Day 2 – Canada Juice Fast

Jar O' Juice

As day 1 came to a close Heathy and I had each consumed a large green juice and a large glass of the celery, apple, ginger and cranberry blend. Spaced out between those 2 juices I had 4 large mugs of warm/hot tea and a glass of water. So the green juice fast is shaping up to be a hot tea fast. I guess I should share with you the tea blend of choice on the fast. At the moment we’re making a lose tea mixture of reishi mushroom, pau d’arco, cat’s claw, oat straw and chaga. Last night we added some astragalus root to the blend and were both in agreement that it was a bit overpowering.

Juice me!

The tea blend is chocked full of immune boosting, anti-viral, fungal, bacterial and health enhancing herbs. I was happy to read about the yeast eliminating properties of pau d’arco. I’ve been sweetening my teas with maple syrup or raw honey. Both of which are local.

The sleep schedule has had us getting to bed later than usual. Last night being New Year’s Eve, we had an excuse to stay up a bit late drinking tea. Late to bed equals late to rise. In the snowy Canadian landscape I’m cool with slipping into hibernation mode. We weren’t out of bed until 11am this morning. I made juice while sipping hot water with lemon. Both Heathy and I noticed how sore our lower backs were. We had done yoga the day before but we think the soreness had to do with multiple factors, one of them being the fast. A little yoga loosened things up.

By 4pm we were out the door and visiting Heathy’s parents house. While there we had a real treat: hot miso soup with garlic. We blended it smooth in the vita-mix. It truly hit the spot. This was followed through out the evening with mugs of hot tea and honey. We ended up staying late and missing our evening juice. We both felt ok with this though and retired for bed by 11pm.

My energy level has been pretty consistent. I am experiencing occasional hot flashes accompanied by shaky fatigue. I just go with it and eventually it passes.

Fasting in subzero temperatures is a new experience for me so I’m not going to push things. At the moment the outside air temp is -24C which is -15F. Fasting is a real heat sucker so if I feel things getting a little to intense I’m not going to hesitate in backing off. Day 3 should be very telling.

Day 1 Canada Juice Fast

Juice Set Up

After a long night of feasting on the last of our raw desserts… ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate mousse and a variety of sauces; we began our juice fast at the stroke of midnight. I don’t recommend binging on desserts or anything else prior to a fast. I’ve actually heard stories of people having a last meal of McDonald’s before starting a fast and it turns my stomach, but

Juice Queen

everyone makes their own choices and reaps the results.

The morning began with licorice tea followed by green juice an hour or so later. We got a late start to the day only getting up after 10am and making the juice by noon. The morning juice combo that filled both of our cups consisted of:

• 2 large cucumbers
• 4 celery ribs
• 2 kale leaves
• 2 romain leaves
• a nub of fresh ginger
• 1 quarter of a lemon, peel and all

All of this went through the juicer. I lined the pulp container with the seed mylk bag and as you can see I was able to collect a decent amount of juice by squeezing the pulp.

Squeeze that pulp

The rest of the days liquids will include hot tea and more green juice. Heathy is talking about a blend of celery, ginger, lemon and apple for later today. I can’t wait.

Juice Fast/Feast 2010 – In Canada

Green Juice - Mutha's Milk

Tis the season to be fasting now that we’ve got the feasting out of the way. A pattern seems to emerge at this time of the year when everyone awakens from the holidaze of excess and over indulgence. What’s the remedy for this holiday hangover? A juice fast/feast of course! I use the term fast/feast to allow flexibility regarding the recovery route you choose to take. Fasting is a more restricted and more powerful method of healing while feasting achieves similar results with less restrictions. Fasting is best done in a relaxed and supportive environment like a tropical spa setting. For those of us that don’t have a spa at our disposal the feast option is the next best choice.

Fasting: willingly abstaining from food, drink and/or specific activities for a set duration of time.

Feasting: consumption without limitations.

