DAY FOUR OF MY CLEANSE

People have been telling me I shouldn't call this a cleanse, since my system is pretty much as clean as can be. I'd have to agree with this and I'll say right now I am not concerned about becoming more pure or losing weight or anything like that. I just love how I feel when all I consume is fresh juices and organic fruit! I am not restricting my calories as far as I know (although I do not, and never have, kept track); I am drinking and eating as much as I want/need so I don't feel deprived.

That being said, everyone fasts and cleanses for different reasons. Your aim may be to lose weight, detox, transition into a vegan or raw food diet, etc. Whatever your situation, make sure you have a clear goal in mind and that you do it safely! If you're "cleansing" with me, I hope you're doing great!

Today I took it easy again, certainly enjoying not having to work on my book - for now (I get my revisions back in a couple weeks). I cleaned and tidied the house, watered the plants, picked blueberries and immediately ate them, and I am still currently trying to bleach this cute lingerie-esque dress I bought at a thrift store two days ago. I figured it'd look great in white instead of black but the colour is taking a long time to come out... we'll see. Then I watched Reincarnated and almost fell asleep. Following that I made this juice (recipe below)! Hope you like it as much as I did.

ginger jive carrot apple juice:

3 large carrots
2 green apples
1 cucumber
1/2 pineapple
1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh ginger

Wash, peel and chop the produce as needed. Put through your juicer, strain (optional) and enjoy! 

juice fast: day 2

Today is swell so far! Woke up, worked out (not too much though, gotta keep my body in a relaxed state to detox efficiently), cleaned my room, took a shower, then made this giant glass of juice. It is pretty sweet so I am now looking forward to making a savoury dinner juice for me and the boyfriend. Speaking of which - he is joining me in this juice fast! But only for the weekend. Then we are both back to school and work after the holiday. Hmph. 

I feel really good; I have lots of energy, am feeling clean and sense that my body is working to get out any toxins that have accumulated in my system. Tonight I will take it easy and watch a movie or something with my beau while we sip some kale & garlic concoction. I know many of you are joining me on this fast, and some of you were fasting already. How are YOU doing? 

pink lady juice:

1 large beet

2 carrots

1 meyer lemon

1 orange

2 green apples

2 pineapple slices

1 bell pepper

1 cucumber

Peel and slice as needed. Juice and drink. 
Have a wonderful Friday and listen to this song!

another juice fast & recipe for glowing skin

More juicing for detox! Cleansing your beautiful body is the perfect way to start off the new year, in my opinion. I'm going to do a juice fast, starting this afternoon. (This juice recipe is from yesterday afternoon after I worked out.) I would start right away today but I'm staying at my boyfriends and he is not fortunate enough to have a juicer. Sad face.

Anyone who wants to join me is totally welcome! It'll probably last about 5 to 10 days and I will be posting frequently on the blog (here) and facebook.

Even if you're eating 100% raw (or whatever you consider to be the most optimal diet for you), exercising daily and all that other good stuff, it is never a bad idea to do a juice cleanse - I use the words "fast" and "cleanse" interchangeably by the way - because you are not necessarily restricting your calories so you won't be starving or malnourished.

In fact, on a juice fast you will most likely be enjoying the most nutritious diet ever because - like I just said - you're getting adequate calories, but you are also receiving the highest quality, most nutrient-dense and high water content foods on the planet that are ridiculously easy to absorb and digest. Fresh juice is delicious and can save lives. It has already.

The juice I made today was to give my skin a boost in health and colour. Winter does a number on my skin and hair because both are pretty sensitive. Cucumber is excellent for your skin, as is celery and they are both included in this recipe. Want glowing skin? Drink cucumber juice.

glowing skin elixir:

1 cucumber

2 celery stalks

2 green apples

2 pineapple slices

1 cup mint leaves

Juice. Drink. Love.

juice fast: day 4

juice fast still going strong. although today is definitely my most intense detox day so far. i have a pretty bad headache, feel light-headed and all my muscles are sore. similar to what i've been feeling, but more concentrated. i am supposed to work tonight but i might just take it off to rest. good thing i don't have class on tuesdays.

