Getting Back to Cooking

My nights in the kitchen have been seriously sporadic as of late. I'm finding it really hard to get everything done and still have the desire to shop and cook. But I snuck a quick meal in the other night and it was soooo good!

sorry for the not so creative picture...the camera on my phone is
so much more convenient 

Scallops are tricky sometimes because you can overcook them very easily. It is the type of thing that you actually have to pay attention to. But overall this was a quick and tasty dish that I highly recommend you try. Let me preface this by saying I usually do not opt for rice (I'm a pasta girl) but I wanted to try jasmine rice for the first time.... and I'm hooked. I don't know why I've never had it before.

• scallops (6 per person)
• scallop seasoning: paprika, Jamaican curry, cayenne pepper, garlic powder
• jasmine rice (1 c. per 2 people) 
• snow peas
• cilantro
• scallions
• garlic
• ginger
• shredded coconut
• olive oil

1. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in room temp water
2. Coat both sides of each scallop in it's seasonings
3. Saute the garlic, ginger, & scallions in olive oil, put aside to mix with rice
4. In same pan, saute snow peas for a few minutes
5. Drain rice and add new water (1 1/2 c. per c. of rice), bring to boil, stir, cover, let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Cook scallops in same pan used for snow peas. Add more olive oil if necessary (should lightly cover entire pan). Cook 4 minutes per side.
7. Mix garlic, ginger, scallions, and coconut into rice. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
8. Done & done!

This whole meal should take about 30 minutes, and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! The sweet rice goes really well with the spicy scallops.

Enjoy!

Cooking Chickens

If you've been reading me for a while you know that I'm obsessed with eating soup in the winter. I'm in soup mode now and have my cooking itch back now that the Christmas season is over and things are settled with the re-branding of Raw Generation.

I made a really great soup a few days ago from one of the chickens I picked up from the farm I get my meat from. I was shocked at how much soup I got from 1 chicken. I made 2 different stocks which I'll describe below. Both were super easy, but do take some time.

Broth #1:

• 1 chicken, whole
• 1 onion
• 1 apple
• 1 container organic vegetable broth
• water
• salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, coriander, cloves (just a touch), bay leaves, garlic powder
• olive oil
• celery
• 4 sml. red potatoes
• carrots

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put whole chicken in lg. baking pan/ casserole dish breast side down. Pour in vegetable broth and fill pan to cover half of chicken with water.
3. Add quartered apple, chopped onion, spices, and drizzle chicken with olive oil.
4. Bake for 1.5 hours
5. Let chicken cool, take out of broth, and cup up breast meat. 
6. Add meat back in to broth with chopped carrots, celery, & potatoes (chop small).
7. Simmer on stove for 10 minutes at medium high heat.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Broth #2

• Chicken from Broth #1
• 1 onion
• water
• salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, coriander, cloves (just a touch), bay leaves, garlic powder
• celery
• carrots

1. Pull chicken from broth #1 apart into pieces and put in lg. pot on stove.
2. Add in onion and spices.
3. Fill pot with water and boil for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Let cool and strain broth into another lg. pot, catching chicken pieces into a strainer.
5. Pull meat off of chicken pieces and put into broth.
6. Add in chopped carrots & celery and simmer on stove to 15 minutes.

Both ways make good chicken soup, but they are a little different. Broth #1 has a stronger flavor and Broth #2 is more like traditional chicken soup. This one chicken made a little over a gallon and a half of soup! I put some in the refrigerator and most in the freezer. Definitely a great way to stock up! 

Hope everyone in the NE stays warm and safe during the snow storm!!! Have a great weekend!

Corn & Crab Chowder

not a very appetizing picture, but I assure you it was FANTASTIC!

This might be my favorite new recipe that I've ever made... ever! The recipe I found online was super complicated, which I can't stand. So I seriously simplified it for you guys. I made this for the Superbowl, and it was a pretty big hit. But this is one of those things that you can make for just about anything, and I plan on making it way more than once and a while.

