Reboot - Day 8

I have discovered a few things in the past few days.....which I will now put to the test.

So after my last post I did go biking, and the next day I had lost a couple more pounds.  Awesome, right?  You betcha!  Then on Saturday I went berry picking with Heather in the Dells for most of the day.  I brought plenty of fruits, and bought a couple of Naked Juices to stay on track....however, when I bought her lunch at Culver's, I couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma of the buffalo tenders she'd ordered.  Bad me...I know!  I only took about 4 bites total.....so  not the end of the world....especially since I plan to go back to eating meat eventually.....   But, then on Sunday, I woke up having gained 1 pound!  I blamed it on the little bit of chicken....tho that seems pretty ridiculous....after all....how do 4 bites of chicken equate to 1 pound?  A friend suggested, perhaps it was simply water retention, as the chicken most likely was high in sodium, as most fast food is.  I agreed that this could in fact be the case.  So, Sunday came along......I went for my usual 10 mile bike ride.  Very good!  Here's what I ate or drank:

8am - banana

8:30 - juice

11:30 Naked Juice on the way to biking

12:30 apple after biking

2:30 raisins (just bought at the store, I don't think this was a good idea)

4:40 Hot & Spice roasted tomato & red pepper soup (recipe below!!)

6:30 apple sauce

8:30 cherries

10:30 cherries (my stomach was growling!)

Not horrible, right?

One thing you may notice, is an awful lot of fruit......and late at night as well.  This, I believe, is one prominent reason I woke up this morning having gained another 1.5 lbs!  Though, I certainly didn't eat 1.5lbs of fruit!  I don't have all of the answers....but, these next few days, I will test my theories.  My other theory, regarding my weight gain after Saturday's excursion:  no exercise=weight gain.

So going forward, I will do the following:

Limit fruit eaten during the day (perhaps 3 total servings)

No dried fruit

No fruit after 6pm

No fruit heavy juices in the evening (veggie heavy only)

Exercise every day (always push a little farther/faster)

So far today I have had:

7am Juice

9am Banana 1/2 way thru biking

10:30 juice after biking

11:30  1/2 green juice while making new batch

12:45 grapes while starting this post

The rest of the day:

3:00 juice

6:00 Tomato soup

Possibly small peach this afternoon

I rode an extra 4 miles on my bike trip, and pushed to the top of a hill I normally turn around on!

I will update with the results of my theory testing:

As promised, here is my recipe for :

Hot & Spicy Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup + Jalapeno

4 organic tomatoes

1 organic red bell pepper

1 organic jalapeno

1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes-rinsed

1 carton of organic, low sodium vegetable broth

Roast the tomatoes & peppers in the broiler, rotating every 3 mins til browned on all sides

Place rinsed, sun-dried tomatoes in the blender and pulse & chop 

Add in roasted tomatoes & peppers, and grate & chop, occasionally stirring with a spoon to get all pieces down to the blades.  Combine until it reaches a somewhat smooth consistency.

Heat veggie broth over medium flame until hot.  Add in the tomato/pepper mixture and stir well, continuing to heat for several minutes.

Ladle into large bowls and enjoy!!!!

Reboot - Day 5

Today is the first day I haven't enjoyed my juice.  Not sure if it was the combination of veggies: spinach, chard, bok choy, beets, carrots, ginger, only 2 stalks of celery, apples, only 1 lemon and blueberries.  It could be the beet greens that altered the taste?  or perhaps the ginger?  Not sure, but I have 2 more servings already made that I will need to drink today.

I did not lose even a smidgen of weight yesterday!

I added up all of the calories including all of the fruits/veggies I ate.....and it was a few hundred less than my daily allowance (according to my Loseit app.)

I feel like my blog has turned into a complaint log.....so lets remedy that.

Today I will go to Good Harvest and stock up on some more produce.  I am out of greens.....but perhaps I will also pick up some squash......and maybe the watermelon that everyone has been raving about.  I don't like watermelon (one of the very few fruits that I don't like, along with pineapple & coconut), but it contains alot of nutrients, not only in the pink flesh but also in the rind!  I had no idea!   The skin is not good to eat or juice as it may cause stomach upset, but the rind & even the seeds are loaded with nutrients, including:  Citruline (an amino acid), Vit C, Beta Carotene, Lycopene, , along with lesser amounts of:  Vit A, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vit B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium & Zinc. 