today's post is actually about yesterday so i'll keep it short because later today i will also be posting about my day... today. confusing, i know. time warp. yesterday's juices were green and delicious. the first one was mostly parsley carrot orange with apple, tomato and a bit of spinach.

skin cleanser: serves one or two

1 cup spinach
1 cup parsley
2 apples
1 orange
4 carrots
2 tomatoes

wash. peel. juice. drink. 

i was also pretty physically involved yesterday. i vacuumed the house then carried crates of wine downstairs, and later later helped my boyfriend move into his new place. i carried his stuff up six flights of stairs. i got a bit light-headed at times but i did it. i can be kind of stubborn.

my second juice of yesterday was similar to the first. lots of parsley, apple and orange. i wasn't sure if i'd like the parsley but i LOVED it! it adds a sensational savoury tone to the juice that fills you up and highlights particular flavours.

green juice goddess: serves one or two

1 cup parsley
2 apples
4 carrots
2 oranges
1/2 cucumber 

wash. peel. juice. drink. <3

my dinner juice was this recipe. current fave!

then i got my parents to watch a documentary about juice. fat, sick & nearly dead. you can find it for free online if you try. i watched it during my previous fast and was inspired! there should be more docs about juice fasting, and fasting in general!

at this point, the fast seems to be flying by and i'm not craving any food yet. right now i feel i can go for another 16 days. especially since i'm experiencing detox today - good sign! i had trouble falling asleep last night but once i DID get asleep, i slumbered pretty deeply. was FINALLY able to sleep in.

i dreamt of kittens.

i am craving some juice right now (haven't had any today yet) so i will talk to you guys soon! going to take it easy today, have a bath, and let my body do it's thang.

juice fast: day 3

today was busy but i am still feeling really good, mentally. physically, all my muscles are sore and feel tired, as if i had a hard workout but then didn't eat enough afterwards. i am also having a bit of trouble sleeping, slight headaches, and an occasional light-headed feeling. oh, detox... what a love-hate relationship we share.

i've had three delicious juices today: a simple carrot and apple based one for breakfast; a replica of my current fave juice for lunch; then a delicious beet pink juice for dinner. i'll have some tea later and maybe some prune juice (the soak water from prunes).

admire the lovely bouquet my mother made from our garden plants in celebration of the fall season. oooh boy do i love the colours of fall. the trees in our city are just mesmerizing and i cannot help stopping what i am doing and taking a breath (and moment) to appreciate the glorious and elegant universe we are blessed to live in. PLUS i have the best juicer ever. what more can a girl ask for?

i spent most of today driving around with la copine and all his belongings, helping him move into his new place. exciting! then i had to watch my whole family eat sushi - GRR. oh well. i was PERFECTLY satisfied drinking my beet juice... yum? 

but seriously, it wasn't that bad. yes, my brain was telling me to dig into those heavier calories but my mind knew i didn't need to and that in the long run continuing on this juice fast will be best. it's all about remembering the big picture. if you do - fasting is easy! especially when you get to drink delicious and luscious beet juice on a daily basis...

 earthy tones beet juice: serves one or two

4 beets
3 carrots
1 apple
1 orange
1/2 cucumber
1 bell pepper
4 pineapple slices

peel, slice and cut as needed. juice it up and drink it down. 

juice fast: day 2

today was farmer's market day! it was (tragically) the last one of the season for our neighborhood. BUT - and what an important "but" - there are three winter farm markets in our city area so i don't have to go without local, organic, love-filled produce all through the chilly season. PHEW.

today i'm feeling great. last night i had sore muscles which is a sign of mild detox. yahoo! i had a tasty carrot-apple-orange juice with my parents for breakfast, fed a butterfly that has been finding comfort and safety in my room (until my cat attacked it today!) during the rainy weather, then went to the market.

we loaded up on EVERYTHING. when you're on a juice fast you are actually getting more nutrients then you normally would because you can without feeling full. the fiber is mainly what produces that full feeling and when you juice - you take that out! so although i wouldn't normally eat 4 apples and 2 cucumbers in one sitting, i can with juice. thus i bought a ton of veggies and greens today for the next few weeks of juice fasting; i know i will be able to consume it all.

