Day 25....Indulgence

sweet temptation

Last night, for reasons left unsaid, I was feeling a bit antsy, emotional and pinned. While I will freely admit that I gave in to the urge to binge when I knew full well I wasn't hungry; I also want to toot my horn and celebrate how I did it. My "binge" consisted of choosing to gulp down a glass of ice water and 2 handfuls of blueberries.

I'd really love to get to a point where I do not eat for emotional reasons. But I absolutely love that my choice (without any self scolding or see-sawing) was health above all.

Thank You thank You thank You Jesus!

old barrel vs. the new barrel

Recently, I had to purchase a replacement barrel for my juicer. We had been pushing hard root veggies through our juicer without cutting them up small enough to be nice to the machine. The consequence was the barrel is what gave way.

It still works but with each use the seam spreads just a little bit more. I didn't realize it when I ordered the replacement but it is even better than the original. It has grinders all the way around the barrel and I love it. We are finding that it is maximizing our juice volume even more. That is really awesome because it maximizes our dollar as well. Goodness our compost was already so dry. I didn't know there was any more liquid to be had.

This morning I made a volume of juice to last me most of the day while I do all the things that need my attention. Here is what I juiced. It made over 6 cups of juice and will hold me until dinner tonight.

1 english cucumber
2 oranges
2 carrots
1/2 cup of pineapple
3 celery
1 granny apple
1/2 red delicious apple
4 handfuls of spinach

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Celebrating God's goodness!

Day 24.....Could you eat all that?

Can you eat all of that?

The other day, our oldest daughter watched me prepare for a juicing feast. She said, "Mom I am so proud of you for doing this. Your will power is amazing. But what is the difference between juicing and eating? Can't you just eat that and be done?"

That was a good question; one that had been on my mind at one time or other as well. The answer is this.
If you are wanting to focus on packing in the nutrients without all the bulk then juicing is the answer. Look at the volume of food needed for 1 drink. I could never eat that much in a sitting.....and then be ready in a couple hours to do it over again.

As I look at this cutting board full of amazing produce, an important rule of thumb comes to mind. That rule is the 80/20 rule. I have been seeing it in every corner of the web that I go to for research. It means that we should strive for 80% veggies and 20% fruits while juicing. Using this rule helps to get the incredible array of nutrients from the veggies while balancing out the sweet of the fruit. Fruits are power packed too. But it is better to have sustaining energy instead of a sugar spike.

By keeping that rule in mind and having fun with colors, you can create all kinds of fun and inventive drinks that are eye catchy, pleasing to your palette and packed with life. So have fun! Create and enjoy!

Celebrating God's goodness!

Day 23......Celebrate

Today I am sitting here enjoying another recipe I found. It is so interesting how as my taste buds change to embrace real food I find I am loving it more and more.

Today is called Green Elixir by Claire Georiou at Reboot.
One of the things I love about the Reboot recipes is that they encourage and list out things you can use as substitute. Her recipe calls for pears but I used apple instead.
Here is what I am drinking in my beautiful celebration glass.

Elixir
4 kale leaves
1 large cucumber
1/2 fennel bulb
1 large granny apple
2 celery stalks 

A word of advice: Have fun and celebrate yourself!
Get out those one wine goblets that sat in the back shelf because you were worried about calories. Nutrient rich juices taste good in anything from a plastic tumbler to sparkling crystal. But why not give yourself the added joy of celebrating you. You are most certainly worth it!

Celebrating God's goodness!