Juice vs. Smoothie

Maybe it's because it just seems like common sense to me or maybe it's because Im a bitch...I have lately found this topic extremely annoying.  When I was on my juice fast, people kept asking if I was using my Vitamix 'juicer'.  It appears that a large percentage of people have no idea what the difference between juice and smoothies is.

If you are one of those people, this post is for you!

Picture yourself buying juice.  At a store.  Any juice.  Got it?  Now, what does it look like?  What is the consitancy?  It is a thin liquid.  Bam!  Done.

OK.  Now picture yourself at a smoothie joint.  Smoothie King?  Something simliar?  What does the smoothie taste like?  Look like?  Feel like?  It is a thick liquid.  Often creamy made with yogurt or milk or ice if it's frozen.  Great!  We're almost done!

Juice is juice.  A smoothie is a smoothie.

A Vitamix is a blender.  A very powerful, awesome blender, but a blender nonetheless.  It does not perform magic and will not turn a pile of solid vegetables into a thin liquid.  Turning fruits and vegetables into a thin liquid, i.e. juice, requires that the solid parts of the vegetables be stripped away so that only their juice remains.

A juicer does just that!  Here is a basic run down of a Vitamix and the 2 types of juicers commonly available.

Vitamix Blender
A Vitamix is an excellent addition to any kitchen if you can afford to have one.  They cost about $400-700 depending on the model.  It has a motor that could probably power a lawnmower.  You use it to make smoothies.  You can also use it for sauces, soups, margaritas and dry ingredients like turning dry grains into flour.  If you can't afford a high end blender, other options are available.  See the image below for a chart of recommended blenders.  Buy a Vitamix HERE.

Centrifugal Juicer
A centrifugal juicer uses centrifugal force to finely grind fruits and vegetables through a mesh screen to yield juice.  The spinning motion forces the juice away from the pulp and the juice is poured into a container.  Meanwhile, the pulp is shot out of the back into another container.
Pros: Generally less expensive, faster, larger shoot to shove vegetable (means less cutting)
Cons: Not efficient with juicing greens; It is widely assumed that the heat from the juicer itself will kill the enzymes in the juice.
Recommended Juicers: Jack Lalannes is a good starter one.  I personally own this one.

Masticating Juicer
The term masticating literally means to 'chew'.  A masticating juicer, also known as a low or slow speed juicer, uses an auger that is in a tube to literally squeeze the juice from the vegetable.  Lower speed means lower heat from the machine so many people believe that a masticating juicer produces a higher quality juice.
Pros: Far more efficient juicing greens, low speed and low heat
Cons: Small shoot to insert veggies means more cutting.  So, it takes longer. Not a great idea for softer fruits like apples, pears, citrus.  The soft pulp will cause the juicer to back up.  Generally, more expensive.
Recommended Juicers: Green Star, Champion & Omega.  Mine also does wheatgrass (which other regular masticating juicers cannot do).  You can buy the one I have here.

So there you have it.  A smoothie comes from a blender.  Juice comes from a juicer.  The end.  =)

Coo Coo Ca-Croutons! (Gluten-Free!)

So I'm walking down the isle at Costco and see a ginormous bag of organic croutons.  Ingredients list proved it was dairy-free and I was smitten.  Then the better part of me took control.  I do not eat gluten-free, but I do limit gluten in most cases.  Since I am sucker for croutons (I used to eat them straight out of the bag when I was a kid), I knew if I purchased this big-enough-for-an-elephant bag of croutons, I would inevitably eat every last one of them.  And I would do it quick.  I put the bag back on the shelf and hurried to my local health food store to grab some GF bread to make my own.

Here's the great thing about GF bread.....it is absolutely perfect for making croutons!  It is dry and dense already so there is no need to use 'day old' bread.  You don't have to wait in limbo while your bread grows gray hair and attracts bugs to make your favorite salad encore!

Gluten-Free Seasoned Croutons
1 loaf GF bread
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp herbs de Provence (or a combination of your favorite herbs)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cube bread and toss into a large bowl.  Drizzle the oil over the bread and toss with the bread.  Sprinkle garlic powder around and throw in your herbs and toss again.  Spread cubed bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Check after 10 to make sure you don't have rocks.  We don't want to break our teeth on them.  Allow to cool and voila!  GF croutons!