when we got back i made THE MOST DELICIOUS REFRESHING AMAZING AWESOME JUICE EVER! seriously. this is in my top three fave juice recipes now. i bought some peppermint with the idea that it might make interesting juice, especially if i mixed it with citrus.

i was right. 

pineapple peppermint love: serves one or two

4 small carrots
1 apple
1 orange
4-5 pineapple slices
handful fresh mint leaves
1/2 cucumber 

cut, slice and peel as needed. then juice it. hurry up and JUICE IT.
be prepared to have your mind blown (as well as your taste buds).

the plans for the rest of my saturday are pretty great. my juice fast partner-in-health (get it? instead of "in crime"... okay fine i'm not funny) is heading over soon and we're going to make some savoury juice for dinner. the boyfriend is coming over later too and it's also my friend's 19th so we might go out to dinner to celebrate.

i DO need to get some school work done at some point... hm.

juice fast: day 1

first juice of the day was rather late. i thought i would be home earlier so unfortunately my energy was running pretty low. i am feeling better now though and warming up too (got pretty chilly sitting outside reading for two hours). plan for my friday afternoon? watch a movie with my juice-fasting buddy and generally just be cozy.

last night i went to see cadence weapon at fortune sound club and it was really fun. i went with all my favourite people (my boyfriend even came out!) and danced until 2 am. then drove to the naam for tea (and food for some). i had a great time, but sweating the whole night then passing out at 4 am probably isn't the smartest way to start a long fast... lesson learned. woke up today and had a headache and sore muscles.

my feelings are mostly excitement right now. for the past several days i've been looking forward to this. i am very ready to let juice and other liquids (tea, broth, strained nut milks, lemon water, etc.) become my diet for the next little while. as i've said - i'm not giving this a pre-decided time span but i'd like to go for three weeks or so. we shall see.

pink dream juice: serves one or two

1 beet
2 carrots
2 apples
1 orange
3-4 pineapple slices
1 cucumber

wash, cut, peel and slice as needed. then juice 'em up! mmm so sweet. i would have added spinach but i couldn't lose that gorgeous colour from the beets so i left it as is. 

new omega juicer

oh lawd. i am so excited about our new juicer. it is an omega vert 350 and i love it almost as much as i love dante (my cat).

random: check this out.

as i have already told you, i was planning to go on another juice fast as soon as it arrived in the mail! so the next few days will be smoothies, juice and raw snacks. then i go into 100% juice mode for... who knows how long. i want to fast until i feel my body should stop. the human body doesn't identify calendar dates or week-long time periods, it runs on it's own watch and i plan to monitor it carefully. i will know when to stop.

this time is really special for me because my friend is doing the juice fast with me! i've never had someone want to join me for one of these things so i'm looking EXTRA forward to this; maybe even... double extra? 

i know. double. woah.

the first juice we made was carrot, apple and lime (as you can see in the photo). it was SO DANG GOOD. you can literally taste the difference a good quality juicer makes. this thing is my new baby. i am going to use it so often and for everything. i can finally juice my own wheat grass! be jealous. BE JEALOUS.

the juice was so flavourful (more nutrients available because of the difference in juicing process so there is more to taste) and the pulp was so dry! cleaning it is easy too. if you're serious about juicing, or know you will be, or just WANT to be: get this juicer. 

perfect first juice: serves one

2 apples
1 peeled lime
4 peeled carrots

juice. drink the juice. 

another juice fast

hello, my sweet, plant-loving comrades.

i have decided to go on another juice-alicious fast. why? let's start at the beginning: i didn't tell you that when i THOUGHT i had strep throat and couldn't swallow without flinching for a week... i actually had MONO. it was total agony for seven days and i hope i never go through it again. would've been nice to know what i actually was suffering from...

thanks a lot, doc.

