Stuffed Zucchini with Rice Stuffing

 Ingredients

• 2 oversized zucchini
• 2 cups wild rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup of chopped chicken
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped kale
• 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• oil/salt/pepper for rubbing the squash

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise in half and scoop out the insides. Set aside.
3. Prepare rice according to package. While it is cooking, heat a large pan over med-low and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
4. Once hot add the onion, chicken, celery, carrot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper stirring frequently for 12-15min. Saute until chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are a light golden brown color.
5. Add in the garlic, kale, parsley, and thyme and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
6. Add the rice to the pan along with the mushrooms. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms are cooked. About 6-8 minutes.
7. Taste and add more salt/pepper if desired.
8. Fill your zucchini halves with the rice stuffing and bake for about 10 minutes. If you want the top a little crunchy you can place it under the broiler on high for 1-2 minutes watching closely.

Juicing It - Day 4

Today is a better day. Still very tired from lack of sleeping (darn cold) but my mood is good!
I made potato and broccoli soup last night. It was so yummy! The kids even ate it.
Other then the organic vegetable broth and organic olive oil, every ingredient was organic whole vegetables.

Potato & Broccoli Soup
2 cups chopped onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 lbs peeled and cubed potatoes
5 cups vegetable broth
3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot sauté onion in oil. Add potatoes, broccoli and broth. Cover, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
In a blender or with an immersion blender, puree half of the soup and return to stock pot. Season with salt and pepper.

When I'm not detoxing I enjoy this with fresh baked bread!!!

Juicing It - Day 3 - Our Juicer!

Today is a better day. I still have a cold. But last night I had some honey before going to bed and that coated my throat well enough to let me get some sleep.
I woke up without a headache. My mode is much more positive overall. I have a happier outlook on life. I know the detox is working too. After my green juice this morning, everything cleaned right out of me. Too Much Information? Well, that's a big part of detoxing!

Green juice this morning was awesome:
1 green apple
handful spinach
handful parsley
2 celery stalks
1/2 cucumber
handful of kale
slice of papaya

Some one asked me about my juicer yesterday. So I decided to blog about why we have the Champion Juicer rather then the basic juicer you find in the stores.
We spent hours online investigating juicers and realized that the cheap ones wouldn't last. Making the decision to invest a few hundred dollars in our health was worth it. Also, we knew the Champion would last. There are reviews from people who have had their Champion juicer since the 70's! We have not regretted buying it since our purchase 8 years ago. We can't count the number of juicings our Champion has had. It has never overheated, never jammed, never plugged up. The motor has never required service or maintenance. Besides being efficient and relatively quiet, it blasts through any type of veggie or fruit, with ease.
This is no lightweight juicer! Unlike the department store juicers, it has a very large motor, a GE, with tons of torque. This is because this is a masticating juicer with a slow-turning cutting cone. Without the cone assembly on the front it is actually not large at all. We keep it on the counter for 2 reasons. It's heavy and hard to store and if we keep it out, we are more likely to use it.
We also like the fact that the attachments are made of nylon for durability rather than hard plastic which we worried might split or chip- the nylon is easy to clean.
Clean up is very simple: rinse, soak and wipe. Takes less then a minute!
The juice always turns out great! The Champion is able to extract all the liquid from the fruits and vegetables. It runs the left-over pulp out the front cone. We collect it in a bowl and toss into the compost. The size of the receptacle for juice is somewhat limited but we've been using this machine for so long, it's not an issue for us.
We love our Champion juicer! We use it every day and plan to continue for years to come.

Juicing It - Day 2

Did not wake up feeling refreshed today. Of course coughing all night can have that effect on a person. But despite my cold and hunger pains, I went out and exercised last night. I am so proud of myself!
If you missed my comment on yesterday's blog, I have a cold and cheated with some tomato and basil soup last night. It was freshly made with no dairy and tasted really good!
Until this cold is past, I think we will be having soups for dinner. It's soothing on my throat.
It is hard to distinguish whether my body is reacting to my cold or detoxing. But I am hungry, have pain on my side, a headache, a sore throat and feel very tired!
I do know that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I just have to push through the detoxing to get there.
In the words of Dory from Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

Juicing It!

