Kale Chips

I haven’t made a blog entry because, as most of you know, my husband was in the hospital recovering from surgery. Except for sleeping, I have spent the past week at the hospital. He is home now, doing well and recuperating quite nicely.

The day before the surgery was our last day on the juice fast. We weighed ourselves the next morning and I was down a total of 10 pounds and my husband was down 13 pounds. We were both aware that once we started eating more solids that we would put some of that back on. The thrill of having ankles that weren’t swollen really motivated me to eat healthier and I am proud to announce that I have stuck with it.

While my husband was in the hospital, I brought most of my food. At this point, and certainly not consciously, I started eating raw. This was and is not in the plan, but when you try to eat whole foods it ends up being mostly raw. Once I started eating solids again – even fruits and veggies – I did put back on 2 pounds. But as of today, those two pounds are gone again (+1 more!!). I must FINALLY be doing something right.

The greatest reward I gained from the juice fast is a true desire to eat more fruits and vegetables. In addition, my goal is to eat a rainbow of food to enjoy all the nutrients each color offers. I have been told to do that for years and I just don’t understand why I had to be 56 years old before I smartened up.

While in the hospital, my husband was on a mission to get home. Every couple hours he walked six laps around the 7^th floor, dragging his leash (chest tube) with him. I walked with him every time and eventually he was walking so fast that it was challenging to keep up with him. The nurses loved watching us go by and they constantly made comments and smiled. They were so proud of us and so was I. Today, our first day back home, we walked outside for 35 minutes and he dragged me J up a steep hill. I love walking with him – we talk and visit and really connect. Who would have thought that exercise could bring a couple closer together?

I want to share a recipe that was from the juice fast. It was during the last five-day period when we started eating solids again. It is for kale chips, and let me tell you THEY ARE DELICIOUS. I hate, hate, hate kale so I usually have to hide it in smoothies and juices. But loving kale chips was a total shock to me and I challenge all my readers to try them.

• · We use organic kale. Wash and dry it.
• · Cut the center stem out and discard it.
• · Cut or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces
• Place the leaves on a non-stick cookie sheet or on parchment paper over a regular cookie sheet. Try to spread them out as best you can.
• · Spray with olive oil (I use Pam olive oil spray)
• · Sprinkle with salt (I use sea salt – the best for you.)
• · Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes, depending on your oven
• · They are done when they are crisp to the touch (kind of like a dried up leaf you find on the ground)
• · Eat when warm for the best flavor. I have been told you can store them in a glass jar.
• · Check your teeth afterwards. They tend to leave little traces. :-)

Does she glow in the dark?

OK, I am actually beginning to see it myself. When I look in the mirror at my face, it is even noticeable to me that my skin is taking on a healthy glow. :-)

Really? A carrot?

We have just finished day 11 of our Reboot. Today was our first day adding back whole fruits and veggies along with the juicing. I am really starting to get used to eating only fruits and veggies; my taste buds crave it. This is a whole new world to me. I truly feel like I have made a major change. The peanuts at work do not scream my name any more. In fact, I don’t even think about them at all. I used to think about them every day – all day!

Last night was not a good one for me. My co-worker couldn’t walk with me, so my husband and I walked together. We got home around 7pm and started to make our juice in our brand new juicer. We were really struggling trying to figure it out. It’s a slow juicer and, while it makes a better quality juice product, it works differently than our previous juicer. We finally got the evening juice made around 8pm. I could barely get one sip down – to me the recipe was disgusting. I ended up eating some crackers to settle my stomach until we could make me something different. I wanted to try the famous “mean green” juice from the movie “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”, so we did that next. Another bomb! I threw it out. Finally at 8:30 I ended up with a green salad, some kidney beans, and a little bit of Reboot salad dressing. Eventually my body calmed down and I felt better. Sometimes you have no choice and just have to survive.

The night before that I was a little bit hungry and decided to have a small amount of hummus with a carrot. Once again I had a quite a surprise. The hummus wasn’t that great (and I LOVE hummus), but the carrot really jazzed me. This is not the same Joan. Really? A carrot?

I had a major juice “high” yesterday morning. Upon arriving at work, one of the Security guards was also walking in the door. He said good morning and “how are you?” Without thinking, I answered “fabulous!” Out of the blue he responded with “well you look great – you are all glowing and look really good!” So many people have told me lately that I am glowing. Does my juice possess radioactive qualities??