he tells me AFTER i recover... cool. anyways, that's not really relevant but you must deal with it. tough. the point  is - i didn't eat for a week. the first two days i just drank tea, lemon water and miso soup, the remaining days i basically went on a juice fast. it reminded me how much i love juice, and how much i appreciated my previous juice fast (search "juice fast" on my blog to get my posts about it.) it made me want to complete another one.

so i have the best news ever... for me, anyway. 

we (mom and i) have officially ordered our OMEGA VRT350 JUICER!!! i am way too excited about this, people. but as i said to my girlfriend - at which she promptly laughed - "why can't everyone get this stoked about juicing!?" as you may have noticed, i have gradually fallen head over heels for juice. i used to be a smoothie girl all the way. i will always keep a place in my heart for my green smoothies. but i have warmed up to juicing. i used to dislike the absence of fiber but my mind has been changed. taking out the fiber allows for instant assimilation... it is the fastest way to get the highest quality nutrients in the greatest quantity. simply put: it's excellent nutrition in a glass.

we should get our juicer in about five days (fingers crossed, canadian postal system) and then i'm going to sell our old juicer to my friend. at that point she will join me in a juice fast! i am really excited about this because i've only ever cleansed and/or fasted by myself. i think it's gonna be loads better with a partner. i don't want to set a number of days this juice fast will be, but i'd like it to exceed ten days (the length of my last one). we will see. i plan to listen to my body.

i'm going to be reading up on juice fasting this time too. so far i've gotten juice fasting & detoxification, and juicing, fasting and detoxing for life - sound pretty enthralling, huh?

just wanted to give you all a heads up about this! i will be posting recipes for shampoo and conditioner soon, as well as some salads and other raw concoctions that have come from my twisted mind and dutch-inspired kitchen. love all. drink juice.

break [the] fast

so the day before yesterday - i finally broke the juice fast. my mom had bought me a papaya and i had been letting it ripen the last few days of the fast so it could be the first delicious piece of solid food i put in my mouth on saturday.

i look kinda crazy... but hey, i go nuts for papaya

it was an other-wordly experience. i transcended! i could hardly even control the ecstasy that was food-tasting. if you ever lose your passion for eating, or think everything tastes bland - just drink juice for a week. the rest of the day i had a few pieces of fruit and then an AMAZING smoothie at gorilla food. remember how i was super stoked to eat a salad for the first thing? nah. i don't think i could've handled that much on saturday, plus i was only craving fruit, to be honest.

later in the day my muscles were getting really sore, especially in my legs. i also had a head ache. i suppose it was the final steps of my detox. i slept really well saturday night.

yesterday i ate several fruits most of the day. it was canada day! so my friend came over and we went downtown to celebrate. super fun ;) when we got home we made a raw feast of creamy pasta with mushrooms, basil and tomatoes along with an avocado spinach soup, and durian pudding for dessert! i will post all the delicious recipes in the days to follow :) don't ya worry. here's some pics to tempt you:

i hope you all had a great weekend; i sure did. namaste!

10 day juice fast: day 10

day 10 is here! and almost done! it's really strange to think i won't be only consuming juice tomorrow... i will be having solid food. crazy. a part of me is a little scared to go back to food. i know i'll have no regrets once i eat but i've gotten used to juice, and i love what the fast has done for me. at the same time, tomorrow is like christmas!

i spent my final day of fasting having a great time with amber. we drove downtown and got E3 Live shots at Buddha-Full. i won't lie... i prefer wheat grass. but then i LOVE wheat grass juice. i know some people think it's too strong but personally i think it's delicious and sweet on it's own! the E3 Live however was pretty bitter. we had orange and lemon slices for chase. 

what do you think of E3 Live shots? compared to wheat grass?

next we stopped at sejuiced and got... you guessed it. juice. amber is having a raw day :) i got the "body and soul" juice and she got something with "energy" in the name. can't go wrong there.

then we went to kits (hippie central: my home land) and visited banyen books. I LOVE THIS PLACE! my mom had been telling me it was my kind of store and that i needed to go for awhile now, but i didn't have a chance until today. oh boy. heaven. they had a book on tiny houses, a whole shelf dedicated to juicing, fasting and raw food (and two others for vegan, whole foods and vegetarian diets), and everywhere you looked was something to do with harmony, om, buddha, chimes, meditation music, and generally just beautiful things.

