10/31/11

Happy Halloween, Veggies!!!

-♥ J :)

P.S.  I had such a great time serving up vegan Halloween treats at Lululemon yesterday!!!  Big thanks to everyone who came out to say hi!!  I'll have pictures and the much anticipated recipe for Vegan Peanut Butter Cups up tomorrow. 

10/28/11

Budget Detox: The Simple Answer

Oh, Veggies, if you could see my computer. I've been sitting here for over an hour (hmmm…more like 3 days) trying to write your Budget Detox.  After starting eight different versions, three separate shopping lists and procrastinating on Facebook** twice (maybe more than twice...) I have come to the conclusion that this topic is much larger than one post.  Therefore I have decided that I'm going to write you a bunch of posts.  Yippee!!!  Yay for posts!!!  So, where should we start???

You want to detox.  You want to do it on the cheap.  Well, then let's start with the principle of Occam's Razor that generally recommends when selecting among competing hypotheses the one that makes the fewest new assumptions is correct.  In other words…the simplest answer is the right answer.  Let's keep it simple...

10/24/11

Criss Cross Applesauce

It was a cool, cloudy day in LA**,  so I decided to curl up with a cozy cup of tea and my nutrition books.  I was fixin' to get a move on some good 'ole fashioned blog work.  A couple of hours in I was feeling equal parts peckish and lazy.  I wandered over to the kitchen to see what I could rustle up.  Pickins was slim. (It occurs to me that I am inadvertently writing this with what appears to be some sort of western accent.)  All we's had in the mess (now I'm doing it on purpose…) was apples, frozen blueberries and halloween candy. (Thanks, Mom.)  What's a lass to do???  Well, this lass made blueberry applesauce.


Blueberry Applesauce

Ingredients:
-2 apples (cut and cored)
-1 cup frozen blueberries
-1/2 cup almond milk
-1 tsp. chia seeds
-1 tsp. cinnamon


Directions:
1. Put all ingredients in blender.  Reserve some of the frozen blueberries for later.
2. Blend.
3. Garnish with frozen blueberries and more cinnamon.
4. Eat.


That's it.  Easy as apple…sauce.  This recipe is detox friendly (since I hitched me-self back on ye 'ole detox wagon...) and would be a great snack for the youngins as well.  Happy eatin' partners!!!

-♥ J

**Upon John's arrival home, I was informed that it was no longer cool nor cloudy outside.  He cranked on the air conditioning and said, "Why are you wearing a wool hat?!"

Fossil Product All Your Crap's Made Of

-♥ J :)

10/21/11

The Weekly Round Up

Good Friday, Veggies.  Sorry for the radio silence of late (would it be called blog silence???).  John and I have had family in town, so I've been taking a (much needed) technological break.  We've been seeing the sites, spending time outdoors and trying to squeeze in as much giggling as time will allow.  Since I have a few minutes to myself this morning, I thought I'd give you the Cliffs Notes version of the week's events.
  1. The past couple of days, I haven't been sticking to the detox.  And I don't care.  And you can't make me care.  We've been having too much fun for me to be worrying about what I should or shouldn't be eating.  So call the gluten police.  I plead guilty and have no remorse.
  2. This didn't stop me from spending $92.43 on juice yesterday.  Apparently when it comes to fresh juice I am careless spendthrift who holds no regard for things like my debt to income ratio.  I see brightly colored juice in bottles and turn into a crazed hoarder.  I guess there are worse vices.
  3. I know that I still owe you the Budget Detox post.  I also know that it won't be finished until next week.  Your patience is greatly appreciated.
  4. True Food Kitchen is my new favorite restaurant.  This restaurant deserves a post unto itself (which I will give it), but for now I'll just say this…on second thought…I have no words.  Pictures are below.  It was unreal.  Go.  Now.   (Also, according to my nephew, they have "the coolest bathroom" he's ever seen.)
  5. I broke my self imposed ban on buying any more workout videos and bought this one and this one.  My justification for this is that Erin and I are testing out a 30 minute workout theory and these videos are part of the research.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  In unrelated news, I had a dream last night that Tracy Anderson told me I need to work on my butt.
-♥ J

John's Grass Fed Bison Burger with Sweet Potato Hash
Squash and Ricotta Ravioli
Farmer's Market Salad
My nephew Eric...eating honey.

