Very Berry Nib Smoothie

I'm of the belief that everyone likes sweet things occassionally. (at least I think we do).

 I'm so delighted by the incredible things you can whip up at home with the Blender and Fresh Fruit.  I've been buying Banana's and cutting them up and freezing them. So when I make a Smoothie or Banana Ice Cream, I don't need ice.

Today I made what I call  "Very Berry Nib Smoothie" -  This is so delightful - however now that I've made it and looked up the calories - I guess I'll only be making this on special occasions!  

This will make about 24 ounces .-  I use the Vita Mix - but any high RPM blender will work.

2 Frozen Banana's (or use fresh ones- if you use fresh ones then add ice) 180 calories
Handful of Strawberries - 32 calories
Handful of Blueberries -82 calories
1/2 cup of Coconut Milk -40 calories
1/2 cup of Coconut Water -23 calories
1 Teaspoon of Cocoa Nibs - 27 calories
Pinch of Coconut Shavings- (you figure this out there are 33 calories in a tablespoon so a pinch is?)

Put in blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds or until completely blended.
Nice and refreshing (will make a great summer treat) And the Cocoa Nibs gives a nice little crunch.

This receipe makes 2 servings. Total calories about 399 - Reduce the calories and share it with friends!

Enjoy - And have you heard about Cocoa being a superfood?  Listen to David Wolfe on the subject.


Then there are those who argue the Cocoa story from OKRAW, so you'll have to make up your own mind!

That Was A Fast 15 Day Fast!

Wow, where did the time go! 15 days went by really fast!  I started April 1st and here it is already April 17th.  That to me shows that I am slowly changing my eating habits, and juicing is just a part of it.

I did loose 10 pounds and feel great. I'm almost back to where I was before October when I went to Atlantic City for a Real Estate Brokerage Convention and fell off the wagon with good food. I was just eating too many good foods and consuming more calories than I was burning.  I'm still not drinking or smoking.

So to treat myself yesterday, I spent a couple hours at the Book Store. I couldn't wait to order the Engine 2 Diet Book by Rip Esselstyn online so I bought it at B&N (yeah and someone hit my car while it was parked in the parking lot and didn't leave a note - Turned out to be an Expensive Book!)

IF you haven't heard of RIP  watch this. 


Rip Esselstyn is the son of Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. whom I learned about from the movie Forks Over Knives.  If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it.  Well, Rip has his own credits and his whole focus is helping people to become PLANT STRONG.  His story and his conviction are powerful.   Check out his web site, it has incredible recipes and other great information on it. Click Here to go to his recipe page.

Additionally I bought a Herb Book (growing an using herbs) and a book of counts (I have my fitness pal, but sometimes it's nice to have a "book" handy) for the nutritional content of foods.   

I continue my Juicing everyday and actually haven't really stopped my 15 day fast, but I'm not as strict as I was during the last 15 days. I going to look at incorporating the Engine 2 challenge into my Juicing and see how that works out as I love the looks of his menu items.  But for me A day without juicing is like a day without sunshine.  

Juice on!

Friday Madness Slip Up

Friday Madness Slip Up!  I'm 12 days into a 15 day Juice/Veggie Reboot (which also includes quitting caffeine).

Yesterday I found myself a little unprepared and it set me off slightly. I almost stopped at a coffee house when I had to drive to one of our other offices and left without taking any water or Juice with me.  By the time I got there I was thirsty and that little voice in my head said, "ohh looky there - HOT COFFEE".   I had this dialog with myself about how it wouldn't hurt and I'd just get a small coffee... It was strange, I didn't really want it but it was there and I was thirsty.  I told myself "look are you doing this or not - you can have it but I thought YOU wanted to quit coffee?"  After a few minutes the urge to splurge passed.

   I did my business and got back in the car and headed north.  But I made the mistake of not even stopping to get a bottle of water.  By the time I got back to Portsmouth, I was actually thinking about Burger King! NOW I've gone from wanting a cup of coffee to having French Fries and a Hamburger - I'm crazy!  I haven't eaten that way in over a year! What's up?  Crazy Madness because I'm not prepared!  

Then by the time dinner rolled around again I wasn't prepared again, as we had to fly as soon as I was done for the day to go to an event with friends. So I didn't make any juice or have a salad before going out. By 8:00 we are in a local restaurant (and like most places in town they don't really do a good job with raw food choices) so I ordered a Ceaser Salad (slip up #1 when I COULD HAVE ordered just a garden salad), and once again I'm have that dialog with myself "oh it won't hurt get the chicken strips on the salad",  this time I went for it and I had the Salad with Chicken on it!  Ok It's not that big of a deal, but I have a goal I've set and for 3 more days I need to stick to my goal.  I Slipped Up!

