With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I felt inspired to share my family’s favorite pumpkin bread recipe. A friend back in California shared this with us when my boys were very little. We made it that first year and everyone loved it, so much we started making it for our neighbors, mailman and friends who would come over. It’s magic this pumpkin bread recipe. The grumpiest mail man in the world turned into the nicest mail man in the world once we game him some pumpkin bread. He actually wrote us a thank you note and I’m positive, to this day, we are the only ones he smiled for. Years later after we had moved away from our old neighborhood, we went back to visit. Low and behold, who pulls up just as we are outside saying good-bye to our neighbors, Joe, our ‘old’ mail man. He remembered us and smiled and said “HI” then asked how we were and where we landed after the trip. Magic pumpkin bread. Maybe, maybe not. But, it doesn’t hurt, does it?!
So, this Holiday season, make some magic pumpkin bread to give to your mail man, trash truck driver, chiropractor’s office, friends, or just for yourself. It’s delicious and everyone deserves a treat, even people who don’t normally get to have sugar, like me.
Here I’m listing the original recipe first and the healthier substitutions in parentheses. That way you may choose which version you want to make and eat. I’m grateful that I can still eat this wonderful pumpkin bread even though I do not eat sugar or gluten. But, the truth is, the original recipe truly does taste the best. Maybe not taste better, but the consistency is better. But, those of us with food sensitivities are used to trying new things and used to going without the old ones. We still live and thrive on delicious food. Enjoy either recipe depending upon your diet.
The muffins will be darker than these if you use prunes in place of the oil. Use applesauce on light-colored breads, like banana bread.
Delicious Healthy Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
1. Beat together in first bowl:
4 eggs (or substitute 6 oz egg whites)
3 C sugar or ( 2 1/4 C Honey) or (2 C Agave) (when using honey or agave reduce the water by 1/4)
1 C vegetable oil or (1 C baby food prunes) or (1 C no sugar added applesauce)
2. In a separate bowl, sift together:
3 C flour or (3 C gluten-free Pamela’s Baking Mix) or (1 C spelt flour, 1 C brown rice flour, 1 C Buckwheat)
1/2 t baking powder, 2 t baking soda, 3/4 t sea salt, 2 t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg, 1 t cloves, 1 t allspice
3. Mix well, then add to the ingredients of the first bowl and blend with hand mixer.
4. Add last:
Make sure you have a Reiki Kid on hand to help with the making. They can run Reiki while they help. This is one of my first Kids Reiki students helping me make this batch.
2 C Pumpkin
2/3 C water (with agave or honey in between 1/3 and 1/2 C of water. Try the lessor amount and work up as needed.)
Twelfth in a series of blogs written by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki for her series on nutritional healing and juicing.
My Top 10 Juice Recipes
Joss making one of her first juices with her new Omega juicer.
My favorite part about doing a juice cleanse is, you got it, the JUICE! Most of the juice is delicious. The juice is especially delicious right after you juiced it. Mmmmmmm! The blends you can make are endless. I tailor my juices to what my body needs, loves and craves. I also tailor it to what I have on hand in the fridge. I have grown to love the fresh juice so much my body craves it daily. If I miss a day I know it and can feel it in my body. I don’t miss very often. In fact, in three months of juicing I’ve missed three days total. Not bad. I throughly enjoy the process of making the juice and consistently repeat in my head positive affirmations while preparing my fruits and veggies, such as, “I’m doing this for my health. I’m doing this for my beautiful body.”
So, I thought it was time to share my ten favorite juice recipes from the juice cleanse I did for detoxifying my body. To read the other blogs about the juice cleanse click on the underlined words throughout the blog.
Biggest Question I Get
Teach your friends how to juice. I’ve motivated at least three friends/clients to start juicing in the three months since I’ve started. Let them taste how wonderful the juice is and how good it is for them and they’ll be hooked. Lauren my Reiki Master/Teacher student juicing for the first time. She said “I’m hooked!”
The number one question I get is “How do you find your juice recipes?” Easy, the internet. When I started I just typed in some of my favorite foods with juice, such as “pineapple juice recipe” and the internet did the work for me. If you have a specific health issue you are working with, such as, stomach ulcers then you want to type in “Juice recipes for stomach ulcers.” If I’m sick I type in “Immune system boosting juice recipes,” and so on. Whatever you need for juice, you’ll be able to find a recipe that you like for the supplies you have. It’s been quite easy. That is how I found my first recipes. I write them all down and keep them for later. If you are a ‘friend’ on my Facebook page I also share a lot of juicing recipes on my page. (Right hand margin of the page to join my Facebook family.) I also got a whole batch of recipes with the ten-day cleanse that I did through Reboot Your Life website. If you join their emailing list you can print a 5 day, 10 day or 15 day full menu fruit and vegetable cleanse from their nutritionist for free. I got many wonderful recipes for juice, smoothies, salads, dressings and vegetarian dishes. They were a wonderful resource for me.
