Juice cleanse/fast 2013

I got to test out Sissie #1's GreenStar juicer!!! I have to say first and foremost that it masticated greens and hard vegetables like a pro! And had the driest pulp I have ever seen from the many juicers I have ever tried! But... it was an evil beast to clean. It like all juicers did not take kindly to soft veggie/fruits.  So right there we know it is crushing all the possible juice from the hard stuff :)

I currently have been using the centrifugal Omega Mega mouth, it is damn fast, and strong, make sure you are holding it when you first turn it on as it kicks with the power on the upstart, it also is very very loud... it also makes the whole process faster because you do not have to cut up your produce very small, but it makes frothy, pulpy juice and will spooge a mess from under the lovely stainless steel basket and screen if you do too much soft stuff and do not clean it out occasioanally as you go, and the screen is a pain to clean but aren't they all? But to its defense I also need to add that I make giant batches of juice, probably more than the normal person may make. You have to make sure the basket/screen is sparkling clean as if old pulp dries in there it will not work very efficiently. So after using this one for a few months we are going to go back to the Omega 8006 masticating style, it is obviously slower than a centrifuge but it has way less pulpy, frothy, juice. Also the Omega 8006 is really EASY to clean, it is a single auger style. It still doesn't like soft produce but I can live with this fact. I also love the sound of this machine, its almost meditative, as it slowly goes munch...crunch...munch.... i love it that it sounds very meditative, like a cow eating grass :) It is not a efficient as her Green Star, but it is slightly less expensive and very easy to clean. Here is my 2012 blog post about the Omega 8006 :)
 

Currently I am (and Mr. B are) on day 9 of a Spring juice cleansing. Mr. B is doing so great and I am so proud of him! The first 3 days were quite difficult with wanting to pop something with texture into my mouth was excrutiatingly hard, this was a test of my willpower at its fullest! I will be honest and say that if Mr. B was eating food I would not of been able to juice fast. The temptation would've been to great. But as time goes on and in the fall when it comes time to do this again, I imagine it will just get easier and easier and with practice and I'm sure it wont even be an issue in the future. Kind of like the what my doctor said to me about smoking once, "don't think of It as failing to quit, think of it as practice quitting!" I do not know how, but after I heard that long ago it made it so much easier not feeling like a failure and thought of it as practicing and feeling what it felt like to go through those cravings and habits.  And this corelation is true fro me with this cleanse, I am seeing what my comfort foods are and am noticing the times and triggers when I want to eat even though you I am not hungry, hmmm it’s very interesting seeing these patterns. 


Last night I actually dreamt I mistakenly had eaten a cookie, oopsy! It was kind of funny when I woke I had to giggle at my cookie eating antics.
 

My words that keep me on the cleanse are, "this is only a very teeny-tiny block of time in my life, it is an opportunity for me to find out if i have any food allergies to alleviate some physical ailments, it is also flushing out my system of toxins...its only a small block of time with alot of benefit. SO what if I cannot "eat", I am not going to die that's for sure!"

 

It is really just emotionally uncomfortable, (ok and don't forget you have to pee alot!) I have not really physically been hungry, but that emotional uncomfortableness is there and this gives me another opportunity to look at why and how I make the food choices I do, it is very interesting, so I feel I am gaining insight into some of my emotional food issues which is also a bonus! I am finding when I think of grabbing a snack, it isn't an apple or vegetable. It is something processed. Instant gratification, fast, easy, salty, fatty.... yes it is making sense now the intentionally made addictive qualities of processed foods. But generally in my household and (definitely my family) we eat consciously and mainly lots of fresh organic produce. It is just interesting that when I am fasting that my fantasy pop-up thoughts immediately go to eating crap!? I was aiming for 10 days but may go longer now as I am starting to get a bit itchy and I don't think I am done getting some yuckies out yet, but I am starting to plan and able to change those thought of grabbing a cookie into grabbing a juice, a fresh veggie or fruit (did i say fruit!?) I am also looking forward to starting to want to be creative with cooking food and maybe even some healthy treats. So I have noticed that this is making me able to change my thinking, I actually want to make an effort to have meal plans so I don't panic when I am hungry and make those bad instant gratification choices, to take the time to care about my body, family and life. This may be the key for us to eating alot better. Having a plan vs. last minuting something together because we are tired and it is late.... Its all becoming a little clearer and feels alot more do-able :)
 