finally we walked down to the beach and sat on opposite ends. i was able to meditate and reflect on the past 10 days, as well as anticipate the near future and my feelings about both strands of time. exactly what i needed. after that i fell into a om-like state and have stayed that way since. i will sleep very well tonight i think, and wake up tomorrow to face a day of eating!

oh and i do want to mention, tonight i had some nut milk. this is my juice fast and i'll do it the way i want to, tonight i felt nut milk would hit the spot. some people might be stricter and consume nothing but juice for 10 days (which is essentially what i did, of course), but i'm totally fine with eating a strawberry here and there, and having nut milk on the last days. my body is thrilled either way ;)

i got an idea from this glass of milk actually... i'm gonna make a cashew banana chocolate milkshake tomorrow ;) stay tuned, my darlings! i want to thank you all for the support and positive energy you gave me during these past 10 days.

10 day juice fast: day 9

SO CLOSE! i have the rest of today, and tomorrow... then i fill my body with the raw food it's been craving the last few days. i'm so excited to jump back into raw food and the entire lifestyle. it's time for this juice fast to END!

don't get me wrong. i haven't begun to hate juice or fasting or anything. i still love and respect it as much as i did on day 1. but i want to EAT! today i was writing down a bunch of recipes i can't wait to make after saturday. they are all raw versions (besides the toasted rice) and include:

- zucchini pasta with creamy alfredo and cauliflower "parmesan" crumble
- tomato and pine nut lasagna with marinated mushrooms, eggplant and herbs
- veggie pizza with sun dried tomato and garlic sauce, marinated peppers and pineapple
- spinach avocado soup with garlic, onion and tomatoes
- sushi rolls of mango, cucumber and avocado with toasted brown rice and sweet/sour tahini dipping sauce
- yam burgers with sunflower seeds and all the fixins, along with jicama fries and chipotle dip
- durian ice cream and cacao nibs, spiced with cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg
- chocolate discs layered with spiced bananas, dried figs, and organic berries

you better be thinking "HECK YES!" i sure am. 

my passion for life and raw foods has been REBORN!

today i went out and bought frozen durian meat for the pudding, and we got avocados a couple days ago so they will be ripe by saturday. (because first things first: i want salad, and salad ain't complete without avocado.) we also bought some castor, jojoba and avocado oil because from now on i will be using a mix of them for my facial cleanser. check this out. i love this site. we went to the library (best place evaaa!) too and i finally got mad cowboy. i've been meaning to read this book for a long time but i've been distracted by... life? and other excellent novels. i know it will seem a bit dated, but i also know it'll make me really proud to be vegan - and get me re-inspired to convert others!

yes... i used the word "convert". veganism is totally a religion, folks.
seriously though, i do worship my kale.

my mom made a big pitcher of juice this morning before we went grocery shopping so i drank the one recipe all day. it was yummarific and made of:

2 oranges
2 apples
1 grapfruit
2 mini cukes
1 1/2 cups grapes
huge chunk ginger
1/2 pineapple
1 cup cantelope
1/2 large bell pepper
 

my energy levels are alright today, better than in the middle there. yikes. i must admit, i've snuck in a few strawberries. my logic is that i'm juicing them... in my mouth. don't argue with it. this saturday i will back in my own bed (i've been house sitting all week), eating food again, and seeing special people in my life that i haven't seen for weeks! i am very excited, and at the same time i am keeping the importance of these last 2 days of juice fasting in my mind and soul.

talk to you all tomorrow! much love. namaste.

oh and p.s. - i can't take all the credit for those recipe ideas. i always make up my own but here's a few that got me creating: durian pudding, fettucine alfredo, and jicama fries.

10 day juice fast: day 6, 7 & 8

sorry guys, i am house sitting this week and didn't manage to get to my lap top for a few days to write so here's day 6, 7 and 8.

