Another Day of Food

I've received a few comments and emails (with good intentions, I know) worried that there's more going on with me than just junky eating and my desire to clean it up. I want to clarify first and foremost that my "detox" is a.) Only three days long, b.) 1500 calories/day, based loosely off this eating detox, which is far from starving, and c.) Is OK b/c I'm not exercising much (no long runs, speed workouts, etc.) as I've been sick.

I realize I've written a lot about feeling "toxic" or icky or bad in the past year especially. I've had my ups and downs, but a lot of it stems from eating too much sugar and failing over and over and over again to stay the course with healthy foods. I think many of you can relate to this struggle. When things get busy, I grab easy convenience crap. When I'm hungry, my body has now trained itself to search for the quick simple carb calories versus sustaining proteins. Oh, and when Ada's not eating her lunch, I focus more on THAT than on my own meal.

I'm working on it, but I just haven't found the solution yet. I assure you, I am very happy right now with my personal life, with my job(s), with the sun + summer temperatures = generally in a good place.

I'm hoping this time's a charm. Stephen will be home for the summer at the end of this week and I will have a bit more time in my day to focus on my needs. Eating clean again (because I used to eat healthy automatically -- really! As if I can remember those days, though. They seem distant!) is a huge goal for my summer. I'll always be in love with pizza and desserts, but they simply can't be a daily thing for me. It's a slippery slope to eating candy bars as lunch, you know?

Here's yesterday's eats:

Breakfast:

Two eggs pulsed in the food processor
with a handful of spinach and scrambled.
A piece of 7-grain sprouted toast w/ peanut butter.
Fresh berries on the side.


Snack:

A half cup of Greek yogurt mixed with
a teaspoon raw honey
+ a tablespoon cocoa powder.

Didn't work out into being the chocolate fix I needed, but wasn't half bad.


Lunch: 

I combined my snack and lunch since I got to both later in the afternoon.

A smoothie with banana, frozen strawberries,
a heaping cup spinach, cup and unsweetened almond milk,
and tablespoon peanut butter.
I think I put some cinnamon and vanilla extract in there, too.

Then I used some leftover wheat berries and half an avocado + dressed it with some sesame oil and soy sauce.


Dinner: 

Half a pizza. But not just a crazy pizza.
It had a buckwheat crust that I'll share sometime soon.
Light on the cheeses and heavy on the sauce.
A big glass of water with lemon to wash it down.

Generally I feel the food is giving me more energy than what I have been eating. I've been very much focused on protein, which is a notorious issue for me. I am not nixing sugar, but I am certainly trying to curb it wherever possible. And not drinking beer at night is only helping with that low level of dehydration I get during the summer months.

Today has been a challenge, though. I'm on day 7 of this nasty cold and debating if I should go get the medicine the doctor prescribed just in case it turns into a sinus infection -- or wait it out another couple days. I haven't been hungry AT ALL, so I had a smoothie for breakfast. I'm thinking eggs and toast for lunch. Yeah. My meals are somewhat repetitive, but that's how it has to be on a budget.

I'm hoping to fill my plate with a blockbuster dinner featuring this week's CSA share's finest.We have a lot of good stuff to use up, and since I won't be jogging today, I'll have some time to myself in the kitchen to do something creative.

How are you guys doing? Thanks for all your support! And if you missed day one, check it out here.

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Clean(ish) Food Diary

Still feeling somewhat toxic, but I know this stuff takes time. I think the best way for me to come clean, so to speak, is to make myself accountable. That means sharing everything I'm eating -- the super duper healthy stuff to the not-so great treats. Yesterday? I definitely had a mix of both.

Here we go!

BREAKFAST:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats cooked in 1 cup unsweetened almond milk.
Added dash of cinnamon + vanilla extract.
Topped with blackberries and strawberries.
Drank tea.


SNACK:

1/2 large banana,
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (nonfat),
1/2 cup water, handful greens,
1 tablespoon cocoa powder,
1 teaspoon raw honey,
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter.
Blended until smooth.