Top Ten Juice Recipes
This is enough veggies for about two days worth of juice for me. My husband drinks some but not a meals worth so I can usually make enough for him to take to work too. I do two days at a time so I’m not making juice every single day. This is the makings of V8 juice. I didn’t like that one so I didn’t include it in the recipes. My blog. LOL
With no further ado, my top ten juice recipes, in order by the websites I got them from. It was not easy to do. I have so many I like it was actually hard to get them down to only ten. So try them and let me know how you like them. Add or delete items as you wish. If you delete a dark green vegetable because you ran out or don’t like it, them make sure you replace it with another dark green. Same with any color of fruit of veggie, replace with a fruit or veggie of the same color group. Mix and match your juice to get a full rainbow of colors, nutrients and flavors.
Juice #1
Zucchini Juice
Unfortunately I didn’t write down the website I got this from because I was in a hurry when making it. And, when I went to look back again, couldn’t find it. I’ll keep looking and add it later for you. I had a whole bunch of huge zucchini’s from a neighbor with a backyard garden and wanted a way to make use of them. I found a delectable way.
2 Lg Zucchini
2 Apples
1 C Spinach
1 Lime
2 C Parsley
Zucchini is great for juicing because it has lots of health benefits and a lot more actual juice than most dark green veggies. Zucchini is a great source of vitamin B, potassium, fiber and some vitamin c and iron. It is low in sugar and carbs. Perfect!
Juice #2
Mean Green Juice
If you have seen the documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” then you have heard of the Mean Green Juice. This is the juice they talk about drinking daily during their 60 day juice detox. (I did ten days. That’s enough for now.) This is also the same people who run the “Reboot Your Life” website with the detox diet I did. The Mean Green Juice is not only delicious, it’s packed with nutritious, as well. (Yes, I did that on purpose.)
6 Kale leaves
1 Cucumber
4 Celery stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lemon
1 in. piece Ginger
I put ginger is many of my juices for the awesome health benefits. Ginger helps nausea, inflammation, boosts immune system function, is an antibacterial and antiviral, increases blood flow and helps with detoxification. For more health benefits of ginger and a history, click this link.
Juice #3
Minty Fresh Berry Juice
Want to try a delicious fruit juice that the whole family will love?! Here it is. From Join the Reboot.
2 C Blueberries
2 Kiwi
16 Strawberries
2 C Mint Leaves
1/4 Pineapple (optional, I added that)
I LOVE pineapple and use it in my juice as often as possible. I’m a blood type A and follow the “Eat Right for your Blood Type” way of eating healthy and pineapple is great for type A’s. Pineapple is an anti-inflammatory, it has lots of vitamins and minerals like C, B, potassium, thiamine, manganese and magnesium and works for your body as a natural electrolyte. For more information about the health benefits of pineapple click on this link.
Juice #4
Fennel Pear Juice
Fennel is one of my newest and most favorite go to light green vegetables. It looks like a root but smells like black licorice. But the actual taste is much more subtle than black licorice. It goes perfectly with a pear. Yum yum! Also from Join the Reboot.
2 Pears
2 Med. Fennel bulbs
Pear and fennel is so refreshing. Fennel actually has a lot of health benefits too. Fennel offers relief from anemia, indigestion, flatulence, constipation, colic, diarrhea, respiratory disorders, menstrual disorders and bad breath. It has a very subtle taste and so can easily be added to salads and other foods without taking over the taste. Give it a try!
Juice #5
Mexican Style Jugo
Mexican Style Jugo, nice and spicy!
If you like spice, you’ll love this juice. Pablano peppers are high in dietary fibers and low in calories making them ideal for weight loss. They also help to boost the metabolism of the body and can be used as a replacement of salt in low-sodium diets. And, they make this juice just slightly spicy!! Another great recipe from Join the Reboot.
2 Lg. Cucumbers
4 C Cilantro
1 Lime
1 Pablano Pepper (ribs and seeds removed)
1 Golden Delicious Apple
Juice #6
Limeade
I have renamed this juice from Lemon Lime Juice to Limeade because it tastes like Limeade and I LOVE IT!! I have to say, I crave many of the juices but particularly this one and the Mexican Jugo. Can’t get enough of them. Must be something in them I really need, THE LIME!! Another great juice from Join the Reboot!