I just learned that the yellow fleshed watermelon is richer in nutrients than the traditional pink fleshed....so definitely worth seeking out!  And the deeper the yellow, the better!

Unfortunately, for me, exercise has fallen by the steaming wayside this week, as temperature outside have climbed to uncomfortable levels.....near 100 yesterday and pretty darn close to that today!  I am going to muddle thru tho....and at least venture out for a bike ride.  Biking always seems a little more cooling as you glide thru the air with the greatest of ease.

So that is the plan......get inspired in the produce section and exercise.  If I don't settle comfortably into a routine of juicing and exercise BEFORE I return to work full time....it sure won't happen after!

Reboot - Day 4

I've decided I really need to expand my repertoir of juices!  I tend to just juice everything together...whatever I've got in the fridge, goes in my juice.  As such, all of my juices tend to taste about the same.  I really need to start minimizing my jucie ingredients.
For instance....the juice I made last night (to drink all day today):
carrots, celery, spinach, chard, ginger, lemon, apple, strawberries, blueberries

The berries and ginger add a nice touch, to my usual recipe....but still pretty similar.
My goal for tonight will be to come up with some easy recipes in order to change up the routine.  Its hard to look forward to drinking the same thing 5 times/day!  Especially when its always the same dull brown colour!

Plus....I only lost another .5#.
I plan on continuing with my juice fast for the forseeable future, so obviously I need to make it more interesting.  Just enduring is not going to take me there!

Orange:  carrots, oranges

Green:  spinach, chard, broccoli, celery, kale - add lemon & apple

Purple:  beets, blueberries, strawberries

Lunch break is over so will have to think more later!

Reboot - day 3

After 2 full days on my reboot, I am down 6.5#.  That.....is very motivating!

Last night's supper of tomato soup was not everything I'd dreamed of....but, at least it was a little different:
4 organic vine tomatoes
1 jalapeno (my revision)
1/4 cup cashews (I used mixed nuts, primarily cashews)
Cream all together in a blender.
I also added a little warm water, as it was too thick.  I added the jalapeno because it was just too bland without it.  The nuts help to add the creaminess....but what it really needs is sun dried tomatoes!  I plan to try this again tonight with that addition, and hoping it will have more of that tomato flavor I am looking for!  I don't think I was supposed to have the nuts during my reboot....but, truthfully, I didn't even think of that until I was actually eating (drinking) it.  I think I will leave them out tonight and find a substitute for creaminess.
Yesterday, I made a big batch of juices that would carry me thru today.  This is a huge time saver and motivator!  I had read that it is best to drink the fresh juice right away because as soon as it is exposed to oxygen, the nutrients begin to leach out.  That is a fact!   However, sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees.......  I was shown the light by a fellow blogger.  He pointed out that convenience is certainly a huge help in maintaining any kind of diet plan, let alone something as time consuming as juicing!  And although the juice does lose some nutrients in storing, it is still infinitely more nutritious than anything I could buy at a store.  I can minimize nutrient loss by storing in an airtight container, preferably away from light (ie: wrap a clear jar with foil).  So, this is my new mantra.....and will most definitely be a great factor in being able to continue drinking juice when I return to work.
So,,,,,,for breakfast this morn, I have a lovely brown juice (most of my juices end up being brow, as I tend to throw everything but the kitchen sink in them).

Apple, lemon, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, celery, spinach, chard

Its pretty darn yummy,.........looks can definitely be deceiving!

Yesterday I  was awfully hungry quite a bit...especially in to the night.  As I am doing the modified reboot (I eat raw fruits & veggies along with juicing), I think I relied too much on eating fruits, and didn't drink enough juice.  I will try to be more conscious of that today, and make sure I drink at least 5 juices today.

I will say, however, that I woke up feeling great today!  Full of energy, almost acheless, and very committed!

