I have been feeling really bad physically. On one level, I have been feeling the remnants of the flu I had- just sort of low grade symptoms- headache, sore throat, tiredness, etc. And then on another level I have been feeling really unhealthy in other ways- I feel so overweight and out of shape. I also feel like I have been holding on to my baby body. I guess being pregnant and giving birth and now mothering Amethyst has meant such a significant change in my life- how I live my day-to-day, who I fundamentally am as a person, what my priorities are that I just haven’t been able to let go of this belly. But I feel like by shedding this extra weight I can return into myself a little. In the yogic tradition, a new baby and mother share an aura for 40 days after the birth of the baby. During this time, baby and mama are still connected as fundamentally as when baby was still in the womb- just that this connection is more energetic in nature. Doing this cleanse has felt a little like I am taking some power back into my body. As I am still (somewhat) breastfeeding my daughter, I decided to do a really light version of a cleanse. Juicing and smoothies all day and then one meal and a light snack.
Saturday-
Wild green kuice- cleaver, apple, chickweed, lime
Smoothie-frozen blueberries, mango, kale, coconut water, vitamineral green, sunwarrior protein powder, cashews, dates
Green juice- cucumber, apple, celery, fennel, ginger, kale stalks, lemons, limes
Smoothie- blueberry, mango, sunwarrior, avocado, dates, vitamineral green, pine pollen
Green juice- more of earlier green juice
Snack- some Hail Merry chocolate tarts- mint and almond butter flavors, shared with my Dad and hubby. Also some little chococherry energy bite things from Hawaii.
meal- cucumber, shredded carrot, celery, lettuce, quinoa, roasted potato and beet in a raw Chipotle-Sunflower Cream Sauce.
The sauce was awesome on this really hearty and filling yet light (if that totally contradictory description makes sense to anyone but me!) salad.
Chipotle-Sunflower Cream Sauce
3/4 cup hulled sunflower seeds, soaked 4 hours
juice of 2 lemon
pinch salt
2 date, soaked
1 dried chipotle pepper, soaked
1/4-1/2 c spring water, if needed
Add everything to blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups dressing.
Sunday was similar foodwise-
smoothie- blueberries, Sunwarrior, dates, rainbow chard and ice
smoothie- more blubes, Sunwarrior, cashews, dates, vitamineral green and cacao powder
juice- carrot, apple, celery, beet, cilantro
snack- Bearded Bros. Maca chocolate energy bar shared with hubby while having almond milk au laits at Rhino Coffee
juice- more of above root juice
meal- kelp noodles with spinach, grated carrots, pickles and Chipotle-Sunflower Cream Sauce
Also yesterday the hubby and I went to a sound healing session. The woman used Tibetan singing bowls and a gong. This was the first thing remotely like this that we have done since moving to Shreveport. I fell asleep briefly during the session but have not been so relaxed in a reaaaaaaally long time. I think it also helped shift me into a more positive headspace as well. Dan enjoyed it as well and Amethyst was FINE with her grandparents while we were gone 🙂 Also, we were able to introduce ourselves to a few people and saw some other interesting looking people near to our age. So, it at least gave us some hope for creating a nice life for ourselves during our time in Shreveport even if it is only temporary.
Today was also similar-
Green smoothie made by hubby but had mixed frozen fruits, spinach and pine pollen
Green juice- cucumber, apple, celery, cilantro, lemon, grapefruit
Wild greens- Cleaver and chickweed, grapefruit, lemon juice makings:
meal- Blue corn tacos with black beans, daiya vegan cheese, spinach and beet greens, grated carrot, guacamole, chickweed-cilantro pesto, and tomatillo salsa. OMG so delicious were these!
Chickweed-Cilantro Pesto
1/2 cup chickweed
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup pine nuts
pinch salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
splash of good olive oil
Throw everything into food processor and pulse into slightly chunky paste.
Here we are in late August, and although Autumn is slowly creeping closer, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the temperatures we are still having here in Madrid. And luckily for me, the stores are still full of summertime fruit! I am certainly taking advantage of the watermelons, Galia melons, peaches, nectarine, paraguayos and berries that are in season right now.
I think I have probably eaten my weight in watermelon this summer, and most of it has been in its natural state. I tend to take half a watermelon, get a spoon, sit down at the table and chow down! But I decided to branch out a little bit and make a drink, and this one came out deeelish! It is such a lovely deep purple color and so very hydrating.