I have decided to juice fast because of many reasons. First and foremost is that I honestly physically and mentally feel like crap most of the time. I have juice fasted before and had very uplifting positive results, its just very hard to “start” one, but like quitting smoking, “practice, practice, practice!“ Another being my persistent eczema problems (possible food allergy). I have been playing with having a plant based diet for over a year now (after seeing Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and many other movies and research) but have now just decided to commit which I am very excited about! I am having new found determination and motivation to change my lifestyle, I am very excited to dive in and have new exciting food adventures. I also have current dental work happening and a lot more in my near future to come (heavy metal detoxing a must!), and lastly to lose a few unnecessary pounds to relieve pressure on my worsening aching joints. I am hoping that this will be a catalyst for cleaning up the toxins in my body and things in my life and will help me to have more mental clarity to focus on what is really important for my health, mental well-being and my family. I am feeling my mortality. One door opens the next door and so on….

“other happenings”

 

*During this time, sweet ebi had to go to the vet as her anal gland/sac had ruptured (just like Winty's rupture a few years back)
this just confirms I have to take them in minimum every 3 months, sigh. my fault for slacking off, lesson learned :( I am so sorry Ebbs...

*I have slacked off making my Brooches for the BAD 2013 project, I am 9 days behind. I am not sure why I hadn’t made the time to make them, it must be the fast, but yesterday finally I was able to start again and got 4 made. I have a sneaking feeling all my energy was going into making juice and keeping my sanity this week. But I am feeling grounded now and will be all caught up probably by tomorrow.

You can see all the brooches made so far here.

to see all the participants brooches here.

*This year I have started volunteering for a non-profit organization that helps families in need. It has been amazingly rewarding and am so grateful for the opportunity to be involved. Thank you Sissie #3 for introducing me to the program!

Ok over and out for now, thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!

"B" is for Brussel sprouts!



 

"B" is for Brussel sprouts!

 

ok my new favorite way to make them is extra crispy!

I cut the bottoms off and take all the loose leaves I can off and toss in a bowl, and then I slice some more off of the bottom and take more loose leaves off, keep doing this until it gets to the size of a marble, and then toss it in the bowl with the leaves. It's alot of work, but well worth it if you like the crispy bits :)

 

I tossed in EVOO, sea salt, lots of black pepper, and garlic powder.
Baked for over an hour+ @350+, just keep checking and tossing them around every 15 minutes to try and get them to cook kinda evenly.

 Easy-peasy!

Happy Crisping!

the Beautiful Bounty

Kiyo's Kurly Kale patch

Don't you just want to dive in there and roll around in there naked with a fork in hand!? Ok well maybe I don't either thinking about all the little critters hiding in the shadows, but it would be a funny image at the very least!

#3's clan also shares their beautiful fresh chicken eggs with us, they're definitely more fresh & tasty than any store bought egg ever! And in every carton little A packs in at least 2 pretty green-blue gems!

Their Americana's lay the green-blue eggs! 
(3rd one back from the front)

We have enjoyed much of their labors this summer and feel so lucky they can spare enough to share with us. I just wanted to say thanks to my #3 !



My front garden boxes were thrown in the ground at the last possible minute this year, we shoved in some starts & seeds and crossed our fingers, the soil has turned out to be more sand than soil and not so good for the plants, they are small and kinda tough and dry. Ha, I really should've listened closer to #3 and mixed the compost in correctly instead of also not putting it where she told me to, oopsy! :)  But! If I didn't make mistakes then I wouldn't be learning such cool lessons, so we will get new organic compost, do it correctly and start fresh for next year! So above are what my tiny urban boxes looked like this year. I also would love a long big box for flowers, hmmm.... wonder what to try next year!?

my container gardening
(shiso & elephant garlic)

first 4 harvested and they're beautiful!
(#3, I will put some aside so you can plant or eat them)

 

 "Love you!"

#4

vegan fish sticks... FAIL :(

pretty but not so tasty :(

Ok so its all my own fault it didn't taste great as I did not follow Jolinda Hackett's  recipe very closely (to say the least) and I make a yucky-yuck. And really, it wasn't horrrrible, just not crispy or chewy savory or what I wanted. Maybe I could've baked it longer.....? or maybe it was the lemon pepper.... or (blush) maybe me using almond milk instead of soy milk, or, the fake lemon juice I wanted to use up instead of being to lazy to get one out and squeeze it, or maybe its the bagel chips I subbed for breadcrumbs!? or maybe its because I didn't follow the darn directions at all!? me so bad...