LUNCH:

2 hard boiled eggs mashed with 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
+ dash smoked paprika and dill.
Spread on 7-grain sprouted Ezekiel bread.
Large glass of water.

SNACK:

Apple with handful of raw almonds.
Glass of water.


DINNER: 

Broccoli rabe sauteed in olive oil, garlic, onions
+ canelli beans. 1/2 cup wheat berries.
Dash parmesan + sriracha.
I washed it down with a sparkling water versus a beer.
Not the same, but not entirely bad either.



DESSERT:

1 tablespoon each peanut butter, honey, coconut oil (virgin).
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. 1/8 teaspoon baking powder.
1/2 cup old fashioned oats. 1 serving dark chocolate chips.
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 15-17 minutes.) 
Based off this recipe.


EXERCISE:

Still feeling sick, but Ada and I took a walk to the grocery store, which ended up being around 45 minutes round-trip. Then I started out for a light jog, but all the coughing has given me a huge headache + it was a really hot, so I stayed indoors and peddled on the indoor bike for 20 minutes. I drank a glass of water while exercising.

The numbers . . .


These meal calorie totals are low, I'm looking specifically at you, dinner!, but -- though I am eating food -- this is a sort of detox. My activity level is much lower than normal and I'm not terribly hungry after this sickness. This isn't how I plan to eat for the rest of my life. It wouldn't be sustainable.

The plan I'm loosely following isn't vegetarian, so I think that some of my substitutions could be better for the fish. Have you come across any good clean eating plans that are specifically vegetarian with lots of protein in them? What do you suggest?

As you can see, snacks took up more than half of what I ate, which is fine. However, when you break it down to see what took up half of the snack calories (deep dish cookie). Hmmm. You guys/gals have told me that just forgoing dessert will help, so I suppose I need to try it. Even with all the "healthy" substitutions, that treat is glaring in all areas.


FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall, a good day. Eating little meals every few hours and adding protein where it's usually lacking helped keep my energy levels stable, and I could tell a huge difference in that regard. I do wonder how lighter meals will stack up once I get back to my normal activity levels, but this week I'm taking it easy -- so it won't be an issue.

Also: I'm capable of not eating dessert every night. However, it seems like every time I set out to NOT eat it, I HAVE to have it. Funny how that works. I don't even think it's the sugar so much as it's the ritual of baking and then eating something warm and satisfying. And yes, probably the sugar. My dinner wasn't enough, so tonight I'm aiming to make a much larger meal and see if it satisfies.

Have you started eating clean this week? Or started again? How are you doing?

Onto day 2, which you can follow on Instagram . . . 

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Toxic

Have you ever woken up and felt . . . just . . . toxic?

For me, it's been building for months (years?). I've talked about it here on the blog. I've even started some "plans" or thought of different things that might help. I've tried going gluten-free, keeping a diary of the foods I eat + calories, and many more tactics.

What's compounded the problem is this nasty cold I've had the last week or so. It's the worst cold I've had in years -- chills, chest cough, fever, night sweats (TMI?), etc. I've been to the doctor because it was getting that bad, but he said to sit tight because it's viral. Thankfully, this morning it seems to be letting up. In its wake, I am having major digestive issues, I'm mammothly (not a word) bloated, and I feel generally flat -- dazed + confused -- because I've been in bed, little movement, eating a diet of convenience + comfort foods.

Today I am starting a 3-day clean-food detox. I don't do the whole fasting thing. I'm interested in a juice detox, but don't have a juicer -- making lots of carrot juice in the Ninja would be too labor intensive. Scratch that. It would be Insane with a capital I.

The "detox" will be sort of like this one I found on the GAIAM website, but it's not vegetarian so I'll need to make some protein-riffic substitutions. Basically, there was a day over the weekend where I hit rock bottom. I felt absolutely terrible from my cold and I proceeded to eat s'mores, shovel down yet another grilled cheese, and then crave a beer (yeah -- I didn't drink one because of the cold, but I sure wanted to!).