The body has an amazing power to heal itself. The reason I am obese, have sore knees, and (had) high cholesterol is that I have never given it a chance before. A year ago in July I started my plant-based journey, and within the first three months, my cholesterol was down from 215 to 165. Last December it was 164. I am anxious to get it checked again to see if there is any more improvement (my blood pressure is better than ever!). I want to believe that by eating the most nutrient dense food on the planet (and organic at that) that I am on my way to healing my body.

My co-worker couldn’t walk with me again tonight and won’t be able to tomorrow. So my husband will be walking with me. I cannot believe how well my body is moving; I am walking hills and not hating or thinking about every step I take. Having ankles that aren’t swollen can be quite addictive.

Feeling good is quite addictive. I’m just glad I have chosen to do it in a healthy way.

Reboot Week One

This evening marks the completion of day 8 on our Reboot. No solid fruits & veggies (or olive oil) since Friday, only fresh juice. We have tried many blends of fruits and veggies, rarely is one repeated. One repeat, however, is fennel bulb and pear juice and it has actually become one of my favorites! Who woulda thunk?

This morning I had quite a surprise. I had my hand on my hip, feeling for my eczema to see how it was doing. I moved my hand all around trying to find it. I had to go to the mirror, because I was having problems. Imagine my surprise when I looked in the mirror and saw it was gone!!! Eight days ago it was there, a perfect “L” shape about 3 by 2 inches. And now the skin was nice and smooth.

My energy level picked back up again. In fact, I would have to say it picked back up and then went into overdrive!! My energy level is unbelievable. It was hard to sit at my desk today at work. All I kept thinking is that I needed to MOVE. I walk after work every day with a co-worker and today she kept commenting about my energy. I wasn’t getting tired and I pushed her to walk further. I was so excited to see her go the extra revolution around the block and I hope she and I will continue to improve our time and distance.

One other benefit I never expected. I feel like I took a happy pill! It reminds me of the time I actually DID take a happy pill. I was temporarily on Paxil for a non-depression related issue. I have rarely been depressed, but Paxil made me very happy. Juicing seems to have the same effect. Imagine getting happy from fruits and vegetables.

My husband and I now have a system down for juicing and we are quite a team! It goes pretty fast and we both have our "job". We have been talking about extending the Reboot, but aren’t sure just yet. We are taking one day at a time. I’ve lost 6 pounds in 7 days and my hubby has lost 9.5 (sheesh, what is it with these men and their weight loss?)

Oh – there is one more negative to the juicing that I failed to mention in my last post. No matter how much you clean your kitchen floor, you will always find another spot of beet juice.

It's Time for a Reboot!

Our lives have taken a new direction. I have currently set aside my goal of cooking recipes from my inspiration: The companion book from the movie “Forks Over Knives”. As of Monday August 8^th, my husband and I stepped up our consumption of fruits and vegetables dramatically and have started juicing.

Some of you will probably think this is extreme, but I think eating the way we were before we converted to plant-based eating was extreme. And we have paid a high price with our health.

We found a short-term program to follow that we hope to reap a “bushel full” of benefits. For anyone interested, it is the Reboot program. We are following the Entry program: Five days of eating juiced fruits & vegetables and whole veggies (salads, soups, etc.), five days of juice only, and then a repeat of the first five days. It sounds boring, but there is a menu for all 15 days and the recipes are, for the most part, very good. Each day it is something different. We have not been disappointed.

Why the Reboot? We wanted to retrain our bodies into actually CRAVING fruits and vegetables, and to stop thinking about high-fat treats (plant-based cookies anyone?) and processed foods. In other words, we wanted to stop the madness. And we were both hoping to kick start weight loss.

Why juicing? Fresh juice provides us with minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins and much more. When removed from the fiber, the highly concentrated nutrients enter our bloodstream very quickly. The benefits are supposed to be increased energy, a glowing complexion, strengthened immune system, stronger bones, and a reduced risk of disease.

I have never eaten such a variety of vegetables in an amazingly short time as I have the past five days. In fact, I have never really been a vegetable fan at all. I avoided them as much as possible. Now we eat or juice a rainbow of colors every day. Right now, I am starting to wonder what else is out there that I haven’t tried. What might it taste like? How would it taste with some juiced apples and ginger?