I feel there is alot of potential here, but I am going to have to ask my Sissies for help on this one! Sissie #1 made this fantastic mock eel? the other day, wow. wow. WOW!...... I mean it was so fantastic that you just wanted to sit and eat the whole batch in one sitting. The texture was perfect almost like a fried clam but obviously not as chewy, and the flavor was slightly sweet and salty. One downside is I think she fried them in oil, hee hee, which of course made them sinfully good. I will check with her and see if she can share her recipe with us!

vegan coconut curry

 delish, fast & easy!

 

thursday 8.02.12

This was really easy, even I could manage this one! Instead of chicken, I subbed canned wheat glutens (mock abalone) and they do not whatsoever taste like abalone, just delicious little tender textures!? I also did not add any sugar as the glutens are a tiny bit sweetend already. oh, I also used fresh thai basil and shiso, the shiso was really good in it! The thai basil is from a tiny sprig of it I had taken home from a restaurant from fathers day, and stuck it in a glass of water, it rooted so I planted it outside and this was the first pickings from the plant :)
easy recipe found from here !

ingredients:
organic brown jasmine rice
glutens (chick sub)
stewed dice toms
cauliflower
red bell
onion
garlic
coconut milk
curry powder
fathers day thai basil
shiso
(I didn't use tomato paste, mushrooms or chicken)

Roasted Laver Popcorn

Roasted Laver Popcorn

We used organic(non-gmo) jeweled popping corn and a Whirley Pop popcorn maker, it is a stove top pan with a crank that turns the seeds inside so they do not burn, this is a great popcorn pan if you have a glass top stove, no shaking of the pan needed. So I have found a Stainless Steel version that will be our next purchase as our original one has been falling apart for awhile now, what a great reason to upgrade!

All-righty-o, now this was pretty yummy, a bit different but a nice change. I roasted some unsalted, no oil Laver in my oven. It comes in brick-like shapes in your Asian supermarkets. I take a bit and crumble it up on a baking sheet, add some oil, sea salt, toss and broil. Be careful it burns fast!  The idea is just to crisp it up.
I sprinkled the crispy Laver onto my popcorn used a product(see pic) that is dehydrated Shiso leaves-green packet and the purple packet is Umeboshi flavor. These are salty sprinkles, I used the Shiso flavored one, I then hit it with some Shichimi Togarashi. YUM!!! And of course you can add oil or any other flavorings to your taste!

Omega 8006 Juicer

Ok, so researching centrifugal vs. masticating style juicers was very informative. It really depends on your needs; time, health requirements, versatility, space, clean-up time, loudness etc.
I found that you can find good/bad opinions and reviews on EVERY product testing comparison video out there.
That  being said, I picked this one up from BedBath&Beyond last night, I wasn't intending to buy one but after I talked to an employee there, Tyler told me that there return policy was "off the hook!" (*note Tyler was adorable) He told me for any reason and any length of time that I could bring it back(he said I didn't even have to clean it for 10 yrs, hahaha too funny,  if I decided I didn't like it. Well, I was sold. And I was able to use one of there (never expiring) 20% coupons which took a lovely chunk off the retail price. So I feel like I can test this puppy out for awhile and see if we like it. Its a bit of an investment but another positive thing about the Omega brand is their Warranties! This one has a 15 year warranty, which makes me feel like they are very confident about believing in their own products.

"schluuurp!"

This unit is also pretty small compared to other masticators. This juicer was easy to clean to my standards, I like the sound of it crunching slowly away, it sounds like a happy cow munching away on its dinner. It was AMAZING with the dinosaur Kale, yayayay! Cukes, Carrots, Celery, Apple, were totally fine. But ok, honestly it mushed the crap outta the Tomato, you might as well just use a blender for the softer veggies/fruits into a smoothie, just take the juice you make and pop it into the blender with  your soft veggie/fruits and make a smoothie-juice concoction. Ive done it with avocado and almond milk and it was delicious, but alot to wash with the blender and juicer but it's well worth it!
Oh also you can make nut butters, sorbets and pasta with this thing!? This could get interesting...And now I am also envisioning someone designing one of these to look like a cow, I would definately buy one!

I loaded up a video below so you can hear it munching :)

Happy Juicing!!!

Comparison test #1

Sissies 1 & 3 ran 1/4lb. of russian red baby kale each in their juicers, one being a Greenstar dual auger masticating type, the other was a Juiceman centrifugal type and I now just ran it through my Omega... We used the same kale from the same garden and the same scale to weigh it. We just wanted to see if there would be a yield difference.