Bun: Vietnamese Noodle Salad

This is by far one of my favorite lunches.  Eating out can be hard at times.  I eat fish, but I don't eat other meats so American restaurants filled with burgers and bacon are out.  I don't eat dairy, so Italian food, which 99% of is smothered in butter and cheese, is also out.  Ma' & Pop' restaurants which are often Southern food are out.  Breakfast joints serving up biscuits and gravy and everything cooked in bacon grease is out.  BUT...take me to an Asian restaurant and I am bound to find something!  I was introduced to Bun (pronounced 'boon') at my local Vietnamese restaurant and have since been making it about once a week for lunch.  It is made of rice noodles on top of torn lettuce and veggies; Hence the term Noodle Salad.  Today, I forgot to pick up romaine and had to improvise with baby kale, but romaine or green leaf lettuce is definitely ideal since it wilts quickly.   This recipe really is easy but can be confusing if not read through entirely first.  So, get to reading!  ;)

Vietnamese Bun (Noodle Salad)
Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

1 Tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking oil)
1 12oz block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/2 medium yellow or white onion, sliced
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
8oz rice noodles (8oz dried)
1/4 c shelled peanuts
2 cups torn romaine or green leaf lettuce
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into match sticks
1 carrot, grated
2 green onions, cut on the diagonal (about 1")
bean sprouts
lime wedges
cilantro, mint and basil
sriracha sauce

Sauce
1/2 c water
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c fish sauce (or soy sauce, tamari or Braggs liquid aminos for vegetarians)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp sriracha sauce (optional)

Heat oil in skillet to medium-high heat.  Cube tofu.  When oil is hot toss in the tofu and onions.  Oil should be hot enough so that tofu immediately sizzles.  Turn occasionally to cook all sides for 5 minutes.  Drizzle the hoisin sauce over the tofu and onions and continue to cook another 5-8 minutes on medium-high heat, tossing and turning until dark brown or blackish (from sauce...not from burning!) on most sides.  Remove from heat.

Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.  Or bring a pot of water to a boil, toss in dry noodles and turn heat off.

Heat a small dry skillet on medium-high heat.  Add peanuts and roast in skillet, stirring and tossing for about 5 minutes until fragrant and starting to brown.  Crush them with a mortar and pestle or you can cheat and use a small chopper (or put into a brown bag and crush with the back of a large spoon)

To make the sauce, put all sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and heat on medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Set aside.

To serve, divide lettuce up among bowls.  Top that with cucumber matchsticks and carrot shreds.  Then add your noodles and then the tofu.onion mixture.  On top of that, toss in green onions and a handful of bean sprouts.  Serve with herbs, lime wedges and sriracha sauce on the side.  Also, serve sauce on the side to pour over noodles.  The heat from the noodles and tofu and the sauce will soften the lettuce and cucumbers underneath.  Enjoy!

Dairy Free Sour Cream & Onion Dip

I am totally guilty of eating processed vegan sour cream.  I used to think it was healthier than sour cream, and maybe it is...but it is full of fat and junk.  Probably GMOs too.  This combined with the fact that prices have skyrocketed on my favorite brands of vegan sour cream led me to ditch the habit and start making my own.

I was making some yesterday when I spotted a bag of veggie chips in my pantry.  Cue my craving for chips and onion dip.  So, I did.  =)

Vegan Sour Cream
1 10.5oz block firm silken tofu (non-GMO)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 drop liquid stevia extract (or 1 tsp agave nectar)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil (canola, olive or flax)

Process tofu in a food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides, until smooth.  Add the lemon juice, vinegar, stevia and salt.  Process until smooth.  Drizzle the oil in at the end and process again until smooth.  Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Quick Onion Dip
1 recipe Vegan Sour Cream (recipe above)
2 green onions, white and green parts diced
2 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Eat immidiately or for best results, refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Who's Yo' Daddy?

Today is Fathers Day.  Today we celebrate those men in our lives that raised us, provided for us and threatened the lives of any teenage boy who dared to cross our path.  Those same brave men who would, years later, walk their nervous, smiling daughters down the isle to give her away to one of those former teenagers.  My dad is one of those men.

