. After it had been simmering for over an hour I let it sit, mostly because I had to take my tiny child for a root canal and crown because her teeth are made of dust and we can't make them stop disintegration to save our lives, or our bank accounts. I digress. So when I got home I cut up carrots, onions, celery and kale and after straining the broth dumped it back in with all the chicken meat. I let that cook for about 30min, added some salt, pepper, poultry and Italian seasoning and bowled up. It was pretty good. I am not a huge soup person, but in the way of chicken soups that are broth based it was the best I have had. I prefer creamy soups with lots of fat and dairy but this will be great to have in the fridge and there was enough to freeze some as well.

That is all I got in the way of food ideas today, more tomorrow I am sure. I am also having some issues with figuring out exactly what my body needs to exercise without feeling like I might die afterwards. I seem to be fine during my workout (I am mostly all cardio right now), but when I finish it is like both my blood sugar and blood pressure plummet. I am weak, shaky and a little disoriented. Today I had to chug a gas station orange juice before I even got home. I didn't eat a ton today, and I know if I am gonna completely cut out carbs I need to be eating fattier meats. It seems like produce and lean protein just aren't going to cut it on the days I want to run. I imagine it will be a bit of a process and maybe I need to do a pre-workout snack or post-workout shake. It is really sort of a downer though because I would really love to just eat what I eat, exercise and be fine. I have a Drs appointment in the morning for other stuff but I am gonna mention it to him and see what he says. He'll probably tell me I'm stupid for not eating according to food pyramid, but maybe I will concern him enough to do some blood work so I can at least be sure I am not deficient in anything.
I will end today's entry with a picture of my kids lunches for tomorrow. Preparation is key when trying to eat well and I have already learned if i don't wanna send the rugrats off with Nutella sandwiches and cheese puffs I gotta do the whole lunch thing the night before.They just got to try almond butter and loved it, I like to wrap the frogs on logs (celery) in foil so it doesn't roll all around and mess itself up in their Bento boxes.

Yeah I know, rice cakes. Get off me they aren't wheat and my kids really like them. Baby steps people. As you can see, I really am, as above mentioned, a totally alternative mom. Granola even. In the outskirts, the fringes. Fightin the good fight. I'm a loner Dotty, a rebel.

Day Twelve.

There has been a breach.

So I was saying yesterday my blood sugar seems to be dipping low, which is super unnerving when it happens and I couldn't really pinpoint why it was happening other than maybe I wasn't drinking enough. Last night after I posted I had to take my son to an appointment. I had a big juice about 2 hours prior and by the time I got there I had to ask his Doc if she had anything to eat because the room was a little spinny. THANKFULLY she had some grapes, which was light years better than something processed, which I would have had to accept to avoid passing out. Point being I ate some grapes. When I got home about an hour later I also drank a bit of a Bolthouse brand premade protein shake, which isn't something I wanted but I needed a quick fix to make sure all was good before bed.

I don't understand what is going on. None of it makes sense because I am juicing a ton of greens, which provide protein, as well as fruits which provide sugar- but not too many fruits because I know I don't want too much sugar. I am also not exercising because after the Iron Mountain attempt it was clear that juicing and exercise was not in my personal cards. I am hydrated, drinking tons of water as well as tea and I am also well rested. Just don't make no kinda sense and it is highly frustrating being as how I am SO CLOSE to my goal!!! I feel like I have even avoided some of the Joe Cross recipes because they are super high in sugar. BAH. All that to say I am listening to my body and if I feel like I need to eat something I will. I had my juice this morning and within an hour and a half felt badly so I cooked up two eggs and some cherry tomatoes which seemed to level things out.

I don't think it is wise of me right now to go from this straight into the Master Cleanse though. I feel confident that for whatever reason my body is responding in a way that is not conducive to hopping on the only water, lemon and syrup train directly after this. I also spent some time talking to one of my most best friends in the whole world who just happens to be studying nutrition and she informed me that her opinion of the Master Cleanse is not good. I totally respect her understanding of health so I am gonna take it all in as wisdom and not do it. She also has some really thoughtful things to say about cleansing in general, particularly in correlation to faith. She mentioned that she felt like a lot of people, who don't know Jesus, spend a huge amount of time and energy on "removing toxins", (generally nameless ones), maybe partially because they recognize a sense of uncleanliness about themselves, but neglect to recognize that no amount of lemon water or coffee enema is going to reach or cleanse it. Jesus is the one who cleans house. Jesus takes the mistakes, pain, sadness, fear etc and makes you whole, not a diet. Don't get me wrong, I am still all for a healthy fast and I am SO glad I have done this for myself to start off the year, but like everything else, there has to be BALANCE.

