Day 52: A Refreshing A.M. Delight

This morning, I decided to juice about 3/4 of an apple and 1/2 of a celery stalk. My goal is to allow the juice to assist in making the blended veggies/fruit more liquid. I added the 1/4 of an apple and the remaining celery stalk to the blender with a handful of blueberries, 3 strawberries, about 15 spinach leaves, an 1/8 of a tsp of ginger and 1/8 c. of almond milk. I blended it for about 30-45 seconds and consumed all of it.

After about an hour, I completed breakfast with two breakfast burritos that included: an egg, one slice of cheddar cheese, turkey sausage (2)...shared between the two tortilla shells. A delicious juice and burritos are wonderful ways to begin a morning.

Day 51: Mid-Afternoon GREEN Juicing

As soon as I made it home, I juiced everything GREEN: 2 celery stalks, 1 large cucumber, and an apple with 1/4 cup of almond milk...shaken, not blended. It was easy to make and easy to clean up.

Day 50: Not-Just-Another Juice

As I examined my refrigerator carefully, I began to select a few items that I hadn't juice with in a while (or at all). I chose to juice 1/4 cauliflower, 1 celery stalk, an apple, a carrot and a summer squash. Then I blended that juice with about 15 spinach leaves. This juice served as a late breakfast and provided a nice pre-lunch break.

Day 49: A Breakfast Juice

After a small bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, I made a fresh and delicious morning juice. It consisted of two organic celery stalks, two oranges, 1/2 of a tomato and 1/2 of an organic cucumber...all juiced and blended with about 15 spinach leaves, 10 small red grapes and a pinch of fresh ginger root. It was simply delicious.

Day 48: Simply Green

Well, I managed to stop by Sevananda and picked up some organic veggies. I really feel good about going organic.

Tonight's juice was created with 1 1/2 organic celery, 1 organic apple, 3 organic strawberries and 10 spinach leaves (not sure if it was organic).

Three out of four ain't bad for starters!

About Organic Food

For years, I have suffered with eczema. I have tried just about every natural and topical remedy that I could find. About 15 years ago, my eczema covered both hands and both forearms. It was so severe that people thought that I was a burn victim. My dermatologist at the time, Dr. Olansky (the elder), gave me bi-monthly steroid shots. The shots were mildly effective; however, I wanted a non-invasive, non-drug remedy. So, I became a vegetarian for a short period of time, during which time my symptoms disappeared. Being the meat-lover that I am I slowly added chicken, beef, tuna and salmon back into my diet.

What I did not seem to fully understand, at the time, was that all food items are NOT the handled with the same care. Farmers around the world have different beliefs about good farming practices. In the U.S., our food supply is generally governed by the USDA, which has banned many pesticides over the years. However, there are still some farmers, worldwide, who chose to disregard the safety of produce and other food, by using harmful pesticides. As I begin to juice more, I have made the decision to only buy organic produce. So, as I head downstairs to throw away the celery and other potential toxic produce, I am preparing my grocery list for my trip to Sevananda in Little Five Points. This food cooperative is dedicated to supporting local farmers, as well as to the belief that healthy food should come from healthy farming practices.

As I move further into my 40's, I am well aware of the fact that my health is directly tied to what I choose to eat.

Day 46 & 47: Another Green Drink

Day 47: This morning started off right. As I responded to discussions online, I could hear Cardinals singing outside my window. When I went downstairs for breakfast, I peeked outside my window on my kitchen's door to the sight of Cardinals, Mourning Doves and smaller birds feasting on some seeds that I scattered about the yard.
Since they were starting their breakfast off with a healthy start, the least I could do was to join them.
My morning juice consisted of an organic apple, 1/2 a bunch of organic Romaine lettuce, 10 blueberries, 10 petite red grapes, about 12 spinach leaves and 1/4 cup of almond milk. (See pic. above.)

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Day 46: I spent this day with my Mom and Grandmother down home. What a wonderfully cool, yet sunny day it turned out to be. Knowing that breakfast was awaiting me in the little house that we call "home", I managed to juice only one apple as I dashed off to the turkey sausage, grits, biscuits and cheese eggs that Mom so graciously cooked. Juice has NOTHING on a good southern breakfast.

Latest Measurement & Weight

Ok. Here we go with another exciting edition of "Has She Really Lost It?" The it refers to weight or inches, not my mind. :)

At 5'4", I weigh 182.8 (as of 2-6-11).

My measurements are:
bust - 43"..................... -3/4"
(under bust - 36"....... +1"
waist - 35".................. +3/4"
pooch - 37 "................ -1"
hips - 43 3/4 "............ -1/4"
left thigh - 28 1/2"..... +1/2"
right thigh - 28 1/4".. no change

Overall, I'm happy with the decreases ( and will work to reduce the increases).

Time for my a.m. juice.

Day 45 & 46: Juice with Ginger

Friday: I juiced an apple & a handful of collard greens, then blended it with three strawberries, 12 blueberries, a pinch of ginger and 1/4 c. of almond milk.
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Thursday: A long day of work means simple juicing. I juiced oranges only.

Day 44: Back to Purple...again

Tonight's purple juice was created by juicing an apple and romaine lettuce, then blending the juice with 4 strawberries, about 5 blackberries, about 8 blueberries and 1/4 c. of almond milk. It was delicious; however, I realized that blackberry seeds can get really annoying when they get caught in your teeth.

Day 42 & 43: Challenges Ahead

I can tell you now that I really do NOT multitask well. I get single-focused and forget about ALL things that are not directly related to my current fanciful thoughts. I stated all of that to say that I am back in school!!!
I am taking a masters-level course in diversity in Environmental Education. It is getting off to a slow start; however, I think that things are going to heat up pretty soon and I am SURE that this blog will suffer the wrath.

Last night, I juiced one carrot, 1/2 of a rather large cucumber, and a handful of collard greens. Then, I blended the juice with grapes and 1/2 c. of soy/rice milk.

Tonight (after 12+ hour day), I only had strength enough to juice oranges. Time for bed.