I've realized the only person keeping me from feeling vibrant and alive again is me. I can dream all I want about ways to juice or detox or diet or what have you, but unless I start doing something and making that something permanent and not a gimmick -- this will be just another Monday that I thought to start, but continued the trend of sugar + alcohol + too much bread and dairy + etc.

It's funny how those Mondays can go from subsequent weeks to months to a year or more.

Commence the eye rolls.

I know I'm always writing about some grand scheme to do something like this. So, I don't blame anyone who is skeptical. (Even my snarky self is like, c'mon -- are you for real this time?) But REALLY, guys, I felt at the BOTTOM in the last few days. Knocking on heaven's hell's door, if you will. I'm am adult and I need to start acting like one and eating chocolate and marshmallows for lunch is something my 10-year-old self would have died to do, but that doesn't make it remotely OK 20 years later.

So maybe you're in similar shoes right about now. I invite you to join me. Informally, of course. (I'll be sharing my foods over on Instagram.) I'm hoping that taking the approach of a few days at a time will be better than setting out on some gigantic plan. Those are intimidating. I often make promises to myself that I can't keep.

But three days of using our CSA share to the max? I think I can handle that.

Off to make my oats . . .

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Day 1 (Again)

How's eating zero sugar going, Ashley? I've been quiet about it. I'm sure some of you are wondering. For a while, four whole days, in fact, it was fine. I had no desire to bake cookies at 9PM. Then I had a minor setback, but picked up the very next day. Then another setback. Then I was back on again.

And today. Well, today I definitely cemented my status as an emotional eater. Ada's been really cranky -- crying and whining almost all her waking hours -- and I haven't had many opportunities this past week to get a break from it all. Even when I am able to get away, I tend to have trouble letting myself relax because she's not a happy camper with sitters, even when they are her own grandparents. (She cries so much she starts choking. It's terrible! I feel like I hear her even when we're miles upon miles away.)

Plus, the only person she'll take a bottle from is this guy:

I'm not writing to complain about Ada. She's obviously going through some teething or a new developmental milestone. Or general 5-month-old crankiness is more like it, I'm sure. She's allowed. Still, it's wearing on me. And it's why I found myself baking brownies (this recipe) on a Thursday afternoon instead of fixing a healthy lunch.

What can I say? Baking is my release. Eating is, uhhh, the icing on the cakes . . . that I make?


Don't forget the peanut butter frosting!

(1 cup smooth peanut butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil + 2/3 cup (or more) confectioners' sugar)


Obviously, the recipes aren't my focus with this post. What I wanted to share was something I'm proud of. But first: GOMI. It's rare that (never home)maker makes an appearance over there. Actually, I'm quite flattered that people are reading . . . and, as many of you know, I welcome constructive criticism and like to respond. Anyway, I thought I'd respond directly to a few comments I read regarding my sugar issues and decision to blog about them.

1.) On this sugar-thing being an insincere and pathetic cry for attention. I'm not that calculated or desperate enough for blog fodder. It's something I've genuinely struggled with for a long while and seems to have reached such great heights -- 10,000 times worse -- since I started breastfeeding. (never home)maker is a healthy living blog, so -- naturally -- I decided to share it here with like-minded people who could perhaps help me.
2.) I'm really looking for some help with this one, where a poster said in so many words that I should grow up and simply put the sugar down. Please tell me how that's so easily done! I'm serious! I'd absolutely love a quick fix. For me, it's not that cerebral. I also think it has little to do with my mental or physical age. (And what I gather from all my readers' wonderful comments, I don't think it's that easy for most people.)

I digress. I know a lot of you GOMI ladies like cats (as do I), so I'm presenting this photo of Scully as a peace-offering.