• 3 cans organic sweet corn
• 1 lg sweet onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 small red potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• 1 box organic chicken stock
• 1/3 box organic vegetable stock
• 2 containers crab claw meat
• 1/4 stick butter
• olive oil, a few splashes
• salt, pepper, ground cloves, seafood seasoning to taste
• 2 c. half & half

1. Heat olive oil and butter in pot on med/low heat. Chop onions & saute in butter/oil mixture. Add in garlic after onions are soft. 
2. Add in 1 can of corn and chopped potatoes. 
3. Take other 2 cans of corn (including water) and blend in blender/vitamix until it is a creamy consistency.
4. Add in corn and chicken stock. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Stir every few minutes.
5. Turn heat to low.
6. Add in seasonings a little at a time, stir, and taste, adding until desired taste. (Go easy on the cloves at first...they are a very strong flavor.)
7. Add in crab meat and half and half to desired creaminess!

If you are making it for a party, you might want to set some aside for yourself as leftovers (we did). It goes fast with seafood lovers! 

Enjoy!

Last minute cornbread

If any of you are looking for a last minute quick recipe for something you can bring to your Superbowl party... here it is. I made these last night in 30 minutes and they taste amazing!

• 1 c. organic cornmeal
• 1 c. whole wheat bread flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 container of plain Greek yogurt (6 oz)
• 1 c. half & half
• 1 lg jalapeno (diced), take out seeds if you don't want it to be too spicy
• 2/3 can organic corn 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or heavily grease w/ organic butter
2. Put all ingredients in Kitchenaid mixer (or you can do it the old fashioned way with a bowl and a wooden spoon)
3. Batter is going to be thick and gooey so you will have to spoon it in.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Hope you all enjoy tonight!

Hi.... I'm Jess. I think I used to write a blog

It's been a while. Sorry! Fortunately, I have nothing healthy to report to you. I have been keeping my head above water for the past few weeks and everything, aside from the occasional workout and occasional green juice, has fallen by the wayside.

The only thing I've cooked in the past 3 weeks has been my WORLD FAMOUS banana bread. Lucky you because I am about to share the once-secret recipe with you.

• 2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 stick organic butter (softened)
• 2 farm eggs
• 5 overripe (black) bananas
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 splashes vanilla extract
• spices: ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together sugar and salt, butter, eggs, bananas, and spices.
3. Add in flour a little at a time until all is mixed in. 
4. Bake for 1 hour, or until knife comes out clean from the middle of pan

They key to my moist-ass-banana-bread is the 5 overripe bananas. Any less and it just isn't the same. A great breakfast on a cold morning. 

Enjoy!

Giving thanks that I don't have to cook on Thanksgiving

In honor of the Thanksgiving dinner that I will not be cooking this week, I will present to you some short Mark Bittman videos of some really simple, delicious, and healthier alternatives to mashed potatoes and stuffing. *Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with mashed potatoes and stuffing. This is what I would be cooking if I was having dinner at my house. One of these days...

Braised Turkey

Herb Stuffed Duck

Layered Vegetable Torte

Butternut Squash Salad (raw)

Braised Artichokes

Walnut Torte

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I love bibb lettuce

Since discovering how much I love bibb lettuce salads with other kinds of lettuce just don't compare. I probably wrote about this before, but the best way to make a salad with bibb lettuce is just add dressing. The second best way is what I'm about to tell you. I discovered it on the menu at my FAVORITE restaurant/bar/nightclub over the summer and I just made it myself.

I'm not exactly sure how they make the apricot vinaigrette so I winged it:

• handful of dried apricots (organic, unsulfured)
• raw apple cider vinegar
• raw olive oil
• water
• bibb lettuce
• Gorgonzola cheese
• walnuts

1. Soak the dried apricots in water overnight (they will take their original shape when done)
2. In food processor, add apricots (including water from soaking), oil and vinegar, blend.
3. Toss lettuce and dressing in bowl.
4. Top with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (organic) and crushed walnuts.

AMAZEBALLS! While the dressing is not exactly the same, it gives a similar sweet effect. This is definitely one of those things I could eat every day.

One thing about nuts. EAT THEM! (unless you are allergic) They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. There is nothing wrong with eating fat if it comes from the right source! Right source- fruits, vegetables, nuts. Wrong source: hydrogenated oils, fried foods, candy bars, etc. You get the point.  

And I'm eating my second bowl right now. 

It's about that time...

It's the start of Christmas season again. Maybe not for all of you, but we are starting to set up the stands so we can start selling the Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving. Just another one of the many random things I am involved in. For those of you who were reading last year, I am extremely busy this time of year so naturally one of the things that falls off is how often I can cook.