1 Lime
2 Pears
2 Carrots (med to lg)
1 Piece Ginger (thumb sized, I like lots, my husband likes less. Tailor it to your taste)
Another wonderful green juice. My goal was to get more fruits and vegetables into my diet and all the wonderful nutrients that go along with them. My body needs and craves dark green leafy vegetables. Therefore, I make a dark green leafy juice at least five days out of seven. Two days a week I take a break and make one of the other juices for variety and fun.
1/4 head Cabbage
3 Celery stalks
1 Cucumber (med to lg)
1 C Spinach
2 Green Apples
1/2 inch Ginger piece
Once again, I LOVE spice so I use more ginger. Ginger is a great liver cleanser as are dark green leafy’s so use what tastes good to you and enjoy.
Seventh in a series of blogs written by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki for her series on nutritional healing and juicing.
To catch up start with blog 1, A Sensitive System or search categories under Nutritional Healing.
Sleeping Walking Through Day 4
I made it though Day 3 pretty easily other than the many visits to the potty room that you may have read about in blog #6, ‘My First Colonic and Day 3’. Day 3 is famed to be the most difficult day from what I’ve heard and read. Although, I looked ahead in the dietary plan today and so far they’ve been pushing so many vegetables on the collective ‘us’ that we can’t eat them all. On Day 6 I get to have juice for breakfast, late breakfast, lunch and after that only coconut water. Hmmmm, we’ll see how that goes.
Sleep or Lack There Off
Sleeping is one of the issues other Rebooters have brought up as being difficult during the reboot, last night I hit that milestone. I was so tired yesterday that I feel asleep while meditating and slept for two hours from 4pm to 6pm. Not only did that mean I was extremely late in preparing the vegetables for dinner but I didn’t sleep most of the night other than some dozing here and there. Late afternoon naps are the kiss of death for my sleep cycle. I never do them, on purpose, that is. So, the extreme fatigue set in today on a day when I had to go back to the grocery with my two boys and prepare many large new vegetable dishes.
Reiki – LOVE, Cooking -Not So Much
Now, I’m pretty good at knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and I know that I’m an intuitive and caring Reiki Master, love what I do and work consistently at it. I’m an excellent healer because I don’t give up on myself or others. I have learned so much though my own process that I am now are able to help others. I’m a slightly above average but hard-working writer, very to the point and able to explain difficult non-tangible situations in a very easy to understand tangible way. I’m not highly creative in my writing or filled with poetry, but, if you are an ADD, spiritualist, clairsentient, light-worker – I’m your blogger. As a cook, well, that is where my confidence wanes. Being ADD (Indigo is more my definition), I do not read cook books well or instructions of any kind. So, I’ve never been a very good cook. I’m better when someone shows me and does it with me. I cook what I know, what tastes good, usually what’s quick and easy and what my family likes. Usually when I cook new stuff my boys complain that I’m giving them too much variety. That’s boys for you.
The Motivation Black Hole
So, where has my motivation been to cook more and different until now? In the void, as my son says, the black hole.
Alain Riazuelo’s startling image of a black hole deep in space. The image shows how light would bend around the black hole Read more: http://www.dailymail.co
Currently, I’m motivated by a much healthier body and life. I’m doing it for me and I’m doing it all myself. So, tonight, when the extreme tired kicked in and I had three veggie dishes to prepare, some of the old self-confidence issues raised their ugly heads for me to look at. Look at it I did. While chopping, I have lots of time to look in the proverbial mirror and see what I want to change. I decided to stop listening to the old records that said I couldn’t do this without help, or that I couldn’t figure it our correctly on my own, and I just did it. However long it took, however much I may mess it up, I pushed on through. I put on some motivating music, for me this could be anything from hip hop to country to reggae. Tonight, it took long enough it was a bit of all of them. I got lost in the chopping, the music and the beautiful scene of the Strait of Juan de Fuca out my kitchen window. I can watch the summer cruise ships pass by me and the San Juan Islands as I chop and it’s lovely. And, you know what, the dishes, although a little late, turned out great! Even my boys liked them and they were 99% made of vegetables!
Ratings for this dish: Joss’ rating 9 out of 10, Robby (age 12) 8 out of 10, Sawyer (age 9) 7 out of 10, Robert 10 out of 10
Baked Zucchini with Tomatoes and Herbs
(Thank you to my wonderful neighbors for all the zucchini you gave us. It went to good use.)
Baked Zucchini recipe made two baking dishes full. Sorry about the photo, I forgot to take photos until dinner was over and I was packing up the leftovers. Sleep walking even after a nap.