At the end of the day our bodies are self healing. Can that be interrupted by not taking care of them? Of course!! If you have a cut on your hand and chose not to clean it well and then allow it to continue to get dirty would you expect anything other than infection? Probably not. That same cut, cleaned and taken care of will heal because that is what your body was made to do. Your insides are no different. Yes, I have years of unhealthy eating under my belt, but that is of little significance if I chose to change NOW. My healthy choices now will not only help prevent any further sickness or deterioration but also help reverse damage that has been done. Everyday is new my friends.

So, I am not beating myself up about eating prior to the end goal of my juicing, and I am also not saying there is anything wrong with juicing for as long as you feel well doing it. I am actually proud of myself for listening to my body and responding rather than pushing through it to stubbornly reach a goal or because maybe that two more days would have been two more pounds gone. I have spent my whole life looking at pounds instead of what is actually nourishing my body, so if feels good spend a moment, (and hopefully a LOT more moments), on the other side.

PS. Just because the juicing is ending doesn't mean my blog is! I hope you continue to follow me as I share recipes, frustrations and ideas about a healthier lifestyle!

Day Eleven.

Well at this point I am totally capable of throwing whatever is in my fridge in the juicer, squeezing half a lemon on it and drinking it without gagging. I decided last night to just make enough for my breakfast and lunch today cause I am SO tired of cleaning my juicer 3+ times a day. I was running low on produce so I grabbed whatever I had left and juiced it. Pretty sure it was something along the lines of red cabbage, cauliflower, celery, spinach, kale, cucumber a pear and a quarter of a pineapple. Red cabbage is really strong in flavor when you juice it, not something I would recommend to the faint of heart. I have tried to really keep my juices as low in sugar as possible, which is hard because the fruit and sugary veggies are what level out the green taste. Even veggies like carrots and beets are super high in sugar. Granted, the sugar you are getting from fruit and veggies is obviously better than processed, I am just a stickler about things. If I am gonna drink juice for 14 days to kick start my health, I am gonna drink the healthiest juice possible which in all actuality is whatever I can concoct with as little sugar as possible. I do have to also say though, I can pretty much stomach anything. If you put it in front of me and tell me its dinner most likely I will just choke it down and I know many people aren't able to do that. ALL THAT TO SAY, if you are juicing, really do try to not live on carrots and fruit as the base of your juices. For a great list of veggies and their benefits, click here.

I have found that my energy level is not as high as it was in the beginning. I definitely feel a little low in the blood sugar department if I don't drink 4 juices a day minimum, which is hard because I am just not hungry and they fill me right up. I think I took for granted how important it is to really have 4-6 glasses and it seems to be showing yesterday and today. For the rest of this ride I am certainly going to be more deliberate in my drinking instead of waiting to feel like I want something. The issue makes me a little nervous about the Master Cleanse. I tried explaining what my plan was to my Dad and he could not wrap his head around lemon water and syrup for 10 days. He told me to just go get a colonic and be done with it which is good advice, only you don't get the full cleanse in terms of toxins from throughout your ENTIRE body being removed. I am still gonna give it a go....much to my Dads dismay.

I think I am PMSing which is a crappy place to be on a juice fast. Pretty much been grouchy and wanting pizza and ice cream all day. Also having moments of "I cannot eat right forever, what am I doing, I should just throw it all out and get a Costco hotdog immediately." I think its the hormones but it sure is a far cry from my "YES WE CAN!" post yesterday.

 

Being a woman is dumb. The garlic seems to have worked as I have had no symptoms since yesterday when I finished the second round. I may never look at garlic bread the same again, but it was worth it. I'm gonna go mope now.

Day Nine.