I got a little ahead of the game and prepared a few things so that I don't have to eat fast food on the road for the next 8 days. I'm going to bring my handy-dandy green juices along with me, some fruit, and the fruit nut bars that I made!!! I used to get these from Lisa (and if you are in Monmouth County, NJ I highly recommend her if you want raw foods but don't have the time to prepare or don't know how).

I have been meaning to call her (Lisa if you are reading this... I need to order some things from you!!!) but I keep forgetting, so in lieu of her fruit nut bars I tried to make my own. I had a bunch of dried fruit and nuts hanging around. I have no idea how she makes them so I winged it.

Here's what I put in (although I'm pretty sure any dried fruit/nut combination would work):

• raw almonds
• raw cashews
• raw macadamia nuts 
• raisins
• dates
• water

All you do is put the combo in a food processor, chop until super fine consistency, add a little water so the mixture balls up, spread out on a baking sheet into one big square, refrigerate overnight. I'm not sure if you are supposed to score them before or after. I didn't score them before so I'll let you know how it goes. 

Some other ingredients I didn't think about until after: shredded coconut &dark chocolate chips!!!

These are great to-go snacks and you can make a huge batch of them and they last for a really long time when refrigerated.

Soup of the Day

Since I got back, I've been trying to use our veggies from the garden. Over the weekend I made a delicious soup with Swiss chard from the garden. I was a little nervous because I don't usually start soup with water, but I didn't have any chicken to make stock with or any veggie stock, so water it was!

• 3 cans cannelloni beans
• 1 lg bunch Swiss chard
• 5 links pre-cooked sausage
• 2 lg sweet onions 
• 3/4 stock pot of water
• 6 cloves chopped garlic
• dried herbs: thyme, sage, garlic, white pepper, sea salt, rosemary, thyme

1. fill pot w/ water, chopped onions, garlic, all herbs, chopped sausage.
2. bring to boil for 30 minutes
3. add beans, simmer for 2 hours
4. add Swiss chard, simmer for final 30 minutes

It took longer than I thought because I started with water. It takes a while for all of the flavors to meld together, but it's worth it if you have the time. If not, use prepared stock. I also cooked egg noodles and added them into the individual bowls topped with Parmesan cheese. It was surprisingly amazing! That was the first time I cooked a soup like that, and got a few compliments from my mom and some friends that were staying over. (Patting myself on the back)

Next up! Either black bean chili or chicken soup!

Beets... the red headed step child of root vegetables

hahahahhahaa, when I went to Google a picture of a red head a lot
of pictures came up about gingers stealing souls LOL had to put one up

I happen to be fond of red heads because we have a lot of them in our family, however, somewhere along the way they got a bad wrap. Kind of like beets. I just started using beets in some of my juices and like them in small amounts in addition to apples, lemon, carrots, and ginger. That makes a really tasty juice that is super detoxifying.

I just came across a video for a beet salad that looks amazing! I've been itching to experiment with beets in salads lately, and plan on doing so once I get home. Yes, still in LA. Take a look. Hope this inspires someone to start using beets!

WARNING: Pickles that can kill

A few weeks ago when I made a HUGE batch of pickles I used a recipe that called for garlic, onions, and dill. This recipe made the best pickles I've ever tasted, however, I was informed by my mom that garlic if stored in liquid can cause botulism. I've heard of this term once or twice in conversation with canning tomatoes, but I never really paid much attention to it. 

Well, now it has caught my attention, since I have to drain and re-jar 7 giant bottles of pickles. I left the garlic in the jars thinking it would enhance the flavor, but little did I know that it could cause botulism.

Botulism, if you aren't aware, is a bacteria that grows on certain vegetables when stored improperly. It is deadly, and will kill you rather fast- like in days.

So, if you made my pickles I'm sorry, but you are going to have to take the garlic out of the jars, just like I did. This is especially important if you are jarring and not keeping them in the refrigerator, or not planning on eating them right away. Here is a warning I found:

BOTULISM WARNING 

Regardless of its flavor potency, garlic is a low-acid vegetable. The pH of a clove of garlic typically ranges from 5.3 to 6.3. As with all low-acid vegetables, garlic will support the growth and subsequent toxin production of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum when given the right conditions. These conditions include improper home canning and improper preparation and storage of fresh herb and garlic-in-oil mixtures. Moisture, room temperature, lack of oxygen, and low-acid conditions all favor the growth of Clostridium botulinum. When growing, this bacterium produces an extremely potent toxin that causes the illness botulism. If untreated, death can result within a few days of consuming the toxic food. 

