Sliding Into Home Base - Day 91

This picture sums up how I'm feeling today.....just like I'm sliding into home plate. (Although I feel so much cleaner than that!) Tomorrow will be my final day of official juice feasting. It's really hard to believe it's almost over. This last month has been my most challenging time, just as I knew it would be, yet the past 3 months have just flown by.

Today has been a really good day. I started off at yoga this morning and it was one of the best classes I've had in months. I also was able to soak up some sun and work in my garden a bit, which is so balancing and like therapy to me. I have also made plans to meet up with my friend, Paula, tomorrow morning. Paula & I met only since I've been juice feasting, so she's fairly new to raw foods, but she's completely taking hold and running with it! Please take a moment and stop by Paula's brand new blog and send some of your amazing encouragement her direction. We're going to be brainstorming about some exciting ideas of how we can can get the raw community in our area up and really humming.

Tomorrow's blog should be worth tuning in for. In it I'll post all of my final stats; measurements, weight and an overall summary of my experience with juice feasting. I forgot to buy prunes at Whole Foods today, but as it turns out, it's no coincidence. I just logged onto the Rainoshek's blog to find out that they are advocating green smoothies instead of eating prunes to break the juice feast now!! Blessed be the Lamb! I've never been a big fan of prunes, so the though of having a delicious green smoothie sounds so much better for me. This makes me even more excited for Sunday!

Friday's Daily Juice:
1 qt. grapefruit, orange, spirulina
1qt. pineapple, parsley, cilantro, red bell pepper, thai pepper.
1.5 qt. "Creamy Tomato Soup" - 1 qt. tomatoes, 2 scallions, 1/2 bunch basil, 3 stalks celery, handful fresh oregano, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp. olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tbsp. local raw honey to taste. This was so delicious, but it caused my lips to puff up like I'd had a collagen injection. Wonder what's up with that?

Listening to the Sages - Day 90

Right now I am savoring an unexpectedly good tasting green juice. For days, perhaps even weeks, I haven't really been feeling the love connection with my savory green juices as I once did. However, I think its pretty normal to be feeling that way at this stage of the feast. I've really tried to follow the majority of the hardcore juice feaster's blogs, and from what I can surmise, what I am experiencing is pretty standard. More than anything, for me, it's just being flat weary of the intensity of the whole juicing process. After three months, anything that receives this much of ones attention can get a bit rigorous.

I had the pleasure of speaking with my very good friend, Philip McCluskey today. I have mentioned Philip, of Loving Raw, a number of times here on the blog. Philip successfully finished his 100 day juice feast earlier in May. We talked about many things, but 2 points main points stood out to me from our conversation.....Philip and I both approached our juice feast in a similar manner, as if it was our job. We took it very seriously and had a plan and were commitment to seeing it through to completion. Making the commitment to juice that much for an extended period truly does require a vision, dedication and focus. So, it's not to be entered into lightly. Philip also shared that it is equally as important to maintain that same level of commitment as one breaks their juice feast. As you can imagine, it's not cool to drink all of this amazing, mineralizing and alkalizing, organic juice for 90+ days and then go right back into complex, hard to digest foods or even high fat foods anytime soon. Think of a baby who has just been weaned from it's mother....what is the best source of nutrition for that baby? Foods that are blended, easy to assimilate, digestable and simple. If we have been juicing exclusively for any length of time, so it should be with our transition back into the world of solid foods. I trust the idea behind this approach and I'm creating my own plan now to transition very slowly and methodically back to whole foods in a similar fashion. So I will basically be moving into a modified version of a juice feast for them next month and a half.

This is the commonality of the message that I'm hearing from those who have traveled this road before me. My dear friend and amazing raw chef, Peter Cervoni, has done a number of 40+ day juice fasts and he has repeatedly expressed to me the need to re-enter very deliberately and carefully. Matt Monarch of Raw Success has taught on this subject for a quite some time as well. The mentor of both Matt and Peter, Dr. Fred Bisci, is a wise sage on this subject matter and his teachings are well respected and quoted on JuiceFeasting.com. I am simply sharing all of this with you to help you understand the importance of taking the last phase of your juice feasting process as seriously as you took it from the very beginning, if not more so.

Thursday's Daily Juice:
2 qt. Master Cleanse
.5 qt. orange/grapefruit/spirulina
1.5 qt. celery, cucumber, cilantro, scallion, red bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, macadamia nut oil.

