Checking In!

Well, I've been eating for a week now and I've gained more than I'd like to admit. I've gained more than 5 lbs but less than 10 lbs. which sounds HUGE in a week's time but it's really not when you think about it. My body went from only receiving nutrients through liquids to actually getting foods again. I'm sure there will be an adjustment period and I guess I was expecting about 5 lbs but it's the extra few pounds that make me uncomfortable.

I won't talk about the different foods I ate because when I was fasting, I hated reading about what everyone was eating. I will say that I have been making much better decisions when it comes to food however, there is still room for MAJOR improvements. I did NOT go to my favorite fast food places though. I was reasonable.

I had someone ask me, "So, does the food taste better now?" And I've had to really think about that one. Personally, I NOW find great joy in eating foods that I know are healthy and because I'm able to enjoy it more, I do think that healthy foods are more enjoyable. When I am eating things I know aren't good for me, I'm not able to enjoy it as much. Maybe it's because I'm terrified of going back to my old ways? Maybe my taste buds really HAVE changed? Maybe it's guilt (I went 40 freakin days without chewing so why am I allowing ANYTHING that's not good for me to go into my body?????). But I'm learning, yet again, to not be so hard on myself. I also know that I don't want to turn into THAT person who lets food define who they are. I want to remain flexible yet knowledgable. Pliable yet accountable.

Since stopping the fast, I have been juicing at least one meal a day, sometimes two, but usually just one. And I miss it! I am not nearly as run down and exhausted as I was before my fast, but I most certainly don't have the over abundance of energy I had while fasting and I want that back! I wake up feeling groggy, like I'm in a haze and after my detox part of my fast, I never woke up with that almost "hangover" feeling. And when I do eat lunch, I tend to have that mid-day crash that I didn't experience while fasting.

Which brings me to my next blog post.....

Teela Juicing Herman

Red Celery

4 sticks of celery
1 Granny Smith apple
1 black (red) plum
1 lime (peeled)

Next time, I think I will cut the lime in half. It was a very tasty juice but heavy on the lime (and I love me some lime).

This made a little over 20 oz of juice but my Granny Smith apple was HUGE.

Kale Limeade, Kid Approved!

My youngest of 3 sons is almost 20 months old and he, along with the rest of the family, LOVES juice!! I will make a juice, he will beg for it and ill tell him, "Bug, you are not going to like this one." because while I like it, there is no way a 19 month old is going to want kale juice, right!?!?!

WRONG!!

He threw his vanilla almond milk to the ground and refused to give me my drink back! 

This delicious drink yielded about 32 ounces. 

The recipe reads
1/2 bunch kale
1 1/2 cucumbers, peeled
4 celery sticks
1 green apple
1 naval orange, peeled
2 limes, peeled
1 lemon, peeled

Juice all of the above together. Pour in a glass over ice and ENJOY!

Let me know of you like this. Also, of you have a recipe you'd like to share, I'll feel free to feature you and your recipe in my blog!

Day 4- Urgent Care

Whew. What a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I woke up this morning with a lot of pressure in my left ear. I was bound and determined to make it to our small local farmer's market so I pushed on.

We got to the market, bought lots of fresh greens and we met some nice farmers. We told them about our juicing reboot and some of the farmers had no idea what we were talking about and then others had their own recommendation of mixed greens that is usually a big hit with other juicers. Cool!

Oh, and classic Teela. I saw these beautiful green, almost flower looking things? I knew it was probably a vegetable but I didn't really know what it was, I just knew I wanted it. So I walk up to this booth and patiently wait for all the other customers to leave (boy, I'm glad I waited) and then asked, "These look great! What is it?"


"Broccoli."


Uh huh. Smooth one, Teela. Smooth.


Anyway, the pressure in my ear soon turned painful and by the time we got home, I was nearly in tears. My husband urged me to go to Urgent Care. Once the doctor put the scope in my ear he said, "Oh man! That is one ugly, pissed off infection. Your eardrum is about to burst." He sent me away with some antibiotics and numbing drops for my ear. I get home and my husband gets ready to get my medicine and the pharmacy says they don't have the drops and that they won't be in until Monday. Today is Saturday. My eardrum is about to explode, I haven't had food in 4 days, I'm in pain, and they tell me I'll have to wait until Monday?!?! Ummm.....I was on the verge of murdering someone!!!