If your dad is anything like mine, he tells terrible jokes that are somehow still funny, he was your hero growing up, he likes his bourbon on the rocks and is IMPOSSIBLE TO SHOP FOR!!!  What the hell is a girl to do for Father's Day when her dad already has all the gadgets he could ever need, still has iTunes gift cards leftover from Christmas and doesn't have time to pursue and hobbies that he might enjoy had he the time?  Hell if I know!  I was stumped.  Growing up I had the same problem.  Christmas's would be the same every year.  Ritz crackers and some 'gourmet' summer sausage roll.  While I am not opposed to meat,. I refuse to buy it shoved into a casing made of stomach lining and assholes.  If a new gadget came out, I would buy that, but how many useless thingamabobbers does one man need?  I couldn't even find a decent idea on Pinterest!

This year I would make his gifts.  Two of his favorite foods: Beef jerky made from a grassfed beef top sirloin steak and No Bake Cookies.  My grandmother used to make No Bakes for my dad for special occasions.  They are his favorite and using the same popular recipe she used, I 'veganized' it to make it dairy-free.  They are delicious and I can't wait to see my dad so I can give them to him today before I eat them all myself!

No Bakes

1 c organic sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 c vegan butter
1/4 cup almond or soy milk
1/2 c organic peanut butter
1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 c quick cooking oats

In a saucepan on medium heat, add sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Allow to boil while stirring gently (watch out!  Sugar is HOT!) for a minute.  Turn off heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until well incorporated.  Add oats and stir to coat.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper (or the waxy side of freezer paper).  Allow them to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

The Long and Winding Road...my 4 day cleanse journey

June 3, 2013

Dear Diary,

Day 1 of 3 Juice Fast: Had a total of 4 glasses of juice. All in all, 1 pineapple, about 1lb carrots, 1 bunch kale, 1/2 bunch celery, few romaine leaves, 1 1/2 cucumbers, large broccoli stalk, ginger, cilantro and 1/2 lime.

Workout this morning: 45min of Zumba, followed by 20 min of Body Attack followed by 30 min of weight training. 

Got hungry in early afternoon. Drank more juice. Hunger went away. Still wanted food though...because, well....I freaking love food.

Went to another 4:30 Zumba class to get out of kitchen. Drank more juice. Got busy with feeding kids, bath time, bedtime, etc. Drank one more small glass and now for bed.

I feel fine. I want food, but I'm not hungry. Pad thai would be perfection, lol.

Modified fast: I will do a 3 day (M-W) juice fast. Thursday when I reintroduce food, it will only be 100% raw for that day. Friday I will reward my efforts with pad thai. Probably some juice also....but definitely some freaking pad thai.

My little man drinking his fresh juice. He made me share. 
(5 lg carrots, 1" ginger, 1 stalk broccoli, 1/4 pineapple)

-Don't ream my ass folks....he is NOT on a juice fast too....he just likes fresh juice! 

June 4, 2013

Dear Diary,
Juice Fast Day 2:
Woke up. Juiced kale/cucumber/celery/lemon/pineapple. Went to Zumba. 

Juiced more of the same and went to do my 'room mom' gig. It's the second to the last day of school and they had their end of the year party today. While fasting, I served a classroom full of hyper 5 & 6 year olds ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, pretzels and candy. Because I'm an awesome mom, I took the stupid little Plastic ice cream cup home before the party, emptied it, and filled it with Addison's dairy-free ice cream. This way, it looked just like the other kids so she didn't have to be the 'weird kid' in class. All that food handling and I didn't cheat.

I wanted to.

But I didn't.

I still really want pad thai.

After dropping the little sugar filled princess to dance, I juiced another glass and headed to an afternoon Zumba class. I don't normally go at this time but going in the early evening meant my husband could pick her up and feed the kids dinner so I didn't have temptation staring me in the face.

That backfired and my husband is an idiot. Ok....not so much but today, he was an idiot. For the first time he forgot to pick her up. TWO HOURS later he remembers while I'm in Zumba class. I got home first. They got home late. That meant I, again, had to serve food and get it on the table before they got home so kids could get to bed.

Juiced one more glass and now I'm in bed. Warned my husband who sometimes like to eat a late snack in bed that if I see food in our bedroom I will make him choke on it.

Still have not cheated. Worked my ass off today at the gym. Not feeling hungry but craving yummy healthy food.

I could really go for a huge salad right now. I make a mean dinner size salad and that's what I want at the moment. One more day to go and then I will stuff my face with healthy raw food.

June 5, 2013

Dear Diary,
About to start 'cooking' my raw food for Day 4 of my cleanse. And I won't even be able to lick the spoon. This is going to be torture.

