Detox Update

My 7 day detox plan is over and it was a success! I have never eaten so healthy in my life. For 7 days I stay disciplined enough to only eat the allowed natural foods such as fruit, veggies, salmon, chicken breast etc. The only sort of processed food I had was a bit of garlic hummus, almond milk in my morning smoothie & some roasted almonds.

My main reason for doing this detox was to reset my body after my sugar excesses of March. Darn you delicious Easter candy with your Cadbury mini-eggs & Lindt chocolate bunnies. I gained a few pounds with my mini-egg addiction and I wasn't feeling great.

The first two days of my detox I felt achy and tired. By the third day I felt very good. I did fine making a healthy smoothie every morning and it was so filling I didn't feel hungry before lunch. I didn't suffer any hunger during my detox week. If I was ever hungry between meals I usually snacked on nuts or made a berry smoothie.

One of my least favorite aspects of the UltraSimple Diet was drinking 3-4 cups vegetable broth every day. I think the first day was the only day I drank 3 cups. Toward the end I was lucky to down 1 cup a day. It just didn't taste good and it felt very odd to drink a veggie broth out of my tea mug.

My daily cup of green tea

I did struggle with craving dark chocolate and red wine toward the end of the week. I rarely have much yearning for alcohol in any form so it was an odd craving for me. While shopping I went ahead and bought a bottle of my favorite red wine for when the detox week was over but the craving has since passed and the bottle sits unopened.

Overall I was surprised at the end of the week when I weighed in. I lost exactly 5 pounds and 1 inch off my hips and 2 inches off my waist. My clothes fit better, I felt great and I loved the results!

salmon & broccoli- a typical dinner during the detox

So what's next? Well so far I'm pretty much back to my regular mostly healthy eating habits with sweet treats included. In the book he recommends transitioning slowly to reintroduce the possible allergy foods one at a time but I was too impatient to do that. I wanted dairy and eggs & peanut butter too much.

He also suggests trying a 7 day detox every three months and I think that's what I'll do.

I'm calling this detox week a success and I highly recommend it!

This post was shared at: Your Green Resource, Clever Chicks, Homestead Barn Hop, Mama Moments, Small Footprint Fridays, Natural Living Monday, Teach Me Tuesday

spring gardening & companion plants

I wrote last month about starting my seedlings in newspaper pots. I've been so ancy to get my garden going and start growing my veggies. Sadly I killed my first round of seedlings. Just more proof that even though I've been gardening over 10 years I've got plenty to learn. 

I killed the seedlings by leaving them out over night- not on purpose. It was an accident that I'll attribute to "mommy brain". My younger boys loud & exciting return from a week at Grandma's thoroughly distracted me from bringing in the 2 seedling trays I was trying to harden off.

Since then I've planted lots more seedlings and they are growing well. I've got my laundry room full once again of lovely growing plants and I'm so excited to move them into the garden in the next few weeks.

We've had some lovely spring weather in Illinois so I even got out and planted one of my 3 beds. I planted 3 varieties of lettuce that like cool weather, Bloomsdale spinach and Romanesco broccoli. I've got 3-4 weeks until we'll be frost free so I only planted veggies that do well in the early spring.

So what should we be planting in the early spring? What plants compliment and help each other? I've been reading up on the topic and below is some of the great information I found. 

P. Allen Smith has a great post on spring vegetables to start early detailed here.

Below is some info I found from Organic Authority on when to plant certain spring vegetables.

Plant hardy vegetables about four to six weeks prior to the date of your last spring frost, including brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage and collards. Lettuce, spinach and other salad greens; plus peas, radishes, onions and potatoes can also be planted at this time.

In early spring, approximately two weeks prior to the last average frost date in your area, it’s safe to plant lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, dill, cilantro, cabbage, broccoli, celery, kale and potatoes outdoors. Both lettuce and celery seeds need light to germinate. Be careful to only cover these varieties of seeds lightly with soil during the planting process. Directly sow carrot, radish, dill and cilantro seeds. Transplanting is not recommended for these types of vegetables and herbs. 

Do not directly sow peppers, tomatoes or eggplant into your garden. Start peppers indoor approximately eight weeks before transplanting them outdoors. Remove any buds that appear on your pepper seedlings before transplanting them to ensure that the root system has grown large enough to support a pepper crop. 