10/18/11

Natalia Rose Detoxes the World

Still wondering why any sane person would even consider doing a detox when there are so many more interesting things to do like…bludgeoning oneself with something heavy???  Well, put down that brick and have a gander at this.  In the video below the incomparable Natalia Rose (her name is Natalia even though the video title says Natalie...) gives the whats, whys and hows of all things detox.  I can not wait for her new course PhDetox at the end of the month!!  I will be there with pencils sharpened and green juice in hand.  

-♥ J


10/14/11

The Detox Files

Happy Friday, Veggies!!!  For those of you playing our home game, today marks Day 5 of Fall Detox 2011.  Since Monday I have been juicing during the day and then having a hearty vegan meal for dinner.  Even though this week was really busy, I found that juicing was surprisingly easy to stick to.  This was due in part to the discovery that Earth Bar, one of my favorite places to get fresh juice, now sells juice in prepackaged bottles! 

 I bought three days worth, so I would have them all ready to go whenever I wanted one.  The cost of the juice broke down to about $30 a day.  That's a little steep but, for me, the convenience was worth the price.  Besides, a lot of the popular juice cleanses charge up to $80 a day, so I felt like I was getting a deal. 

HOWEVER (big however), do not get discouraged if that is out of your budget or you don't live near a fresh juice bar.  Next week I am going to cover some cheap and easy ways to get your detox on without having to sell off all of your belongings.  Until then, here is my food plan from the beginning of the week.  Let me know if you have any questions!

-♥ J :)

Monday
10 a.m.- Green Juice: romaine, kale, spinach, celery, parsley, cucumber
12 p.m.- Coconut Bliss Smoothie: organic coconut meat and water, coconut manna, vanilla bean, extra virgin, raw, organic coconut oil, agave ice
4 p.m.- quinoa with broccoli
8 p.m.- Green Juice

Tuesday
10 a.m.- Green Juice
12 p.m.- Citrus Cleanse Juice: orange, green apple, kale, lime
4p.m.- quinoa with broccoli and lentils
6 p.m.- Gt's Kombucha
8 p.m.- Green Juice

Wednesday
10 a.m.- Liver Cleanse Juice: beet. apple, carrot, lemon, ginger, aloe
12 p.m.- Chocolate Supreme Smoothie: raw cacao, banana, raw almond butter, almond milk, agave 
3 p.m.- Citrus Cleanse Juice
6 p.m.- Green Juice
8:30 p.m.- Bill's Tender Greens Salad (Tender Greens Nicoise: NO tuna. NO egg. SUB grilled vegetables) vegan butternut squash soup and a side of hummus

Mmmmm....so yummy.

10/11/11

Miss Representation

"You can't be what you can't see."
-Marie Wilson


I can not wait(!!!) to watch this movie.  It premieres on OWN October 20th, 9pm/8pm CST.  Let's watch it together, Veggies, then we can chat about it afterwards on the Happy Healthy Belly Facebook page.

-♥ J :)

**Click HERE to learn more about the documentary Miss Representation.

10/5/11

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.


-♥ J :)

Breaking Bad


As we ease into this detox, I am going to ask you right here, right now to make one permanent change.  It is a change that can forever alter your course on the road to health. If you do nothing else but change this one itty-bitty thing you will see huge results.  Are you ready???   Here it goes…the change to change all changes is this:

Stop calling food "bad." 

As in, "Oooh, I was bad last night.  I had two cupcakes."  As in, "Let's be bad!   Let's get chicken wings."  As in, you are stare at your menu for a small eternity, send the waiter away multiple times and finally after you survey everyone else at the table to find out what they are going to order, you resolutely declare,"Screw it!  I'm gonna be bad!"

Oh, you are?  You are going to be bad?  Are you going to have unprotected sex with the busboy and then stab me with your steak knife???  No??  You're ordering onion rings??  Ok, then.  You are not being bad.  You are just ordering onion rings.

