Craxy Week 2: Recap

Crazy Sexy Diet, 21 Day Cleanse: Week 2

Jamisen and I are juicing. He loves it!

Craxy Week in Review

Can you believe that we are almost three quarters of the way through our journey? Eight more days to go and I hope you all are feeling as revved as I am.  This week has been GREAT! I can’t believe we have over 50 participants involved in the cleanse now. It has been amazing to hear inspirational and encouraging words from all of you. Here in the BB office, we are all feeling happier, more energetic and even slimmer. Weight loss is one of the lovely side effects to our nutrition reboot. It’s almost impossible NOT to lose weight when you cut out sugar, alcohol, dairy and gluten (wheat). Though we are on our “cleanse high” we do have to keep our long term goals in mind. I would really love to hear some of your plans, tips and goals for after the 21 days.

Challenges 

There have been some challenges this week as well (go figure!). Working out has been kind of difficult. My normal routine usually involves intense cardio and time with weights. I have found that when I did my normal intense workout, I was left starving! To adjust, I had to modify my workout routine to more moderate exercise like yoga, Pilates and walking. I’m also including a delicious shake for after my workout called Vega. Totally vegan which means, it’s totally on the program!

Let’s talk about a cleanser’s biggest challenge: CELEBRATIONS! Ugh…cupcakes, ice cream, wine, cheese and did I mention cupcakes? Temptations are everywhere and the best way to beat them is being prepared. Bring your snacks to the party (like fruit, rice cakes and nuts) and pump yourself up ahead of time by telling yourself that you will NOT GIVE IN! Believe me, nothing feels better than reaching a goal (really, not even a bite of a cupcake). Be honest with yourself and know that there are going to be challenges that come with any journey but these challenges can teach us more about ourselves then we may think. Continue to strive to get healthy in all aspects of you life. It may not always be easy but will always be worth it. This was one of my challenges this week – breakfast with the family. Guess which plate is mine?
Inspiration

This week I found myself loving getting back in the kitchen and trying new recipes with fresh produce and ingredients. The love of cooking has always been a passion of mine but I feel more inspired to find healthy options that are both tasty and filling. I continue to seek out new recipes from amazing blogs like Oh She Glows  and Reboot Your Life . And for more inspiration check out my Pinterest, Crazy Sexy Diet Vegan Board. Or should I call it “Pinspiration”?

This Week’s Recipes

Monday: Protein Power Goddess Bowl (which I am STILL eating since Chris decided he is not a fan of lentils)

Tuesday: Creamy Broccoli – White Bean Soup (from Simona, BB marketing)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups dry White (cannellini) beans
1 head broccoli (1 pound) cut into florets, stems thinly slices (I didn’t have that much, just used what I had – maybe ¼ – ½ pound)
2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2-4 garlic cloves (depending on your flavor likings)
2 ½ – 3 cups Veggie stock (made with pulp from juicing)
Nutritional Yeast Flakes (Depending on the way this yeast was raised, it may be a source of vitamin B12. Check the label to be sure. Gives a yummy cheesy flavor.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
3” piece of Kombu (seaweed!)

DIRECTIONS:
Bean Prep:
Either soak beans in water overnight or do the quick soak method:
1.       In a sauce pan, bring to a boil, 2 cups beans and 6 cups water (1 c beans to 3 cups water ratio) and a 3” piece of kombu.
2.       Let boil for 3 minutes.
3.       Remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 2-3 hours.
4.       Drain and rinse.
5.       Again, in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, 2 cups beans and 6 cups water. Adding Kombu again is optional.
6.       Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 – 60 minutes. Check at 30 minutes.
7.       Rinse and set aside.

VEGGIE BROTH:
12 Cups Water (Crazy calls for purified, but I don’t have a water filter, so I used tap water – Bellingham’s water is tasty!)
Pulp from 2 juicing sessions wrapped and tied in Cheesecloth (My juice pulp consisted of carrot, celery, ginger, romaine, kale, collards, apple, pear, cucumber, maybe a bit of grapefruit if I didn’t sort it out.)
1 large onion – coarsely chopped, skins tops and bottoms
Celery leaves and bottoms from prepping my juice ingredients
Carrot tops from prepping my juice ingredients
Shredded Cabbage
5 bay leaves
2 tsp black peppercorns
Salt 4” piece of kombu (Kombu is a very cool seaweed that you can get at health food stores. It adds a umami taste to the broth).

1.       Place pulp and other ingredients in stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 hours.
2.       Strain and set aside.
3.       Bottle up the rest of the broth for your next soup making session. Store in the Refrigerator or freeze.

Wednesday: Kale Chips & Kale Basics (I just whipped up a fresh batch on Friday night – nom nom)

Thursday: Strawberry Jam (from Amy, a Crazy Sexy Cleanser)
2 c. strawberries
3/4 c. pineapple, pureed
4 t. cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca starch
2 T. pineapple juice

Friday: Jamin’s Superbowl Raw Slaw

Small, Cute and Jonesin’ for Juice

I hope you all start your last week energized and ready to finish strong. If you need something to inspire yourself check the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead about the power of vegetables, juicing and micronutrience. You can find it on Netflix, Amazon On Demand and on Hulu (for free on Hulu)! =). It is amazing and truly eye opening that the choice to be healthy will change your whole life. I would love to hear from all of you Craxy Cleansers! Send me your long term plans for after the cleanse, recipes that you just love and any tips that have been helpful. Email Craxy(at)brambleberry(dot)com.

This Week’s Quote

“There’s no need to wait for the bad things and bulls**t to be over. Change now. Love now. Live now. Don’t wait for people to give you permission to live, because they won’t.” ― Kris Carr, Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!