In the documentary, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, Joe talks about his commitment very early in his fast.  He is drinking his juice, and realizes that nothing will derail his commitment to juicing.  Not people eating around him, nor the delectable aromas of food.......he is committed to his plan and that's that!  I must say.......that I feel that same way!  You know when you start a diet....and then go to work, and they have a birthday cake for someone......and you are easily persuaded to have a slice?  I've been there too many times to count!  But, when you are truly committed.......it is almost easy to refrain from those kinds of temptations.  Although, I do think it helps a tremendous amount that I incorporate eating fruits & veggies!  Especially, when you're out & about & run out of juice.....much easier to run in the store & grab some fruit!

As I am starting to get hungry again...(been 2.5 hours since my morning juice), gonna go grab some cherries!

Reboot (not just the name of one of my fave cartoons!)

Its taken me a couple of months, but I am finally embracing my juicer's full capabilities!
After watching that documentary many months ago, I began following Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead on Facebook.  Their website is a wealth of information for those about to juice!  or who would like to learn more about such things.  Check it out!  Its all about "rebooting" your life through a juice fast.   Proponents of juicing claim that a juice fast will detoxify your body.  Just think about all of the poisons ingested through commercial produce, meats or processed foods.   Juicing for a period of time, will allow your body to excrete all of the built up toxins, and begin functioning at an optimal level again.  Thats what I'm aiming for!  A posting last weekend on Facebook announced a 5 day group Reboot to begin Monday.  I joined immediately!  Its fine to think about doing something.....which I have been for a couple of months now......but, the camaraderie of fellow Rebooters was just what I needed to actually implement this huge change!  I, along with some 800+ other Rebooters, began the journey on Monday.  It is now Tuesday, and I have survived thus far!  If I can get thru 1 day.....I know I can do many more.  In fact, my plan is to NOT stop after 5 days.  I'd like to go for 30 days before taking a break.  But 1 day at a time.  I should also mention that I am doing what they call a "modified reboot", meaning that along with juicing, I also eat raw fruits and veggies.  Perhaps, one day, I will limit myself to strictly juice....but, for now, this is the path I will follow.!  I must admit, I am craving something more food like, so tonight I will make a raw tomato soup.  I love tomato soup, so I am hoping it will satisfy my craving.  Anyhow, after 1 day, I have lost 2.5#, and I am happy with that!

Yes, it was bound to happen......I got busy, and then summer vacation arrived, and amazingly enough I've been making sales on Etsy....customized items, which of course has kept me hopping.
Check out some of my new items!  My plain upcylced leather bracelets have been adorned with hand stamped copper tags or in some cases, antique silverware handles.  I'm trying to find new ways to incoporate all of the olde odds & ends I accumulate......
I have thought of plenty of topics to write about it, but haven't taken the time to sit down and do it.  Besides being busy creating uncommon adornments.....I've been outside hiking, or more often biking, every single day!  Good for me, you betcha~!  We leave on our annual family vacation on Friday, so I may not settle into a good summer routine til after that.....but, I do plan on waking earlier, and biking in the cool morn....then having the rest of the day for chores, creating and blogging about creating......that is the plan!
So please check back in a week or so.......I'll have lots to share!

