Monday, April 25, 2011

Ok ended my juicing on Friday.........after 26 days

Car is packed and ready for a private picnic,
way different from the average Easter Day.
I did what I could,that is all I can do with the juicing. I took a break with orange and grapefruit and coconut water all day Saturday. But no,no, 
no  I did not eat a traditional Easter as many have done .Oh no I will share with you some photos of my Easter Sunday. This is what my husband myself and all 3 dogs did......... We got in the car and headed North in Washington on the Peninsula, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and community. Almost went to the farthest tip of Northern Washington State, but not quit.
3 dogs in the car ,with the sun shining,and that's
a plus on Easter in Washington State.


Four Raw Nori wraps with Pistachio (Raw)used as a spread. Topped
 with celery ,red pepper,cucumber,carrot. Then made a dip
 of Nama shou and honey with grated ginger in it.
Oh my what a great taste. Salad in container with stuff
added got eaten later that night.

Making the nori wraps on site,it was like camping.

Here is the dipping sauce-yummy.

We took a drive to Port Angeles,which is about 50
 more minutes from this site we did lunch at. This salad was eaten later
 in Port Angeles as we sat in the car and looked at the water.

Looking out at the water. One hour 10 minutes
from home and its cloudy.

Looking at the Hood Canal bridge as we sat and ate
our Raw Nori Wraps.
After eating the Nori wraps the Salad you see in two photos above was
 eaten later that evening about 6 pm. I made a lovely mango dressing to top
off the salad. We added kelp noodles cut up  and that  made the salad have a great
texture change that we will make again. This day really was a nice different
calm day, that was awesome.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Day 22 juice feasting

After last night I filled 2 of the bottles that I bought for Kombucha, I have to say I am in heaven with my 2 flavors that I made. I tasted both and I love them. I love them so much that I poured a bit from both bottles to test them today and then I topped them off with the original batch that is on its 9th day of brewing,and so far left the 2 bottles on my counter. 

Left over batch of Green tea  Kombucha




Two bottled up teas I made below. Light batch but I used 
8 teabags of Organic Green Tea. My brew spot is my Oven :-)
Oven light is on for the photo so I think the tea seems lighter that it really is.
Notice my newer self made Scoby that appeared on the top.The bottom of the jar has 
some older stringy stuff from the other scoby I got ,(but fell apart.)


17 ounce bottles of homemade Kombucha.




Both have a dehydrated pear in it for flavor, and the red one has
two flower hibiscus in it for more flavor.


I am heading on the road today and when I do that I take an insulated  lunch box
unit to take my water and juice. If I leave without juice I have a juice making place 35 minutes from my home. I have done that before but not today.
In this juice today I have : Kale,Celery,Cucumber,
Celery,Red pepper for sweetness, Lime and Ginger  



We have the sun out today and that makes me come out of my yucky feeling syndrome. I will say I  think the whole USA has wacky weather except parts of the South like Texas. I hear California only is 67 degrees today and that is abnormal. All I know is Raw is my life, Juicing is my longer goal,and keeping on track is my happy place. 

I am back to walking daily as my back still gives me issues if I walk too long. So off I go and enjoy the sunshine.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Day 21 of juicing......

OMG, Warm water with lemon juice. I like warmer water over colder water in the A.M. I have been playing in the kitchen. I am making my first batch of Kombucha. I got a starter scoby ,but it sank in the mixture and didn't stay flat so my batch which is 8 days old (and still brewing) started a new scoby. My batch started a new scoby on the top as the liquid had a good amount of the stringy yeasty stuff that Kombucha thrives on and  this batch is some tasty stuff. What I did was buy several glass bottles with a latch top.  I took two bottles and put a piece of dehydrated pear slice in each bottle, and one of the two bottles has hibiscus flowers and the pear slice. I took my made scoby and the remainder Kombucha back in the Oven to brew a few more days. I mean I buy Kombucha in the bottles all the time and enjoy the flavor, but nothing compares to freshly made Kombucha. I have a new Raw favorite.

So wow between Rejuvalac, Kombucha and ACV Water I am a happy chick with alternative choices. I now have instant some  probiotic drinks .Can I tell you what NEVER to do as I accidentally made myself vomit. Oh lord about 1 month ago I drank about 1/2 bottle of the GT Kombucha and before bed I took my Live refrigerated probiotic, not thinking that I just double gave myself a probiotic kick. Well lets just say I got up at 3:30 am a vomited. I can't tell you the last time I vomited. I am quit healthy when it comes to sickness. I don't get colds either since our grandaughter moved out last June 2010. Tomorrow I will take photos in the AM as the light of the room is nicer.


