Ani Phyo 15 Day Fat Blast Review: Day 3

Day 3

Due to limitations set by the publishing company, I am not able to post the recipes from the book. If you are unable to support Ani in purchasing her book, please utilize your public library!

Okay, so last night, about midnight, I was SO hungry. So I improvised one of my regular shakes to fit the phase one diet-- skipping the banana :(

Cranberry Midnight Shake

1 C Frozen Cranberries

1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 tsp Spirulina powder

2 tbsp cocoa powder
Stevia to taste

1/2 C water for blending

6 ice cubes (one cup?)

Thermo: Dash of cinnamon (yeah I didn't measure)

Place all ingredients in blender and mix until all ice cubes are dissolved. It's kind of thick so it won't really be smooth. Add more water or almond milk if you desire a thinner consistency.

Breakfast

"Pineapple has a powerful proteolytic enzyme called bromelain that digests proteins, and it's used as a debriding agent to slough dead tissue from burns and wounds. It's also known to decrease inflamation, which is why it's a main ingredient during days 1, 2, and 3." [quoted from book. I'm not that smart, I only knew the bit about inflammation :)]

Pina Colada

5 of 5 stars-- my personal rating

* Place the pineapple first to ensure that the almonds or powders don't get left behind at the bottom. I also waited to add the coconut oil when it was blending for the same reason. I also added 4 ice cubes and that worked out well. I also added stevia to taste.

I rated the Pina Colada a 5 of 5 because it is delightfully light and sweet and I would happily make it again. In fact I may make it for a snack later today...

Over the past couple days I have noticed that my skin is breaking out increasingly as I detoxify. Unfortunately I have yet to do any significant exercise as I normally would as life has gotten in the way. I hope to remedy that today to increase my results. Ani says that exercise isn't necessary for the plan to work however, she does suggest strength training and light exercise. However, be prepared to be hungry sooner as exercising increases metabolism- especially on  a raw diet! I personally have to work out to stay motivated and active. When I don't I feel sluggish overall. Thankfully the past couple days have kept me fairly busy with house work and errands. 

Rocket Fuel #1

Over the next couple days I am going to go over the rocket fuels that Ani uses as the core basis for this program.

Probiotics:

Our guts are filled with good and bad bacteria and keeping them in balance is key to our health- and our weight. About "70 percent of our immune system is localized, or established, in our intestinal tract".  So keeping a strong digestive tract helps us stay healthy as well as break down and direct nutrients properly, ensuring that we get the most out of the food we consume and maintain a healthy metabolism.

"A healthy gut also means waste is eliminated properly, rather than being stored in our belly and colon. Many of us hold onto 5 to 25 pounds of fecal matter in our bellies, depending on our diet and weight. Nasty!"

What are good sources of probiotics:

fermented foods-- miso, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce

fermented foods-- kombucha and kefir

pickled vegetables-- pickles, sauerkraut, kimchee, and capers

Snack 

Pear Power Shake
5 of 5 stars-- my personal rating

*I used a bit more ice and spirulina powder. I also added stevia to taste and it was great! I will definately make this shake again.

Okay, so have you ever had one of those days where things take longer than you think they will and then you forget something important- like allowing enough time to make your meals for the next day? Yeah, that's what I did!

I picked up my bike from the repair shop after having gone to the BMV and biked home. So the good news is that I got my exercise in! Bad news? Rushing to make my meals and my meals taking much longer to make than normal because I realised that those few ingredients that I was going to get later, well, I needed those today. So I am making a list and running around like a chicken with it's head cut off because I have to leave for work in 15 minutes. Oh, did I mention that I needed to shower to? LOL!! Anyway, with my loving husbands helping hands I got it all done, with some adjustments to the menu for tomorrow. I did manage to finish off today's menu though with some good results.

Lunch

 Spicy Avocado Soup
3.5 of 5 stars-- my personal rating 

*I used 1.5 tsp miso instead of 1 tbsp and I waited to add the coconut oil till it was blending. I added one packet of stevia and that helped balance it out.

Overall this soup was good. Much better that the previous soups. Because of the lime juice it reminded me of a raw key lime pie I made last year. But it's not as good as the pie!

Dinner

Curry Coconut Soup
4 of 5 stars-- my personal rating

*I used 1/2 tsp curry and I increased the garlic to 1/2 tsp. I like garlic :)

This soup is the best so far, scouring a whopping 4 of 5 stars. I would like to take a moment to emphasize that these scours are my opinion. Some people may hate curry, and that is okay. Find one of the soups that you like! I am glad that I am somewhat forced to trying different recipes, now I know a bit better of what I like, and what I don't!! This soup does have a bit of a bite to it, if I were to make it again, I think I would try less cilantro.