I actually ate seaweed salad! It sounded so disgusting and didn’t exactly smell great. But it tasted pretty good. The portion was huge though and while I liked it, half the salad was enough. In fact, portion size is an interesting part to the program. The portions are HUGE. My husband and I can’t eat it all. In fact, we finally decided to start sharing one meal.

So what benefits have I reaped from this experiment?

• · My ankles are not swollen any more. Hallelujah!!!!
• · My whole body feels different. It’s easier to move around and it feels lighter.
• · My face has cleared up. In fact, I think my skin looks great!
• · The eczema on my hip is almost completely gone.
• · I have lost over 5 pounds in 5 days. My hubby has lost 8 pounds (men!). I know, I know…..It is mostly water, but you have to start somewhere.
• · My hands are REALLY clean. (Washing hands after frequent trips to the restroom.)
• · Lots of exercise walking back and forth to the restroom and to our garage refrigerator for more fruits and veggies.
• · During the first five days of mixing meals and juice, my energy level had never been so high. Starting the total juice plan has made me lose some of that energy. I have heard this is temporary. We shall see.
• · I feel happy! My mood is perked up.
• · My husband and I are working together for a common goal. We shop, prepare everything, and clean up together.
• · I have a brand new appreciation for vegetables.

Unfortunately, there are negatives.

• · I have a second office at work. It is the restroom.
• · I miss bread.
• · I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hungry on occasion.
• · I think it is expensive. My husband disagrees. (But he never was a cheap date.)
• · It is a lot of work. There are tons of veggies to prepare for juicing, frequent shopping trips, and lots of planning.

This program has already exceeded my expectations by giving me the gift of a new appreciation for vegetables. You will hear more about other rewards as time goes on.

Alfredo, Lugnuts, Lemons and Raw - Oh my!!!

It has been a busy couple of weeks and I haven’t had much free time lately; hence the lack of posts. Tonight I was determined to share with you two fun meals we have had lately. Neither is from my inspiration book.

The first is a meal my husband created using a recipe from the “Get Sconed!” blog we read. It is called Cashew Miso Alfredo. And it sure made my taste buds happy!!!!

The Alfredo sauce was made from raw soaked cashews, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and white miso. It had a lovely seasoning of nutmeg and thyme. The center of the sauce was decorated with beautiful sautéed fresh morels that were juicy and flavorful. The sauce and morels rested on a bed of whole-wheat linguine, and Italian parsley added color to the top. Asparagus was on the side.

This is definitely a soon-to-be repeated dish, as fresh morels are seasonal - and we loved it!

For my husband’s birthday we planned a whole day of fun together. We visited the Pearson Air Museum and the Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals (a surprisingly VERY fun place to go). The evening was topped off with a Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts concert (which brought back memories from 20+ years ago when we used to dance the night away at their concerts) and drinks at our local Mexican restaurant. It was a great day. The Air Museum is in Vancouver and the Rice Museum is in Hillsboro. We needed a lunch stop in-between the two. Using the totally cool app “Vegan Steven,” we took a chance on a vegetarian restaurant in Beaverton called Sweet Lemon. To our surprise, they had just converted over to 100% vegan. What a delight to be able to order anything on the menu and be confident it was completely plant-based.

Our meal started with an appetizer called “Dancing Drumsticks”: meatless drumsticks seasoned with lemongrass and a spicy sauce. They were yummy and had a great presentation! For the main course, I ordered the Devine Thai Wrap: a rice wrap with brown rice, marinated soy protein, lettuce and Thai peanut sauce. It was so filling; I couldn’t eat it all. My husband ordered the Sweet Lemon Soup: a flavorful soup with tofu, soy ham, and veggies. He quickly devoured it. (Don't you just love the little umbrella on his lemonade??)

Since it was his birthday, we had to share a slice of cake – and it was RAW! The cake was chocolate/orange. It was not as smooth and sicky sweet as a cake from my prior life, but considering it was raw, whole-foods, and healthy, it was definitely a treat!!! And it was chocolate!!! What more do you need? It is a blessing to eat out at a restaurant and know that you are eating food that is fresh, organic and delicious. We can’t wait to go back and try more items from the menu.

You are probably noticing that a bite is missing from the cake! I was so excited to try a raw cake that I took a bite before I remembered to take the picture. Silly me!