I am putting this recipe in exactly as it is on Joe’s website. Although I encourage you to add or take away items as it pleases your family. I personally would put one more tomato and more sea salt.
3 large zucchini or 5 small
4 Scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 small onion, shipped
2 Plum Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. Celery Leaves (from the inner stalks, chopped
4 Tbsp. Basil Leaves, shipped, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice the zucchini in half crosswise. Cut each half again lengthwise, and slice each of the halves into 4 equal, 1/2 inch pieces. They should look like sticks.
In a bowl, mix together the zucchini sticks with the white parts of the scallions, onion, tomatoes, celery leaves and basil. Mix in the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Pour into a 3 quart baking dish and bake for 20 minutes (mine took 30 min.). Garnish with the sliced green tops of the scallions and the extra chipped basil.
Makes 4 servings (makes way more than 4 servings, more like 6 to 7)
Per serving: 153 calories, 1.5 g protein, 1.5 g fiber
Sweet Potato and Carrot “Fries”
Sweet Potato and Carrot Fries, Yum a Dum Dum!! These are dessert to me they are so sweet naturally. With a bit of cumin and cinnamon on top, sweet and divine.
Once again these wonderful recipes can be found under the PLAN section on the ten-day plan on Join the Reboot dot-com.
Family ratings: Joss 10 of 10 (this is like dessert for me!), Robert 9 of 10, Sawyer 9 of 10 (a bit sweet for him he said and this is my candy lover kid)
2 medium Sweet Potatoes
2 large Carrots
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. ground Cumin (or cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, rosemary or other spices you like can be in place of the cumin)
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and slice each half into 4 equal wedges. for the carrots, cut in half crosswise into two chunks. Slice each chunk lengthwise into 2 pieces, and cut each piece into 2 or 3 wedges, making them roughly the same size as the potatoes.
Put the potato and carrot wedges into a bowl and toss with the oil, cumin, pepper and salt. Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until the flesh is tender and the outside is lightly browned and the edges slightly crisp.
They say it makes 2 servings but the four of us didn’t finish them all.
Fifth in a series of blogs written by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki for her series on nutritional healing and juicing.
First blog in the series if you want to get caught up, “A Sensitive System.”
Day 2 of my Reboot
So, day 2 went much smoother although just as busy. I added a slightly bit more protein, black beans on my salad, and didn’t stress so much about preparing and eating EVERYTHING on their list, and it went well. I’ve been having some slight cold symptoms, runny nose and sore throat, but it feels more like detox symptoms than an actual cold coming on. I’ve had it before when I was detoxifing from having the mercury out of my teeth, so I’m just watching it and doing some preventative stuff just in case. I had a slight headache last night but they say that is normal too. Other than that I’m feeling pretty darn good and my attitude is very positive.
Recipes
Today I wanted to share two of the recipes from day 2 because they were so outstanding that I felt they were worth a shout out. If you like vegetables and salads then you will do great on this cleanse.
Love Salad
I have to say I do LOVE salad. When people ask my favorite food, I say “salad!” and have said that since I was in college. My mom always made fresh salad for dinners and I grew to love them and it stayed with me. However, with the business of having kids, working on healing myself, moving, now working part-time and blogging, I think I’ve gotten in a bit of a busy rut with my salads. I tend to do the same thing over and over again. I still love them because the most important ingredient to a salad is really fresh (locally grown if you’ve got them) vegetables and we have plenty of that here in Sequim, Washington. So, I am thrilled to be doing this 10 day reboot of my life from ‘Join the Reboot’ with great new salad recipes to try. And, day 2 has this wonderful carrot-dill salad that I truly enjoyed. Enough that I wanted to share it here with you.
These recipes complimentary of ‘Join the Reboot‘ on the ten-day Reboot.
Carrot-Dill Salad
Joss’ rating 10 out of 10
Carrot-Dill Salad, a salad worth sitting alone on the patio watching the sunset and truly enjoying slowly. Can you tell I appreciate a good salad!?
3 cups greens (spinach, arugula, romaine, red leaf, etc.)
Shredded carrot, fennel, radish, cabbage, celery (don’t be afraid to try fennel, it’s quite subtle. I will put more next time. It tastes a bit like black licorice which I don’t care for, but like fennel anyway.)
chopped fresh dill
1/2 avocado
I also added some jicama and cucumber I had leftover from another salad, and black beans for added protein.
Dressing
(The recipe calls for a honey soy dressing but since I’m allergic to soy I used this recipe from Day 1.)
