Get juiced with Kris Carr

It should be noted that I love Kris Carr.  I think she is a sparkly beacon of goodness and light and I would pretty much buy anything she sells.  If she came out with a line of snow tires I would hesitate for a minute (since I live in southern California) but ultimately would probably wind up having to explain to my husband why there are four ginormous tires sitting in our living room.  So, you can imagine my delight last week when (instead of snow tires) Kris came out with an 80 page e-book dedicated entirely to the art of making smoothies and juice.  Does this girl know the way to my heart or what??  Not only does the book have over 60 different recipes, but Kris also walks you through all the info you would ever need when looking to incorporate juicing into your life.  From fasting to picking out the right juicer to the difference between juicing and blending, this e-book leaves no veg un-juiced…metaphorically and literally.  Three cheers, Kris Carr!!  I raise my glass of Green Goddess Smoothie to you!!

-♥ J :)

Green Goddess Smoothie
by Kris Carr
Makes 16 oz.

• 1 avocado*
• 1 - 2 pieces of low-glycemic fruit: green apple, pear, berries and cantaloupe
• 1 cucumber
• A fistful of kale or romaine or spinach
• Coconut water (or purified water)
• Stevia to taste, and or a sprinkle of cinnamon or some cacao (optional)

* Use coconut meat or raw almond butter or nut milk in place of avocado.
Prep and wash all produce. Blend and serve.

P.S. Get your own copy of Kris's book by clicking on the heart to the above.
P.P.S.  Remember when we were going to do this detox?? Well, that didn't happen, but I'm beginning to feel that urge again, Veggies.  I see Spring peeking it's head around the corner and it is whispering: "deee-tooxx."  Stay tuned.

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.

Want to peek in my journal???

I don't normally keep a food journal.  

While it's true that food journals can be useful in the beginning of a nutrition program to help a person become more mindful, the ultimate goal should be to find a sense of balance and calm when it comes to food.  You want to learn how to listen to your body's subtle cues and respond accordingly.  You do not want to spend the rest of your life making a PowerPoint presentation for the great calorie counter in the sky.

However, for those of you playing the Detox home game, I thought it might be helpful to see specifically what I've been eating.  Here is my food journal from this past weekend.  Recipes are included at the bottom.  Feel free to email me, tweet me, post on the Happy Healthy Belly Facebook Page or comment below with any and all questions.

-♥ J :) 

P.S. You will notice there is nary a margarita or vodka smoothie in sight.  That thump you hear is the sound of me patting myself on the back.

SATURDAY
11am: 16oz. Green Lemonade

12:30pm: Almond Butter Smoothie

5pm: Pure Bar

6pm: 16oz. Green Lemonade

8pm: Jen's Popeye Power Spinach Salad w/ dijon vinaigrette

9pm: Trader Joe's Fruit Frenzy Bar

SUNDAY
11am: Almond Butter Smoothie

12:30pm: 16oz. Green Lemonade

3pm: Pure Bar

5pm: 20oz. Green Lemonade and 1 cup (approx) breakfast potatoes (left over from John's brunch)

8pm: Jen's Popeye Power Spinach Salad w/ dijon vinaigrette

9pm: 1 Trader Joe's Dairy-Free Mango Mochi

RECIPES
Green Lemonade 
I just can not stress enough how energizing (and filling!) green juice is.  This weekend I used 1/2 Organic Mixed Greens and 1/2 Apple, Lemon, Ginger Juice from Beverly Hills Juice and mixed them together.  To make your own, juice the following in a juicer:
-2 large Cucumbers 
-Big fist-full of Kale
-Big fist-full of Romaine
-3 stalks of Celery
-1 Pear or Green Apple
-1-2 big Broccoli stems
-1 lemon
-1/2 inch of Ginger
Experiment to taste.
Makes about 32 oz. Make more and save in Mason jars up to 24 hours.

Almond Butter Smoothie
(a version of THIS smoothie)
-1 ripe banana
-1 hefty scoop of almond butter
-1 handful Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao 
-1 scoop Naturade Soy-Free Veg Protein Booster
-Half a packet of Nu Naturals Stevia 
Put all the ingredients into a blender.
Add enough almond milk to almost cover the banana.
Blend. Drink.

Jen's Popeye Power Spinach Salad 
(serves 2)
-1 package of pre-washed raw spinach
-Trader Joe's frozen artichokes (cook according to package instructions)
-handful of dried cranberries
-handful of cashews
-handful of almonds
-1 and1/2 cup of lentils
-1 large avocado
-1 cup peas
Put ingredients in a bowl and toss with...

Jen's (other) Stupidly Easy Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing 
-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-1 tablespoon mustard
-2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Organic Garlic Flavored Olive Oil
-1/2 packet stevia
Whisk together.  Drizzle on salad.

Some days you feel like a detox….

And some days you feel like drinking Vodka Smoothies** out of champagne glasses with brightly colored straws at 3 in the afternoon with one of your best friends because you got off work early and it's Oprah's last show and you didn't have the ingredients for the Banana Chocolate Chip Smoothie in the house.  And sure you could have left the vodka out of the smoothie, but it was Oprah's last show(!) and that calls for champagne…but you didn't have any champagne so you improvised.  And on those days maybe you'll decide that all you want for dinner is tortilla chips, hummus and chocolate.  So many tortilla chips.  So much hummus.  So. Much. Chocolate.  And on those days...those days...you will go to sleep, belly full of chips and good times, and resolve to begin again tomorrow.
Welcome to tomorrow.
Here's a Post Party Menu to help you (ahem..me) get back on track:

Breakfast
-16 to 20oz. Green Juice
Make your own (recipe here) or buy from your local fresh juice place.
Some of my LA favorites include:
-Beverly Hills Juice
-Liquid New Theme
-Mcafe
-Real Food Daily

Lunch
-More Green Juice
That's right.  You did the crime, now give your body time.  Drinking green juice* gives your digestion a rest while still giving your body the nutrients that it craves.  Drink up to 40 oz. of Green Juice throughout the day.

Snack (around 2pm)
-1/2 cup quinoa
-1/2 cup black beans
-add chopped tomato, onion, cucumber and parsley to taste
-juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

Dinner
Natalia Rose's Guacamole Salad
(recipe from The Raw Food Detox Diet)

makes 2 to 4 servings

-3 Hass avocados, finely chopped
-4 ripe Holland tomatoes, diced, or 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
-1/2 garlic, minced
-1 bunch cilantro, chopped
-1/4 to 1/2 pound baby romaine, mesclun, or regular romaine lettuce, chopped
-Juice of 1 lime
-2 tablespoons agave nectar (or 1 stevia packet)
-Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

"Dessert"
-caffiene free herbal tea
I like Yogi Ginger Tea.  It's sweet, spicy and tames an angry belly.

-♥ J :)

*If you don't have a juicer and don't have access to store that makes fresh juice, substitute two low sugar fruits for breakfast (e.g. apple, pear, 1 cup of berries or grapefruit) and a salad of mixed greens with lemon and olive oil for lunch.
**For the Vodka Smoothie I doubled the Pineapple Berry Lemonade recipe and added 2 shots of Vodka.  Goes best with a great friend, a lazy afternoon and an empty "To Do" list.  Drink slowly.