I have to just vent right now about something that has nothing to do with juice because I am SO agitated. We have lived in California for 2 years and I have yet to find a church I feel at home in, (that is a whole other blog), so today I was excited to try a new one about 10min from home. I checked out their website and the service times were 8am, 9am and 10:45am with the 8am service calling itself "express" for people looking to get the message and get out. So we head out for the 10:45am service and when I get there the parking lot is empty. I thought for a moment maybe they just weren't at that location anymore or they were doing a special service at a different location but when I got around to the main doors they were open. I peep my head in and there is a dude on the stage so I say, "....Hello....is there no service today??" The gentleman walks over and tells me they only did the 8am and 9am services because the Chargers are playing. Okay- I don't understand any of that because I cannot wrap my head around peoples obsession with professional sports but I can pretend to sort of see if you have a super footbally church why you would do that. So then he says, "Are you on our Facebook group?" I don't have Facebook and it is my first time there. I did check the WEBSITE which is where ANYONE who hasn't been there would go to check service times and NOTHING was mentioned. He lets me know that if the Chargers win today next week will be the same thing. Now, I am fairly sure this guy was the lead pastor based on the pic I saw on the site. He did not introduce himself to me, he did not ask my name, he did not apologize for the confusion, he just told me to download the podcast. Really? Seriously? The whole thing was such a turn off and SO frustrating I won't even go back.
I try really hard to not be judgy about church experiences. The problem I have is that I have been a part of a REALLY fantastic church. 2 of them. Both who made church feel like home as well as reaching out to the community. I have yet to find a church here with both of those features, which to me are what makes a church. Everything is either mega church, which does AMAZING things in the community but is very difficult to connect in, or a small community church that caters to the people that are already there, IE: "Sorry we aren't having service because we all watch football". My church searching has made me SO exhausted and turned off from church in general which is really disheartening and sad because I know the importance of community. Sigh. I'm done now. Lets talk about juice.
So I think I am at a point where food isn't an issue. I didn't feel like I was struggling during Chic-fil-A yesterday at lunch or the tri-tip last night. I don't care to snack in the evening while watching TV and I can't think of anything that I just really wish I could eat. I know I really should be drinking more water, something that has always been REALLY difficult for me. I don't get thirsty and many times have to force myself to drink anything at all. That to say I am really trying today to constantly have water in hand. Which leads me to my next thought....the Master Cleanse.
Okay. So after my little bit of research about poop yesterday and the fact that I just haven't pooped the way I would like to so far during this fast I did some more in depth research concerning the Master Cleanse. I think my mom did this back in the 90s when it first got popular and I had a friend who swore by it as an annual habit, as well as hearing bits and pieces about it from TV, internet and whatever. I never did my own research though. SO based on what I have learned thus far, I am thinking I may transition from my juice fast to a 10 day Master Cleanse. It seems tried and true in the legit cleansing of your GI tract and I will already be ahead of the game having not eaten solid food for 14 days. I am a little apprehensive after the sips of salt water I had yesterday as well as just thinking about 10 days of nothing but lemon, syrup and cayenne water. I am going to do some more digging but at this point the opportunity to flush out years worth of waste in 10 days is pretty appealing.You can find out more about it here.

*Note- If you decide to do your own digging about this cleanse you will find a ton of information on how terrible it is for you on places like WebMD and the like. If this sort of information scares you, I strongly urge you to research what health looks like from a holistic standpoint vs. what Dr's tell us and then make your decision. Watching Food Matters would be a great place to start!*

I will end this wordy entry with a thought I had this morning on my way to the non church service. I was thinking about all the different recipes I have been looking at over the past few days in preparation for eating again. Specifically I was thinking about the raw carrot cake balls I was so excited about last night. I had this moment where the idea that life shouldn't revolve around food seemed so clear in my mind. I have held this little nugget of truth in the wayback of my brain for many many years but I don't think it has ever seemed to make so much sense. We spend so much time thinking about, planning for and preparing what we eat. Social life generally revolves around meals, we love ourselves and each other by using food as a reward as well as punishing ourselves by eating when we aren't feeling our best. What would life look like if food was only used as nourishment and fuel for actually LIVING. And what would LIVING look like?? What would we do if we spent time with friends and family not around a kitchen table? How would our time be spent if life did not revolve around when and what we would eat next?? I do not have these answers but I think they are valuable questions. Don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with wanting healthy food that tastes really good nor is there anything wrong with enjoying the culture of sharing meals and breaking bread- something that can be traced all the way to the Bible. I am just proposing that what that looked like with Jesus is really far removed from what we do today and perhaps our practices could use reevaluation.

PS. My mom and sister are on their 5th day of juicing and I could NOT be prouder!!!!!

Day Eight.