Winding Down - Day 89

I have been a bit irregular with my blog posts this week but I am planing to be a really good blogger from here on out. I mean, surely I can get this together since I only have 3 MORE DAYS TO GO! I'm feeling a mixture of emotion at this point on my journey. One the one hand, I'm delighted and excited that solid food will be part of my future once again, but on the other, I'm a little blue when I think of closing this wonderful, juicy chapter of my life. What keeps me from becoming too sad is that juicing isn't going anywhere and it's a practice with which I've become very intimately acquainted during the past 3 months. I have learned more than I thought possible about the fine art of juicing and how to make things taste appealing. Having this sabbatical away from dining has taught me that I used to eat in the past for many other reasons other than true hunger. I've now developed a life skill and practice that I can use at anytime to easily bring my body into balance and restore the intestinal harmony within.

My experience with juice feasting has been incredible on every level. The discipline that I've gained and the newness of understanding regarding my own personal relationship with food has been life changing. I'll most likely share more about this on my final day. One of the things that I am most excited about is that I am currently working on an ebook which will be filled with LOTS of great recipes, and hopefully, it will contain the personal stories of some of my other juice feasting companions that I have come to know over the past months. This project has been on my heart to do for some time now, so be sure to look for my debut book in the near future!

I am also working on my plan of how I can bring those who are interested in raw foods together within Tulsa and the surrounding areas. During this juice feast, I have received so many letters with requests for ideas, recipes, help, information, counsel, and support. It seems that everyone feels the same way....as though they are lone rangers out there white knuckling or hanging onto raw food by a string. I believe the missing element is a community of like minded people who can come together in an educational and entertaining atmosphere and gain support and ideas. If you are in my area and this is something that interests you, won't you please take a moment to comment me or shoot an email my direction to realfood.tulsa@yahoo.com I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts and any of your ideas, wants, needs, etc.
The Daily Juice:
I have been drinking a lot of citrus, watermelon and simple green mixtures like celery/apple/ spinach. There have been lots of stresses that are non-juice feasting related within my family, so my creative energies have simply been elsewhere lately. Hopefully I'll get a final wave of creative gusto within the next three days. If you would, say a little prayer for my daughter and my dad, please.

Helping a fellow raw foodie.....

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From Give It To Me Raw & Angela Stokes's Blog
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Are you familiar with the world of 'RawBabyAlex' and mum Melissa Gilbert? If not, Melissa has been documenting her raw food baby's progress online for quite some time and it makes fascinating reading – especially for anyone interested in raising kids raw. Melissa has actually compiled two wonderful e-books of all the different recipes that Alex has loved as he's been growing up, from baby foods to toddler treats. (He is such a healthy big boy now that his blog has actually been moved along to 'Raw ToddlerAlex' ;) Melissa also keeps her own lovely blog at RawMom.blogspot.com, as well as writing regularly for the info-packed raw magazine Pear.

Unfortunately, this amazing little raw family are having some pretty challenging times at present...in February they were burgled and all their possessions were taken. They moved house and even state, only to discover that they cannot find work in their new location and that very soon they will likely be homeless. They are in a time of crisis. On her most recent blog, Melissa writes that she visited the local food bank to try to get something to eat. They had no raw foods, except 5 bunches of celery, which they gave her. When she got home however, she realised they were almost totally rotten and unusable. Melissa is an incredible mother and gives tirelessly and with so much love to the raw community through her writings. I would feel so sad to see this amazing young family living out in the scorching Arizona desert in a tent with seemingly nowhere left to turn. They really could use some support right now - this is an opportunity to help out an incredible raw family. Instead of just asking people to donate money to help them with their situation however, I'd love to recommend that you invest in Melissa's 2 fabulous ebooks – 'Sunsational Raw Baby Food' and 'Sun-Sational Smoothies'. They are just $10 each, available from her site HERE. Imagine the difference $20 could make to a family that is in dire straits right now...and YOU get smthg wonderful too – two recipe books packed with tried-and-tested recipes ;) (When you go to Pay Pal, click on the link for "Send Money" on their site. Then you input her email address for recipient and input the amount for whichever books you want. Then in the comment section tell her which book you want. You do need a Pay Pal account set up in order to do this. Hope this helps.) I sincerely hope the raw food community will reach out and support this loving family unit in their time of need...please feel free to re-post this message and pass it along to others in the raw food community too...and enjoy the recipes ;)

(P.S. If you DO feel moved to simply send a donation to the family, their Paypal email address is loverawlife@gmail.com)

Memorial Day - Day 87

Happy Memorial Day! This post will be short, because we've had a houseful of people from morning until night at our house for the past two days and I'm on overload. Today was probably the toughest day I've had with juice feasting thus far, only because I was so busy and distracted by trying to entertain and show hospitality. I wasn't able to make ample time to juice in adequate amounts, so I feel pretty out of balance. I survived the day, but I feel like it's been a battle zone within my emotions. I don't think I had any greens or celery today. I can feel the effects, so tomorrow that will be my first drink of the day....a green machine!

