Gardening is the Best!!! Juicing Day 3 and 4

Day 3 and 4  of my Juice Feast
Day 3 was harder.  We decided to take the girls to the beach and there are definitely no outlets there for my juicer or Blender.  We did stock up on Organic juices for me before we left so that was a big help.
It is hard for me at the beach.  That is the place I love to snack.  But, this time we just didnt take anything I would be tempted with but had the girls keep all their snacks together.
My energy level dropped day 3 and 4 but better now.  It always does but by the 4-6th day it gets better and you feel so much more energy and strength.
I am enjoying so many new juices too and smoothies.
Adding wheatgrass and lots of greens helps keep my energy up also.

Also, having fun harvesting from the garden.

Tomatoes, Kale, Green Beans, Onions, Bok Choy,  Romaine, Cabbage, Cucumber, Zucchini  , + More out of our garden just in the last few months.  The only hard part is the weeding but after you harvest some veggies for the first time it will be so worth it.  The girls LOVE seeing things grow.  Weeding not so much.  LOL

Day 1 of my Juice Feast

Today was my first day on my 30 day Feast.  I started out with a combo juice of :

Celery, Apple, Carrot, Ginger, Beets, Lemon and Kale.
Between 7:00 and 11:00a.m. I drank about 32 oz

Later in the day I drank a 32 oz Green Smoothie, which was Spinach, Blueberries, Banana,  Spirulina  (Blue Green Algae) Shelled Hemp Seeds, Coconut Water , Plant bases Protein powder and some fresh Mango.  YUM!!!
I also drank more coconut water through the day and lemon water.  I try and drink at least 70 oz of water a day.  Sometimes more and sometimes a little less.  The more you hydrate the better your body will release toxins.  

Making Huge Changes This Month!!!!

As most of you know, Rich and I have been Vegan and trying to be mostly raw but failing lately miserably.  We are 100% Vegan but have been eating alot of Gluten and alot of what we call "Healthy Junk Food".  That is food that might be dairy and meat free but is not as healthy as we should be eating. 
So, starting tomorrow morning I am going on a 30 day Juice Feast to detox my body and try and get back where I was 2.5 years ago.  
I will be doing juices and smoothies and posting daily what I am drinking and how I am doing.  I know the first week will be hard, but after that my body will start feeling like it should.  


Today I made some Kale Chips with the help of my husband and they are so good.  This is a snack food for us but they are loaded with goodness and nothing harmful.  Everything out of our garden.  

We also added Hemp seeds and onion to them.  They are full of the "B" vitamins and will dehydrate in the dehydrator for about 4 hours and then..... Well they go fast.  The girls eat them just like this.  Raw!!!  

Yummy Deserts and more Dehydrating!!!!

Last week was Rich's Birthday so I made him a Dream Cake.   It was so good and full of yummy healthy ingredients.  I will post pictures and recipes below.  My dehydrator has hardly stopped since I got it.  I have made so many fun things.  The girls are loving being my guinea pigs for new recipes.
I love how I can give them lots of fresh veggies and some hummus and they are content for hours.
In this batch they have light and dark flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds,  onion, bell pepper, and carrots.

These crackers are scored on the other side once they are dehydrated for a few hours. 

Then you can just break them up into perfect squares.  

I also made Rich this Dream Cake.  It is a cheese like cake but a little different.  I am posting the recipe below.  It was delicious.  Not too sweet.  

Recipe for Dream Cake

Raw Cashew Dreamcake
Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup raw almonds (pecan or walnuts will also work)
1/2 cup soft Medjool dates
¼ tsp. sea salt

Filling:
1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
juice of 2 lemons
the seeds of 1 whole vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract)
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup raw honey (solid or liquid.)(Vegans use agave nectar.)
1 cup raspberries (thaw completely if using frozen)

Directions:
1. Place nuts and dates in a food processor with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are to your desired fineness (process a finer crust longer than a chunky one). Test the crust by spooning out a small amount of mixture and rolling it in your hands. If the ingredients hold together, your crust is perfect. Scoop out crust mixture in a 9” spring-form pan (if you don’t have a spring-form pan, use a pie plate lined with saran wrap), and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse food processor well.
2. Warm coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine.
3. In the most powerful food processor / blender you own (you decide which one has the most torque) place all filling ingredients (except raspberries) and blend on high until very smooth (this make take a couple minutes so be patient). If you have a Vita-Mix, absolutely use it.
4. Pour about 2/3 (just eyeball it, you can’t make a mistake!) of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Add the raspberries to the remaining filling and blend on high until smooth. Pour onto the first layer of filling. Place in freezer until solid.
5. To serve, remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices. Serve on its own, or with fresh fruit. Store leftovers in the freezer (what leftovers?). 

Long Time Gone

First I want to apologize for being gone so long.  I have been so busy with life and not finding time to sit down and put thoughts together.  I just started a raw food challenge and I am so excited to journal how it is going.  When I am 100% raw my body is so much more happy and alive than when I am eating cooked food.
So, today I start my quest to blog through the 11 week adventure.

Thursday was my husbands Birthday and we had lots of goodies.  We got our new Excalibur Dehydrator and we are so happy.  It has been humming everyday in our kitchen.  We have made crackers and breads and they have come out so good.  I will post pictures and recipes as we go.

So, today I am enjoying my smoothie for breakfast and will juice around 11:00.  That will get me through until around 3:30.

Here are some pictures of my new addition to the family and what has come out of it so far.

These flax crackers with hummus were so good.  Here is the recipe:  ENJOY!!!

• 2 cups brown or golden flax seeds
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• Your favorite herbs or spices
• I also add Bell Pepper, Onion, Carrots, whatever I have on hand.  
• Sunflower seeds are added on top and poppy or Sesame seeds.

Mix all ingredients and let soak for three hours. Now you’ll have a gooey mix perfect for spreading on two dehydrator Teflex sheets. Score the sheets. Dehydrate at 115ºF for 8 hours or overnight. Flip onto mesh screens and dehydrate 2 – 3 hours more, until completely dry. Break into pieces and they are ready for dipping in hummus, salsa, guacamole, etc. or just snacking on as is!