I went out as DD last night for some friends, which was fine, I have no issue not drinking alcohol its not my thing. However their drunken munchies landed us at Denny's around 1am and I sat and drank crappy Lipton orange spice tea (all they had), whilst they chowed down on club sandwiches, fries and nachos. They felt really bad about eating in front of me, but I was fine and they DEFINITELY needed carbs in their tummies. I did add some honey to my tea which was not raw but the tea was so bad I hadn't a choice.
Felt great this morning, well rested and energetic. We are having last minute guests today so I ran out for dinner groceries (more tri-tip). It was also time to restock my produce and I was super stoked to find some different fruits on sale at the store! I got kiwi, blackberry, honeydew melon, pear, mango and pineapple- all different than what I have been juicing. I stuck with kale, spinach, cucumber and celery for my greens since I have adjusted to their taste. I also juice the beet root greens which I am not sure taste too much like anything. Oh- and I got red cabbage and cauliflower which I am curious about.
I have to be honest here, I am really bad about washing produce. At most I generally dash it under the sink stream and move on. I know I know, it's disgusting, but like many other things concerning my health I have just been so lazy. I am a very black and white sort of gal. If you cant do 100% don't even bother is sort of how I function in certain areas. For instance, if you can't eat all organic all the time then what is the point of rinsing off the apple you are eating. You don't have to tell me how ridiculous that is, I know. I think it is how I justify my laziness. BUT NOT TODAY! Today I decided that if I am going to work hard at my health I cannot ignore the fact that properly cleaning produce especially if it isn't organic (which I cannot always afford), is uber importante. (Check out my sweet linguistics skills). SO as I do for any question which needs an answer I consulted Dr.Google and found that an adequate produce wash consists of 2 parts water 1 part white vinegar. It took me about 20 minutes, but I soaked and rinsed everything I bought and this was the result:

SO GROSS. You can't see it in the image but the bottom of the glass was coated in dirt and silt. Normally I would have ingested all that. Talk about toxins. I am generally of the opinion that "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt", but considering the amount of feces and chemicals in fertilizer these days I understand that dirt actually can hurt and I will never not wash my produce in this concoction again. Now, lets all forget that I have been practically drinking a glass of this everyday for God knows how long and move forward. (No judgement). 

I also have had some issue with the poop. The poop has not been all that I hoped it would be and I was again, googling, and found an idea from the Master Cleanse diet which included drinking 32oz of salt water and lying on your side for 30min. I got about 4 good gulps down before I thought I might vomit and decided I would rather not poop. I understand all the fiber info involved in juicing and how the juice is absorbed directly in the body but I am hard pressed to think that my GI tract has been so well functioning for the past few years that there is no build up. My stomach has just felt gurgley, like I need to use the bathroom but there isn't anything there. Enough about my bowels, I have now made it through lunch at Chic-fil-A and tri-tip with fried potatoes and corn.

HALFWAY!!!! (AKA Day Seven)

                                                                                                         

 

HALFWAY!!! HALFWAY!!! Woke up this morning feeling well rested and ready to go, pretty excited to be halfway there and 7 days closer to EATING! I did some research last night and decided I want to try less fruit in my drinks for the second half. I don't feel like I am breaking the 80/20, (80%veg 20%fruit per drink) rule but I think at this point I can handle a little more of mowed lawn flavor than in the beginning.This morning I had a huge portion of greens with only one apple and half a lemon squeezed in and it was less than desirable but drinkable. I am also going to try and buy different produce than I did for the first half. I have enough to last me a day or two more but when I hit the market I want to get a new spread of color and flavor. 

I have also been rooting around on different sites trying to find vegan and whole food recipes for once I am eating again. There are a ton of what seem to be really great ones out there and I am really excited to try them. I haven't wanted to or enjoyed cooking for about 2 years now so to feel excited about meal preparation feels really good. I am hoping to slowly but surely incorporate the good stuff into my families diet so that they are eventually eating whole foods more often than not. I am trying not to have unrealistic expectations considering the reality of life and the fact that my husband is at this point, a lost cause. (He actually bought SPAM because he wanted it). I do think it is totally possible to make enough little changes that the result will be big. Baby steps is where it's at. If you would like to check out the Paleo/vegan style meals I am looking forward to making check out my Pinterest board!

In light of reaching my halfway point I decided to watch Food Matters as a motivation boost for the remainder of this reboot. SO terrifying to come to terms with the facts about modern medicine and malnutrition. We are so blinded by the people we trust, (DRs) that we honestly cannot imagine that organic and raw foods could literally cure disease. Diseases like CANCER, which is currently treated with cancer causing drugs. If you have not watched this I highly recommend it. I am stoked for my dinner tonight and even more stoked about changing the lives of myself and my family for the long term. WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE CANCER, HEART DISEASE or CARDIOVASCULAR ILLNESSES. This planet was MEANT and CREATED to sustain us, it is our own chemical modification and creation of foods that is killing is. Ignorance is bliss but it is also killing us.