Due to my work schedule this post and tomorrow's (day 4) will be posted the following morning.

Ani Phyo 15 Day Fat Blast Review: Day 2

Day 2

Due to limitations set by the publishing company, I am not able to post the recipes from the book. If you are unable to support Ani in purchasing her book, please utilize your public library!

Today has been a better day overall, despite it's raining like cats and dogs. The first meal of the day was the Simple Strawberry Shake.

Breakfast

Simple Strawberry Shake

4 of 5 stars-- my personal rating

*Note: I waited and added the coconut oil while it was blending to prevent it from sinking to the bottom. What would make it 5 stars would be more strawberries to fill out the flavor a bit more and thicken it a bit. I also used a bit more ice.

Lunch

Ginger Soup

2.5 of 5 stars-- my personal rating

*I used 1/2 tsp curry and 1/2 tsp ginger. I also added a little stevia, which balanced it out a little bit.

Based on my dinner experience yesterday, I was very concerned about this recipe as it is almost exactly the same. I used the curry instead of the turmeric and that worked out well. I am thinking that in large doses turmeric and I don't agree when it comes to taste. Yesterday was also the first time that I had ever used miso and so I slowly added that in one tsp at a time, testing the flavor. I personally think that it would have been better with only 2 tsp miso instead of 1 tbsp. Overall the flavor was okay but not great.

Snack

Apple Green Mar-tea-ni

4 of 5 stars-- my personal rating

*I followed the directions but didn't add any additional water and discovered that you will need it as the shake settles over time and as you drink not all of the greens will have enough water. You basically end up sucking a salad up your straw! So, add the extra water! (see pic)

While I enjoyed the Apple Green Mar-tea-ni, I think the one change that would make it 5 stars would be to use apple juice instead of water.

Dinner

Marvelous Minestrone

3  of 5 stars-- my personal rating

* I did not use the oil as it is the only recipe in the 15 days that uses it. I had to purchase several items and needed to cut costs in a couple recipes.

Dinner turned out to be much hotter than I thought it would be- go figure right! Who says lets add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper and thinks it's not going to be hot? Me, apparently.

I also only used 2 tsp of the miso and that worked out well. Compared to Lunch, the Minestrone is better but still not fantastic- as in something I would make on a regular basis, therefore I have given it a 3 stars.

Over the course of the day I have noticed that I have been urinating more than usual and I am sure that it is part of the detoxing process. I have been craving chew-able food like grapes and a banana. Crackers also sound really good. I am glad that the three days of liquid food is almost over. My stomach has been a bit unsettled due to the heat- normally the hottest I go is a mild curry! Looking over the menus, things cool down a bit (less cayenne-yay!) in phases 2 and 3.

Ani Phyo 15 Day Fat Blast Review: Day 1

Day 1

Due to limitations set by the publishing company, I am not able to post the recipes from the book.
If you are unable to support Ani in purchasing her book, please utilize your public library!

Today I started the 15 Day Fat Blast created by Ani Phyo. Ani is a well published chef in the raw food world and to help people who want to loose those last few pounds, she has created her 15 day Fat Blast book. Whether you have eaten raw before, currently, or never this is a great way to boost your overall health and shed a few pounds.

I personally have gone back and forth with being raw for the past few years. I tend to go raw for a while and get board or tired of some of the more labor intensive aspects of raw food- like making raw bread. Life gets busy and I tend loose focus.

So to get re-inspired and loose those last 10ish pounds, so I can fit into my jeans come October, I have set out to do the raw food fat blast!

The program is laid out in three phases:

1) Shake it up: The first three days are all raw shakes and soups designed to detox and begin to clear away fat. By only consuming liquids more of our body's energy can go to burning fat.

2) Melt down: Days 4-7 add in more probiotic, prebiotic, and healthy fats. We also start incorporating salads.

3) Blast Off: Days 8-15 We go back to two solid meals- lunch and dinner but keep the breakfast shake and add in a raw snack and dessert. Each meal will contain all four "rocket fuels" to "blast off" the remaining pounds.

In preparation for the 15 day journey, I started increasing my raw food content in my diet- mostly shakes but a few salads too, and I have already noticed a difference. The biggest factor I think is that I started using Spirulina- a blue-green algae that helps boost metabolism as it is high in protein and B12.