Back to what makes me proud! After making this gigantic peanut butter covered piece of sugary deliciousness, I thought for sure I'd want to eat as much of it as I could handle. So, I dove in and grabbed a generous piece. And then something weird happened: I found it difficult to finish. Even now, several hours later, I'm not jumping at the chance to dip my finger in any frosting or cut myself another slice.

Though my non-detox sugar "detox" wasn't 100% successful or pure, s.o.m.e.t.h.i.n.g has changed in me. I seem to have lowered my tolerance just enough that I'm not eating gross amounts. Actually, the thought of eating more overwhelms me with an ick-factor.

As I wrote previously, my goal with lowering my sugar consumption isn't to eradicate it from my diet entirely. So, this small success is a major accomplishment (however far away I may be from my ultimate goal of going longer and staying stronger). I'm back to day 1 again, but it's OK.

Here we go again!


If you're not into the brownie recipe, check out Writing Chapter Three. Today I posted some tofu "meatball" recipe with an awesome saffron-ginger tomato sauce.

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Day 4

I'm still working my way through all of your amazing and supportive comments on my sugar addiction post. When I wrote it, we were getting ready to leave for a day trip to Ithaca. So, imagine my surprise when I returned home to find that so many of you could entirely relate.

But first, a couple cute photos from the weekend. Ada met her cousin (well -- MY cousin's gorgeous baby). Adorable.

Anyway, I'm on day 4 of a sugar-free experiment. Like many of you suggested, I decided it would be good to take a break from sugar for a while. To reset my system. My tolerance level that is so utterly out of whack . . . where not just one or two, but an entire batch of cookies is what is satisfying. Days 1 and 2 were actually quite easy. I had some motivation from all your comments and from this quest being so new.

Then day 3 (and my longest run since this time last year) happened. I suppose I should have called it, but running distance without the normal levels of sugar in my system was a shock. I felt tired. I felt like I was wearing weights around my waist.

I was a good 30 seconds slower than my usual per-mile pace. But if you look below, you'll see something interesting. I felt wiped. So, I looped around to our house at mile 9 and decided to take some Honey Stingers.


Look at how just a bit of extra sugars changed my pace! I need to get better at fueling myself again. I'll re-learn, I'm sure. I just feel like my body was still in a bit of, again, shock after so drastically changing my eating habits.

After the run, I filled my tummy with all sorts of delicious things. But no cupcakes, cookies, or other refined treats. I usually gorge myself after long runs. I figure I deserve it. Not this week! (I did end up baking a cocoa snack bar -- sans sugar with only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in the entire thing. I'm still tweaking the recipe, but I'll be sure to share it soon. It was satisfying, but didn't invoke any of the binging habits I tend to get with other dessert-y treats.)

Day 4 has been the hardest day yet. I was home alone with Ada most of the day. Being home is one obstacle. I have all the food in our house at my disposal. Add to it the stress and emotions that go along with dealing with a cranky baby with no other adults in the house. It's . . . well . . . just difficult. But I've stayed strong. Drank water. Ate veggies. Fruit. Anything but what I really, really wanted to sink my sweet teeth into.

I don't know how long I'm going off sugar. A week? A month? Those were the most common suggestions. I'm going to start with a week and see how I feel. I think I'm going through some of the worst of the cravings and feelings right now. I remember when I used to occasionally detox in college, it always seemed like there was this hump I had to go over. Maybe I've hit it? We'll see, I guess.

In the meantime, I'm trying to find a way to satisfy my sweet tooth.


Fruit has been helpful, of course. And tonight's smoothie really hit the spot. It was basically this one, taken from an old post, minus the maple syrup . . . adding a tablespoon of natural, unsweetened peanut butter.

I'm hoping to continue making my way through all your comments soon. They are so thoughtful, so I'm trying to respond to each one. Thanks so much for your continued support. I'd like to write a more comprehensive, detailed post about this whole detox -- what I'm doing, how I'm feeling -- soon . . . but my head is MORE THAN fuzzy tonight because I'm in the height of when I'm usually flooding my system with the sweet stuff.