As of today I stuck with Collard, Kale, Celery, Cucumber, cilantro, parsley, lime,and ginger, juice all day......And I had plenty of water. I would love to get bold and attempt 1 day of pure water,but I haven't come to do that yet.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Day 15 of Juicing....

 I have been away from home a good 3 days Saturday, Sunday and Monday from early am until late pm in order to add to this blog, which never gave me time to add info here. I won't write here as I have a broken laptop and my phone makes it too hard to get down what I want to say, without making typo mistakes when I am away from my home. I am so old fashion that I am not into testing and it seems the rest of society does do lots of texting.
Today was a Sunny nice beautiful day. Maybe Spring is here after all. Maybe we will get the yard mowed today Tuesday. Our property is 1.34 acres and most is mowing land. My hubby will mow after work because he has a riding lawnmower.  

One of my busy days was Saturday I went to a up North  a 1 hour drive, to a 3 hour potluck and part of the potluck was having a lesson in Kombucha making, Sauerkraut and fermenting vegetables in general. The funny thing is, I actually had 5 day old fermenting Sauerkraut brewing  that I happened to make for my First Time. Friday eve it went in the refigerator and to the potluck on Saturday Day 6.


I made mine with Red and green cabbage ,some shredded carrots,and herbs,
spices or Caraway seed and fennel  (both ground with a mortar and pestle), and dill.


                                 
Leaving my kraut in the oven to ferment. Hey it's a dark place .
 I took the one container on the Right side while I left the left one in
the oven to ferment 3 more days. Notice in photo
below all of the saurerkraut turned purple.
This is the result of my cabbage. This was a good batch as all of the surekraut was gobbled up.


                     
                     
Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing:
· Cleanses the lymphatic system and stimulates the lymph canals to drain toxic mucoid matter into the colon, thereby purifying the entire system. This enables the lymph to perform its house-cleaning duties by keeping the blood and other vital tissues detoxified. NOTE: After several days of dry brushing, you may notice the gelatinous mucoid material in your stools. 
· Removes dead skin layers which can help improve skin texture and cell renewal. 
· Strengthens the immune system
· Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands
· Tightens the skin by increasing the flow of blood, thereby preventing premature aging
· Stimulates circulation to skin, encouraging your body's discharge of metabolic wastes, which greatly aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. When the body rids itself of toxins, it is able to run more efficiently in all areas. 
· Improves the function of the nervous system
· Helps digestion - helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health. 
· Dry skin brushing helps with muscle tone and more even distribution of fat deposits. 
· Dry skin brushing also rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin. 
· Individuals who sit at a computer screen all day long will particularly take pleasure in the benefits of skin brushing. People who have inactive lifestyles or jobs usually experience stiff and sore necks and shoulders that reach even into their arms and down their spines and into their lower backs. Increased blood flow begins entering the areas brushed and you will experience an increase in electromagnetic energy that permits you to feel energized and invigorated. 

· Removes cellulite - LADIES--Cellulite is toxic. Cellulite is toxic materials that are accumulated in your body's fat cells as they are unable to be eliminated. So, rather than liposuction surgery, how about utilizing the "dry skin brushing" techniques coupled with an alkaline diet program and a great exercising routine. It will break down the unwelcome toxic body deposits and send them scurrying out of your body through the elimination channels we discussed above

AND it's easy, inexpensive and invigorating! Tips and Tricks for Dry Brushing: 

* Always dry brush your dry body before you shower or bathe because you will want to wash off the impurities from the skin as a result from the brushing action.

* You can do the brushing head-to-toe or toe-to-head. It really doesn't matter as long as the entire body is brushed. Long sweeping strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction help drain the lymph back to your heart. Note: Stroking away from your heart puts extra pressure on the valves within the veins and lymph vessels and can cause ruptured vessels and varicose veins.

Use light pressure in areas where the skin is thin and harder pressure on places like the soles of the feet.