Unfortunately today wasn't the best of days to start the program but oh well! It ended up that I didn't eat all the meals as directed by the book but it will be okay!

Breakfast 

Blueberry Blast             

4 out of 5 stars-- my personal rating

*Note: add nuts on top of blueberries or they will get stuck and not blend well.

I also used more ice and added stevia to taste.

Lunch

Pineapple Green Shake

3 out of 5 stars-- my personal rating
* I used one tsp ginger and a pinch of cayenne- whoo does it wake you up! I also added stevia  to taste. It got three stars because of the heat and lack of awesomeness. It was good and it wasn't bad so, three stars.

Now at this point is where I diverged from the plan. And I hope that those of you who read this can avoid what I did. According to the plan my lunch the pineapple green shake was supposed to be a snack and the Spicy Bok Choy Soup was to be lunch. Well, the soup ended up as my pre-dinner and I strayed from the plan by having a cookie-- okay, two cookies-- after I held my nose to get the soup down. I am going to provide the recipe as a guide so everyone knows to NEVER make this.  If you have ever had some of the veggie baby food dinners like vegetable stew- taste what you are feeding your kids before you expect them to eat it! Once I had a baby food and I can't remember what it was but it tasted like this does and oh, it was so bad. Sorry Ani, this is just bad!

Spicy Bok Choy Soup

1 of 5 stars-- my personal rating
*I used bok choy, red miso, 1 C water and the turmeric. If anyone has an idea that they have tried that resulted in a better tasting soup, please let us all know. Using spinach might be better.

For dinner/evening snack I ended up making the Blue Moon 2.0 Smoothie created by Peni from rawfoodrehab.com :  http://rawfoodrehab.ning.com/forum/topics/foodie-friday-the-blue-moon-episode?xg_source=msg_mes_network

The book's meal plan called for me to make Tomato Busque, which I may make later.

Blue Moon 2.0

5 of 5 stars

1 C frozen blueberries

1 banana

1 1/2 C orange or apple juice (I used orange)

1 tsp grated ginger root

1/4 tsp cinnamon

stevia to taste

Blend and serve.

*I substituted 1/2 C of the orange juice for almond milk to lower the sugar content and my banana was frozen. Great consistency and great flavor! In this recipe the Thermo or Squeaky Cleaner would be the ginger and cinnamon.

So hopefully tomorrow will be better food wise.  Activity wise I hope to get the laundry done!

I will also endeavor to take pictures as I forgot to today :)

Sourced articles for further reading:

Ani's 15-Day Fat Blast by Ani Phyo. ISBN: 978-0-7382-1522-8

http://rawfoodrehab.ning.com/forum/topics/foodie-friday-the-blue-moon-episode?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Dangerous Plant: Pokeweed

I recently discovered that our garden contains the pokeweed. Not that I didn't know it was there but rather that we (my family hand I) thought that it was a mole/castor bean plant. The more I researched the mole/castor bean plant for my previous article, the more I realized that the plant we that we thought we had in our yard, was NOT the Castor Bean plant but rather the Pokeweed.

The Pokeweed is a poisonous weed that grows a bit like a tree with one central root that branches off into branches which can grow from 4 to 12 feet tall, with white flowers, and grows purple berry bunches shaped like mini grapes, will stain clothing forever (supposedly), and are deadly to eat. The pokeweed favors rich, gravelly, lightly tilled soil, and will flourish even in droughts. Is native to the eastern half of the United States.

Root and berries are poisonous however, both are used in the preparation of certain medicines. The young shoots are edible if fully cooked. To prepare for food, boil once and discard the water. Boil again in fresh water and drain off the water again, then eat.
Muenscher, Walter Conrad. Weeds, Second Edition. United Kingdom: Cornell University Press, 1955. p. 197. ISBN: 0-8014-1266-8

The poke weed has several medical uses:
"Very good in enlargement of the glands, particularly the thyroid gland. Very good for hard liver, biliousness, inflammation of the kidneys, syphilis, gonorrhea, rheumatism, tonsillitis, canker sores, enlarged lymphatic glands. It is effective in goiter, either taken internally or applied as a poultice or liniment. Excellent in skin diseases, old wounds, old ulcers, sores, boils, relieves difficult urination, scrofula, and eczema. If a tea is made of the root and applied to the skin, it will cure itching. Poke weed is most commonly used as a laxative."   http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/PokeWeed.html 

