drink up!
Posted: April 5, 2012 Filed under: My own recipe creations, Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: Apple, Banana, Breakfast, Carrots, Celery, Flaxseed, Orange, Pear, Romaine lettuce, Smoothie, Snack, Spinach 2 Comments »Every once in a while, I like to change-up our breakfast smoothie and on April 1st my husband and I decided to drink two smoothies a day. We have one in the morning and then one either between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner. We can already feel the difference in our energy levels.
Per request: Below are the smoothie recipes.
The Green Apple (Breakfast)
Ingredients
One handful of celery
Two handfuls of spinach (you can use frozen)
One apple
One pear
One banana
16 ounces of distilled water
1-tablespoon flaxseed
Directions
Blend thoroughly. We make ours at least the night before so they are cold.
“People who ate lots of white-fleshed fruits and vegetables-mostly apples, pears, bananas, and cauliflower-had a 52 percent lower risk of stroke over a 10 year period than those who ate the least of those foods. Achieving that difference only took eating an apple a day.” -Dutch researchers/Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association
The Orange Bowl (In between meals)
Ingredients
One handful of baby carrots (I use de-thawed frozen)
One handful of Romaine lettuce
One peeled orange
One apple
12 ounces distilled water
Directions
Blend thoroughly. Again, we make them the night before so they are cold.
Picture: graphichive
Why did the orange stop rolling down the hill?
It ran out of juice.
Get Started Links
Posted: February 24, 2012 Filed under: START HERE | Tags: american diet, Detox, Fitness Nutrition, Green Smoothie, Grocery List, health problems, healthy food, Nutrition, Nutrition Coach, recipes, Smoothie, Vegetables 2 Comments »TGIF!
I’d like to welcome all the new people following Vitamin De and I’d also like to thank all the people who have been following me since the beginning. I enjoy posting new information to help you stay healthy and I’ve learned (and continue to learn) so much through working one on one with so many of you. This kind of sounds like I’m leaving, but I’m not! I’m just getting started. :)
I have my certification as a Specialist in Fitness Nutrition and as a Fitness Chef and I’m working on my certification as a Nutrition Coach. I believe the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is what is causing most of the health problems in our country and I truly believe healthy food HEALS!
Below are the main links to help you get started on the path that will make you feel your best. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. That’s what I’m here for! :)
If someone asked me one change they could make to improve their health significantly, I would say to drink the smoothie listed below every morning. Drinking vegetables and fruit first thing in the morning is going to set you up perfectly for the rest of the day. This smoothie will give you more energy than you can imagine.
http://devitamin.com/category/recipes/smoothies/
Below is an example of how I try to eat everyday.
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/24/all-i-do-is-eat/
My grocery list.
http://devitamin.com/2012/02/19/my-grocery-list-2012/
If you are feeling really ambitious, below is a great detox. Let me know if you have any questions. There is also a “detox” folder to the right of my blog. You will find recipes and information there while you are detoxing.
http://devitamin.com/2011/12/18/start-fresh-30-day-plan/
Have a great weekend everyone!
D&D Breakfast Smoothie
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Detox, My own recipe creations, Smoothies and Drinks, START HERE | Tags: Apple, Banana, Breakfast, Carrots, ground flaxseed, Pear, red cabbage, Smoothie, Spinach, typical breakfast 6 Comments »Recently I’ve had quite a few people ask me about the smoothie my husband and I drink every morning, so I thought I’d re-post the recipe. It’s changed just a little bit from when I started making it last summer. We both drink 40 ounces for breakfast everyday.
INGREDIENTS
2 handfuls of spinach (Try frozen)
1 handful of celery
1 handful of carrots (I use thawed out frozen baby carrots)
1 apple
1 pear
1 banana
12-16 ounces of distilled or purified water
3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed (optional)
6 ice cubes-optional (We like to drink ours cold)
DIRECTIONS
If you use a high-powered blender, you can just cut up the apple and pear and throw it in the blender with the skin on.