Homemade Mustard Vinaigrette
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 T Grain Mustard
2/3 cups Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Salad and 2 Tbsp. Dressing: 278 calories, 3.5 g protein, 9 g fiber (stays fresh in the refrigerator for one week in a glass jar)
Squash? You Want Me to Cook Squash?
Yes, I’ve never been much of a squash eater and therefore, neither is my family. I don’t know why but I’ve been a bit afraid of preparing it. The unknown I guess. Or maybe just didn’t care for it before. So, here goes, squash on the day 2 recipes. I decided to tackle it instead of being intimidated by it. And, I’m so glad I did. It was delectable. My husband agreed (without the red pepper) that we would eat this over and over again. Here is the recipe with the red pepper but if you do not like spice then take it out. It was actually quite simple to prepare also.
Roasted Acorn Squash with Portobello Mushroom
Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Portobello Mushroom and Sage
Joss’ rating, 10 out of 10. Robert’s rating 9 out of 10 due to the red pepper.
1 medium Acorn Squash (I used two for four servings)
3/4 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil, plus extra for brushing on the squash
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 large Portobello Mushroom, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
2 tsp. Fresh Sage, finely chopped (I’d add a bit more sage next time. Not quite enough)
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes, optional
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim off each end of the squash. Stand the squash upright and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp and the seeds and discard. Brush each squash half with olive oil, and then sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. sea salt and black pepper. Arrange cut sides down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the squash until the flesh is tender and the edges are golden brown, approximately 25 – 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the squash halves over and set aside.
I used two Acorn Squash and for four servings. The mushroom mixture is the same amount and fits quite nicely in four squash halves for four people.
Stuffing
While the squash roasts, heat the live oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute 2 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the mushrooms, sage, 1/4 tsp. sea salt and the red pepper flakes if using, and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Fill the roasted squash halves with the mushroom mixture and bake again for another 10 minutes. Devour.
Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 254 calories, 2 g protein, 2.5 g fiber
I hope some of you try these recipes even if you don’t do the full Reboot. It is fun to try new things and get more variety in your life, even if the process is sometimes slightly anxiety ridden. Smiling. Enjoy.
And don’t forget to do Reiki on your food, or pray at your meals to help your food’s vibration be raised up to meet yours. Another blog on that later.
Fourth in a series of blogs written by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki for her series on nutritional healing and juicing.
A TON of Vegetables!
I made it through the first day of the most fruits and vegetables I have ever eaten in my whole life. If you have not read my first three blogs on this topic you can catch up here.
Started day 1 with a Cherry Cinnamon Apple Bake with 1 cup cherries, 2 apples chopped, 3 T raisins, 1T cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg, bake for 45 min. at 375 degrees. Delish!
Day 1
I am doing a ten day fruit and vegetable fast cutting our all dairy, grains, packaged foods and animal protein to help my body heal. You can read my goals for the fast here on blog #2.
I am following the ten day menu from a nutritionist for the ‘Join the Reboot’ team. I am getting weekly colonics to help my digestive system get back to it’s original healthy ‘just like a new born baby’ form, or close to that. That’s the plan anyway, but we know how plans go. I want my body to be able to digest it’s food and for me to get all the healthy nutrients from the healthier foods I’ll be eating.
Menu, Plan Ahead
V8 Juice for breakfast Day 2. Beets, carrots, celery, tomatoes, parsley, jalapeno, radishes, beet greens. This made enough for me and my husband both to have a full 16 oz glass of juice.
So far the menu is very healthy and delicious. However, if you are planning to start this program, know that it is a whole lot of vegetables and a lot different ones. For instance, they have you use a tiny bit of jicama the first day but not again in the first few days. I never buy hicama and haven’t had it since I was a child. Good to try it again and I do like the crunch it adds to salads. But, I didn’t look at the menus soon enough before starting the cleanse to know this or to alter them so I could buy less veggies. Plus, the goal is to eat a variety. So, I am using the ‘extra’ vegetables in salads along the way and just modifying the diet a bit here and there. But, you will have to buy a ton of vegetables so plan on that expense ahead of time. Lucky for me I have neighbors and students with farms and gardens helping me out. Thank you to my wonderful clients and neighbors helping me out. You know who you are. Having your own garden would really help with this project.
Modify the Plan for YOUR Body
Modify by adding more protein if you need to in the beginning or some healthy whole grains. You can always do the full plan at another time. Work towards what you body can do and stay healthy and successful now.