...WHICH MEANS YOU ARE AT RISK OF GETTING SICK FROM STORING IT THE WAY YOU DO.
STORING GARLIC.

Commercially, garlic is stored near 32 degrees F. However, most home refrigerators are too warm for ideal long-term storage of garlic. Instead, store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place in well-ventilated containers such as mesh bags. Storage life is 3 to 5 months under cool (60 degree F) dry, dark conditions. 

WHICH MEANS YOU CAN SAFELY KEEP IT IN A COOL DRY PLACE AT HOME INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT IN OIL. 

FREEZING GARLIC 

Garlic can be frozen in a number of ways.1. Chop the garlic, wrap it tightly in a plastic freezer bag or in plastic wrap, and freeze. To use, grate or break off the amount needed.2. Freeze the garlic unpeeled and remove cloves as needed.3. Peel the cloves and puree them with oil in a blender or food processor using 2 parts oil to 1 part garlic. The puree will stay soft enough in the freezer to scrape out parts to use in sautéing. Freeze this mixture immediately - do not store it at room temperature. The combination of the low-acid garlic, the exclusion of air (by mixing with oil), and room-temperature storage can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum.  

THESE ARE THE SAFER OPTIONS, BECAUSE STORING IT IN OIL TAKES AWAY ITS OXYGEN(DROWNS IT) AND THEN IT BECOMES DANGEROUS TO EAT.

STORING GARLIC IN OIL 

Extreme care must be taken when preparing flavored oils with garlic or when storing garlic in oil. Peeled garlic cloves may be submerged in oil and stored in the freezer for several months. Do not store garlic in oil at room temperature. Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature provide perfect conditions for producing botulism toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures have been reported in North America.  

By law, commercially prepared garlic in oil has been prepared using strict guidelines and must contain citric or phosphoric acid to increase the acidity. Unfortunately, there is no easy or reliable method to acidify garlic in the home. Acidifying garlic in vinegar is a lengthy and highly variable process; a whole clove of garlic covered with vinegar can take from 3 days to more than 1 week to sufficiently acidify. As an alternative, properly dried garlic cloves may be safely added to flavor oils." 

SO IT IS SAFE TO SUBMERGE THE GARLIC IN OIL AND THEN FREEZE BUT NOT REFRIGERATE OR LEAVE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. 

Now it says above that it acidify garlic in vinegar is a safe way to prevent botulism, which my pickles are in a lot of vinegar, but I'm not going to take the chance, and you shouldn't either. I read that in order to acidify garlic properly it must be soaked/submerged in vinegar for 3-7 days. (Which I did not.) I'd err on the side of caution and do it for a full 7 if you are so inclined to do this.

Operation-remove-garlic-from-pickles is about to start. 

FINALLY! I got food out of my garden

It is September 13th. The garden just started pumping out food that I can cook with. (I officially picked enough cucumbers to make 4 gallons of pickles.) Hopefully it does't get much colder and kill everything that I am hoping to gather. Today I got a bunch of tomatoes (some ripe some not), an eggplant, peppers, hot peppers, more cucumbers, and zucchini. I also have a giant amount of fresh herbs I need to start using.

There are plenty more eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes that should be ready in about a week. We also have 1 watermelon and 2 cantaloupe melons that I guess I'll have to pick soon. The one watermelon I picked last week wasn't close to being ripe enough. We'll see in a week!

So in honor of the "harvest" I made the 1st giant pot of sauce of the season. I fully plan on eating this until I'm utterly sick of it in about 2 weeks.

• olive oil- a lot!
• 6 lg. tomatoes
• 2 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 hot peppers (this may be too much if you don't like spicy)
• basil, thyme, rosemary, sage
• salt & pepper to taste
• sugar to taste

Cut everything up, put in giant pot, simmer for at least an hour, season, and eat!!! The great thing about sauce is that you can make it with anything or everything. I don't think there has been a time that my sauce came out the same twice in a row. And don't be afraid to load up the olive oil. It is a healthy fat that helps your body assimilate the nutrients in the sauce. Hope this inspires you to get in the kitch!