Okay, okay. So I took the summer off. And boy my waist line shows it. WAY to much ice cream!!
Time to detox and start eating healthy again!!
I recently watched the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". It is about a man named Joe who is overweight, and on a number of medications. He starts to drink only fruit and vegetable juice for 60 days, in order to detox and rebuild his body. It is a very inspirational story!
So inspirational, that I am starting today to drink only fruit and vegetable juice for the next 10 days and then follow it up with only raw food for two weeks.
I will also be including a healthy exercise routine. I signed up for Yoga classes, I bought a hula hoop (don't laugh, it actually a great non-impact, fat-burning workout that strengthens your core)and I'm doing strength training with my husband 2 nights a week.
The key to being successful is to have a plan. For the past few days I have been making a menu, buying the fruits and vegetables I'll be using in my juices and creating an exercise schedule.
But the most important key to success is to have a fantastic support system. Without it, it's too easy to give up and start eating crap again.
I know from experience that the first 3 to 4 days are the hardest. It's when your body is detoxing. All the crap in your body is fighting for survival. But once it is out, it feels SO much better. Alert and Alive.

Check out the link on the right to learn more about "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" ->

Day 4 - Much Better Today

Day 4. I didn't wake up feeling refreshed, but I did wake up with a happier attitude today.
I am excited about dinner tonight. I'm trying out a new recipe I found in my new "cook" book: Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney for portobello steaks and rosemary-garlic mashed potatoes. And after finding the image for this blog, adding asparagus sounds good!

Portobello Steaks
2 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients except mushrooms. Gently toss mushrooms with mixtures. Dehydrate for 1 to 2 hours, until soft.

* Portobello mushrooms are rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals, and eating them regularly has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer and also may prevent prostate cancer. They supply hard-to-get nutrients. One medium portobello mushroom supplies 21 percent of the recommended daily intake of selenium and one third your need of copper; it also has as much potassium as a medium-size banana.


Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 cups peeled and chopped jicama
2 cups soaked cashews
1 tsp sea salt
1-2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp nutritional yeast
black pepper to taste

Process jicama in food processor until grain-like consistency is achieved. Press out excess liquid with a cheesecloth.
Place in VitaMix with remaining ingredients and blend until well combined.
Warm in dehydrator until ready to serve.

* Jicama belongs to the legume family and is also known as the Mexican potato. It's extremely high in vitamin C and low in sodium.


Asparagus
I'm going to prep the asparagus by breaking the rough ends off and drizzle them with olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt.
Then dehydrate them along with the rest of the meal.

* Asparagus is a "Hero" food! It contains folic acid a powerful heart-healthy nutrient. Asparagus also contains vitamins A, B6, C, K, and thiamine. This tasty veggie also has some beta carotene, potassium, zinc and fiber. Here are other reasons to fall in love with asparagus: It has no fat, contains no cholesterol and is low in sodium. It could improve your mood because it provides vitamin C and folic acid, which spark production of the “happy” brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine.

This too shall pass....

The normal, day 3, depression and irritability has hit.
"Why am I doing this??"
"I just want some chocolate!!"
"These kids are driving me crazy!!"
"I can't do this stupid diet anymore, I need some cooked food!!"

But in the back of my mind I remember that this is a transition. The toxins and bad bacterias can't survive without refined sugars and flours. I'm starving them by eating raw, natural, organic foods. They are fighting for survival.
I also remember that on day 4, I usually wake up feeling refreshed and ready to face the world. I will feel better. The cravings will lessen.

I can do this. I am a strong woman and know that I can do anything I set my mind to.

And a chocolate brownie sounds soo good right now :P