DAY 6

i made the most delicious juice ever! it was so good i did the exact same recipe for my dinner juice. it was made of:

3 carrots
3 celery sticks
1 apple
1 orange
huge chunk ginger
2-3 pineapple slices

i also made a large glass of delicious "spa water". all i did was put in some lemon and cherries. there's endless combinations. i want to try lavender and lemon, for example. here's a bunch of recipes.

today i was feelin' pretty tired. just out of energy. i couldn't run or go up a set of stairs without losing my breath and feeling slightly light-headed. looks like it's perfect timing for this kind of detox because my juice fast ends in 3 days! i am SO EXCITED to eat. all i want is raw food. raw salad, sushi, pasta, soup, smoothies. i also can't wait to eat a banana with some kind of nut butter. and just like... a date. i know it's all gonna taste amazing because my taste buds have been recharged and sensitized.

DAY 7

my juices today were watermelon-themed :) mmm, so refreshing.

juice #1:
2 cups watermelon
1 orange
chunk of ginger
1/2 cucumber
3 sticks of celery
1 cup grapes
1 cup strawberries

 look - it's glowing!

juice #2: sorry i didn't take any pics - i slurped it up in the backyard and forgot my camera.
1 cup watermelon
1 grapefruit
1 orange
chunk of ginger
1 cup strawbrries
3 carrots

i'm really looking forward to getting back to solid food and making delicious raw recipes for me and my loved ones. this is the kind of excitement i experienced when i first got into raw food (almost 2 years ago!) but to be honest - i had lost this kind of passion last year.

don't get me wrong, i never stopped loving raw food and the philosophy behind behind the lifestyle. but i gradually let myself become disconnected from that initial enthusiasm. and i was really depressed that i couldn't reconnect with it. slowly i lost my connection when i meditated, and eventually i couldn't find much passion in anything - even though i understood how much i continued to love the people and events happening around me.

this is why i wanted to challenge myself through a juice fast, then a 21 day water fast. i was hoping to regain that original passion and reconnect with what i know is important to me - my soul and it's relationship with the universe! yes, that includes food. food sustains us.

here's the good news. initially i was just incorporating this juice fast as a prequel to the mega water fast, and because i wanted to participate in "cleanse america" (even though i'm in canada); but through these past 7 days - and i'm sure these last 3 - i have already gained from the juice fast what i was hoping to gain from the water fast! plus... mom and dad still aren't very keen on me not eating for 3 weeks. understandable.
-
i have decided to conquer the water fast at a later date. i will certainly be doing it at some point. but it doesn't need to be - and i don't feel it should be - right now.

in these last 3 days i plan to do a lot of resting and meditating, finalizing my thoughts and cementing my renewed excitement and refreshed passion for life. i am so happy to be here, surrounded by my family and friends, living in a beautiful home and city, able to make my dreams come true, and having the best food in the world every day! well... for the next 3 days, it'll be juice. i am not ashamed to say that i can't freaking wait to eat salad. looooooooooooord.

further reading: here's the "diary" of Skinny Bitch co-author Rory Freedman when she did a 7 day juice fast. i love how honest she is.

DAY 8

alright. day 8! i have renewed love for this juice fast. food can wait; the time will pass. it's a gorgeous, sunny day and i intend to take advantage of it. i think i'll do a facial steam with rose water then lay in the yard. i'm seeing some friends later and i'm excited to talk and spend time with them. i've been getting so many amazing emails and comments from my readers! I LOVE YOU ALL! the fact that i can help change people's lives means so much to me, and it's the main reason i'm here.

you guys inspire me. you're changing my life!

my first juice today was delicious and made of: 

4 carrots

3 celery sticks

huge chunk of ginger

1 apple

1 orange

1 tomato

1 bell pepper

1 kiwi

i think it looks like a work of art. i'm actually gonna get some of these photos printed really big on a canvas because i like them so much. literally, photos full of life! i'll be making the same juice for dinner. i will probably have some herbal tea with lemon later as well.

- 

i need to share this with you: crunchy betty. the link i give is for cleaning your face but she has excellent posts about how to naturally keep your hair, skin and body beautiful, vibrant and glowing. she's also hilarious.