The minute we assign a moral quality to food we are in trouble for two reasons: 
  1. Upon labeling a food "bad", your inner preacher's daughter will immediately find said food irresistible in a "your-not-from-around-here-are-you-take-me-out-on-your-motorcycle-and-show-me-the-ways-of-boys-from-the-city" kind of way.  Those foods will all of a sudden have a false appeal simply because they are considered more "fun." 
  2. Words have power.  When you call a food that you eat "bad", you are subconsciously labeling yourself "bad" as well.
There are foods that are better for your body than others.  There are foods that are better for the planet than others.  There are foods that give health and there are those that take it all away.  However, the decision to eat positive, life giving food has to come from a grounded love of how that food makes you feel.  We can not shame ourselves into eating in a healthy way.  We must choose vigor because it feels gloriously, indulgently, wonderfully pleasurable to do so.  Anything else is simply an attempt to shackle yourself in a prison of health.  All things shackled, even if shackled with the best of intentions, will eventually try to break free.  Give yourself freedom to begin with and trust that you will choose health, not because you are supposed to, but because it is your luxurious gift to do so.  Now that doesn't sound so bad, does it???

-♥ J :)

10/3/11

Let's get this party started!!

Without further ado…I present to you…
Fall Detox 2011!!!  (I tried to come up with a catchy title like this one, but nothing stuck...)
Specifics will follow, but the gist of my plan is this:

The NO's:
  • Gluten
  • Soy
  • Dairy
  • Sugar
  • Alcohol
  • Meat
  • Eggs
  • Corn
  • Coffee

Sheesh.  When you put all that stuff up there in one lump, it makes this seems like a positively irrational idea.  
Oh, well.  Too late to back out now...

I will be modeling this detox on Natalia Rose's book Detox 4 Women.  If you are really interested in improving your health, I can not recommend this book enough.  When Erin and I did Natalia's Raw Food Detox Diet a few years back, we both agreed that it was the best we've ever felt…ever.  Natalia's philosophy forever changed the way that I approach eating and nutrition.  Now, don't let the title fool you.  There is nothing "girly" about this book.  The fundamentals work just as well for men as they do for women.  It is a four week plan, but I'll be using this week as my transition week.  It is always a good idea to give yourself a week to prep rather than diving straight into a detox.  Doing that will cut down on a lot of the detox symptoms that can occur when embarking on a new way of eating.  I will use this week to do my food shopping, quit coffee, eliminate the "foods" listed above and generally get all my vegetables in a row before the hard core juicing starts on Monday October, 10th.  Here's my shopping list, Veggies.  Let me know if you have any questions!

-♥ J :)

*Read HERE about the detox we did back in the spring.

Fall Detox 2011 SHOPPING LIST
Fruits and Veggies:
Apples
Frozen blueberries
Frozen strawberries
Avocado
Cucumber
Beets
Lemons
Celery
Baby carrots
Mixed greens
Romaine
Kale
Frozen broccoli
Frozen and/or fresh spinach
Frozen artichoke hearts
Frozen brussels sprouts
Scallions
Sweet potatoes
Butternut squash
Spaghetti squash

Condiments and Dips:
Unsweetened Almond Milk (rice milk if you have a nut allergy)
Almond Butter
Olive Oil
Apple Cider Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Garlic (powder or fresh)
Seeds of Change Marinara Sauce (dairy-free)
Earth Balance Soy-Free Natural Buttery Spread
NuNaturals Stevia
Nama Shoyu (soy sauce)

Nuts:
Almonds
Walnuts
Sesame seeds

Beans:
Lentils

Grains:
Organic brown rice 
Buckwheat Soba (like this one)
Quinoa
Millet

10/1/11

This is not the shopping list that I promised you…

Sorry, Veggies.  I won't be done with that until later tonight.  In the meantime, please amuse yourself with this lovely recipe for kale salad.  This salad is going to be one of my go to meals for the detox.  Even people who don't like kale (I'm looking at you John…) like this recipe.  The biggest complaint that I hear about kale is that it is bitter and tough.  The sweetness of the honey used in this recipe (agave can be used as a substitute) does a nice job of balancing out any tartness.  Also, the act of massaging the kale makes it soft and palatable.  Aarti puts mango and toasted pumpkin seeds in her salad.  I put dried cranberries and sesame seeds in mine.  Feel free to experiment.  Raisins would be delicious.  So would tomatoes with chopped onion and walnuts. Because the kale doesn't get soggy, this is a great salad to make if you have to prep it a while before you are going to be eating it.  It even keeps overnight!  Enjoy!

-♥ J :)

Massaged Kale Salad
(printable recipe)
Recipe courtesy of Aarti Sequeira.
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

Directions
1. In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

2. In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

3. Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.
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