Pokeweed tincture has been used to relieve breast tenderness, uterine fibroids, endometriosis. The root can also be infused in oil and then rubbed on the afflicted area.
If using a tincture begin with one to two drops. Dosage can slowly increase but should never exceed more than 10 drops a day. http://www.helium.com/items/1683303-uses-of-pokeweed-in-herbal-medicine

If improperly prepared, pokeweed poisoning symptoms include burning sensation in the mouth, salivation, gastrointestinal cramps, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Recovery is one to two days. However, if larger amounts are comsumed, much more severe symtoms will be present such as anemia, altered heart rate and/or respiration leading to convulsions and death. http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=270 

For general uses, the berries were commonly used as a textile dye. It was also once used to dye cheap red wine.

Warning:

Do not drink juice
Do not eat raw
Do not eat berry seeds
Overdose can cause vomiting, convulsions, and death

Other Names:

Phytolacca decandra, American cancer, American nightshade, American spinach, bear's grape, cancer-root, coakum, garget, inkberry, inkweed, pigeonberry, poke, pokeberry, pokeroot, pokeweed, red-ink plant, skoke berry, Virginia poke.http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=270

Resourced Articles for Further Reading:

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=270
http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/PokeWeed.html

http://www.helium.com/items/1683303-uses-of-pokeweed-in-herbal-medicine

Peachy Sweet Summer!

Protein Smoothie

Today I want to share my basic recipe for protein shakes (or smoothies, whatever you want to call it!) I use this recipe for all my protein shakes and just choose the flavors that I want each day! As you will see, each smoothie's sweetness comes from fruit and/or stevia.

I personally go between being high raw vegan to moderate raw non-vegan-- I can't seem to give up my greek yogurt- it is sooo good! Anyhow, this basic recipe can be adapted for those who are active vegans by adding half of a large banana or a whole small one to maintain the creamy texture.

I personally have to pay close attention to my carbohydrate intake and I found a great protein powder that has met my needs. It's NutriBiotic Vegan Rice Protein- Vanilla.

Basic Base

6oz    Plain Greek Yogurt
4        Packets of Stevia or to taste
1        Heaped teaspoon protein powder
1        Teaspoon inulin fiber
1/2C Unsweetend almond milk-- more as needed for blending
6-7    Ice cubes

           Raspberry Peach

1 C    Fresh or Canned Peaches
2 C    Frozen Raspberries
6oz    Plain Greek Yogurt
6        Packets of Stevia or to taste (yes I added a couple more- the raspberries are tart!)
1        Heaped teaspoon protein powder
1/2C Unsweetend almond milk-- more as needed for blending
5        Ice cubes

Put all ingredients into your blender in the order above and blend until smooth and have a peachy sweet summer!

Toxic & Deadly or Useful?

Castor Bean Plant
Ricinus communis, Euphorbiacae family

Some people would classify a toxic and potentioally deadly plant as useful, I say proceed with caution.  

               

The Castor Bean plant is of the Euphorbiaceae family whose relatives are the poinsetta and rubber tree, all three are known for their irritating milky white sap.

The Castor plant is a well known garden weed that can grow up to 10 ft tall in the right climate. It has seen a resurgence in gardens as a decorative folliage as it is an impressive looking plant that does well in droughts. It has deeply lobed leaves and prickly seed pods.

All parts of the plant that is toxic- 3 or 4 well chewed beans are enough to cause death. They contain the poison ricinus communis or ricin and are deadly if injested, however, few actually die by chewing the beans as the body immediately rejects the toxin with vomit purging. If ingested- DO go to the emergency room IMMEDIATELY!! Death by castor bean is slow and very painful. Symptoms of burning of throat and mouth, abdominal pain, purging, and bloody diarrhea,  generally begin within 2-4 hours but can be delayed as much as 36. "Within several days there is severe dehydration, a drop in blood pressure and a decrease in urine." If treated, full recovery is possible. If left untreated, death will occur in 3-5 days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant

Uses of the Castor Bean 

Surprisingly the castor bean is used in a number of different products and is grown in India, China, Brazil, and Ethiopia. Castor oil being the primary derivative, (the oil is cold pressed and the ricin is not present) it is used in jet and racing car lubricants  plastics manufacture, lacquers, paint thinners, cosmetics- 50% of lipstick is castor oil by weight. It is also used in nail polishes to prevent cracking when dry.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/138629-uses-castor-beans/

