Juicing

When I say juice.. I don't mean fruit juice! I mean veggie juice! RAW veggie/fruit juice. Truth is, we shouldn't really drink store bought pasteurized fruit juice. It is a dead food source full of fructose and artificially added nutrients that are not easily absorbed. Fructose is very hard on the liver and is one of the causes of fatty liver diseases. One 6 oz glass of orange juice is equivalent to eating 6 oranges at one time!

There are many varieties of juicers on the market... Dr. Gerson's therapy (watch The Gerson Miracle)  recommends a food press. As we researched food presses, we came across the Angel masticator... it actually tested better than the press the Gerson Institute recommends. This decision was based on sturdiness of the juicer (all stainless steel), the oxidation of the food (how fast the nutrition is lost) and the ease of use and cleanup. Joe Cross of 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' (watch movie) uses a Breville and they seem to be fine for the average juicer.

The goal of juicing is to get as much RAW nutrition in your body as you can! If you can eat a cucumber, then eat it and add it to your juice, but don't just drink cucumber juice... add a zucchini and a bunch of greens, then add an apple.

Also there is a lot of talk about the difference in juicing vs. smoothies... with the introduction of the nutribullet. The difference as I see it is.. if you are sick or overweight and need emergency care... JUICE.. it is the fastest way to get the most amount of nutrition in your body at one time. But beware of too much fruit... to much fruit without the pulp can raise blood sugar... so if you are diabetic be aware of this! If you are simply wanting a quick healthy cold snack... by all means through some frozen berries and a handful of spinach in your blender and have a smoothie! I will do a separate post on smoothies :)

I have researched food groups and colors and have found that juicing by color works the best. It creates less separation in the juice... which says to me, a more symbiotic relationship!

So If I am juicing green, I would use the color spectrum of green, yellow and white.

Red would be red, orange, yellow and white...

Purple would be purple, blue, red and white...

Orange would be yellow, orange and white...

See the pattern? Maybe from my artist side using the color wheel  :D

Here is a chart I use for basic color nutrition.

This has been a hard post for me to do because I don't use a recipe... my friends and mother beg me for recipes of all kinds of things.. but I truly don't use them and find it stifling to try to create one from what I cook! It is instinct and that is hard to measure! LOL All fruits and veggies are different size, so the taste is always going to be different from one day to the next!

The beauty of juicing is... you can NOT mess it up! If it is too strong, add another piece of fruit, if it is too sweet add more veggies... VOILA... fixed... to YOUR taste!

Also, I juice according to what I have on hand... what I have from my garden or what is seasonal. Now somethings are so important I will buy them all year, like kale... but when it is from my garden... I will use what I can, when I can!

I tested out Joe Cross's juice recipe for my BFF and scaled it to a quart...

1 lime (peeled)

2 small carrots (they separated, not sure except to add sweet)

1 green apple

1 green pear

3 stalks of celery

stems of 1 broccoli crown (leaving florets for dinner)

2 broccoli florets

1 cucumber

1 bunch of kale (or 2 handfuls of power greens)

This made 1 quart with a smidgen left over. It was tasty.

The main reason we bought the Angel juicer is because the juice is good for 3 days with no oxidation...  oxidation is when you cut an apple and it turns brown, or you peel a potato or carrot and it turns brown.

But what do we know, I have read a study that every cut on a carrot that creates oxidation releases nutrients that would not be there otherwise... so I take what I learn with a grain of salt and hope and pray I learn more tomorrow and adjust to my new knowledge! :D

My typical green is (anything green, yellow or white)

1-2 buches of kale (different varieties)

2 medium zucchini (very neutral flavor)

2 large cucumbers (very neutral flavor)

1/4 to 1/3 head of green cabbage (very neutral flavor)

1/4 to 1 /3 head of cauliflower (very neutral flavor)

1large turnip

1 pineapple

1 mango

2 kiwi

The goal is 3/4 veggie ratio to 1/4 or less fruit. This makes 3-4 quarts depending on the size of stuff. My family of 3 drinks this much juice in 2 days usually very easy. 

The beauty of juicing is.. if you don't like pineapple, change it to a green apple and a lime.. easy fix!

Last fall, I ordered 3 varieties of apples to can apple sauce for the winter (it was awesome, btw)...