Results were.....THE SAME, no difference in yield!

freshy spring rolls

simple fresh and fast goodness!

This meal was probably about 80% organic, slowly but surely we are trying to steer far and clear away from GMO  (genetically modified) foods, for REAL!

rice wrappers & noodles

firm tofu
lettuce
cilantro
basil
shiso
carrot
jalapeno
mung bean sprouts
(next time Ill use red onion too)

peanut butter
garlic black bean chili sauce (from T&T seafood restaraunt )
shoyu
lime
water
drizzle sesame oil
drizzle honey
(no fish sauce this round)

Yummus Hummus!

Yummus Hummus

Hi I am TakaSissie #4 of 4. First I must confess I am not a chefanista, nor will I ever pretend to be. I would classify myself as more of an experimenter as I was never taught how so I will usually try things because I do not know any better. And most often it sucks kinda bad like my most recent Death Metal juice, but sometimes I can get lucky.  I will share with you the ones that are truly funny and successful to me. Now my sissies may have a whole other opinion about my blendings, ha ha ha, hopefully they will be gentle on me in public!

Ingredients:

Sprouted Garbanzo beans (2.5 sprouted cups)

Avocado (1)

Cilantro (1 bunch)

Lemon (2 small)

Scape (1 peeled small elephant garlic flower stem)

4 Garlic cloves

Tahini (2-3 T.)

EVOO (2-4 T.)

Water (1-2 c.)

Dry ingredients-to taste:

Paprika

Cayenne

Cumin

Sea Salt

Pepper

I started with the ingredient list from this link, in this recipe they blanched the Garbanzos, which makes good sense to me as otherwise the texture would be very grain-esquey. I think blanching helped the overall texture to make it soft and silkier? But I wouldn't actually know this as a fact as I haven't made it "raw-unblanched" yet.

*Next time I will try adding 1/2 jalapeno for the green kick, more lemon, zuchinni, and maybe another clove of G. (If it is still scape season I will try more scape's and less garlic just because I could!) Also I will be learning how to make bread soon from Sissie #3, then I will be making a Kalamata Olive bread hopefully for this Yummus, oh my!

So here is my latest experiment, if you try it I hope you like it! And if you have fun mods I'd love to hear them too, yum!

Tobitoes!

Tobitoes!

*Poppity-Pop! It's very fun to eat!*

Basically its mashed potatoes with Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe)

 This makes a big potluck batch, so adjust accordingly for smaller amounts,
 adjust everything to your own tastes :)

Enjoy!

3 lbs red potatoes
2 cups chopped english cucumber
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (to taste)
1/2 lb red and/or green tobiko
1+ cups best food mayonaise (adj. to taste/consistancy you like)

I usually double or triple this recipe!

Homemade Taquitos
Prep time: 1 hour     Cook time: 20 minutes, at 425F        Servings: 12
Filling:
1 Tbsp high heat oil or clarified butter
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped and seeds removed (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion finely diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice (optional)
1 cup grated cheese of choice (optional)
1 can canned black beans, rinsed and well-drained OR 4 cooked and diced med white or other boiling potato (I sometimes used canned with great results) OR approx. 12 oz of cooked chicken
12 tortillas
Extra high heat oil, (coconut, clarified butter or grapeseed are good choices) for brushing on the taquitos.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the oil, add the cumin seed and fry for about 30 seconds. Add chopped jalapeno and garlic, stir then immediately add onion oregano, chili powder and salt.
Saute for 5 minutes. Add drained beans (or other option) and sauté until heated through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. If using beans or potato, mash lightly. Add cilantro and lime if you're using and mix thoroughly.
Soften tortillas (steam for 10 to 15 seconds).
Place 2 tbsp of filling on each tortilla, leaving a ½ inch edge free. Add cheese (if using). Roll tightly. Brush with oil.
Bake on parchment lined sheet (trust me, this makes for easy removal and clean up-yay!) at 425F for about 20 minutes until crisp.
These freeze and reheat well.