The component that is missing from the above definitions is the juice… green juice that is. Fresh organic green vegetable juice is the next best thing to mother’s milk and that is the core ingredient to a healing juice fast/feast. The foundation for my own green juice fasting/feasting protocol is based on what I learned while working at The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. While it is possible to fast on fruit juices, water and a variety of other liquids it is not recommended that you do this unless you know what you are doing and what you can expect. The high sugar content of fresh fruit and root (carrot, beet) juices can be unbalancing when consume in high amounts during a liquid fast. With the fiber removed from the fruit/root you end up with an unnaturally high concentration of sugars. If drinking these juices it is best to thin them with water or combine them with green vegetable juices.

The equipment needed to have a successful green juicing experience is either a high power blender like a vita-mix or blendtec or a masticating juicer. Centrifuge juicers are ok but many of them don’t handle leafy greens very well. I have a trick I use to maximize my juice output with both masticating and centrifuge juicers. Line the pulp catching container with a seed mylk bag (paint strainer bag from Home Depot). Once you have finished your initial juicing, taking the bag of pulp and squeeze it dry. You’ll find that a good bit of juice is left in the pulp, juice that would be thrown away.

It’s optimal to consume fresh green juice but it often isn’t practical to make the the juice on the spot. A routine of making your days juice either the morning of or the night before is usually the option of choice. If you have a FoodSaver kitchen gadget with the mason jar vacuum sealing attachment you’ll be stylin. With this set up you can vacuum seal your juice and extend it’s vitality and slow oxidation.

The juice blend I prefer while juice fasting/feasting is:

• 2-3 cucumbers,
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 handful of leafy greens (kale, spinach, lettuce)
• fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil)

For a bit of sweetness I might add 1 ounce of fresh carrot, beet or apple juice. When doing I long term fast I notice that people tend to want to drink their sweet juice straight… they’re jonezing for their sugar fix. The key to a healthy fast/feast is balance and shooting fruit juices is not very balancing… so don’t do it.

Fasting/Feasting on liquids during cold months can be quite a challenge. Here are some tips to take the edge off cold weather fasting.

Enjoy at least 4 ten ounce green juices a day with water and tea throughout the day. Below is a prospective fast/feast schedule.

8am – skin brush and shower

8:30 – hot water and lemon juice

9 am – 10 oz green juice

10:30 – tea or water

Noon – green juice, 1 oz apple with ginger/cayenne

1: 30 – tea or water

3pm – green juice, 1 oz carrot with ginger/cayenne

4:30 – tea or water

6pm – green juice with ginger and lemon

• Take your produce out of the fridge and allow it to warm up to room temp. before juicing it
• Enjoy hot/warm tea between green juices
• Add warming ingredients to your juices like fresh ginger juice, garlic, hot peppers, cayenne and turmeric
• Allow refrigerated juice to warm before drinking
• Exercise periodically through out the day: yoga, rebounding, breath work – see “Breath of Fire”
• Blend unpasteurized organic miso, lemon juice with hot water to make a warming soup

To really experience the benefits of a juice fast/feast you need to go for at least 3 days. 7 days is optimal and once you’ve gone beyond 7 just listen to your body and go until you feel you’ve satisfied your bodies healing needs.

Viva Italia in Tallahassee

Viva Italia Eggplant Parm

This week I had a blast visiting Tallahassee, FL to teach a live food class and host a dinner. The theme of the evening was Viva Italia which allowed me to connect with my Italian roots in a vegan raw food way. The menu was eggplant Parmesan, bell peppers stuffed with pecan basil pesto, zucchini and squash noodles with a hemp alfredo sauce, a fresh garden salad with sorrel, kale, baby lettuce and a fig tarragon vinaigrette… dessert was a avocado chocolate mousse that was off the charts. Thank you to everyone who helped and all those who attended. I can’t wait to do it again. Enjoy this clip from the festive event.

Summer Spinach Soup

Fresh Produce

Down in Florida the local gardens are producing goodies in all shades of the rainbow. Recently I visited the local beaches farmers market and picked up some fresh produce. With my purchases spread out before me I saw a vision of soup, spinach soup and the rest is history. Enjoy this simple Summer Spinach Soup recipe.