My doctor has me adding small amounts of healthy protein in the morning and lunch meals for my blood sugar issue. I think because I’m an overachiever and wanted to do the cleanest diet possible, closest to the actual one on the program, I didn’t eat enough protein. I added one egg in the morning and one scoop of the Isagenix vanilla whey protein powder in my mid day juice. Not enough. By about 5pm I was hitting a wall. For me, hitting a wall, usually means emotionally. I get irritated, frustrated and start going on and on about things I’m angry about. This is not a pretty seen and my family usually heads to their respective corners to ignore my tirades and read their books.
First Day Frustrations
Mom frustrations
I was most frustrated by the amounts of food preparation that goes into the meals. I guess I thought it would be a lot more juice, not salads, soups, steamed veggies, baked fruit, etc. The juices are not too bad for prep, but the rest take a great deal of washing, chopping and time. I’m a mom, a wife, a house keeper, and a Reiki Master/Psychic, life is busy. I also tend to be a lazy cook because I don’t like cooking that much. I’m not sure how people who work full time would be able to do all this AND work AND take care of their families. Plan for that too. It is time consuming changing old habits into new ones. I guess people who work would prepare a lot at night to be ready for the next day. I’m usually too tired at night to do this and so I do my prep in the morning. However, by the time I’m done with my prep for a morning fruit menu item ANd a late morning snack, it’s almost lunch time. (Consider they have six meals on the menu plus some snacks.)
Eat All the Veggies You Want
It’s a whole lot of food. They want you to eat almost all your calories in vegetables and feel full the whole time. That part is good, but I ALWAYS FEEL FULL. Most people don’t complain about that when doing a diet but with this one you will. Also, lot of these menu items I have never made before so it’s all new to me. New to me causes anxiety to me. But, I push though and do my best. I have literally spent the entire two days preparing vegetables. I’m not sure what I thought was going to happen, but this is what it is.
Always Hopeful
Now I know as I get used to the diet it will be easier and I’ll figure out short cuts like I do for salad. I make a huge salad on the weekend and what we do not eat I bag up with paper towels in the bag to keep it fresh and soak up the excess moisture. This way, the salad will last up to four days or so. Sometimes I’ll have to re-wash it before hand, but, easy way to have salad ready to go for the work week. These are the kind of tricks I’m learning and will put into place for the next time I do this cleanse. I felt much better emotionally after I had a nice salad for dinner with avocado and sea salt. Yes, I’ve been craving salt. There was actually so much food on the menu, don’t tell, but I skipped the soup and steamed vegetables. I was DONE with vegetables by then and just couldn’t eat another bite. I ended the day with my herbal tea and went to bed.
Suggestions if You Are Starting Your Reboot
Healthy proteins, like hard boiled eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and fish are good to add in the beginning if you are concerned about doing the cleanse the first time from an unhealthy diet or have blood sugar issues.
Other than the five o’ clock tirade, I did very well. My impression is, with this healthy veggie fast, the healthier your diet is going into the plan, the easier it will be on you physically, mentally and emotionally during. I have already spent years cutting out packaged foods, animal protein, simple carbs, sugar and such. I eat at least one large salad every day and lots of other fruits and veggies. If you are starting this Reboot plan for the first time from a place of eating McDonalds regularly then you will probably have a much harder time. Don’t give up, just alter it a bit. I might recommend a modified plan that you can work with your doctor or nutritionist with. Start slow and work towards one of these full on fruit and veggie plans for later. Just a suggestion. The goal is to be healthier and help your body, not to hurt it. If you take on too much too soon, you may be setting yourself up for failure. It’s more important to DO it for long term success than it is to take on more than you can chew, literally.
Please feel free to ask me questions or to lovingly comment if you have suggestions yourself. Love to hear from you!
(Low sugar and gluten-free cranberry cookie recipe at the bottom of the page)
A few days ago I wrote a blog called ‘Just Like Sugar®’ Chocolate Chip Cookies. I do not eat chocolate or sugar so even though I made them and ate them, I had made them for the kids with the chocolate. I decided I wanted a cookie that I can eat for real. I’m experimenting with a new product that a client of mine brought to me, Just Like Sugar®. Read the first blog to find out about ‘Just Like Sugar®’ for yourself and another blog in the comment section that has written about as well and tells a bit about how the company discovered and created the product.
To make a long story short, the cranberry cookies are just as delicious as the chocolate chip cookies especially if you cannot have chocolate or sugar but you can have cranberries. Bottom line, I’d use it to bake over and over again. Sawyer, my nine-year old son even liked them better than the chocolate chip cookies and he LOVES sugar of any kind.