Start tomatoes indoors about six to seven weeks prior to moving them into your garden. Start cucumbers and melons indoors in cooler regions for a better yield, but transplant them gently because their roots do not like to be disturbed. Melons are heat loving plants. If you garden in a northern region, you may need to use plastic mulch or row covers to provide enough warmth to produce melons. 

After the Last Frost

After the last average frost date, it is safe to plant beans, corn, melons, cucumbers, squash (summer and winter), tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, eggplant and basil. Remember to check the predicted low temperatures in your local extended forecast before planting your frost susceptible plants outside. The local last average frost date is based on the average last predicted frost and is not an absolute date. 

Below are some combinations of plants that complement each other. I compiled this list from Organic Gardening.

• Cabbage and dill: "Dill is a great companion for cabbage family plants, such as broccoli and brussels sprouts," Cunningham says. "The cabbages support the floppy dill," while the dill attracts the tiny beneficial wasps that control imported cabbageworms and other cabbage pests.
• Corn and beans: The beans attract beneficial insects that prey on corn pests such as leafhoppers, fall armyworms and leaf beetles. And bean vines climb up the corn stalks.
• Lettuce and tall flowers: Nicotiana (flowering tobacco) and cleome (spider flower) give lettuce the light shade it grows best in.
• Radishes and spinach: Planting radishes among yor spinach will draw leafminers away from the spinach. The damage the leafminers do to radish leaves doesn't prevent the radishes from growing nicely underground.
• Potatoes and sweet alyssum: The sweet alyssum has tiny flowers that attract delicate beneficial insects, such as predatory wasps. Plant sweet alyssum alongside bushy crops like potatoes, or let it spread to form a living ground cover under arching plants like broccoli. Bonus: The alyssum's sweet fragrance will scent your garden all summer.
• Cauliflower and dwarf zinnias: The nectar from the dwarf zinnias lures ladybugs and otherpredators that help protect cauliflower.
• Collards and catnip: Studies have found that planting catnip alongside collards reduces flea-beetle damage on the collards.
• Strawberries and love-in-a-mist: Tall, blue-flowered "love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) looks wonderful planted in the center of a wide row of strawberries," Cunningham says.
• Marigolds and Melons. Certain marigold varieties control nematodes in the roots of melon as effectively as chemical treatments.
• Tomatoes and cabbage: Tomatoes are repellent to diamondback moth larvae, which are caterpillars that chew large holes in cabbage leaves.
• Cucumbers and nasturtiums: The nasturtium's vining stems make them a great companion rambling among your growing cucumbers and squash plants, suggests Sally Jean Cunningham, master gardener and author of Great Garden Companions. Nasturtiums "are reputed to repel cucumber beetles, but I depend on them more as habitat for predatory insects," such as spiders and ground beetles.

Other compatible combinations include tomatoes, basil, and onions; leaf lettuce and peas or brassicas; carrots, onions, and radishes; and beets and celery.

Are you excited to start your spring planting?

This post was shared at: Wildcrafting Wednesday, Healthy 2day, Your Green Resource, Domestically Divine Tuesdays

UltraSimple Detox

I've decided to try a 7 day detox diet to clean out my system and flush toxic chemicals from my body. I've never done one before but I've been thinking about it and wanting to try one for a while. I ate way too much Easter candy so it feels like a great time to detoxify myself. 

Detoxing is based on the concept that your body needs help getting rid of unwanted toxins from contaminants in processed foods and the environment. In theory, once free of toxins, your body functions better and your metabolism soars so you can shed those extra pounds.

I choose the UltraSimple Diet because I read about it in Experience Life and it sounded short & simple at just 7 days. I also didn't want to buy or deal with anything complicated or weird like herbs, pills, powders, enemas, and other forms of intestinal and colon cleansing that are part of some detox diets. Those aren't necessary with this plan.
I also like that there is no starving or fasting on this plan. I don't like the word diet as I don't plan to restrict myself on eating. I'll follow the plan and won't eat the "bad foods" and instead I'll focus on the "good foods" that are allowed. 

It's only 7 days and I'm really excited to see if I feel better, sleep better and loose a couple of pounds. I'm starting Sunday and I'll be keeping a daily journal as the book suggests and I'll blog about it next week.

Below is a basic outline of the UltraSimple diet.