Mushrooms marinating for Portobello Jerky & Kale torn and washed for Cheezy Chipotle Kale Chips. Prepping for Day 4!  Check out my Recipe Archive for the recipes!

Day 3:

Today is the last day of my juice fast! Freaking finally! I did it. I didn't cheat. I loved it and hated it at the same time. 

Results so far: lost 5lbs, extremely fatigued, craving food

Stuck it through BUT: I am a firm believer that 'protein' is a 'myth' in that as Americans, we consume far more protein than we need. The meat and dairy industry have us brainwashed and we only need a minuscule amount of the protein recommended. HOWEVER, athletes and those that do work out consistently and rigorously DO require more protein.

I work out rigorously about 10 hours a week. I never get cramps. Until the past few days. I have maintained my workout schedule for both cardio and weight training. For the first time in a long time, I got cramps and was more easily fatigued....though I roughed it out like a champ. I do not know if I would recommend someone who is very active to do a juice fast. Replacing a couple of meals with juice? Sure. But protein is needed for those of us who like to kick our own asses in the gym and I don't care how much kale I juice....my body is not happy.

I am though. While my weight was well within a normal range, I did slip up a few times (for my confessions, check out my blog in a couple of days)....I had managed to gain 7lbs. On my frame, 7lbs is a big freaking deal. We all gain weight differently and I gain weight on my hips. Love handles. Muffin tops. Ick. I lost 5 so far and I still have over 12 hours to go. Pretty confident I will be back at my normal happy weight by the time In done with this damn fast.

I have 1 more workout tomorrow morning and then I am devouring (raw) food with my good friend who traveled this short but grueling journey with me.

Dear Diary,

It's 2:40am. I've been laying awake for an hour. I can feel my heartbeat in my shallow stomach. I feel nauseous. I finally mustered the energy to get up and get a glass of water. Feeling a little better. I am a little shaky. I know these are supposed to be the hardest days of a fast but dammit I don't feel great right now. Looking forward to an early lunch when I can finally eat some delicious raw food.


June 6, 2013

Breakfast in bed!!!

OMG! I woke up 3x last night to being nauseous with cold sweats, shaking & seeing spots. I am NOT the type of person to act like a woos. I am strong and I always tough shit out. I am far too active to starve my body. I am glad I did this but for me, a fast in the future will consist of juice for breakfast and lunch and a light raw dinner. I just finished my first meal. A banana with a little bit of raw almond butter. I am feeling better already. I couldn't even get out of bed to get it because I was so light headed. My husband had to get it for me. Today is 99% raw. On the menu: kale chips, portobello jerky, spring rolls (the rice paper is the only thing not raw) & raw pad thai. VERY glad to be eating again.


CONCLUSIONS

I’m no idiot when it comes to the information out there. I also know to listen to my body. The juice I drank gave me loads of nutrients which took a bee line for my blood stream. I only did 3 days. Three days is fine for anyone interested in giving it a try. I also understand detoxing and I eat a damn healthy diet. Is it perfect? No. On birthdays I make cakes that have sugar. Sure, its organic sugar but its still sugar. I eat processed foods on rare occasions when in dire need to eat and nothing quick on hand. Those processed foods are still 'healthier' versions of their counterparts. I drink wine and liquor occasionally and to counter balance that I take milk thistle extract and juice a ton of greens. I use almost exclusively organic products on my body with a few exceptions. My diet is superior to any average person's. I know I could not have that much toxicity in me to make me feel that way. I feel like ass today. Like a gnarly hangover. I literally do work out a lot. I like to run and do Zumba and I have been increasing muscle strength and tone extensively over the past few months. My body cannot survive on juice alone.

I honestly went into this with the highest hopes and was mentally prepared for headaches, etc.  I roughed it through with a good attitude.  I bitched along the way, because, well…I like food and I like to bitch…BUT I definitely stuck it through positively.

I could feel my body crashing last night and had my husband do dinner for the kids so I could just lie in bed and not think about food.  I was fine.  Even when I awoke in the middle of the night, I stayed positive and told myself I would be fine…it was all in my head because I was just hungry.  But when I got up to walk to the bathroom I had tunnel vision, and the tunnel was full of spots.  I felt like I could barely walk.   