I had a lot of apple cores and peels left over, so I made a light green juice to use them up.

I juiced the apples 1st and got about 4 cups of apple juice, which is nothing like store bought! It is a powerhouse of LIVING RAW nutrients.. and I do give my child raw fruit juice often.

To 1 cup of apple juice I added...

3 zucchini

1/3 head green cabbage

1/3 head cauliflower

1/2 bunch of celery *(I forgot that)

A typical 'orange' juice would be (anything orange, yellow or white)

6 large carrots

2 sweet potato

2 yellow squash

1/3 head cauliflower

1 parsnip

1 orange

1 red plum

1 peach

if you like peppers.. a yellow or orange peeper is good

also spaghetti squash, butternut and pumpkin are great adds!

A typical purple would be (anything purple, blue, red or white)

1 eggplant

1/3 head purple cabbage

purple carrots (if I could find)

purple kohlrabi (kind of strong, so beware) 

1/3 head cauliflower

2 red plums

a handful of blueberries 

a handfull of blackberries

1 beet *(I forgot that)

maybe a apple if not sweet enough

My typical red is strawberry banana... not all juicers do banana puree (I do it 1st and catch under where the pulp comes out.

2 bananas pureed

1 quart of strawberries

2 roma tomatoes

3 large carrots

1 sweet potato

1 red apple

2 yellow squash

1 beet *(I forgot that)

1/3 head of cauliflower

NEVER USE CITRIS PEEL or just a tiny bit for zest, but the inside white layer is bitter.

My philosophy on juicing is... juice things you would not normally eat RAW... like kale or turnips or parsnips... think outside the box! Get creative and see what RAW veggie you can add for it's benefits and hide with fruit... then as you go... nibble on it raw while you are juicing... you will be amazed how your tastebuds come alive! In no time, your palette will completely change! 

As for the kids... start a little fruitier and see what you can get away with! If they are open, get them involved... if they are not and run from the thought of veggies... hide what you can and let them in on it slowly :D they will be amazed when they find out! It starts with an open mind!

If you need it a little fruitier to get started, do it! Then as your tastebuds get adjusted, cut the fruit back a little each time until you get a 3/4:1 ratio!

Spicy/strong veggies would be greens, peppers, jicama, turnip, parsnip, kohlrabi

Neutral veggies are eggplant, squash, zucchini, green cabbage, cauliflower.

Smell, taste, be adventurous! Happy juicing!

Clean food for dummies...

OK clean food for dummies was requested by my best friend and others :D...

Start simple until it becomes more natural. Don't overwhelm yourself with the details! Simply start 1 item at a time, replacing with a better item as you go. It took about 3 months to have a complete change over in our pantry, fridge and freezer.. It is more expensive, until you get going, it killed me the 1st few months to buy meat and cheese, but once I was in rotation and had a stock pile, the replenishing was easier and cheaper because I didn't need so much! Now I have an entire shelf full and simply buy a few a month and keep the rotation going!

This is a starting place... once this becomes more common.. I will add more details and change some of this, but this helps in the transition phase!

When I brown ground meat, I mix 1/3 chopped nuts and 1/3 cooked steel cut oats.. it makes the meat go farther and adds plant protein into the mix so your body gets multi-proteins at one time! When making hamburgers I do the same but add an egg or 2 to help bind it. Seasoning is your best friend! The meat from the store is loaded with chemicals and salt.. the farm meat is NOT! Use good salt freely and good vinegars help break down animal protein. I use organic raw apple cider vinegar, red wine, balsamic, etc.  Find organic seasoning in bulk, it is much cheaper and keep in the fridge or freezer to keep it from losing it's nutrients. I am fortunate that I have a Mennonite bulk food store where I can get my spices, grains, beans, legumes and some whole grain organic pastas.

This was ground lamb with what I picked out of the garden that day.. some green beans, peppers and tomatoes chopped up and tossed in with a lil oil to sauté and a splash of water and lid to steam, then added my browned lamb (it was only 1/2 lb, I have used the other 1/2 for pizza).

It really isn't hard.. it is more a change in mind and attitude.. take back your food and take back responsibility of your own health! Retrain your brain... we created a bacon cheese burger (3x the animal products in 1 meal)... have the burger but leave the other off for another meal to cut the amount of animal products you take in!