2 Cups nut or seed mylk

1 Bunch of Spinach, rinsed and chopped

2 T chick pea miso

1 fresh tomato or 1/4 C soaked sundried tomato

6 black olives, pitted

1 T Mexican Seasoning Blend – cilantro, cayenne, black pepper, coriander, cumin

1 t cumin

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender. Bleand until smooth. Transfer into a bowl. Garnish with diced veggies… corn, tomato, bell pepper, fresh herbs. Enjoy.

Post-Surf Smoothie

Surfs Up

When fortune smiles upon me and there’s good surf in the morning, I down a morning glass of water and paddle out for a AM surf session. It’s nice to start the morning off with a bit of exercise to stoke the appetite. After an hour or so of flailing around in the ocean… hopefully spending a majority of time above the water than below, I return home with quite an appetite. Tops on my list of post-surf meals is durian, but that isn’t always an option. This week I have a surplus of pears and blood oranges so that’s what has been going into my smoothies. Enjoy this how to smoothie video… Keep it Live.

Recipe: Pear Blood Orange Smoothie – serves 2

3 Blood Oranges

2 Pears

2 Bananas

1 C water

3 T Dry Nettle – Add fresh  1 C packed Spinach or fresh Nettle if possible

1 T Greener Grasses

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t Bacopa Monieri

1 t Tribulus Terrestris Saponins

1 t Holy Basil

pinch of Himalayan Salt

Raise your smoothie potential by adding these ingredients.

Raise the Bar: 1 T Cinnamon, 1/2 T Fresh Ginger, 1 t Orange Zest

Being Present at The Present Moment Cafe

Flower Child chowing down at The Present Moment Cafe

Never miss an opportunity to help manifest someones dream, especially if it involves delicious vegan live food in the oldest city in the United States. This morning my friend Valerie casually mentioned she’d never been to The Present Moment Cafe in St. Augustine. Bummer I thought, continuing with the onion dehydrating project I had started. It took a moment for me to realize the opportunity at hand, the carpe diem, grab the reins by the bull kinda gusto that should be part of a life lived in the Present Moment. She had to work at 2pm at Shakti Life Kitchen in Atlantic Beach (North Florida’s other premiere vegan live food option)… it was totally doable… in the car by 11, we were at the Present Moment by 12 noon… our bellies were full and we were back on the road by 1pm.

With all that said, what tasty treats did we partake in at The Present Moment Cafe? We started out with an amazing Thai style soup with mushrooms, sesame seeds, onions and a hint of lemon grass… I could be totally wrong though on the ingredient list. That’s was my take on it and I neglected to ask for the break down. One things for sure, it wasn’t clam chowder and it was really good.

Yummy Thai Soup

Next up was a massive Cesar salad and 2 stuffed portabellos with a creamy spinach filling, very rich and Frenchy style.

We ain’t done yet… a sampler platter with guacamole, salsa and a refried beans creation (no beans or refrying of course) To accompany the platter was a massive sunlight burger all drippy with cashew provolone… wait, there’s more… a mound of creamy white truffle pesto pasta. This was some serious eating and proof to this fact is that we walked with a to go container… unheard of when sit down to eat. To my defense I showed some restraint so I would have the slightest bit of room left for dessert…

Ceasar Salad and Stuffed Shroom

Warm Pecan Apple Cobbler with a scoop of cashew vanilla ice cream… no to go’s on dessert.

On a scale of “1” to “damn that’s so good I wet my organic cotton briefs”… post meal I would be running to the bathroom to rinse my drawers in the sink… that is if I wore any. All joking aside, The Present Moment Cafe is a boot shooting chart topper with amazing food and very reasonable prices. The pictures don’t lie… portions and plating are superb, staff is wonderful and the atmosphere is so cozy that you’d consider moving in.

White Truffle Pesto Pasta, Chip and Dip sampler, Sunshine Burger

On the down side there’s a bunch of road work being done in front of the restaurant. Noise wasn’t an issue but the only access has been converted to one-way which sends you looking for a western route to India. Once you arrive in the Promise Land all your worries melt away like cacao butter basking in the sun.

If you’re ever in North Florida or even the South East you owe it to yourself to visit the Present Moment Cafe in St. Augustine, Florida. Check out there details here:

www.thepresentmomentcafe.com

Keep It Live, Adam