I have pretty good endurance and do cardio on a regular basis.  I never cramp or lose breath.  After the first day, I started getting bad cramps and had to tone down my workouts.

All in all, I will never do this again.  I do not regret it and I’m proud of myself for sticking it through.  I would recommend a 3-5 day juice fast for anyone who does not have a strenuous workout routine.  For those of us that do, however, more protein is needed.  Hence, the reason I immediately ate a banana with some raw nut butter this morning.  I felt a little better after about 10 minutes.  Still not so hot but feeling better by the minute. 

The ‘fast’ I would recommend to anyone who wanted to try it is juice all day until dinner, then have a protein packed raw meal or shake.  Include nuts and seeds into your fast and you’ll have plenty of protein.  Add coconut water to your smoothie for electrolytes.  A good protein smoothie could be kale, banana, nuts of your choice (I like Brazil), hemp seeds, vanilla, flax oil, stevia extract and coconut water.

My good friend took this journey with me.  She is a Zumba instructor and teaches 2-3 classes a day, each an hour long.  We essentially work out the same length of time each day.  We both had similar results.  Lost 6 lbs each. Started feeling fatigued last night.  I felt worse than she did this morning, but we are both exhausted and ready to eat.  She is currently at the store picking up some fresh ingredients for our feast today!  

New Recipe prepared for today:

Curry Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
3/4 c cashews, soaked and rinsed

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1 clove garic

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp tamari or liquid aminos

1 tsp raw honey (or agave for vegan) n

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c water

Tear the leafy parts of the kale from the stems and save the stems for another use (juicing!).  Toss leafy parts into a large bowl.  Blend all ingredients except for the kale together until smooth.  Massage curry 'paste' into kale chips.  Lay kale out on 2 dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 104 degrees for about 12 hours or until crispy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS

I’m no idiot when it comes to the information out there. I also know to listen to my body. The juice I drank gave me loads of nutrients which took a bee line for my blood stream. I only did 3 days. Three days is fine for anyone interested in giving it a try. 

I also understand detoxing and I eat a damn healthy diet. Is it perfect? No. On birthdays I make cakes that have sugar. Sure, its organic sugar but its still sugar. I eat processed foods on rare occasions when in dire need to eat and nothing quick on hand. Those processed foods are still 'healthier' versions of their counterparts. I drink wine and liquor occasionally and to counter balance that I take milk thistle extract and juice a ton of greens. I use almost exclusively organic products on my body with a few exceptions. My diet is superior to any average person's. I know I could not have that much toxicity in me to make me feel that way. I feel like ass today. Like a gnarly hangover. I literally do work out a lot. I like to run and do Zumba and I have been increasing muscle strength and tone extensively over the past few months. My body cannot survive on juice alone.

I honestly went into this with the highest hopes and was mentally prepared for headaches, etc.  I roughed it through with a good attitude.  I bitched along the way, because, well…I like food and I like to bitch…BUT I definitely stuck it through positively.

I could feel my body crashing last night and had my husband do dinner for the kids so I could just lie in bed and not think about food.  I was fine.  Even when I awoke in the middle of the night, I stayed positive and told myself I would be fine…it was all in my head because I was just hungry.  But when I got up to walk to the bathroom I had tunnel vision, and the tunnel was full of spots.  I felt like I could barely walk.   

I have pretty good endurance and do cardio on a regular basis.  I never cramp or lose breath.  After the first day, I started getting bad cramps and had to tone down my workouts.

All in all, I will never do this again while continuing my workout routine.  I do not regret it and I’m proud of myself for sticking it through.  I would recommend a 3-5 day juice fast for anyone who does not have a strenuous workout routine.  For those of us that do, however, more protein and food is needed.  Hence, the reason I immediately ate a banana with some raw nut butter this morning.  I felt a little better after about 10 minutes.  Still not so hot but feeling better by the minute. 

The ‘fast’ I would recommend to anyone who wanted to try it is juice all day until dinner, then have a protein packed raw meal or shake.  Include nuts and seeds into your fast and you’ll have plenty of protein.  Add coconut water to your smoothie for electrolytes.  A good protein smoothie could be kale, banana, nuts of your choice (I like Brazil), hemp seeds, vanilla, flax oil, stevia extract and coconut water.

*Also, I am a firm believer that as Americans, we consume eons more protein than necessary.  I am only preaching protein now for those like me, that work out rigorously.