Buy meat and dairy from a local grass fed and raw farm operation. I use http://www.jakoinc.com in Hutch who delivers to Wichita bi-weekly... but there are many others.. check this site to find in your area! http://www.localharvest.org   Jako pastures beef, pork, lamb and chicken. I get my animal food there also (because the same junk is in our animal food also and it is cheaper than the good stuff at the pet store). They have raw milks, cheeses, keffir, yogurts, whey, wholesome delight, which is delightful and many other products. They have an apple orchard, so apple sauce, cider, vinegar... honey... assorted veggies in the summer and frozen in the winter! This farm is 1/3 of my regular shopping! It makes it much easier that way!

Wild caught fish and seafood. Do some research on this.. a lot is very pricey! We stick mainly to salmon, tilapia and Mahi mahi. We don't do bottom dwelling cleaners like shrimp, crab, lobster or catfish. A lot of wild caught fish is not fished in a sustainable way (meaning they put in a large net for one kind of fish, catch all in the area and kill what they don't want!) Wasting and depleting the fish! This is not a practice we will be a party to out of principle alone!

Lots of fresh raw fruits and veggies... the more local and seasonal the better, but this takes time to get to... there are phytonutrients only available in the raw form... when cooking, lightly steam as much as possible... juicing is a great way to get raw nutrition and open your pallet to new flavors! Munching on the raw while you are juicing is a great way to get more familiar! Throw out most of your old recipes that called for pre-made soups and sauces, do a google search for new healthier versions. Take your favorite family recipes and convert them to using whole raw organic ingredients... message me if you need help! I took our favorite chocolate cookie recipe and cleaned it up!

If you are not grain, bean or legume sensitive... buy organic in bulk... I know the Dillon's marketplaces around Kansas have bulk bins until you can find smaller more local stores to shop in! Black beans, pinto beans, lentils, black eyed peas, kidney beans (highest fiber content), garbanzo, etc...
soak them well, rinse and drain often to get anti-nutrients out... do a larger quantity and put in glass jars (with headroom) and freeze or can (follow instructions)... we make our own hummus as well!

Steel cut oats, rices (brown, long, short, wild, as many varieties as you can find, except stripped white), polenta (corn, if you are not sensitive), wheat berries, quinoa, millet, etc (there are lots, but check the glycemic index if you are diabetic). Simply start introducing new grains into your existing oat or rice when you make it... For example.. add 1/4 cup quinoa into 1 cup of rice blend. The taste of quinoa can be strong, so start small and build up. The red quinoa has more fiber and nutrients than the white.

I almost forgot seeds and nuts.. buy raw unsalted and lightly toast and salt yourself. Put in a bowl ad a drizzle of grapeseed oil and salt... toss, then turn out on a cookie sheet and toast for just a few minutes on 350º... the smaller the seed the less time... 5 minutes for sunflower and pumpkin seeds... the larger, up to 10 minutes. Will focus on this more later!

My basic oat blend is 3 cups of water with 1 cup of steel cut oats and 1-2T of raw butter or coconut oil cooked for 20 minutes with the lid ajar. Then I open the lid and add 1/4 cup of oat bran, 1/4 cup ground flax seed and 1/4 cup chia seeds... you can add 1/4 cup of polenta and or wheat berries earlier in the cooking. Experiment with it! If you let cool with lid on it holds more of the 'gel', if you cool with the lid off and stir occasionally it becomes drier (more like rice when heated with butter or oil added). I make this in quantity to have for the week.. we eat for breakfast, sweet or salty... for lunch with other things chopped on top and as a complex carb for dinner.

I keep organic spelt flour and stone ground corn meal (we seem to be corn sensitive, so this is going bye bye) for the small amount of baking I do. Pizza crust, cookies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, etc. (not a huge amount.. make a batch and freeze most for later, a cookie a week to feel like you are not deprived). The hardest part is training your mind that our culture is centered around eating food that makes us feel good! Re-train your mind as you re-train your pallet! Think of food in the simplest most basic forms and build lightly from there! We have a small amount of organic whole grain pasta... I use my own organic canned sauce, organic ricotta, parmesan from the farm, load it with veggies and make organic lasagna occasionally. Rarely do I add meat because of the cheese content.