Day Six

Went to bad last night with a seriously annoying headache as well as a little bit of a loopy feeling. I was really not in a good mood the latter part of yesterday afternoon and I was hoping for a good nights sleep and a burst of new energy in the AM. I didn't get either. The good nights sleep was a stretch because I was on a couch so I should have accepted that wasn't going to happen before I thought about it, but I woke up and STILL had a headache which was disheartening. I am really trying to avoid taking something for it because I would prefer to let it work itself out. Seems sort of counterproductive to not eat food but wash down unnecessary pharmaceuticals. Also, I am pretty sure it is a sinus issue and those meds not only have pain killers but also caffeine so I am toughing it out. We headed home after breakfast and the drive did not help the headache. 2 hours in the car, sun directly ahead and an ascent to 5000ft above sea level only to come right back down just added to my misery.
I'm whining. Lets move forward.
I did decide today I need to switch up my juice atleast for a moment to feel like I was taking in something new and different. I decided to just start concoting and the end product looks really bad but tastes like a smoothie! I shall call it The Green Banana, and it makes enough for 2 servings!

The Green Banana

3 leaves Swiss chard                                            
3 leaves kale
1 lg orange
1 lg carrot
1 celery stalk

Juice above ingredients and immediately blend with 2 bananas and pour second serving in airtight jar to be refrigerated. Once you have a serving size left add ice and blend again. Pour and enjoy!

Other than that today has been uneventful. Nothing productive or life changing, no cool pictures for the blog, just a lot of bumming around trying to not feel like I just want to sleep thru the next 3 days. I keep waiting to just not want to eat but at this point I am convinced that eating is so innate in us that the desire on whatever level will never just cease, and if it does something major is going on. Forget all the cultural, social, whatever- aspects we have created about and around food, chewing is in our DNA. We are meant to eat and going so completely against such a natural instinct is rough, even though it is temporary and totally what my body needs right now. I don't want a cheeseburger or supreme pizza, I just want a spoon and an avocado or cherry tomatoes drizzled with balsamic.
I will say I am pretty stoked with myself for not caving over New Years mini vacation. I really can't believe I pushed through, so much so I feel like I ate something and just don't remember. Tomorrow is my halfway point and I am really praying for a smooth ride to the end.

PS. My mom started juicing yesterday and is so far doing well! I am so proud of her!!!

Day Three.

Woke up feeling really well this morning. I really enjoyed my breakfast juice and I seemed to have an unexpectedly high energy level. Not just, "Yay I'm awake!", but like, "Slow down on the coffee there speedy!". I felt super alert all morning and into the afternoon. I got a bit grouchy around 2pm, but I think that had less to do with food and more to do with my kids barking at each other about nonsense all day.

1 Large Orange, 2 Carrots, 1 Beet, Handful of Kale

I also started looking at and reading some inspiring blogs and Instagrams. There are some really amazing stories out there, amazing people that certainly allow for inspiration. I am trying really hard to not have a negative attitude about this whole thing...I tend to be a bit of a realist, or pessimist if you ask my husband, so a part of me struggles with the idea that it's all just a fad thing and come the end of the goal I will hop right back on the processed fast food cake and ice cream train and be no better off than I was. I know how hard it is to make a legitimate lifestyle change and aside from my own drive, (which is less than satisfactory sometimes) and the grace of God, all the odds are really against me. My husband has terrible eating habits. I joke about him being a garbage disposal but it is quite true. He eats whatever he wants whenever he wants it on top of smoking a pack a day and guzzling coffee and energy drinks the way he should guzzle water and he could care less about how it is all effecting his health. Short of a miracle I will never get him on board with a healthy lifestyle change, which does complicate matters for me and my kids. All that to say I can get in a rut about the uphill battle concerning my family as a whole and give up on myself. I know it is possible, people all over the world are changing their lives and their health and it isn't about a gimmick it's about LIVING. If they can do it, whoever they are, I can too.
Also, I have been on medication for mental illness for about 14 years and a part of me is really hoping that this is my chance to be well. Clear in body and MIND. I have tried being med free a handful of times, but never in conjunction with clean eating. I am skeptical and terrified at the outcome of trying to come off and not being able to again, but a little part of me hopes that it is possible. I suppose I will see where I am mentally at the 14 day mark and go from there. As for now I am off to cook dinner and drank some more veggies.

