It can be very overwhelming to take the first steps on a journey such as this; eliminating all wheat, most grains, all dairy, sugar and all processed foods. There is so much information out there and sifting through all of it to find the "good" stuff takes a lot of time. Living this way takes having a plan and taking the time for meal preparation, but most importantly, taking this journey and being successful on it, takes discipline. You have to set your mind to it and stick with it. I promise you, it is MORE than worth it.
Before I go on any further, let me just say this. In and of myself, apart from Christ, I could do none of this successfully. He has brought me to this place and has given me what I need to do what I do everyday....He always has. Not to me, but to God be the glory!
Over the last 5 months, I have thoroughly enjoyed eating. I have always eaten a lot of veggies but I feel like in some ways, I have tasted them for the first time. That sounds strange....let me explain.
I have and am cleansing my body of all of the toxins that I have allowed in for so many years and as a result, the flavors of the fresh foods I am eating are coming to life!
Like I mentioned before, I am completely off of allergy and sinus medications now, which is so HUGE for me. Those medications made me feel drowsy on top of the sleepiness I already felt from being sick with said allergies and sinus infections and more importantly, from the sick state of my body after years of going non-stop and popping a pill, hopeful for quick relief to my symptoms so I could keep on going. This simply does not work people and sooner or later, your body will break down and you will suffer from it.
I feel SO much better these days. I am about 17 pounds lighter, 3 sizes smaller, medicine free, have more energy, feel lighter, no longer bloated and "full" after every meal.....in general, I feel really great. I feel completely satisfied after each meal and am able to really listen to my body now. I eat when I am hungry...period. I don't worry about the time of day or how many calories I have already consumed. I used to really worry about these things...to a fault. But now I know that when I hungry, my body needs food. And I know that what I am giving it is really good for it.
So, what I would like to do today is give you a glimpse of what a typical day of eating looks like for me. Then I am going to share a delicious juice recipe and smoothie recipe with you as well. I hope this encourages you on your health journey and helps you to see that it can be done and is quite enjoyable too!
A Typical Day's Menu For Me:
Wake up: Glass of water and probiotic
Breakfast: Fresh cantelope or oatmeal with stevia and berries or 2 almond pancakes or 2 BIG glasses of fresh "green" juice
coffee with a splash of unsweetened almond milk and a dash of stevia powder
more water
Lunch: BIG massaged Kale salad (recipe for this coming later) or sliced tomato and avocado sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and garlic powder, fresh pico with a few blue corn chips with fresh juice or fresh pico over a bed of romaine lettuce
BIG glass of water with fresh lemon juice and a dash of stevia
Afternoon snack- fresh green juice or carrot juice and or celery sticks dipped in natural peanut butter
more water
Dinner: Veggie Chow Mein or Veggie Spaghetti (recipe coming later) or baked Salmon with roasted broccoli and rice or Black Bean burgers/ Black Bean tacos (both topped with lots of fresh veggies)
water
Dessert: a few dark chocolate squares for me :) (72% or more)
Other Dessert options that my family loves- Raw No Bakes, Raw Almond Butter Freezer fudge, Almond cookies
My Go-To Green Juice
5-6 celery sticks
5-6 carrots
a whole bundle of Kale
big handful of spinach leaves
2-3 Granny Smith apples
1/2 lemon
*sometimes I throw in a cucumber and/or fresh parsley. I usually always have Kale and Spinach both on hand, but if I am out of one of those then I just use the one I have.
This makes enough for me to have 2 glasses (about 16oz) and three of my children to have about 4-6oz each.
There are a lot of delicious juice recipes out there and we try different combinations now and then, but this is one green juice that I can always make because I keep these things on hand and it is YUMMY!
Green Smoothie
cup of unsweetened original almond milk
1 banana (if frozen, then no need for ice)
handful of ice (if not using frozen banana)
2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter
2-3 cups fresh spinach leaves
Blend in your blender until smooth and creamy and ENJOY this tasty treat!
This tastes like dessert to me. You really cannot taste the spinach.
*I have added a tablespoon of carob to this before to make "chocolate milkshakes" for my kiddos and it was a huge hit!
I hope you are encouraged to continue your journey to better health or to begin one! It is within your reach and it does NOT come in the form of a "miracle" pill. It will take some time and lifestyle changes, but it CAN be done and it IS more than worth it.
-Jenny
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