6 Steps of the UltraSimple Diet

• Get Rid of Bad Foods — (causes of toxicity and inflammation) 
• Add Good Foods — (detoxifying and anti-inflammatory) 
• Detoxify — (cleansing and detoxifying UltraBroth drink, plus herbal laxative as needed) 
• Reduce Inflammation — (anti-inflammatory UltraShakes) 
• Relax — (relaxing and detoxifying UltraBath every night) 
• Reflect — (reflect on, and journal, your learning and feelings during the program) 

Bad foods to be eliminated

(starting with the preparation week, then entirely absent during the program)

• High-fructose corn syrup and all sugars
• Trans or hydrogenated fats
• Processed and junk foods, fast foods
• Artificial sweeteners
• Foods with additives, preservatives, and colors
• Caffeine and alcohol (except green tea)

Foods to eat

• Filtered water (6 – 8 glasses per day)
• Fish (especially non predatory species such as sardines, herring, wild salmon, black cod or sable fish, sole, and cod)
• Lean white meat chicken breasts
• Fresh or frozen non citrus fruits (ideally berries only)
• Fresh vegetables
• Fresh vegetable broth (3 – 4 cups per day)
• Legumes (lentils, navy beans, adzuki beans, mung beans, tofu, and others)
• Brown rice
• Nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and pumpkin seeds)
• Flax seeds (ground)
• Lemons

UltraSimple features

UltraBroth is a vegetable broth, whose recipe is included in the book. Dr. Hyman recommends one should drink 3–4 cups of UltraBroth per day, as part of a meal or as a snack.

UltraShake also has a recipe provided, and is designed to sustain you, even out your blood sugar, and help control your appetite throughout the day. UltraShake contains essential protein for detoxification, omega-3 fatty acids from flax oil, fiber for healthy digestion, increased elimination from flax seeds, and anti-oxidants and phytonutrients from berries and fruit. Variations are suggested to maintain interest.

UltraBath is a 20 minute bath before bed each night, in a hot bath containing Epsom salts, baking soda and lavender oil to the recipe given. UltraBath promotes relaxation, enhances detoxification, and improves sleep.

Have you ever tried a detox? Do you want to try one for the first time?

This post was shared at Small Footprint Friday, Your Green Resource

April Menu

Spring is in the air and I am ready for more sunshine! I've included some grilling recipes later in the month as I expect the weather to be warm enough soon.

You can see from my cookbook picture above the books I'm leaning on this month.  Make it Paleo is new to me and I love the simple explanations and huge, beautiful pictures of food. I'm looking forward to trying a few paleo recipes as I lean more towards that philosophy of eating.

I didn't cook much last week as it was spring break and we ate out more than planned. My younger boys spent the week with their grandparents in Kansas City so I just had one kid for spring break. I felt very spoiled and undisciplined last week and I'm finding it hard now to buckle down and actually plan ahead for April.

April

1 Beef Tacos

2 Baked Salmon, quinoa, steamed green beans

3 Crockpot roast, carrots & potatoes

4 Crockpot Garlic Chicken, steamed broccoli

5 Lemon Dill Baked Haddock and Honey Carrots

6 Tacos with Ground Beef

7 Leftovers, tossed salad & corn

8 GF Pizza and edamame

9 Grilled Salmon (from Make it Paleo), quinoa, steamed broccoli

10 Baked Drumsticks, steamed green beans

11 Tacos with Ground Beef

12 Baked Tilapia, quinoa, steamed green beans

13 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, carrots & potatoes

14 Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup, Perfect GF Bread

15 Dinner Out- Kids Eat Free!

16 Salmon Cakes, sweet potato fries

17 Grilled Steaks, baked potatoes, edamame

18 Maple Glazed Chicken Legs (from The Autism Cookbook), steamed green beans

19 Grilled Salmon (from Make it Paleo), quinoa, steamed broccoli

20 Tacos with Ground Beef

21 Beef with Broccoli (from Make it Paleo)

22  Crockpot roast, carrots & potatoes

23 Baked Salmon, rice, edamame

24 Crockpot Garlic Chicken with carrots & potatoes

25 Grilled Steaks, baked potatoes, edamame

26 Baked Tilapia, quinoa, steamed green beans

27 Tacos with Ground Beef

28 BBQ Crockpot Ribs, steamed broccoli

29 Grilled Chicken Skewers (from The Autism Cookbook), roasted sweet potatoes & apples

30 Sesame Tuna with Avocado, tossed salad

Snacks to try this month:

GF Peanut Butter Cookies

Lemon Coconut Bars

This post was shared at Menu Plan Monday, Mama Moments
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