BLEND thoroughly!
Enjoy!
*We’ve found that adding a half a handful of red cabbage on occasion really helps to “clean you out” if you know what I mean.
You will feel much more energized drinking this smoothie for breakfast than you would if you had consumed a typical breakfast. BECAUSE it’s blended, you don’t have to use your energy digesting what you would normally eat in the morning. AND just think of all the fruits and veggies you consume right off the bat! It’s a win-win situation. :)
Picture: epicself.com
Recipe inspired by: Kimberly Snyder
Start Fresh 30 Day Plan
Posted: December 18, 2011 Filed under: Detox, Food Intolerances | Tags: Detox, Diet, Food intolerances, New Year detox, New Year diet, Rice milk, Smoothie, Vegetables, Weight loss 3 Comments »The New Year is approaching and I’ve had a lot of request to post the detox diet I did this past summer. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “diet” since I’ve incorporated most of the plan into the way I eat on a daily basis.
By eliminating the “junk” I was able to figure out what food I was intolerant to and from there, I significantly improved my health. As an extra bonus, I lost weight without ever starving myself. In fact, I felt like I was constantly eating. I do not count calories or anything else for that matter and I don’t limit my portion sizes and you will see why in a minute.
I created this plan for myself after reading a million (okay, I may be exaggerating a little) books and taking the information that I felt was the best and combining it into one program. Most of you know; I like simple and quick approaches to almost everything I do in life.
*IMPORTANT INFO: As you know, I am not a doctor so I can only tell you what I did and what worked for me. If you decide to try my own plan and you have any medical conditions, I urge you to talk to your doctor first. I was taking blood pressure medicine before I started this and if I didn’t monitor my BP, I would have never known that I needed to go off the meds. My blood pressure dropped that much.
MY NOTES
1. I followed this plan (no cheating) for 30 days.
2. If you need to have a warm meal save it for dinner. Try to eat as much raw food as possible.
3. Awkward subject but needs to be addressed especially for those of you that work outside the home. You are going to have to go number 1 & 2 (as we called it growing up) more than usual so just be aware of where closest bathrooms are located. The more you go, the more you are flushing out and eliminating the toxins.
4. Finish eating 12 hours before you wake up in the morning. That gives your body long enough to detox throughout the night. Example: If you wake up at 7 every morning than quit eating at 7 the evening before.
5. After 30 days I gradually added healthy fats to my diet (example: olive oil and nuts) and I can tolerate fish, so I added that back a couple of days a week. Pay attention to the food you add back into your diet and see how it makes you feel. For those of you that are trying to figure out if you are intolerant to a certain food category (ex: dairy) add back one food a week, that way you will know which food is the trouble maker.
6. Physical Activity: Walk 30-45 minutes a day at least 3x’s a week. Be careful not to overexert yourself while you are eating this way.
7. You can’t keep eating and drinking the same things you have always been and think you are ever going to feel better or lose weight. You’re not. I seriously despised vegetables but until I made them the main staple in my diet, I couldn’t lose a pound and felt absolutely horrible for years. Even now, I can totally tell when I’m not eating enough raw food.
8. I always wait at least one hour after a meal before I start drinking water.
9. The month of January, I will try to post-easy recipes that you can make while you are eating this way.
10. First, I’ll tell you what food I eliminated and then I’ll tell you what I added to my diet.
ELIMINATE (threw it all out for 30 days)
Meat (including fish)
All dairy products (butter, milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.)
Margarine
Oils*
Salad dressings
Table salt
Fried foods
Soy
Cookies, cakes, pie, ice cream, candy
Chips and most crackers*
Nuts including nut butter and nut milks
Alcohol
Sweeteners
*Looking through my notes, I came across two exceptions that I made and it worked out well for me. I would eat a little hummus, which does have some oil in it. I would also eat a handful of Mary’s Gone Crackers, which are really mostly seeds.
FOOD I ATE
Quinoa, brown or wild Rice
Corn tortilla
Veggies (LOTS!)