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Recipe adapted from Birgitte Antonsen, TTP, All rights reserved
Professional Whole Food Chef, Culinary Educator and Nutritional Therapist, Nature's Way Food



 

No muss, no fuss cooking

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Prep time: 30 minutes        Cook time: 8 hours low, 3-4hrs high        Servings: 8 servings


A quick and easy chicken tortilla soup. Put everything in the slow cooker ( or sauté the first 5 ingredients if you have time) , and just turn it on. Come back later, to delicious soup!
1 large onion chopped
8 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP salt
½ black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1.5lbs of shredded cooked chicken
8 cups chicken broth
1 lime (about 2Tbsp)
2 (10oz) cans gluten free red enchilada sauce  OR you may substitute pureed tomatoes plus 1tsp chili powder per can
1 (10 oz package frozen corn)
Cilantro
Tortilla chips


Top hot bowls of soups with finely chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.





 

We love you Baachan!

Eating her fries.

You are already missed...

Couponing goodness!

Don and I had a quick couponing date tonight.  Does it count as "quality time"? We don't get out as often as we'd like...but the following cost $2.19 at Albertsons!!  You know, I feel pretty blessed to know about couponing. Retail cost, including sale prices would be $33 , and about $45 at  regular prices (don't even talk about forgetting your Albertson's club card--ugh).   I saved 93% off the sale prices and the the coolest thing about this is a dear friends' family has been underemployed for a while now and even on my tight budget I can share with them. I am grateful.


11 packages of Tuna
2 packages of Mission Tortillas
2 Chocolate Almond Zone bars
2 Honey Bunches of Oats cereal
1 Ronzoni Veggie Pasta
2 Pringles
1 Reach Floss

Kale Salad

Kale Salad

1 bunch kale (dinosaur, red or green leaf—whatever your preference) stripped off the stems and chopped very fine.

1 bunch chard (rainbow is pretty), stripped off stems and chopped fine

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup finely chopped green cabbage

1 cup finely chopped red cabbage

½ cup chopped or shredded carrots

1 red bell pepper, chopped into our favorite shape-I like small strips

3 finely minced green onions (certainly optional)

A handful of additional greens:  I like thin sliced pak choi, thinly sliced fennel, chinese cabbage, arugula, cilantro, or watercress.  The arugula, cilantro and watercress are all strong flavors so I would pick just one  of these “additional greens”  to add.

This is my basic “mix” that I double and keep in a Ziploc for salad all week.  What is wonderful about this is because it is just dark greens, I can also add a handful to soups or stir-fry  it with garlic and olive oil for a side dish. 

When serving as a salad, I may add fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, or mushrooms if I have them.

Basic Dressing

2 tablespoons lemon juice (approx.)

½ cup olive oil

1 clove garlic finely minced

1 tablespoon shoyu or to taste (I use more)

Dash salt

Blend well!  Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan or nutritional yeast .

I also have an Asian (sesame oil) style dressing I’ll use sometimes too...

Oh so Frenchy, French Chocolate Granola (aka High-antioxidants-are-good-for-your-health-granola)

This is an absolutely delicious, not too sweet (really) chocolately goodness breakfast indulgence! The picture does not do it justice.

3 cups rolled oats

½ cup raw almonds, chopped

½ cup shredded coconut

1Tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of salt

6 Tbsp mild honey or 5 Tbsp agave

Sometimes I add a teeny bit of vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

½ cup or more, finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (I buy bulk chips at Costco and prefer the  “Ambrosia” brand for its darker, less sweet flavor)  DO NOT ADD to dry ingredients.  This is added to the baked and cooled mixture.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar and salt.  Stir well to blend.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally – until blended and loose. 

Pour over dry ingredients and stir to combine well.

Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.  (I bake and stir every 10minutes which helps it to bake evenly)  Cool completely. 

When cool, transfer to a bowl, or ziplocs or storage jar and add chocolate, and mix well.

Store in an airtight container.  Serve with plain milk or yogurt of choice. 

Note:  This makes about  4+ cups, which goes alarmingly fast in my house, so I always quadruple the recipe, put some in the frig and freeze the remainder in ziplocs.

2 foodie posts in 1 day--Bonus!

This is my new favorite convenience food!! Kiyomi says, its delicious.(I'm so excited, I'm beside myself) It is packed with salty porky smoky Southern green goodness! I had this same flavor greens at the Nashville airport in a little local shop. You can get it at Albertson's (at least mine in Lake Forest Park) and its the huge 27oz can. It costs 3.25/can, BUT if you visit their website at www.gloryfoods.com you can print yourself a 90cent off coupon. You can use as many coupons as you buy product (you don't have to give your email, or anything to get the coupon). Sweeeeeeet!

They have Turnip, Collard, Mustard greens and their website shows even more varieties!