Breathe in. Breathe out.


If you'd like to celebrate Ada's 5-month birthday with us, check out Writing Chapter Three. We also wrote a bit about how we've found the $60 Sweet Spot with our grocery bill each week.

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New Year and My Weight Loss Journey

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We had a fantastic, fun-filled holiday, but it's time to get back to reality . . . and to posting regularly. We've taken the tree down (but not before we gave Ada one last good afternoon with it). Stephen returns to work tomorrow. I continue my maternity leave until June. And -- hello, January -- it's all of a sudden wicked cold outside and snowing.

My diet of cookies, too, must give way to one filled with fruits and veggies. I didn't exactly consider when Ada was born is how much time she'd take up during my days. Of course I knew it'd be a lot -- but surely the whole not-fitting-in-showers thing wouldn't happen to me. Sigh.

In these first 6 weeks, there have been (many) times when getting in a real meal has been nearly impossible. Enter grab-and-go cookies. Let's just say that my post-pregnancy weight loss has stalled out for the past three weeks.

Though I've lost 18 pounds since Ada was born, I'm a solid 10 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight.


(Here's a pic of me at 4 weeks pregnant -- so -- essentially pre-pregnancy):


I'm running five days a week (and will write more about my "training" later in the week). And I feel great. Many of my clothes fit, so I'm not focused so much on the number 10. Still, I need to clean up my act. Three of those pounds were GAINED during the holiday season. A diet filled with sugar and saturated fat isn't going to do me any favors going forward.

I mentioned a possible detox in my last post. After more consideration, I think a detox would be difficult given that I'm breastfeeding. The new plan is to eat when I'm hungry, but to trade sweets for sweet potatoes.

Here's what breakfast #1 looked like today:


OATS:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

SMOOTHIE:

• 8 large strawberries (frozen)
• 1/2 large banana (frozen)
• 1 teaspoon golden flax meal
• 2/3 cup almond milk

It might not look like a lot. And you're right. It's only around 250 or 300 calories, which is why I labeled it breakfast #1. Since I'm hungry all the time (yup -- breastfeeding strikes again), I'm breaking up my meals into six food events throughout the day that will total around 2,000 to 2,200 calories. This number is a rough estimate, however. I've never been much of a calorie-counter. In dropping weight, I figure I have to be at least semi-conscious of the numbers. It's an adjustment to read labels for sure.

My mission today is to pick up foods at the grocery store that are easily grabbed out of the fridge for snacks. Like carrots, apples, etc. I'm also planning to do a big bulk cook for some easy lunch options (that I'll post!). I'm thinking perhaps some type of chunky couscous salad since I don't love regular salad. Any ideas?

Well, Ada's awake. Back to it!

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The Daytime Detox . . . ?

Stephen's birthday wasn't exactly the perfect day to be on a detox. So, between the Sweet Potato Brownie binge and the mint-chocolate Bailey's last night, I suppose I've been on only a daytime detox. Today, I'm hoping to go the distance . . . I'm hoping to resist temptations.

We'll see.

Now, I told you the Milk & Honey Smoothie would be great with chocolate. I had to make sure. I also took some reader suggestions and used banana and maple syrup as substitutes.

Two words: VERY GOOD. Also, my first batch of vegetable broth lasted two full days (and kept me full). This morning, I created another variety to starve off boredom.

We're running low on veggies, so it involved a lot of this:


It looks super healthy, too:


GREEN VEGETABLE BROTH

What you'll need . . .

• 2 heads of broccoli, chopped
• 1 to 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 6 to 8 stalks of celery, chopped
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method . . .

1. Again -- the measuring is dependent on how strong your want your broth to taste, I'd say I had between 3 and 4 cups of veggies. Check out this other version -- or just use what you have on hand.
2. Bring water to a boil. Then add the veggies and spices. Simmer -- covered -- for 20 minutes.
3. This time around, I took out all the veggies and blended in our blender until smooth. Mix the puree back into the broth for a nice, thick soup.
4. I'm drinking 1-1/2 cups for lunch #1 around 11:00 AM. Another 1-1/2 cups around 2:00 PM.