This drink is a delightfully refreshing way to cool down on a hot late summers day and still get your greens in!
So, without further ado-
Purple Summer Cooler:
Makes 2 servings
Blend and strain the following:
3.5 cups watermelon
1 small head romaine lettuce
1 cup frozen mixed berries (I used blackberries, raspberries, cherries and mulberries)
Then, blend the mixture with 1 frozen banana. Pour into tall glasses and enjoy! Easy-Peasy 🙂
I am finally back from Morocco. It seems like I have been gone forever! The first thing I want to get out of the way though, is to post my notes from the Victoria Boutenko talk in Amsterdam. I have to admit that when I first decided to go, I was a bit skeptical. What could I possibly learn in a lecture about green smoothies? After all, I have been drinking them for years! I was pleasantly surprised by the information that she had to offer and I learned a lesson. There is always more to learn, even about the subjects in which you consider yourself an expert. So without further ado, here are the highlights from the lecture.
- Rotate your greens. Each and every green leafy vegetable has a homeopathic dose of toxins. Spinach has oxalic acid, lettuce has opium, etc. This is completely fine for us as long as we rotate a variety of greens. The more choices the better.
- We need more greens than we think. She recommends half a kilo of greens a day. That is more or less a pound, a believe. Victoria also says that if we use these greens in a smoothie, we only need half of that. I imagine that is because we absorb and digest them much more.
- If they are organic, don´t wash your greens. Victoria advocates what she calls “conscious veganism.” By not washing our greens, we consume insects. Conscious veganism includes these insects as a safeguarding measure against B-12 and other nutritional deficiencies.
- Tree ripened fruit. This is also a part of conscious veganism. When fruit is ripened to perfection on the tree, it contains many insect eggs. Consuming these is part of an optimal diet.
- Blending does NOT destroy 90% of nutrients as has been stated by some critics. Fiber is a powerful anti-oxidant. There was an experiment done where a potato was juiced- the juice oxidized before it even left the juicer. Another potato was blended and it didn´t oxidize for days. That is a testament to the antioxidant power of fiber.
- Most metabolical difficulties are due to liver problems. We should cleanse the liver gently using smoothie or juice fasts and colonics. This aids the liver in it´s ability to dump things into the intestine. Healthy liver function is integral to the ability to gain or lose weight.
- Preservative is another word for poison.
- The Candida/Diabetes link. Victoria says that Candida is what happens to the body instead of developing diabetes. It is an alternate pathway. Candida is not good, but it is better than diabetes.
- Diabetes/Fat. Victoria also says that Diabetes is more of a problem of fat than of sugar.
I know there is much more that I forgot, but those are some of the interesting bits that I came away with. I hope they help you, even if it just gives you something to think about.
xx
First, I want to get something straight. I´m a vegan, yet I use bee pollen. They seem mutually exclusive, and I admit that for years I did not touch anything that had honey, propolis, or beeswax. I probably chose some products that were less natural or ecologically manufactured out of strict dogma. It is an animal product, and as a vegan I didn´t want it.
Well, fast forward a few years. For the first time in my life, I began to suffer from seasonal allergies. Last year was the first year that it happened and I found myself trying many things that I otherwise would not allow into my body. I took antihistamines, which worked to an extent but were not great. I even tried homeopathy, and homeopathic pills are virtually impossible to get without lactose. I told myself that I was doing the best that I could, but was I?
I have known for a long time that local honey has some profound effects in terms of allergy prevention. I just did not want to go there. This year though, before the Spring hay fever blitz begins, I have already begun on a regimen of bee pollen. And surprise, surprise, I love it!
Bee pollen has plenty of other benefits. Dr. Gabriel Cousens calls it the “semen of the plant world”. In his epic tome Spiritual Nutrition, he states :
“It is 20 percent protein(gram for gram, it has five to seven times more protein than meat, eggs, or cheese), is 15 percent brain-building oils and lecithin, has sixty-three minerals and most of the B vitamins, and has vitamins C and E, nucleic acids, 5,000 enzymes and coenzymes, and essential fatty acids…Bee pollen is the ultimate biogenic food and the procreative force of the plant world.”
So, with that, I will leave you with a picture of todays smoothie and the recipe
Maca Pollen Smoothie
3 bananas
1 nectarine
1 date
half an avocado
2 cups spinach
2 tbsp. maca
1 tbsp green probiotic powder
Blend until creamy and smooth and top with bee pollen. Makes enough for two large servings. I love to eat my smoothies with a spoon now 🙂