Aftertaste
I did not taste an aftertaste like many commenters on Amazon and other blogs talk about with the baked cookies. However, when I tested the batter before baking I did taste a bit of an after taste AND when I used it in my tea as well. It was not distasteful to me but I can see how some people said it had an after taste. The baking somehow takes care of that from what I experienced.
For more information about Just Like Sugar® please go to my first blog
Reiki your recipes
Reiki or pray over anything that you take into your body for a healthier outcome. Blog coming soon on ‘Reiki your food’ !
Before baking with Just Like Sugar® I muscle tested myself and my assistant as I had the client who brought it in to me in the first place, to see if our bodies “liked” the product. We all tested positive for the Just Like Sugar® product. We had the green light to go ahead with out baking experiment. We also did Reiki over the batter before baking the cookies to assure the best energy and nutrition possible. Reiki your food!!
Delicious!!
Cranberry nut cookies
Totally non-biased kid ratings
Sawyer (Age 9) and my baking assistant, said “These are even better than the other ones. I like the cranberries even better than the chocolate chips!” He rated the cookies a 10 out of 10!
Success!
The second experiment was a success as well. We LOVE the cranberry macadamia nut cookies and we will bake them again.
Yield: approximately 20 cookies. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla then beat together. Add Pamela’s Mix, chocolate chips and nuts, then mix thoroughly. Place scoops of dough (1 TBSP scoop) on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cookies cool slightly and use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet. Eat and enjoy!
.
Sawyer loves to help me in the kitchen, sometimes.
(I changed some things just because that is what I do. Play with it and have fun!)
1/2 cup butter (this would be a good one to play with. My kids said it was too much butter and they LOVE butter. Any suggestions?)
7/8 cup Just Like Sugar (next time I’ll buy and try the brown sugar version)
1-1/2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix
1 cup cranberries dried
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2 med eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Yield: 20 cookies for us.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla then beat together. Add Pamela’s Mix, chocolate chips and nuts, then mix thoroughly. Place scoops of dough (1 TBSP scoop) on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cookies cool slightly and use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet. Eat and enjoy! 1 hour to make and bake cookies, 1 hour to write the blog.
Cranberry nut cookies
Loving comments greatly appreciated!! Try the recipes and come back here and tell us what YOU think!
(Low sugar and gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe and kid approved ratings at the bottom of the blog)
The ONLY sugar in these is in the chocolate chips! Find out HOW. Read on……
Note: This blog write up is not paid for by any companies. This is my choice to bake and rate these products, a totally non-biased, non- paid opinion. If either of these companies would like to pay me for a testimonial please, I’d be happy to oblige, feel free to contact me via my email! Although, it looks like I have already done it here for free. Oh well, Never mind.
SUMMER IS HERE!!
Summer is here, my boys are out of school and I am a mom FULL time again! The blogs may change a bit because my blog is simply a mirror of my life and what’s going on in that moment.
Baking Fun!
Sawyer is an early riser so we have some time together to do projects in the summer without big brother around. Not the government big brother, HIS big brother. “Hmmm, I wonder if these will taste good?”
Yes, summer is here but in the Pacific North West it is still in the high 50’s and low 60’s with gray. So, excellent time to bake!! I love to bake and I love experimenting with new recipes. I change the recipes a lot since I do not eat any sugar, gluten or soy in my daily diet and have to change most recipes to suit my body’s desires. I have not had a desert for over a year and a half. I have gotten used to this and am happy 99% of the time having fruit in place of desert. However, now and then, it would be nice to have a cookie or some other yummy desert. So, I’m experimenting with a new product that a client of mine brought to me, Just Like Sugar®.
Just Like Sugar®
Just Like Sugar ingredients
On the package for Just Like Sugar® it says, all natural, gluten-free, zero carbs, zero calories, diabetic and celiac safe, no soy, no yeast, no animal derivatives, no “MSG”, no L-Glutamic Acid, no D-Glutamine Acid, no Aspartic Acid, no preservatives or dairy. It is not organic but you can take care of that with Reiki. (A blog coming on that topic soon! Reiki your food!)
Just Like Sugar’s® ingredients are chicory root dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin C, natural flavors from the peel of the orange and that is it!
Just Like Sugar® costs more and you need to use more than sugar because it is not nearly as sweet. But is still very good and for people like me who have changed their taste buds by not eating any sugar, it is plenty sweet! I bought a 16 oz bag of Just Like Sugar from Amazon for about $14 with free shipping. The recipe below used almost one cup of the product.
Sugar cane to Just Like Sugar®conversion chart
Sugar to Just Like Sugar®
1 t = 1 -3/4 t
1T = 1 -3/4 T
1/8 C = 1/4 C
1/4 C = 7/16 C
1/2 C = 7/8 C
2/3 C = 1 -1/4 C
1 C = 1 -3/4 C
Gluten Free
Our favorite gluten-free baking mix!