Potatoes (Especially sweet potatoes)
Beans
Seeds (be aware of the sodium in them)
Fruit
Rice Milk
Decaffeinated, unsweetened tea
2 ounces of 70% or higher cocoa dark chocolate a day
UNLIMITED FOOD (ate as much as I wanted)
All types of lettuce
Spinach
Celery
Onions
Carrots
Garlic
Broccoli
Peas
Cauliflower
Cabbage
*Always eat fruit on an empty stomach
Pineapple
Oranges
Apples
Grapefruit
Brown and wild rice (I saved it for dinner)
Beans (black, kidney, ect)
Herbs and Spices (watch the sodium)
SALAD TOPPINGS
Salsa
Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Lemon
Lime
QUICK EXAMPLE OF DAILY MENU
Upon waking: 8-12 ounces of hot water with lemon. It’s very important that you drink this to help detox your body. If you don’t have time in the morning, at least drink one bottle of water!
Breakfast: Green light smoothie (link below) Yes, you drink it all!
http://devitamin.com/2011/10/23/the-green-light/
One hour later: At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack (if needed): Handful of seeds or maybe some cut up veggies
Lunch: HUGE salad with all the veggies you love! Eat as much salad and veggies as you can and don’t forget to treat yourself with a little piece of dark chocolate.
One hour later: At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack: A handful of red peppers with humus.
Dinner: Start with a veggie (at least 2 different one’s) than add a grain or other starch (quinoa, rice, potato). Include beans! Again, go ahead and treat yourself with a little piece of dark chocolate.
One-hour later- At least 8-12 ounces of water
Snack (if needed): Blueberry, banana and rice milk smoothie (8oz).
POSSIBLE DETOX SYMPTOMS (usually only last a few days)
Dizziness (I did experience this for a few days and found that drinking more water helped)
Fatigue (I had the complete opposite happen. I had WAY more energy!)
Nausea (Did not experience this)
Headache (Again the opposite happened, the headaches I was experiencing before I started eating this way, disappeared.)
My husband and I are starting this again on Jan 2nd 2012. I’ll post this twice before that day so those of you that want to follow along with us, can start preparing. If you take away one thing (after 30 days), I hope it’s that you realize (if you haven’t already) how important it is to consume a lot of vegetables in your diet.
Here’s to good health in the New Year! CHEERS!
Not just for Margaritas
Posted: December 4, 2011 Filed under: Smoothies and Drinks | Tags: Blender, Flaxseed, Fruit, Raw, Smoothie, Vegan, Vegetables, Vitamix 6 Comments »I haven’t fallen in love with a kitchen appliance since I left my double oven in Georgia (10 years ago) but the Vitamix Turbo Blend VS has captured my heart. I can’t believe the time I wasted grinding up fruits and vegetables in my Osterizer blender. Don’t get me wrong, the old-timer kept on ticking, but it definitely didn’t make my life any easier.
The Vitamix has Superman powers. I’m not even exaggerating. The vegetable/fruit smoothie I’ve been drinking everyday for the past 6 months taste even better and smoother than ever! A smoother, smoothie. lol According to the instructions, this thing could almost replace every appliance in your kitchen (I’ll keep you posted on that one). Anyway, it’s well worth the money.
So in honor of the almighty new blender, I’ve posted a new smoothie recipe. It goes against my 5 ingredients or less rule, but it’s chocolate and delicious and well, it’s chocolate and delicious. I would limit myself to this one as just a treat or a dessert.
Chocolate Smoothie
1/2 cup almond or rice milk
1/2 cup of pomegranate or acai juice
Handful of spinach
1 medium banana
1 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon flaxseed
2 cups of frozen blueberries
First, place all ingredients into blender in order listed. Select variable 1 (if you have a Vitamix) or low-speed and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to high. Blend for one minute.
CHEERS!
Revised Recipe from Vitamix live fresh raw/vegan/vegetarian recipes.