* Skin brushing should be performed once a day, preferably first thing in the morning. A thorough skin brushing takes about 15 minutes, but any time spent brushing prior to bathing will benefit the body.If you are feeling ill, increasing the treatments to twice a day is good. You can also dry brush areas of cellulite five to 10 minutes twice a day to achieve cellulite dissolving, but the technique needs to be done consistently for a minimum of five months. 
* Avoid sensitive areas and anywhere the skin is broken such as areas of skin rash, wounds, cuts, and infections. Also, never brush an area affected by poison oak or poison ivy.

* Finish up with your regular shower and ending with three hot and cold cycles. That means turning on the water as hot as you can take it for several seconds, then as cold as you can handle it, then hot, then cold for three cycles. End with either hot or cold. This will further invigorate the skin and stimulate blood circulation, bringing more blood to the outer layers of the skin.


* After getting out of the shower, dry off vigorously and massage your skin with pure plant oils such as olive, avocado, apricot, almond, sesame, coconut or cocoa butter. Add a little peanut and Castor oil to the mix if you have arthritis. Edgar Cayce says this works to take out some of the pain, and we've found that to be true over the years.
* Clean your skin brush using soap and water once a week. After rinsing, dry your skin brush in an open, sunny spot to prevent mildew.

* Any well designed program will take about 30 days to see and experience the changes. Please be patient and keep up the program! For a thorough lymphatic cleansing, perform skin brushing daily for a minimum of three months.
 I am back to using my skin brush again ,as in the winter I was too lazy to stand there naked because the weather was too cold.II like the way the skin feels when using the brush.


    





Thursday, April 7, 2011

Day 10 Juice feasting.....

Awe another weird weather day. I am beginning to think we will never see the sun again. I see the sun and it goes right away. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of the weather here in Washington State. I again started my day with my Rejuvalac water and MSM tablets. I started with 32 ounces of water and 8 ounces of the 32 this A.M. was the Rejuvalac/Water combo.




Health benefits of water

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
So how much water does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? In general, doctors recommend 8 or 9 cups. Here are the most common ways of calculating that amount:
  • Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Another approach to water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Although the approach really isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this easy-to-remember rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.
  • Rumor has it we should all drink 1/2 of our Body Weight in Water ounces. Each of us need different amounts of water with this rule in place.
And this is my Wheatgrass,and I don't own a wheatgrass juicer. Yes it is possible to get wheatgrass into our body without a wheatgrass juicer. What I do is cut a good bunch of the grass and take about 6 ounces of fresh water and add them to my Vitamix. I then take a fine strainer with the back of a spoon and push down my spoon until the grass is dry. Yes ,I may not be getting a potent blast but I assure you I have been taking my Wheatgrass this way for over 2 years and have had great changes as posted back in my blog awhile ago.


WHAT I AM FEELING: I am actually having in and out thoughts of my life and the negative it had. I know it is detox as I have been eating fairly good. I just can't get a grip on much positive as I had an unhappy childhood. I am not going to cherry coat my life. I just like staying raw and I feel so good, and this is my intension: 
*stay Raw 
*stay juicing
 *have some Elixir teas 





Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Day 8 Juice feasting....

I started my day with 32 ounces of warm water with MSM in it. The photo to the right is a 1/4 of a glass of my Rejuvalac that I now make. Instead of making a huge batch of  soaked wheatberries :  what I now do is soak about 1 small handful of berries soaked overnight,then sprouted and rinsed for 2 days and then I pour about 8 cups of water in my big glass jar. I proceed to leave the jar and the sprouted wheatberries in my dark place 
( my oven), for 1-2 days depending on the flavor I want. I now pour the finished glass of Rejuvalac and add some fresh squeezed lemon into the water, then I also add some fresh Spring water. I think plain Rejuvalac is something I have to slowly get used to drinking straight. I know the Rejuvalac is good for my intestinal tract.


After being up  a few hours I did a SWF (Salt water flush). I hurt my back so doing an enema right now is not ok. So I do the next best thing. Today I got  a package that I was real excited to get in the mail and I want to say I am happy. Here is what I received from Fed-Ex today: I have myself the real deal REAL Ceylon Cinnamon- Not Cassia Cinnamon.<---Click the link and read the difference. The tin contains 90 - 100 pieces of five inch long Cinnamon sticks which are individually cellophane wrapped and enclosed in an alufoil pack preserve the aroma .
Real  Ceylon Cinnimon from Sri Lanka
 A rough distinction can be made between two types of cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon only contains low levels of coumarin which are safe from the Institute’s risk assessment perspective. By contrast, cassia cinnamon contains high levels of coumarin and large amounts of this cinnamon should not, therefore, be eaten.
Be wise and buy only Ceylon Cinnamon pure and straight from Ceylon .







