Basic needs for Juicing & smoothies

If your new to juicing and don't want to spend alot of money or just don't know what to purchase to get started, then here you go. If possible buy organic, otherwise try to buy local produce. The most expensive item on this list are the carrots, but 25lbs is a lot of carrots, and this won't be a weekly purchase. When I did my challenge in August I didn't use juice recipes from books instead I added whatever was on mind at the moment. So, with that said don't forget to check out the "Gone Raw Recipes" tab for juicy and smoothie recipes. 

Juicing Basics

• Spinach bundles
• Kale bundles
• Granny Smith Apples
• Cucumbers
• Celery stalks
• kiwi (optional)
• Carrots
• ginger

 Smoothie basics

• Bananas (lots of bananas)
• Kale/spinach
• blueberries (or any other kind of berries)
• Date
• Coconut/Organic unsweetened coconut flakes

Snacks

• Raw nuts (i.e. almonds, cashews, walnuts, and etc)
• fresh fruits of your choice (I love grapes, apples, pineapple, melons & lots of citrus)
• chopped carrots
• cucumber slices
• dehydrated fruits (no added sugars)

Equipment

• Juicer (Preferably one that has a large mouth to put large amounts of fruit)
• Powerful blender (househole blender, Magic bullet, Ninja, Hamilton beach single serve blender, or Oster MyBlend)
• Mason Jars (sold at Target, Walmart, Old Time Pottery, Big Lots, and etc....)
• Metal Thermal drinking containers ( 24-40 ozs for when your on the run)

Most important ingredient is to... 

Love, believe, and inspire......

Want to lose weight? Don't diet, and never use the word....

     If your reading this chances are based on the title you think I am nuts, or maybe you were just curious. Like many of you I myself have attempted many diets, and like many of you well.......you know what happened next. Especially, if you are carrying some, all, or more of the weight that was lost while on your diet. Normally when a person says that they are going on a diet they are referring to a temporary change of eating to lose the weight. In many cases, when the weight is gone then the diet goes out the window along with it. Notice I said most people vs. all.... There are many people that continue the diet which for them it becomes a lifestyle change. I don't know many people that diet to lose weight, and are excited about gaining it back. Ask any yo-yo dieter if they enough regaining any of the pounds that they lost, and I am pretty sure the answer would be no. If you want to lose weight and keep it off DO NOT DIET!!!!  Instead make lifestyle changes, and if you know that you can't give up all the trash that you are eating now then don't attempt too. Take it slow because every small change that you make now will have big results in your life later. The S.A.D (Standard American Diet) is comprised of a lot of not so healthy choices. The serving sizes are hug, greasy, and loaded with refined sugars. My personal decision was to become a Vegetarian, and I am not trying to convince you to do the same. However, I would suggest rethinking about how you load your plate. How hard would it be to make your veggies the main item, grains next, and meat into a 2-4 oz serving size. If you get hungry for a snack while out of the home don't grab the candy bare or chips instead grab a piece of fruit, dried fruit or nuts. Now, while you are taking steps to a new you just remember not to use the word diet, but scream and shout LIFESTYLE CHANGES!!!!

Gone Raw!! Day 5

August 5th, and day 5 of going RAW.....IT'S FRIDAY BABY!!!! Excuse me i just had a moment. LOL! I hope your day was more beautiful than you expected. I am so glad the weekend is here so I can go shopping because after the death of my Magic Bullet breakfast has been satisfying, but it came from a bottle vs a fresh assortment of goodness. Today I spent 3 hours at the Cancer Institute getting INFed, and boy was I tired. I got a great nap while there, but one of the other things that they give you is benadryl via an iv so that tired feeling lasted for a long time. Yesterday, I was trying to increase my knowledge of this lifestyle, and came across this cool site that has tons of Raw Vegan recipes, and caters to the Raw community, so if your interested then check it out. Now, I must warn you that my meals from today were not much, but I was fine so here you go.......

Day 5
Plenty of water throughout the day.
Breakfast: NAKED Blue Machine

Snack: Cherries

Lunch: Chipotle salad with veggies, salsa, and cheese

Snack: Apple

Snack: Raw Granola with raisins and almonds

Dinner: Sleep, I was so tired I feel asleep**


**Skipping a meal is NOT suggested by any means, and I am not happy with doing so. I will try to make sure that this does not repeat itself.


"The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience.  Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing. " ~Larry Dossey

Gone Raw!! Day 3

August 3rd, and day 3 of going RAW....I must say as the days go by this is getting easier and easier, but today I was faced with an unexpected challenge at work. It was breakfast time, so as usual I put my items in my cup added ice and proceeded to blend using my Magic Bullet. CAN YOU BELIEVE THE PIECE THAT TURNS THE BLADE BROKE!!!!!!! OMG!!!! What a girl to do when she has gone raw, and the cafeteria does not sell fresh fruits except bananas. Well, I went downstairs anyway looked and refrigerator and saw a NAKED drink. Ok, that is the next best thing to having it fresh so I enjoyed a Green Machine with a banana. That was around 0900, and I stayed satisfied until around 1300. One thing that I noticed today is that I did not feel tired, but with snacking and good hydration I felt satisfied and not heavy for the rest of the day. So as you can see today was not very exciting in food land probably because I was deprived of my morning smoothie. Anyway below you will find my meals for the day....

Day 3:
Plenty water

Breakfast:

Naked Green Machine, and 1 banana

Lunch: 
Organic salad with feta cheese, almonds, green peppers, onions, and strawberries

Snack: Mixed nuts

Snack: Large Valencia orange

Snack: Small Raw Revolution Chocolate & Coconut bar and Seaweed (classic flavor)

Dinner: 

My dirty blood juice...Ingredients: 1 leaf of Chard, 1 1/2 small granny smith apple, half kiwi, 1/4 large beet, 2 carrots, 1 cup parsley, and one cucumber.

When it comes to your health goals get rid of the sabotages in your life - surround yourself with positive people who inspire you to go beyond your health dreams. ~Dolicia M.