I am not celiac but I am gluten-free because my body prefers that. Therefore, my recipe also uses a gluten-free flour by my favorite brand, Pamela’s Products. I used the basic recipe for chocolate chip cookies off of the bag of Pamela’s Products Baking & Pancake Mix and then tweaked it a bit. I bought it at Amazon for $44.61 for 3, 4 pound bags with free shipping. We use this for all baking, pancakes and waffles mostly. YUM!
The ingredients for Pamela’s baking mix are: Brown rice flour; White rice flour; cultured buttermilk; natural almond meal; tapioca starch; sweet rice flour; potato starch; grain-less & aluminum-free baking powder; baking soda; sea salt and Xanthan gum.
Alterations to the recipe
I did not change out the chocolate chips, even though they have sugar, because my kids love them and since they are so incredibly deprived of eating “normal” kid food (LOL) I kept them in for this recipe. I also wanted to keep the recipe as much to the original recipe the first time and then alter it more from there. In the future, I will use something else that I can eat to replace the chocolate, like cranberries or raisins.
Reiki your recipes
Reiki or pray over anything that you take into your body for a healthier outcome. Blog coming soon on ‘Reiki your food’ !
Before baking with Just Like Sugar® I muscle tested myself and my assistant as I had the client who brought it in to me in the first place, to see if our bodies “liked” the product. We all tested positive for the Just Like Sugar® product. We had the green light to go ahead with out baking experiment. We also did Reiki over the batter before baking the cookies to assure the best energy and nutrition possible. Reiki your food!!
Delicious!!
For this first time using Just Like Sugar®, I really just wanted to know if it tasted good or not and would I use it again. IT DOES!! The cookies are DELICIOUS and I would totally bake with it again. Here are the results from my very picky kids and neighbor kids.
Totally non-biased kid ratings
Note: None of the kids tried the cookies at the same time as the other kids. I did not want anyone else influencing their words and ratings.
Sawyer (Age 9) and my baking assistant, said “Mmmmmmm, Delicioso!” and many other great adjectives that I can’t remember but went on the entire time he was eating his cookies. He rated the cookies a 9 out of 10!
Robby (age 11 1/2) said “Delicious” and rated it a 7 out of 10 because it tasted really good but was more flaky then he likes.
Neighbor Tim (11 1/2) rated the cookies a 7 out of 10 and said they were very good!
Neighbor Josiah (8 1/2) said “scrumptious!” and rated the cookies a 9 to 10 out of 10!
Adult Josslyn who has lived without desserts for a year and a half, 10 out of 10!
Success!
Mmmmmmmm, delicioso!!
The experiment was a SUCCESS!! I will most definitely bake with Just Like Sugar® again with my other favorite recipes and share them with you! A lot of people on Amazon and other websites talked about an after taste. With the cookies I did not taste any lingering after taste.
Yield: approximately 20 cookies. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla then beat together. Add Pamela’s Mix, chocolate chips and nuts, then mix thoroughly. Place scoops of dough (1 TBSP scoop) on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cookies cool slightly and use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet. Eat and enjoy!
.
Sawyer loves to help me in the kitchen, sometimes.
(I changed some things just because that is what I do. Play with it and have fun!)
1/2 cup butter (this would be a good one to play with. My kids said it was too much butter and they LOVE butter. Any suggestions?)
7/8 cup Just Like Sugar® (next time I’ll buy and try the brown sugar version)
2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix
1 cup mini chocolate chips (We lowered the amount of chocolate chips, but Sawyer and I agreed this is even too much. I’ll lower it even more next time)
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (Thank you Nana for sending these up from CA! LOVE macadamia nuts and they are sooooo good in cookies!)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Yield: 23 cookies for us.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla then beat together. Add Pamela’s Mix, chocolate chips and nuts, then mix thoroughly. Place scoops of dough (1 TBSP scoop) on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cookies cool slightly and use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet. Eat and enjoy! 1 hour to make and bake cookies, 4 hours to write the blog.
Loving comments greatly appreciated!! Try the recipes and come back here and tell us what YOU think!
Josslyn Streett
Rain Shadow Reiki
rainshadowreiki@gmail.com or 360-460-7829
In Love and Light of the Divine, welcome. Here, I share ideas on how to live a more spiritual life using Reiki and other spiritual tools and techniques. I help private clients –like you– break through blockages so you can freely move forward on your spiritual path. –Josslyn Streett