Cinnamon and Sri Lanka's affinity is so strong that the very botanical name of the spice - Cinnamomum Zeylanicum is derived from the island's former name, Ceylon Affinity between Cinnamon and Sri Lanka is so strong that the very botanical name of the spice - Cinnamomum Zeylanicum is derived from the island's former name, Ceylon.

This is a tea I make with several ingredients including Fresh Cranberries saved in my freezer for the Holiday time and Gogi berries, hemp seeds, just to name a few ingredients then I add  chinese herb ingredients and whip me up a wonderful elixir drink! I cut 1 cinnamon stick into this already made teabase . What I did is warm my tea on the stove with the cinnamon and all I can say is what a lovely smell in the warm tea and I taste it in the tea too. Yummy too. Funny thing is the cinnamon has no scent just out of the wrapper. But I am very happy with my purchase.

My choice for today is very different. I feel so good drinking the Mint elixir that I will only drink Water, Rejuvalac ,Tea base ,and this elixir above. I am listening to my body and I am really not wanting anything else so far today. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Day 6 of Juice feasting....

I want to start off by saying yesterday was a super busy day and that's why I didn't get on here yesterday. My hubby and I left our home approximately 1 pm and the day was beautiful and a blue sky with light wind. I had to go into Seattle to pick up some soap products and some organic goods to make some juices. However once we got over the Narrows Bridge and headed north the sky was dark ,and  pouring rain on and off all the way into Seattle. Parts of Seattle got sunny and the ride home was more pour down rain episodes. And guess what we came home to a sunny sky, but I will say about an hour went by and we did get a tad bit of rain once we arrived home. I was a good girl as I look in the car some Coconut water ,1 juiced orange ,1 juiced grapefruit  and 1 teas. of Vitamineral green. I love this drink it is a winner!
Juice I made in my AM -Midday~My V-8~ALL ORGANIC produce


* Whole Stalk Celery
* 1 large Cucumber
*Broccoli Stalk 
*2 Red Chard
*10 large basil leaves
*Trader Joe Tiny red and yellow baby tomatoes
*Zucchini
*3 Small garlic
*Parsley (good amount)
*1 large carrot
*Burdock root about 10" long(bought at Asian market)
*Small Spinach bunch-------I use my Breville,BUT I take the pulp and put in in a nut milk bag. Oh My I actually got 8 more ounces this time around ,which is the most in ounces I ever have gotten from squeezing my pulp.



This made 1.5 mason jars~ I really like this one too.....So Many good ones I am happy with.


When I first started raw in October of 2008 I never intended to eat organic in my beginning adventure, although the more I learn and the more I eat raw, I know know I am doing the body good. Some items I get at a Asian market such as Young Thai coconuts and Fresh ginger,and large stalks of Burdock root sometimes if they carry organic and the item looks good I buy some produce,but not usually will I buy produce at an Asian market due to non-organic. This is my first choice in buying juicing and eating my raw from here on out ....


Today is Saturday and I woke up and I made a lovely tea of: 1/2 bag 
frozen cranberries (saved from Christmas), 1/4 C gogi berries, of *2 Tbsp.* these next herbs: pau d'arco bark shaved, horsetail, licorice root, milk thistle, cats claw, nettle leaf,and 10 pieces of Reishi pieces about 4 "long: I put the teas to a slow 
heating ,turn the tea off and leave alone covered for about 5 hours and put into mason jars.
And here is a photo of the kind I purchased. I want to say this tea making then tonic making is a new path I am doing and I am loving this. Again I am newer at making teas but its very much a fun and good tasting adventure. 

Now I will take a break and hubby and I are heading to Olympia South of us , another 1 hour drive to fill our many containers and get the best water out of the ground you could ever imagine. I have been getting this water for at least 9 years. Oh my What a blah kinda day,not sunny but grey and just yuk. Yes you are probably saying that how can this be a natural spring in the middle of a parking lot. The spring has been here since 1914,so the built a city around this ..


Tonight is country music awards, my kinda music. Yet,country music is my favorite. Actually all music is fine but total rock is too hard core for me. So off I go and make me another juice.