Still not sure what I'll be eating for dinner. I haven't exercised in the past two days due to some knee issues. But today I'm planning to jog 6 to 8 miles after work. I'll definitely need fuel. Stay tuned!

Question: Do you take a multivitamin? Back in this post, I told you all that I actually take a prenatal vitamin because my doctor suggested it. I've found that a lot of my friends and family are split on this issue. Some think a multi is absolutely necessary. Some think a healthy, well balanced diet is enough.

So, let us know what YOU think!

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March Detox. Sort Of.

I do these detox-y things from time to time. Usually when I've been eating particularly terribly (I can live on bread, cheese, beer, and sweets for weeks at a time). This is one of those times. I've been in a funk. I've been stressed. I've been eating almost zero vegetables.

Ick.

Thing is, detox food isn't always work-friendly. In fact, last year's meals were somewhat time-intensive and difficult to transport. (Well, aside from just eating whole fruits and veggies, which -- at least for me -- gets old fast.) So, if I'm going to do this thing right, I'm going to do it with my schedule in mind.

Today, I'm kick-starting the whole thing. I don't have any exercise scheduled (Mondays and Fridays are my rest days), so I don't have the usual caloric (carbohydrate) demands. The plan: Drink my breakfast, lunch, and eat a sensible, well-balanced dinner. Simple foods, whole foods, and nixing salt and refined sugars, when possible.

BREAKFAST: Milk & Honey Smoothie

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
• Dash (or 3) of cinnamon

Method . . .

1. Blend away.
2. Sip slowly.
3. Enjoy.

This smoothie is so crazy simple, but it's INCREDIBLE. I think tomorrow I may add a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder. Maybe on a harder workout day, a scoop of peanut butter.

LUNCH #1: Vegetable Broth


What you'll need . . .

• 8 cups water
• Sweet potatoes
• Radishes
• Green peppers
• Garlic
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Really, any kind of vegetable you have around.
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon roasted coriander

Method . . .

1. The measuring is dependent on how strong your want your broth to taste, I'd say I had between 3 and 4 cups of veggies. What you use is up to you and what you have on hand.
2. Bring water to a boil. Then add the veggies, paprika, and coriander (or other spices, just no salt). Simmer -- covered -- for 20 minutes.
3. Then take out 2/3 of the veggies and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Discard the other veggies and mix in the puree for a nice, thick broth.
4. I'm drinking 1-1/2 cups for lunch #1 around 11:00 AM.
5. TIP: A "normal" Ball jar holds 1-1/2 cups of liquid.

I'm eating lunch #2 around 2:00 PM. This time, it's another 1-1/2 cups of the broth (there's enough left for tomorrow, too) and a Greek yogurt, pomegranate flavor. I'll also be drinking some freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. All the while, I'm drinking unlimited amounts of water and herbal tea.

For dinner tonight, I'm planning to eat a large serving of broccoli with brown rice (or wheat berries). A splash of sesame oil and low-sodium soy sauce for flavor. I'll need another snack in there, hopefully with a bit of protein.

Maybe a sweet potato brownie as a nightcap (recipe for that tomorrow!). I mean, there's always room for dessert.


Basically, I'm not fasting. I wanted to eat very simply today. I'm not advising you do this yourself. But these recipes are tasty and can be a great compliment to your daily diet. (Plus, that vegetable broth would be a great base for vegetarian/vegan soups!) I do suggest if you want to try a detox that you detox with food. Tomorrow, I'll be eating a lot more, I'm still formulating what would be best -- how long I'll do this, too -- since I'm also officially starting half marathon training.

More tomorrow! Do you ever detox? Or fast? Or go through periods of time where you like to eat as simply as possible? I'd love your suggestions on doing this while also maintaining an active lifestyle and working.