I may not be Italian, but I make a mean sauce :)

UPDATE: Liver Cleanse Juice

So a few weeks ago I wrote about a liver cleanse that I came across in my travels. It was basically citrus juice, cayenne pepper, olive oil, ginger, and garlic. Well instead of making juice, I decided it would be faster to smoothie everything. It was rather gross but I pushed through and drank as much as I could for a few days.

I'm not really sure if it actually did anything to my liver, but I assume it was beneficial overall. With all those potent living fruits and vegetables and spices it had to help something.

So this time I decided to juice the citrus fruits, including the garlic and ginger. That made all the difference. This juice version is so good! It's like a spicy lemonade that is a little on the sweeter side because of the oranges. If you have a juicer I highly suggest you try it.

• 3 oranges
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 knob ginger root
• cayenne pepper to taste
• dash olive oil

I would recommend putting the olive oil and cayenne pepper at the bottom of the glass before you juice the fruits, ginger, and garlic. And be careful (!) because you don't need a lot for it to become really spicy.

Enjoy!

For all you POPCORN lovers out there

this was me last night

So lately I've been bothered by the fact that I cannot find any microwave popcorn at my grocery store that isn't filled with tons of chemical ingredients and fake butter flavors. I found it one time, but that was it. It disappeared.

Growing up we had an air popper which, if you are not familiar with what it is, you put corn kernels in it and they are popped with hot air. I bought one a while back, but after using it a couple of times it broke and I never got around to ordering another one. Then I tried to do it old-fashioned-style on the stove. AWEFUL results! Just plain gross (I at it anyway).

Then last night I was craving something salty but had NOTHING in my kitchen because if I keep salty crunchy things in the house I eat them regardless of whether I am craving them or not. For some reason, the popped in my head that I could just microwave the corn kernels like I would a bag of microwave popcorn.

The angels must have parted the heavens or something. Why did it take me 29 3/4 years to figure this out!?!?! DUH! You just put the kernels in a bowl, cover it with a kitchen hand towel, and microwave it for the same amount of time you would a bag of microwave popcorn. Voila! Fresh popcorn! And this way you can use real butter (it makes everything better) and sea salt. Plus (BONUS) bags of plain corn kernels are soooo cheap! All you need is 1/2 a cup of kernels and it make a big bowl full of popcorn.

I feel like the SMARTEST person in the world!!

The early bird definitely...

...gets a lot of S-H-I-T done!

Well, I guess all that sleep I got over the weekend filled up my sleep tank, because I woke up at 4 am this morning wide awake, ready to go. But what the hell do you do at 4 am? I had already cleaned my entire house including all of my laundry (yesterday). So I read. For 2 hours. I finished my fourth book in 2 weeks. Don't worry...I'm no speed reader. They were the equivalent to reading gossip magazines. Easy summer reads. Next time (if there is a next time) I'm going to get myself to the beach to watch the sunrise.

Anywho. By 6:30 I was dressed, back from grocery shopping, and cooking breakfast. Since I have all this time today I started planning my lunch. This is my new favorite salad- although it doesn't involve any lettuce.

• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 can artichoke hearts (quartered)
• 1/4 - 1/2 red onion
• olive oil
• sea salt & pepper
• thyme, sage, and/or basil (I used all three)
• feta cheese

Umm, amazing! Just cut everything into big chunks, sprinkle on some feta crumbles, drizzle some olive oil, toss, and you are good to go. I can literally eat an entire large bowl of this in one sitting. And I will this afternoon!

Enjoy!

SUCCESS! 1st attempt at raw crackers

sprouted red wheat berries

I have found a new obsession. Raw crackers! I tried making (and eating) them for the first time yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were super simple and really tasty! This is definitely something we can (and will) make and sell at Raw Generation because they are completely raw.

Creates 1 tray in dehydrator, about 10 flat bread crackers

• 1 c. hard red wheat berries, sprouted
• 1/4 c. flax seeds
• 2 tbsp. raw honey
• 1/2 c. warm water

• To sprout the seeds, you need to put them in a mason jar w/ sprouting lid or in a nut milk bag. Soak overnight, drain, let sit. Rinse every 6 hours or so for 24 hours. 
• Mix raw honey in warm water until dissolved.
• Put sprouted seeds, flax seeds, and honey water in food processor until thoroughly mixed.
• Spread mash on dehydrator tray w/ sheet.
• Dehydrate for 16 hrs.