See this is all part of the journey. I will have ARRIVED at my true goal of changing the way I eat when I don't do things like that.  Granted I could have gone all the way off but I didn't.  It just goes to show you that REAL CHANGE takes time, education, dedication and commitment.

So today I'm good, back to Juice and Veggies.  All in all the 12 days have been good and I've felt great.  Being prepared is KEY KEY KEY!

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

In Celebration of their 2nd Anniversary, Joe Cross is putting Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on YouTube for Free viewing (not everyone has Netflix).  If you haven't seen this inspiring movie you owe it to yourself (or perhaps someone you know) to watch this movie.  Here is the Link:  http://youtu.be/gpLQwWKb3l8

Deb's Full Featured Salad

It's basically your kitchen sink salad! And you don't feel guilty eating it! When I'm Rebooting I have my Super C Juice in the morning, Mean Green during the day and my Full Featured At Night.

Juicing/Blending Can Be Energizing

A friend of mine told me today she only juices maybe 1 or 2 times a week (she is a Vegan).  She doesn't do it more than that as she doesn't feel like she gets enough energy from it.   I just came across this video post from Joe Cross and thought I'd re post it here.  Good energizing recipe.

Blended in the Blender:
Coconut Water
Banana
Cacao Nibs (you can get them at the Health Food Store or in our area I saw them at Golden Harvest)
Berries (frozen or fresh)
Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Kale

It looks absolutely delicious.   What I liked about this is the Coconut Water because of the Electrolytes and it's warming effect).  Give it a Try, I'm headed to The Golden Harvest right now to get some Nibs and more Coconut water .

 I  won't be actually trying this juice until the 20th - I'm on the 9th day of Reboot #2 which is going very well.  I'm comfortable with my juicing and my Full Featured Raw Salads are awesome. 

Watch Joe and don't forget to watch his movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead!

One Year Later - 2nd Reboot

April 2013

February 2012

Day 7 of my 2nd  Reboot
It's been 7 days into Reboot #2 - (A 15 day Juice/Veggy Fast) - Pictured above Day 1 of Reboot #1, a year ago  February and one year later.  Nough Said!


So far, so good.  I did modify my plan and decided to do the Juice 2x a day with Raw Veggies at night (my full featured salad).

Monday and Tuesday were a little difficult and I felt like I wanted to bite someones head off as well as my own as I finally stopped drinking Coffee. When I threatened to go to Dunkin Donuts to get my coffee fix, a friend shared some inspiring words of wisdom with me and I decided to get a Omega 3 Sensation Smoothie instead. 

My friend (Paul) said "... Maybe focus on this: just like nicotine, caffeine causes the "disease" which produces certain symptoms and side effects that can only be alleviated by ingesting more of the substance that causes the disease. Once broken for a very short period of time, the cycle just stops..."  That's all it took. A gentle nudge from a friend and I stayed on my path. 

In our society it is so easy to go for the quick gratification. And it's sometimes hard to resist the sights and smells as you walk into a store or pass by a restaurant with the smell of food cooking wafting out through an open door.  If you're not prepared to satisfy your hunger with Juices you've taken the time to prepare in the morning or have packed yourself a healthy lunch or have healthy snacks (like carrot and celery sticks or an apple perhaps),  it's sooooo easy to say Oh, I'll just grab a quick meal here or there and end up consuming not only more calories than you need but also processed foods that your body doesn't really want.   Fortunately we are starting to see more and more businesses opening up that cater to a healthier body.  This fact alone has made my own journey easier.

I was concerned about this weekend that I might give in to those temptations and fall off my fast,  but I have stayed true even with a dinner for six last night.  I stayed true, drinking Herbal tea and water and eating my full featured salad while my other guests enjoyed a delicious seafood and pasta meal.  I never felt the desire to indulge.  Not once!

At the end of 7 days, I'm down 5 pounds, and my energy level is high, my focus is keen and I'm glad I'm doing this again.    Juice On.  And my eternal thanks to Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.   Forks over knives and Hungry For Change.  All three movies can be seen on netflix.

To my other friends who are also participating in a 15 day Reboot - I would love for you to comment on how your week has been.  

April 1 2013 - Day 1 15 Day Reboot

It begins today - 15 days 100% Juicing -  My juices will be primarily  Super C and Mean Green.  At least 72 ounces of Juice a day, and at least that much water.  No Coffee ( I've already quit everything else so coffee is my last remaining vice). 

A few other people I know (Andrea, Vince Vinces Brother Walt, Diane, Kelly and Haley) will be also be "Rebooting" for 10-15 days and I decided to do it in support of them and because I like how it makes me feel afterward.  It's an amazing jumpstart on changing the way I eat or in continuation of a program that has already begun.

I hope my fellow rebooters will share their own thoughts on how it's going over the next 13 days and what they hope to get out of it.