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Burning Love Smoothie

Maybe you're not in the mood to down chocolate for breakfast. And a green smoothie doesn't quite appeal to your senses in the AM-hours. If you agree with these two statements, perhaps this frothy, free-radical fighting concoction is for you!

Full of powerful red fruits rich in vitamins A and C -- bell pepper, raspberries, strawberries, and pomegranate -- the antioxidants in this drink are overflowing with flavor to promote optimal health. And all that beta-carotene will ensure your peepers continue to see that beautiful shade of red always and forever.


But what's up with putting a BELL PEPPER in a smoothie?

Red peppers are one of the few foods that contain lycopene, a carotenoid whose consumption has been inversely correlated with prostate cancer and cancers of the cervix, bladder and pancreas. Recent studies suggest that individuals whose diets are low in lycopene-rich foods are at greater risk for developing these types of cancers.

For people worried about colon cancer, the fiber found in peppers can help to reduce the amount of contact that colon cells have with cancer-causing toxins found in certain foods or produced by certain gut bacteria. In addition, consumption of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folic acid, all found in bell peppers, is associated with a significantly reduced risk of colon cancer. 

WHFoods.com

That . . . and it tastes good when mixed with all those other fruits. If you want to make this smoothie your very own, just keep reading.

What you'll need . . . for one healthy smoothie!

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (I used POM Wonderful)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 tablespoon (or more depending on your taste) agave nectar 
• 1 tablespoon flax meal

Method . . .

1. Put everything in your blender and BLEND.
2. If you need to adjust for your own preferences, go right ahead. Make it custom to your taste. 
3. Fall in love with the vibrant color . . . and with the zing it gives you. No caffeine necessary.

Got a favorite smoothie (or other healthy . . . not-so healthy, etc.) recipe? Maybe you'd like to share it with us! Check out all the gooey details of our READER SPOTLIGHT -- where each Friday we highlight a (never home)maker who's dishing up something sweet or savory that's just too delish to keep a secret!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Hello, Avocado Green Smoothie!

Tastespotting would reject this photo for bad lighting (and rightly so!). But if I'm up early and feel like posting, I'm not going to be too picky with the photos I take. Anyway, this morning it's all about the green smoothie. The temps are low . . . and I decided to postpone my run until after work. Gave me time to dig my knife and spoon into a ripe avocado and experiment with some flavorful combinations.

Like I said, the avocado slicer is a useless gadget . . . so, I carved mine up using the basics. Why a green smoothie? I'm looking for some extra energy this morning. I'm feeling a cold coming on (you'll hear my stuffy nose in the video below). Green smoothies are freakin' amazing. It's something in the blending of the greens that helps all the nutrition pour out of the cell walls and right into your bloodstream. Better yet, you'll find they're a super easy way to add more greens and whole fruits to your diet. What's not to like?

NOTE: Those of you who are familiar with green smoothies might know a little something about the 40:60 ratio. This smoothie doesn't abide by those rules, since avocado is a "fruit" -- but usually, you'd try to have 40% greens and 60% fruit. Anyone know if avocado is an exception to this "rule"?



Again, this smoothie special because it's the first I've made with avocado. And after drinking it, I'm a convert. Everything is so rich and smooth. So, we've got the texture covered . . . but how does this green monster taste?

I put it to the test . . . (PS: You'll hear me say "bruschetta" in a weird way. Too many years of taking Italian has made me pause between the US and Italian pronunciations of the word. So, it's strange, I know.)

Green Smoothie & Happy Friday! from (never home)maker on Vimeo.

What you'll need (for a HUGE smoothie -- but, hey -- you're supposed to drink 1 quart) . . .

• 1 avocado, taken out of its shell, etc.
• 1 pear (or apple), skinned and chopped
• Handful kale, stems taken off (you can use more if you like, just increase water if it's difficult to blend)
• Handful frozen pineapple (about 10 chunks)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder (or use real ginger, if you have any)
• 1-1/2 cups water

Method . . .