The reason you want to sprout seeds is because it turns them from dormant to living. Sprouts are very nutritious because they contain all elements a plant needs for life and growth. The endosperm of the seed is the storehouse of carbohydrates, protein, and oil. When the seed germinates, these become predigested amino acids and natural sugars upon which the plant embryo feeds as it grows to maturity. When used as food, the life force is released and supplies the energy which is capable of generating healthy cells in the body and supplying us with new vigor and life. (source)

Double YUM!!! I am going to start testing other recipes for these crackers. I want to get these going for Raw Generation asap. 

RECIPE: Summer Salsa

This is a simple summer salsa that can literally be used with just about anything you are making right now. A cold pasta salad, as a salsa w/ corn chips, as a side with grilled chicken, as a topping for fish, whatever!

• 2 peaches
• 2 ears sweet corn
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 Vidalia onion
• 1 mango
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• salt & pepper

It's so refreshing! Try it out for the 4th of July. Just these few items above makes a pretty large bowl whhich is perfect to bring to a barbecue or picnic.

Happy 4th of July! 

Summer Shrimp

Thought you guys might like this shrimp recipe by Mark Bittman. It's quick, healthy, and requires simple ingredients that you probably have in your house already. Try it this week!

My New Favorite Thing

So last weekend my family was over for dinner and my mother told of something that one of our Ecuadorian nannies made during their stay with us as kids.

ONIONS MARINATED IN LIME JUICE!

As soon as I heard it I had to try it. SUCCESS! I cut up 1/2 an onion, juiced 12 limes (probably could have gotten away with 8), and let it sit all day. O-M-G people...O-M-G! haha so amazingly good. I put them on steak fajitas I made and was amazed at how tasty they were. I was literally eating them plain after we were finished.

This is one thing I am going to make all the time because it is that good. I'm about as obsessed with this as I am with mint.

Try it this weekend people! If you like onions but aren't to hot on eating them raw this is a great alternative that doesn't give you stank breath. Enjoy!

30 Days of Juice

Over the (ridiculously messy) weekend my friend Lauren and I decided that we need to juice. I've been juicing on and off now for a few months, but my juicing efforts have pretty much consisted of whenever we were testing juice for Raw Generation. I am still having issues with my skin. I am still having issues with my monthly EPISODE (although not as bad as before). I want to lose the last 10. And Lauren has a lot of food allergies that she would like to try to get rid of along with a few lbs. I am confident this can be done with a juicing/raw foods diet. And what better time to do it! It's about to be hot as balls and juice is sooooo refreshing!

So we decided to start juicing together! Mainly so we have someone to bitch talk to about it. Yesterday we both bought our own juicers (Walmart- $30 and $50- NO EXCUSES!), and are going to try this for 30 days. I am probably going to continue eating some of the raw foods that I was already eating along with pieces of fruit, but the majority of my "diet" will consist of fresh pressed juices. I am actually looking forward to this because for some time now, I have been feeling like I need this in my life.

Juice cleanse companies have been popping up everywhere. They are advocating 3 to 5 to 7 day juice cleanses- and are charging a lot of money for juices that are a lot of filler fruits and vegetables. What do I mean by filler? The fruits and veggies that give off a lot of liquid- apple, cucumber, celery. There is no doubt that they are healthy for you, but they are charging an awful lot of money for diluted juice.

(PS...this is the amount of greens that are in each bottle of
Raw Generation's 50/50 blend of half fruit and half greens)

Juicing should be part of a daily healthy lifestyle to get the best results. Disease prevention is long term. I am doing a "heavy juice diet" for the next month to clean myself out and enforce the habit of incorporating juice into my life. One of my main goals for my health is to make sustainable healthy changes that I can maintain for the long haul so that I can give myself every chance at preventing disease.

Here's one of the juices I made yesterday that is REALLY good:

• 1 head kale (stems removed)
• 1 head collards (stems removed)
• 1 lemon (skin removed)
• 3 small apples
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 pear

Who else wants to start juicing???