Long story short, we transferred the prescription to another pharmacy and after being in intense pain for 5 hours, my wonderful husband was home with numbing drops for my ear. God, I love him.

But during all of this, I got mad. I got angry. I wanted to give up. I cried and cried and cried.

Why is this so hard??? Why is my natural reaction to anything negative that happens in my life, to overeat and to overeat on such trash?

Because for years, whenever I was happy, I would eat. Whenever I was sad, I would eat. Whenever I was worried or anxious, I would eat. Whenever I wanted to celebrate, I would eat. Whenever I hung out with friends or family, I would eat. I would eat.
I would eat.
I would eat.
It didn't matter the occasion.
It didn't matter the emotion.
I rewarded myself with food.
I've done this for years. Of course breaking a nasty habit won't happen overnight. It's going to take work and dedication. I'm going to struggle but I am so gracious that I have the support of my husband and friends.

Hello, I am Teela and I am addicted to unhealthy food. I am addicted to food that WILL kill me.

Day 2 AKA The Dreaded Chocolate Holiday AKA Valentine's Day

Today I was tempted even more than Day 1.

I was the Pizza Mom for the class party today. I had to pick up and deliver the pizza's to school. My husband and I rode in the car for about 15 minutes with the smell of fresh baked bread, gooey cheese, tomato sauce and garlic. Dear Lord, I'm salivating right now.

Then guess who gets put in charge of the chocolate fondu station!?!?!?!?!? Yes, yours truly.

If you don't know me, chocolate covered strawberries are an absolute MUST for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Plain and simple. That is my staple. And there I sat.....right next to a fountain of chocolates and fresh strawberries!!!! And that fat girl mentality was saying, "You can have a strawberry!!! It's raw fruit. It's not cheating as long as you don't get the chocolate." And lets be honest, for some people on a juicing fast, one single strawberry as a treat on Valentine's Day is probably not cheating.....but for me, IT IS. I'm an addict. I am going through food rehab. There is no word in the English dictionary that describes how terrible I am at self control when it comes to food and I am going to change that!

And....guess what?!?! I survived!!!! I resisted! I didn't cave. I stood strong and i am damn proud! I said the serenity prayer about a million times, and just as He promised, He was there for me. He gives me strength.

SIX MORE DAYS!

I'm less than one week away from my fast and I am PUMPED!

I am a wife and mother to three young boys. I prepare every meal, everyday, without fail. I am just a normal stay at home mom on a single income. We have no hidden chef, personal chef or nanny to pick up the slack and cook for my family. It's all me. I am going to face a lot of hurdles that I am unable to avoid. I know that these 40 days won't be easy but I have been spending the last 2-3 weeks doing my research and preparing myself mentally for what I'm about to go through and I hope it helps a little.

We got our juicer just over a week ago and all I've done differently is replace a meal or two a day with juice and i have noticed my taste buds have already started to change. I have also lost about 4 lbs this past week. I find myself craving juice over foods which is brand new to me. I'm hoping that by introducing so many fruit and vegetable juices to my diet before starting my 40 day fast will make the transition a little easier on me.

I've read that the first 5 days are usually the hardest, when people feel the most run down and grumpy. Most people say that by day 10, they are on a "high" and have much more mental clarity. I want to blog at least once a day the first 10 days to report on my mood. And for those of you who know me, you know I have no problem being a little too honest.

I had an awesome feeling a couple days ago when a friend of mine from Facebook told me that because of all of my posts about juicing, she went out and got a juicer and LOVES it! She said she was not a fan of vegetables at all. It now she has been drinking lots of vegetables thanks to her new juicer! It feels good to help other people feel good!

What about YOU? Do you juice? Have you done a juice cleanse? How did you come across this blog? What would you like to hear more about?

Sweet Potato: Attempt #1

I turned this

1 sweet potato
2 naval oranges
1 Braeburn apple
1/2 lime


Into this beautiful drink

I will admit, I was scared to try this. My sweet potato experience is very limited. The closest I get to a sweet potato is around Christmas time when I turn up my nose and pass them by.

This drink tastes like....not much at all, surprisingly. I guess sweet potatoes are pretty bland? but I've been a little congested so that could be why everything has been pretty bland lately. My husband said it was good so if you try this recipe, let me know what you think.