1. Blend everything until smooth.
2. Add a bit of agave nectar if it isn't sweet enough for you.
3. Enjoy.

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DETOX: ONE MONTH

It has been one month since I started the “detox” . . . and now I’m ready to wave goodbye and continue on my way through this veggie-crazed food journey I call my life. However, the healthy eating doesn’t stop with this post. I’ve learned much from my adventures with raw food, vegan food, green leafy veggies, and beyond. If you’ve been reading the entire series, you'll also see that I've learned you don't need to be perfect to lead a healthy eating lifestyle.

First, here's the month's "detox"-related posts . . .

• Day 1 (Where it all began and Coconut-Carob "Cookies")
• Day 2 (Miso Soup and a typical day's menu)
• Day 3 (Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies)
• Day 4 (Healthy crackers inspired by Oh She Glows)
• Day 5 (Small setback, but still going strong -- Ginger-Miso Dressing recipe)
• Day 6 (January Freeze Series 10K)
• Day 10 (Healthy eggplant chili recipe)
• Day 17 (and still chugging along -- update on progress and new energy chunk recipe)
  

Have I eaten 100 percent perfectly since day 1? No. I'm the first to let anyone who's curious know that I haven't been on a true detox. I've eaten cheese and bread. I've had beers and cookies. But what I did that was most beneficial is increase the healthy foods I consume by like 300%. I've been successful with this task because I've made it fun. I crafted energy bars (full of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and non-sugar sweeteners) and Stephen made amazing hummus. We created a delectable sesame-soy sauce for broccoli dinners. Things that made us CRAVE the good stuff.



On the weekends, we started making our own pizza with a homemade wheat-flax crust. Not only did we save money this way, we also could top off our pie with as many veggies as we wanted. We'll continue to have our Friday pizza-making tradition . . . and I'm sure we'll be healthier for it. In addition, we've learned from our mega-sandwich THE LOVER that vegetarian food can be gratuitous and oh-so satisfying -- man-versus-food style, even.

I've embraced the fact that no workout is too short or slow. Something that for a marathon runner like me, well, it's difficult to accept. And I've started using my new Garmin watch to track my runs. I don't go stat-crazy like Stephen does, but the info helps me see how many calories I've burned . . . how long and far I've actually gone . . . and keeps track of everything so I can look for trends in my workouts.

Along those same lines. Stephen and I started going to yoga together. And we continue to go -- in fact, even later this evening we're attending class at our gym. It's a great thing to do together, it's wonderful cross-training for running, and it just feels good. And, no. I can't do what I'm doing in the photo above right now. This was taken a couple years ago. We'll see if I can get to this point again. haha.

I haven't weighed myself in about a week. For some reason, I think I'm back to just about where I started. Blame it on last week's homemade bagels or a soon-to-be-posted cookie recipe . . . but I'm OK with it. My activity level has gone down since training season, and our new schedule starts on January 31st. Lehigh Valley Half Marathon -- here we come! But weight loss or no weight loss, I'm eating better. I'm feeling better. And I'll likely continue to live longer if I continue to cut out so much butter and fat from my diet.



Overall, the "detox" adventure was well worth embarking on. It got me to try new foods. It got me to fall in love with healthier foods (hello, avocados!) and experiment with some of my own recipes to make them fuller or nutrients and not empty calories. I use less sugar in my baking thanks to agave nectar and maple syrup. I start each day with a generous mug of herbal tea. I'm eating more fruits and veggies. And -- at least from what I gather in my comments -- I've inspired others to examine their own food intake. Any improvement is a good one. And small steps eventually lead to big rewards. So, if you're still on your own "detox" . . . or if you even just thinking of starting one: KEEP AT IT! And I'd love to hear how it's going :)

And if you want to find recipes for some of the healthy foods you see in this post, just visit our recipe finder!



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Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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