I just want to thank all of you who have been leaving comments and writing personal emails of encouragement. It means more to me than you know...you truly keep me going. I only have 5 more feasting days left now. It's hard to believe this very special time is so quickly drawing to a close. As eager as I am to have my "food freedom" back, there is also a big part of me that will miss this unbelievably healthy discipline of daily juicing. I have a sense that I'll be able to strike a balance that is right for me, so I am trying to not worry, but trust that I will make good choices as I go back into the world of food.

Monday's Daily Juice:
2 qt. orange juice
1 qt. lemon water
1 qt. watermelon juice

Decision Made - Day 85

After much deliberating, I have made my final decision to go back to my original plan of juice feasting for 92 days. There is no doubt that 100 days would be cool, yet there is this nagging feeling within me that says my days of living on just juice are numbered. I've said all along that I don't want to feel as though this is a competition or as though I'm out to prove anything. I honestly feel that the majority of work I set out to accomplish health wise is completed. There is still the issue of my weight not being quite where I wish it were, but I have been wondering if my body could be in starvation mode since my weight loss basically plateaued weeks ago. I am also starting to dream about food every night. Nothing decadent, just simple pleasures like salads, raw soups, cashew hummus and my favorite, faithful love - the smooth & delicious avocado. So, it looks like I have 7 more days of just juice and then it's bring on the prunes, baby!!

Lots of fun things planned this weekend.....today I joined up with my posse on the patio for lunch at Lava. It ended up being a meeting of the secret society of redheads! Here is my sweet friend, Geoff, the chef and I.Below is a pic of the exotic and fair beauty, Miss Lynda:And a picture of my BFF, Western, and his lovely, angelic girlfriend, Michelle:I promise he doesn't normally wear his collar flipped up like a douche...Michelle was just messing with him. See...here's a picture of he and I.....When I'm in a food related social setting like I was today, I find myself looking forward to coming out of my juicy isolation. Everyone keeps asking me what my diet is going to look like when I am not feasting and I have given that question a lot of thought. The plan is to do a high liquid diet, consisting of green smoothies, green juices, blended salads and soups. I am totally eager to eat solid foods again, but I don't intend for that to be the mainstay of my diet. With my history of IBS, liquids and blended foods are really agreeable to my system because they are so easily digestible.

I'm also working on some new juice recipes and hopefully I will be able to share them with you over the next couple of days. Hope you're having a fun filled Memorial Day weekend!!

Jalapeno Corn Chips - Day 83

I know it sounds like an odd entry title for someone who is juice feasting, but I've had people coming out of the woodwork and literally knocking on my door for my corn chip recipe since Bunny Berry told the world about that crunchy raw goodness! Well, the truth is that I have a number of raw chip recipes that I use...all are fantastic, but the one I'll post is from Sarma Melngailis', Raw Food Real World. I used to sell these chips by the basket loads at our local farmer's market here in Tulsa. Since I don't do the market anymore, I just make these treats for my family and friends. Besides my raw granola, this recipes is by far everyone's favorite.

jalapeño corn tortilla chips
3 cups fresh corn, from about 3 ears (or use frozen, thawed sweet corn)
1 1/2 cup red or orange bell pepper
1/2 cup onion
3/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds, optional
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1 – 2 jalapenos, seeds removed
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt

1. In a food processor, chop the corn, bell pepper, and onion until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until just combined.
2. Using an offset spatula, spread the dough thinly onto three 14 inch Teflex lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 6 – 8 hours, or overnight. Flip the sheets over onto the tray and carefully peel away the liners. Break or cut w/ a pizza cutter into chip shapes. Place back in the dehydrator for 4 – 6 hours, or until crisp. Store in an airtight container for a week or two.

Thursday's Daily Juice:
1 qt. orange juice w/ spirulina
1 quart green lemonade
1 qt. pineapple, cilantro, parsley, red bell pepper, cucumber, lemongrass, thai pepper, coconut water, flax oil, lime juice.
1 qt. master cleanse.