I buy Ezechiel bread, english muffins and tortillas by the case and keep in freezer... it is sprouted grains... a living grain! Changes it from a grain to a vegetable! It is the only thing we eat except the few things I make!

Celtic sea salt (might be iffy these days with radioactivity from Fukushima)... Mediterranean sea salt... Pink Himalayan is probably the best! Use liberally.. it is the source for a lot of natural minerals and if helps detoxify the body!

Organic local raw unfiltered honey, maple syrup and small amounts of turbinado (unprocessed) sugar for sweetener when needed.

Fats... olive and coconut oil for raw and up to medium heat cooking... grapeseed oil and raw organic butter for high heat cooking. Do not heat flax seed oil, only use it raw and cool!  No corn, soy or canola EVER! Even organic! The omega 3/6 ratio is off and not healthy.

If you need sauces like ketchup, mustard, jellies, the extras... look for organic or make your own, the internet is a valuable resource for recipes!

Happy getting started! I will start posting exact recipes and pictures as we go!

David Suzuki: An elder's vision for our sustainable future

To humans... growth is the very definition of progress... yet what we don't see is... that cancer attempts to grow forever and the result is death! ~Paraphrase from David Suzuki.

On my quest to heal my body of so many diseases that had no cure... the Lord brought me full circle... that our food system was related to our planet and how we cared for it... but had been hijacked by business, who's only purpose it to grow and make more money at all costs. Once you get inside and see this web for what it is.. you see the interconnectedness of all living things and all elements on this planet... and what we have done and are doing to destroy it all in the name of progress.

Some think it is too late for anything... I believe we are here to motivate and inspire those around us to do their best in every way.. eating better for better health, realizing that less is more, committing to not needing everything we feel entitled to have.. that feeling was implanted in your brain by people that wanted you to have more, more , more!

It is time to start a real revolution where we realize that less is more when it comes to growth and stuff... and more is more when it comes to being connected and having love with others!

This may be the best watch you watch for the rest of the year!

Be aware he is a man of science not of God..
so there is a little profanity, but the message is well worth it!

Searching for the TRUTH!

When you discover the truth... it can make you feel sick! Physically ill!

When your beliefs are challenged...
fear and anxiety are created...
in response to that, our psychological defenses kick in and they protect us from these emotions...

Denial which is probably the most primitive psychological defense is the one most likely to kick in when our beliefs are challanged... it is a very uncomfortable state to be in, so eventually our minds shut down, like a computer that has been overloaded.

We have 2 choices...
Deny the evidence and stick to the original story or...
decide to look at the conflicting evidence sincerely with an open mind and then decide for our own self. 

When we refuse to believe...
we can be sure that the evidence coming our way is unbearable and that it is conflicting with our world view much too much!

This is fear...
fear of your world changing, people ostricising you for your beliefs, fear of your whole world view changing, of helplessness, confusion, where do I go from here, all leading to depression!

No one wants to feel helpless.
But the truth must come out and the light must shine to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed! 

We don’t question anything around us in this county because we have had the notion of  ‘exceptionalism’ bred into us! That we are special and exceptional to all others in the world! That is pride and arrogance. Not reality.

Questioning is Patriotic! Question everything that you belief and asking why do I believe this... was it simply taught to me, because it was taught to someone before me? As a creature that was created to be creative, we are to explore everything from our own unique perspective and create news thoughts, our own thoughts about things!

In psychology this is called Cognitive Dissonance.. it leads to confusion, vulnerablilty and the loss of security.

From my own beliefs... Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it”. Sums it up nicely. My paraphrase... The road is broad that leads to destruction, but the gate to truth is narrow!

The scientific principle of the Law of Attraction, states that if we search for the truth hard enough, with an open mind in prayer and meditation, that the answers will be revealed. Once you know the truth, you can plant your feet firmly on the ground again and simply be headed in a new direction better than before! Once this phenomenon has occured, it is life changing and becomes a way of life!

I know this feeling all too well.. the day I realized that the food on the shelves in the grocery store were not made for my benefit or regulated by anyone who cared about my health.. Nor were they advertised for any purpose accept to sell more... I had a sickening feeling come over me.. that all I had believed was false! The more I delved into this, the sicker and more depressed I became. It was paralyzing! But once I understand the truth and what drives peoples motives, it becomes easier to take back control and effect change in a positive manner!