Dandelion Jelly

My friend posted pics of her Dandelion Jelly on Facebook........and I, being such a big fan of foraging, thought "I have to make that too!".
Now, I've heard of Dandelion Wine, and I know that Dandelion leaves have great nutritional value and can be added to salads or even juiced (tho I haven't tried that yet)......but, I'd never heard of Dandelion Jelly.
I made my first foray into jams & jellies last year, and am, by no stretch of the imagination, (not even in my own head) any sort of expert.  I am, at most, an eager & optimistic novice.  But, that's never stopped me before, nor now!   So I quickly went out in the yard (in my jammies even) and gathered all of the little yellow flower heads I could find.....which, unfortunately was not as much as I had hoped for.  After lawn mowing last week, I had tons of the fuzzy tops popped up all over the yard, but the yellow ones were hard to come by.  After 2 trips around our little acre, I had about 4 cups of dandelion heads.....which luckily, was just about enough for the recipe I had found online (trimmed petals came to about 2 cups).
If you've never made jelly.....you may not know that pectin is required to make it jell.  Or maybe you do know that, if you've been reading your jelly labels.  However, the first jam recipe I made was from a magazine article, and of course  I wanted to make it "right now".  I didn't have any pectin in my kitchen as I've never used it before, but I did have tons of berries & sugar on hand so I didn't let the absence of pectin stop me.  I will find a way!  So I started searching on the internet to see if it was possible to make jam without pectin.  It was in this search that I became aware of what pectin is: its naturally derived primarily from the skins (cell walls) & cores of tart, under ripe or citrus fruits.  That part is great!  However, the commercial processing of pectin leaves a bit to be desired.  And here, there's lots of room for debate, opinion, etc........but, for me.......the idea of processing & washing with alcohols, ammonia, calcium salts, etc. does not sound appealing.  Some will say that these are all "natural" and the finished product is simply a usable form of the original pectin.....and they may very well be right.  But....for me.....I prefer minimal processing, and prefer to do any necessary processing myself.  Which is why I refused to go out and buy pectin!
My triple berry jam of last year, turned out amazing!   However, the more I'm reading about pectin, it could be a hit or miss with low pectin fruit jams.  Maybe I got lucky with my berries, as they are not exceeedingly high in pectin.  Or maybe I just cooked it long & hard enough to jell.At any rate, all of the dandelion jelly recipes I find require pectin.  I did, however, also find recipes for making my own pectin!  Obviously.....that is the course I will take.  You can make your own pectin, basically, by boiling tart apples, peels & cores, as well as lemons.  So I decided to cut out the middle step by simply adding a cut up green apple & lemon to the pot of dandelions, water & sugar. (oh...forgot to mention I used 1 cup of organic sugar, 2 cups of organic dehydrated cane juice  & 1 cup of stevia---sugar is an important component, and may have been a mistake to use substitute sugars for the majority) I assumed boiling it all together would certainly squeeze out all of the needed pectins. 

 I guess it's not quite that easy, because all I ended up with was dandelion syrup.

  It was tasty, believe me, however I couldn't come up with an acceptable use for it.  I decided to try making the pectin separately, and add it in to my dandelion syrup.  I didn't, however, want to make a giant batch of pectin, so I thought that 1 apple and 1 lemon should be sufficient.  I juiced the lemon into my pot, sliced it thinly, as well as the apple....added water to cover, and boiled....and boiled....added more water, and continued to boil......then went back to my computer as it continued to boil....checked it a few times...as it continued to boil....all while also searching on the internet.....thought maybe I should check it one more time as it should almost be done.....and discovered that it had boiled down completely....Yikes!As you can see.....I am not overly patient.  When it comes to watching a cooking pot, or waiting to make something until I have all of the proper ingredients.......I believe in improvising, and optimistically believe it will all work out.  Sometimes it do, sometimes it don't!Well.....although the pot was blackened, as well as just a couple of small spots on the lemon rinds......I didn't think it looked or smelled bad, so I added a little water and continued to cook til it looked syrup like.  Then I strained all of the solids out, and  poured it into a new, clean  pot to boil a little more.  This, according to all instructions (not my own revisions).  It seemed to be approaching an appropriate consistency. I brought out my dandelion syrup and placed in a different pot, brought to a boil and added my pectin syrup.  I continued to boil for awhile (I don't like to time things).  It certainly seemed thicker than it had been, so at least there was that.  I decided it had boiled long enough, so I poured it into a hot canning jar.  This time there was only a few tablespoonfuls in the 2nd jar.   Its still cooling as I write this.....but, I couldn't wait any longer, so I popped a piece of bread in the toaster, and the smaller jar in the freezer, to hopefully firm a bit more.

Its still a bit runny, but didn't just soak into the bread.  And....it is still warm after all, even after being in the fridge for a minute.  I am hoping...that after it has completely cooled, and has been stored in the fridge for awhile, it will appear much more jelly like......but, you know what?   If it doesn't jell.....it doesn't matter....because it sure tastes dandy!