New uses have been discovered for caster oil, giving the plant a new purpose. A few years ago, in 2006, a Japanese company, Fujitsu announced that they were going to be using castor bean oil to produce a bio-based polymer that would be used for "small components of notebook PCs and mobile phones, such as connector covers." The material's superior  flexibility will allow it to be used in more products.
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2006/20061207-01.html

"Castor oil in a processed form, called Polyglycerol polyricinoleate--or PGPR, is currently being used in chocolate bar manufacture as a less expensive substitute for cocoa butter."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant

Castor oil is the base of many commercial mole repellents for lawn care. The Castor Bean plant has a relative, the Mole Bean plant or caper spurge, Euphorbia lathyris, whose toxic sap is a great repellent to moles.  http://landscaping.about.com/cs/pests/a/mole_control_4.htm 

The castor bean oil is also used medically- generally as a laxative, where it is normally considered safe for constipation relief unless too much is ingested and then diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may occur. However, some say that it can be used in wart removal. It is also being studied for use in battling cancer.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/115261-medical-uses-castor-oil/

The castor bean is also used as a form of contraception in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. It is said that swallowing 3-5 whole beans with water at the beginning of menstruation will prevent conception for up to 12 months.

“The results obtained confirmed that the variety minor seed and the other seed varieties are potential oral contraceptives, since all of them demonstrated anti-fertility activity.

“The methanol extracts of the seed varieties gave positive tests for both steroid(s) and alkaloids. Sex hormones are known to exert both a positive and a negative feedback effects on the release of gonadotrophins from the pituitary gland. In the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, the combined effect of oestrogen and progesterone will be to block the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary.

“This situation helps inhibit maturation of the follicle in the ovary and prevent ovulation. Since extracts gave positive tests for steroids, and sex hormones being steroidal compounds, the plants’ sterols (phytosterols) may be suspected to be responsible for the anti-fertility effects of the seeds of Ricinus communis.”

In another interesting twist, the leaves are used by the same women of Nigeria, if eaten to provoke menstruation and as a poultice to increase breast milk flow. In the Ivory Coast- Upper Volta the leaves are pounded and are used as a poultice for swellings, and a leaf is tied to the forehead for headaches. "They are a treatment for haemorrhoids in Ethiopia. In India they are used for rheumatism, lumbago, sciatica, etc, and in Somalia for rheumatism."
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93418:researchers-validate-castor-bean-as-oral-contraceptive&catid=44:natural-health&Itemid=599

Resourced Articles for Further Reading:

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart-- a fun, easy read on all sorts of deadly plants accompanied by interesting stories featuring the plant. ISBN: 978-1-56512-683-1http://montana.plant-life.org/families/Euphorbiaceae.htm

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2006/20061207-01.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/138629-uses-castor-beans/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant
http://www.livestrong.com/article/115261-medical-uses-castor-oil/
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/pests/a/mole_control_4.htm
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93418:researchers-validate-castor-bean-as-oral-contraceptive&catid=44:natural-health&Itemid=599

Book Review: Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

I just finished reading this wonderful classic and in every way does it live up to expectations and out shine any movie version created. I highly recommend reading this book. While the audience is mainly intended for women it is a wonderful book that men will enjoy and learn something from as well, following the growth of Laurence.

I personally relate to Jo the most, as I have a wild ambition and at times, a terrible temper that I am still working on taming. And like Jo, I have been slow to grow into the woman that God would have me to be. 

Marmee is possibly the most wonderful character in the entire book however, as a model mother, she is an example to us all in how to live, what to strive for  as a woman, how to best run one's house, and life- even how to vacation properly!

Little Women shows us how through life's trials we suffer and grow and are better for that suffering. While not an entirely Christian book as it refers to Aristotle and Socrates for morals at times, it does exemplify the morals/guidelines for life that the Lord has set down for us- especially "Love thy neighbor as thyself".

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul,
and all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22: 36-40

I think all young women should read this book as it is a wonderful guide, a how to, that parallels the lessons that women still need to learn today. Each character adds it's own lessons:
      Meg is a wonderful example of how to be a good wife and mother.
      Amy shows us how to be creative, feminine, and a charming woman.
      Beth shows us how to love, and how that brings us the greatest joy.
      Jo shows us how embracing the stuggles, trials, and adventers in ones life allows us to grow to our greatest potential.

Everyone can learn something from this wonderful story- you will laugh and cry. In my opinion Little Women is definitely in the top 5 books of all time.