Kombucha Round 2

Ok, I admit it:  Im addicted!  The kombucha is so flavorful and fizzy.  It's so much better than pop.  I made 2 jars this time because one just wasn't enough to hold me over.  This time it only took 14 days to brew, plus the 3 days for flavoring (second stage).  My current flavors are awesome (blackberry lime, lemon ginger, apple cinnamon), but Im sure I'll be coming up with more flavors with the appearance of spring and summer fruits.

The kombucha is perfectly sweet/sour, and ready for flavoring:

These are my awesome IKEA bottles with the flavoring ready to go:

Natural flavoring + kombucha = YUM!  (and so pretty!)

Who wants to try some?

Peace.  Love.  Serene.

Whole 30 Complete

I did it!  It's complete!  I went 30 days without sugar, dairy, alcohol, gluten, bread, corn, beans, or anything processed.

I promised that I would be honest so here it is:  I don't feel hands-down awesome like I thought I would.  I thought I was going to have a ton of energy, a ton of weight loss, and a big smile on my face. Maybe I was expecting too much.  I am sleeping better, and I have lost a bit of weight.  Granted, I wasn't a die-hard participant, but I just couldn't beat myself up over the little things.  I did have commercial ketchup when necessary (and organic sugar-free at home), I did eat peanut butter through most of the month, and maybe that was part of sensitivity and I screwed it up (I've decided that after adding all foods back in one at a time, I will do a stint of 30 days without ALL legumes, to see if they are an issue for me).  I also used bottled salad dressing, which is sugar and processed.




I will be honest that I accidentally cheated a few days ago - I bought "coconut bliss" dairy-free ice cream, because I was having one hell of a sweets craving (men-block your eyes .... Women-I was on my period, and I know all of you know what I'm talking about!). So I scanned the ingredients.  Coconut milk, cocoa powder, very few others.  Cool! I ate about a quarter of the pint and it was gooooood.  There was a little something missing in the aftertaste, and I think it's because the coconut milk doesn't coat your tongue like dairy does.  So as I'm putting it away, I glance at the ingredients again - agave.  Damn!  I wasn't supposed to have any sugar, sucrolose, honey, agave, stevia- nothing.  And I did feel crappy the next couple of days, but I think it may be a coincidence.  Could that little amount really set me off like that?

My super trying nails are also now weak again and breaking - could also be a time of month thing.

And to finish off the 30 days, I had a celebratory meal with my friends Katy & Jason, and my brother Seabrook:  King crab legs with melted clarified butter, and a big green salad with kale and parsley out of my garden.  Holy cow - what a way to graduate!  And wouldn't you know it - I was so excited to eat that I forgot to take a picture!

It was hard, but I did it!  Here are a few tips:

- Always be prepared - make lunches the night before - always make enough for leftovers - sometimes you just don't feel like cooking
- You won't always be hungry like you think you will.  These foods keep you way more full.

- Soda water with fresh lime makes a pretty good cocktail

- Tell people about what you're doing - they will be less likely to say "just one bite?"
- When you're sick of a type of food (for me it was eggs), try to change it up.  Add some new herbs or spices (towards the end I added curry powder to my eggs and cooked with red pepper and apples)
- Be strong - each craving will pass!  Sweets craving?  Eat some pineapple or watermelon.  Chocolate craving?  Have a banana smoothie with coconut milk and cocoa powder (make sure you get it from a health-type grocery store and that it doesn't have any added sugar)
- Don't beat yourself up if you found out you ate something off of your list (like in condiments).  You can only do your best!
- There are snacks you can have on hand.  Make sweet potato chips or see the pics below: cinnamon apple chips or freeze dried veggie chips.  You can also have dried fruit and veggies.
- Coconut aminos are a good substitute for soy sauce (buy at health food store).
- Don't try to fool your body and have simulations of the foods you can't eat.
- There is way more that you can eat than you think you can (see bottom of page).

Oysters in Pittsburgh with my brother, Seabrook,  & my sister's boyfriend, Josh

Tuna salad w/ extra veggies - celery, radish, & zucchini

Thai grilled chicken with thai cuc & radish salad + watermelon

Snacks you CAN have!  Cinnamon apple chips or freeze dried veggie chips

For your Whole 30, REMEMBER, You can make:
grilled chicken, poached chicken, chicken soup (no noodles), steak on the grill, grilled shrimp, shrimp scampi, pulled pork, beef roast with onions, carrots, and cabbage, grilled fish, sautéed fish, baked fish, steak, chicken, or shrimp stir fry, meatloaf (no oats or breadcrumbs), guacamole, almond butter on celery, freeze dried fruit, fruit smoothies (no milk), hard boiled eggs, fried eggs, poached eggs, veggie egg scramble, sweet potato hash, local sausage & bacon, fruit, tuna salad w/ homemade olive oil mayo, eggs salad w/ oo mayo, chili (no beans), lettuce tacos, burgers (no bun), chicken sate, zucchini "pasta" with marinara or pesto, salad / grilled chicken, strawberries & pecans, ham or turkey sub on lettuce wrap ... And much more!

Peace.  Love.  Serene.

Whole 30 - Day 16

Whole 30 Plan - Day 16 - WOO HOO!

I had every intention on writing on day 15, but we had a 2 big shows at Bloomfield Gymnastics yesterday (which went splendidly), and I just didn't have the energy to write the second blog last night.