I know read, research and study with an open mind both sides of every issue to educate myself on these matters. I pray and meditate and the truth is simply poured into me with clarity that comes directly from my God, the collective conscience. 

Quotes and paraphrasing from ‘9/11 Explosive Evidence’, mixed personal thoughts from my own growth and experience in regards to our healthcare system, food system, government, etc! The truth is out there! Find it!

Interconnected

All life is interconnected.

From the smallest microbe in the soil, which with sun, water and other nutrients nourish the plant... which nourishes the animal kingdom. All life is a circle... when the plant or animal dies it turns back to nutrients and minerals and feeds the soil microbes to start the whole process again.

This process doesn’t need us!

We need it!

Hi and thanks for stopping by!

I would like to give you a little background on why I have this blog! :D I became sick about 17 years ago with one weird ailment after another... one doctor would say he didn’t know and would send me to another. The next would do the same... sending me on an endless journey never to find an answers. I kept a record of all the weird things going on and no doctors were of any help.. they finally started to be able to diagnose the symptoms over time as they became more prevelant in society (before that, they had not existed). 

Now there are some that are getting it.
http://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/allergy-to-genetically-modified-corn

They could offer some help to manage the symptoms... all that had side effects... all that cost a lot and was sending the cost of my insurance higher every year... until it all just exploded! After a time when I couldn’t even lift myself out of bed, I couldn’t care for my new baby or husband, I went on a quest to think and solve this problem. I sat up most nights researching every avenue. Some worked for a time, but again were only masking the symptoms... until I realized that it all started when I moved to the midwest and started eating ‘normal’ food.

I was from Texas where all the beef was free rage grass fed, but I had been a vegetarian for a long time. I ate fresh, whole, organic food. My friends would have said, I was the healthiest eating person they knew...I still ate a lot of fresh whole foods... but had fallen victim to the grocery store prepackaged foods and eating out at restaurants, no easy way to get organics and to much moderation on almost everything else... meat, dairy and grains in and with everything! I realized the biggest thing that had changed was I ate meat and dairy from the grocery store that was raised on grain. AND the release of GMO’s and glyphosate (round up) and I lived right in the middle of all of it!

I made an intentional effort to get off GMO’s
(genetically modified organisms)...

to buy only organic whole cracked/steel cut and stone ground grains and make all bread/cracker products at home... and eat a lot less...

and sprouted grain or sourdough bread being the main product.

To juice large amounts of vegetables with a little fruit for flavor... and as organic as possible

to get alkaline with fresh lemon and raw apple cider vinager in my water daily

to drink 100 onces of water a day

to reduce all meat and dairy to 20% or less and come from a grass fed farm that offers raw dairy products.

only eat honey, maple syrup and raw evaporated cane sugar in small quantities for sweeteners.

to be as raw and pure as possible!

NOW I AM FREE of ALL MEDICATIONS and DISEASES and DOCTORS! :D

This blog is research I continue to do in this area...

the research I did opened my eyes to a lot more than food and health...

It opened my eyes...

to our country's health care crisis and what’s causing it and the pockets it’s lining... 

to the solution to the same health care crisis and the pockets that it’s lining...

to the way of farming that has been pushed onto the universities,

by who and who’s pockets it's lining...

to government regulations and the pockets it’s lining (getting the picture?)

to the right to grow life itself and who want’s to own it and who stands to gain...

to the very few commodities companies that own all the food stuffs in the world

to people, plants and animals being nothing more than consuming commodities that are treated with equal regard by the people in charge of herding them up and keeping them docile.

It is all interconnected and it affects everyone in the world.

The world has been turned into one large monoculture of agriculture...

if you don’t follow the rules, they take you over or put you under

they own the courts and government officials.

the soil is dead and so is the food that is being forced to grow on it with chemicals... who gets paid?

farming practices created by them creates pestulance and has to be fixed.. who get’s paid?

government regualtions are designed to burden the small business’s out of business so large corporations can take over.... who get's paid?

when something is a commodity and people make money off of it..
it is just gambling and those involved don't realize they are a commodity
as well that someone is making money off of...

nothing comes for free!

We must take back our soil

take back our seed 

take back our right to plant it, nurish it, grow it and reap the benefits of it!

Be a part of creation and walk closer to God!

Viva la revolution!

Viva la food!

Viva la health :D