Day Two.

Went to bed last night feeling less than fantastic. I was a little foggy with a minor headache, all due to detox I am sure. That lemon water was AWESOME though. I really did not like the juice I made for dinner last night- I gagged numerous times and won't ever make it again.

Woke up feeling great, so great in fact I decided my family and I needed to go on a hike! If you know my family you would understand how good I must have felt because we have never hiked anywhere ever, none of us. I even, (after much canoodling) convinced my husband to go which makes the whole thing even more bonkers. I had my juice and made sure the kids were fed and off we went. We live about 10min south of a trail called Iron Mountain.

We had no idea what kind of hike it was, just that it was close and the parking lot was always full. Turns out its like a 6.5mile hike round trip and uphill the whole way....thus MOUNTAIN. The kids made it a mile and we headed back, but it was fun and the fact that the husband was there made it all the better.

When we got home I got involved in vacuuming out cars and didn't realize how long it had been since I had something to "eat" until I was a little dizzy. I found a recipe for lunch that I liked a lot. It's called Tornado Juice and you can find it here.

Unfortunately I had to go grocery shopping today, which was less than desirable. I stopped and got a V8 Spicy juice to try and curb the overwhelming desire to shove pretty much anything with salt on it in my mouth. I really love the hot V8's and decided that I would keep some on hand for moments when I wanted a really savory juice. It's sort of like a meal in a bottle which makes me feel like im eating even though I'm not. I know it isn't all natural but I am okay with that. I could probably find a juice recipe that would create something similar but in my mind it just wouldn't be the same. So I'm gonna drink my spicy V8 without guilt and grocery shopping sucked.

Dinner time also sucked again today. My family had the leftover tri-tip on nachos with creamy Velveeta cheese, re-fried beans, homemade guacamole and pico. I drank sweet potato and beets. It was more than that, but I am trying to feel sorry for myself. It was no homemade guacamole okay!! I don't think I was even hungry as much as I just wanted to chew and taste food. I really wanted to chew. I still do, right this moment. I should stop talking about it and make myself some tea.

Day One.

I was so stoked after the "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" viewing I decided I simply couldn't wait to start my juice fast. My family and I woke up early this morning and after a cup of orange carrot juice, headed to the farmers market to grab some locally grown produce. I did some research, mostly here, and had figured based on 5 or 6 different juices how much of everything I would need....which was a TON. I'm talking like 28 apples, 30 carrots, 24 stalks of celery, etc and this was only for a week of juicing 4-5 times a day. I got about half of what I needed at the market, mostly because it was PACKED and it was hard to move, much less shop.

I was super okay with not sampling all the AMAZING foods at the market, which I think is really only because I would have had to climb through people to lay claim to 1/4 of a cracker with hummus and even if I could have eaten them I'm not sure I had the patience. After the market we headed to a swap meet to get some more cheap produce and do a bit of treasure hunting. I got an entire BOX of cucumbers for $2 as well as a huge bag of oranges for $3. Also, vintage clip on earrings I plan on using as pieces on my plugs, so treasure hunting was a success also! Lunch was Jamba juice, not what I would have preffered, but we were out and I got a fruit/veggie smoothie with no dairy or soy so it was okay. I drank it at the table with my family while they chowed down on Chinese food and really didn't feel like I was missing out. When I got home I cut up/peeled a ton of the produce so it would be less work making my juice the next few times. My fridge is PACKED and there are 2 boxes on my kitchen floor, one full of apples and citrus fruit and another cucumbers and sweet potatoes.

I felt really good until my husband started chopping up mushrooms and peppers to saute for the tri-tip he was grilling, which just happens to be my favorite cut of meat. I made myself a kale/swiss chard/orange and beet greens concoction that pretty much tastes like a freshly mowed lawn. It's gross and my house smells like perfectly cooked dead animal which no matter how disgusting I try and make it sound it doesn't work. I opted out of sitting at the table with my family, which may make me a terrible mother, but a less sad and grouchy one so I have to choose my battles. Anyhow, day one is coming to a close and I am trying to choke down my liquid grass while reminding myself I can have hot water and lemon afterwards. Who looks forward to hot water and lemon????

PS. Found the most amazing cauliflower at the market! It's like eating art!!

PSS. Also found this guy...