So I am over the hump 

50% completed  

Moving towards the finish line

And I have to say - I feel great!  Yes, it's still a struggle to find things to eat.  I'm back to eating eggs - scrambled with various veggies and sausage each morning.  Also, last night I went out to dinner to the Moose Preserve, which hasn't happened many times during this program.  I only found a few options, and had to pick one.  I chose "naked & fit chicken" - charbroiled chicken breast with grilled onions a double side of veggies.  (see pic) The veggies were really good.  I also have a new appreciation for soda water with fresh lime.  The spinach artichoke dip looked yummy, but I resisted.  I'm getting a lot of people saying "just one bite" or "just one sip of beer" ... but other than unavoidable sugars (ketchup at a restaurant), I'm sticking to the plan!

On a great note, I am really starting to feel the difference.  My pants are fitting better.  Part of the program is to not weigh yourself, but I don't anyway, so I would have no starting point.  I'm sleeping a lot better (other than the crazy itchy bug bite - see previous post).  I am not having my 4am protein cravings that usually got my out of bed for a Babybel cheese and 4 Triscuits.

I had noticed my fingernails had gotten really weak.  They were easily bendable, and they split easily.  I am now noticing longer nails, and they are very strong.

Mood:  While my friend Donna, and the other coaches at Bloomfield Gymnastics may not agree with this statement, I really have been in a better mood the last couple of days.  The show yesterday was very stressful, so that may have come through, and Thursday I was crabby because I was trying to pull everything together, and it was also the last remnants of my healing crisis.  So yes, I think I do have improved mood.  Whether it is the food, or the weather, or what part of my cycle I'm in.  Who knows!

Are you thinking about trying the Whole 30 plan yet?

IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT!

Peace.  Love.  Serene.

Green Juice - YUM!

Ok, I know it sounds weird, but I love green juice.  Its fresh and sweet, and gives me lots of nutrients.  I just feel GOOD when I have green juice handy.  When I make it, I make a pitcher of it.  Sometimes I just drink a glass a day, sometimes a quart.  A nice big lidded jar works well because sometimes you want to shake before drinking.  It lasts for about 5 days in the refrigerator.  Its also really good in smoothies with a banana, some honey, and ice.  Maybe a few frozen strawberries for added flavor.

Here's what you do:

Get a good juicer.  Don't buy a cheap one.  It will break.
Wash fruit and veggies, and cut into pieces that will fit into machine.
Push it through!  It's amazing how fast it works.
Depending on how much you are doing, you may need to clean out the internal mesh filter half way through.

Use more watery veg (cucumber, celery) than other veggies.

The more fruit you have, the sweeter it will be.

RECIPE:

Yeah ... anything green. Direct quote from Miss Katy.  Try the asian vegetable aisle - there is some cool stuff.

Some suggestions (put GREEN in front of everything on this list):

Apples
Pears
Grapes
Pineapple (ok, its not green, but close enough)

Cucumber
Celery
Romaine lettuce
Parsley (really good for you)
Kale
Escarole
Spinach
Sprouts - any kind (also really good for you)
Zucchini
Collard or Mustard greens

Herbs like basil, cilantro, or mint - but they can be overpowering


The difference between juicing and blending:  Juicing takes out the fiber.  Feel free to throw all of this in a really good blender (like a VitaMix), but it was a little bit too thick for me to drink.

DISCLAIMER: Katy Lurtz of Royal Oak, MI taught me everything I know about juicing

Veg Week - Day 9 - & juicing

I had the flu.  The pukey flu.  The lay on the couch, not enough energy to read, need a nap after walking to the bathroom, kind of flu.  Im all better now, but my appetite hasn't come back.  I mean, I have not been hungry in 4 days.  My Mom knows this is unheard of.  I always eat.  Therefore, I have only eaten a bite or two in the last 2 days (first 2 days - forget it).

So Im still counting these 4 days in veggie week, even though technically, I haven't really eaten anything.


I also launched my business, Simply Breathe Concierge.  I've had a lot of responses, and a lot of people who want to help me out.  It's amazing!  I'm really excited to get started.  www.simplybreathemi.com

We had our bowling fundraiser.  It was a huge success, and it took soooo much energy out of me.  I felt like shit when I got there because I had to actually shower, get dressed, and drive somewhere.  I rested, and I had a glass of Katy's green juice (see below), and felt GREAT!  I was sent out to sell prize tickets and 50/50 tickets.  I used my natural-born salesman gene.  I kicked ass.  Then I had to rest again.  I was lucky enough to sleep a bunch last night, then I realized that I needed more of that juice!

On to juicing ... I realized I had an old second-hand juicer in the basement, and I asked Katy how to make green juice.  Celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, lemon.  And she has no fructose in her diet right now, but I can add a green apple.  I also had a yellow pepper going soft, so I added a 1/4 of that.  I went off to the grocery store, and made my first official jar of green juice!  Im hoping it will really give me that extra kick of health and energy.  Its really not that bad if you don't drink it thinking its going to taste like a pop.


I need to keep a lot more veggies on hand!





I'll keep you updated through these last few days of veggie week.  I actually have a lot of food left from my original shopping, so although I am allowed to have meat on Saturday, I have a lot of non-meat meals left, so if I do have meat its probably going to be very little.

Im thinking of making fish cakes.

Peace.  Love.  Serene.

Healthy Tip

I just read this tip and wanted to share:

Wake Up with Water
“Before you put coffee, tea, or food into your body, it’s best to first break your fast with a glass of water with lemon,” says Ashley Koff, RD, a nutritionist in Los Angeles and founder of ashleykoffapproved.com. When you sleep, Koff says, your body isn’t just abstaining from food but from water too. “Because many vitamins are water-soluble, having a glass before you eat will help your body better absorb nutrients from food.” The acidity of the lemon helps rebalance your digestive tract by making it alkaline, allowing “good” bacteria in your intestines to thrive and facilitate optimal nutrient absorption.