Prepared Smoothie Week

I'm trying an new experiment.  I'm pre-packaging all my fruits & vegetables and freezing them which will allow for me to make more smoothies on the go without much prep.  Everything is planned for the next week.  I'm going to break down my prep and how I did it, and I'll keep you posted along the way.

STEP 1:  Planning everything out and developing an objective.

Here's my meal plan for the week.  My husband and I do this every week where we plan out our dinners.  Most of my dinners I make an extra serving and bring it to work the next day for lunch.

This week in particular I will be drinking a smoothie every morning, juicing in the evening and eating a salad at work.  The salad at work is a chicken caesar salad with no dressing, just light olive oil.  This will cost me $3.25 because I get 50% off.

Morning smoothies will be one of three:

Smoothie 1:  Spinach, Blueberries, Frozen Strawberries, Banana (all frozen) and I will add 1 c. water and chia seeds.
Smoothie 2:  Spinach, Frozen Strawberries and Banana (all frozen) and I will add 1 c. juiced apples and chia seeds.
Smoothie 3:  Frozen strawberries and juiced apples with chia seeds.  (This will be more of a "treat" because there's no vegetables).

Note:  I'm keeping it all simple with 2 basic smoothies to learn and grow.  Eventually I want to work up to where I make 5-9 different smoothies frozen and will prep a whole month's worth of smoothie plans.  (Yes, I will make sure I post my recipes and shopping list when I get to this point and you can also follow on Pinterest.)

STEP 2:  Taking action and putting your plan in place.

Last night we went to Costco to buy everything I could in bulk (apples, bananas, frozen strawberries and blueberries, etc).  This morning we went to HEB to complete our grocery list.  Austin (the hubby) needed to buy his entrees for the week.  He's not into the green smoothie thing yet.

When we got home I packaged the 2 kinds of smoothies I'll be making with the necessary ingredients.

Smoothie 1 had 2 handfuls of spinach, 1/2 cup blueberries, 5-6 large frozen strawberries and 1 banana peeled and broken in half.

Smoothie 2 had 2 handfuls of spinach, 6-7 large frozen strawberries and 1 banana peeled and broken in half.

Make sure you squeeze out most of the air and seal tight. I bought the Ziploc quart freezer bags and then wrote on the bags what to add (1 c. water or 1c. apples juiced).  I got a 216 pack of Ziploc backs for $7.49 which comes out to 3¢ a bag.  Great deal!

Here's the price breakdown of two trips:

COSTCO:
Ziploc Quart Freezer Bag @ $7.49 ($0.03 each)
Organic Spinach (pre-washed) @ $8.60 (about $0.50 / serving)
24 Gala Apples @ $15.98 ($0.72 each)
Fresh Strawberries @ $5.99 (about $0.99 / serving)
Frozen Strawberries @ $8.99 (about $0.60 / serving)
Frozen Organic Blueberries @ $13.99 (about $0.68 / serving)
6 large Bananas @ $1.39 ($0.23 each)

HEB:Organic HEB Popcorn - 2 bags @ $3.58 total (great snack)
Organic Eggs @ $2.25 ($0.19 each)
5 bulk Carrots @ $0.79 ($0.16 each)
Green Pears @ $2.81 ($0.94 each)
1 Kiwi @ $0.44 <-- will mix this with strawberries in a pitcher to quench thirst
1 cucumber @ $0.58
4 small lemons @ $1 ($0.25 each)
Small Ginger @ $0.27

STEP 3:  Execute!

Everything is set up and in place and now it's just about staying focused.  I want you to realize that I will not be hungry.  If I am then I'll either make another smoothie or make an additional side snack.  This is not about "starving" or depriving yourself.  This is about getting as many fruits and vegetables as possible in the most efficient way.

By purchasing a salad at work it allows me to have a vegetable for lunch and some protein.  This will allow me to juice at nice without having to prep for for the next day of work.

(Right) I made about 8 bags of smoothies and froze to start off.  I still have Spinach in the fridge and blueberries and strawberries in the freezer if I want/need to make more.  Again, write on the ziploc bag what liquid to add.

This morning I enjoyed my absolute favorite smoothie!  It's 1 cup apple juices and large frozen strawberries with chia seeds.  I use my Vitamix which is the best smoothie on the market.  It breaks down your vegetables better than you teeth can and will allow your body to get all the nutrients.

A common questioned asked might be, "aren't you going to get tired of eating/drinking the same thing?"  But you have to remember, this blog is called PBJs Since Pre-K because I had a PBJ sandwich almost every day of school from Pre-K through senior year of high school.  So no, I won't get "bored" of eating the same thing.

I would love to hear your comments.  Make sure you post on my facebook page or tweet me @PBJsSincePreK.

I'll keep you posted all week....

Philippians 4:7

It's always and fun experience when I eat lunch with my co-worker LaRonda Murphy.

Today I was expressing this weird mentality I've been having at work in 2014, which has been different from years past.  I explained to her how it's been different and she said, "it sounds like a peace has come over you."  She nailed it on the head.

I believe, after my fast and growing closer to God, I've also received this great gift of peace.  It's a peace that takes away most my fears and anxieties I normally have at work (because I'm a control freak.)  But now, it's more of the mentality that God is in control and I can only do my best every day.  It's a great place to be.  I also know it'll take work to continue to grow that relationship with God.  Here's the scripture LaRonda referenced:

"Don't worry about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  - Phil 4:6-7

Post Daniel Fast Revelation

I'm 48 hours out from the end of my 7-day Daniel Fast and I've had a revelation.

Last week I did 7 full days of fasting with the Daniel Fast (only fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and prayer each day.  I successfully completed this fast and it felt amazing.  Every meal was a juice or a smoothie made of of fruits & vegetables.

Yesterday, my first day back to "real" food, I had a weird feeling.  My body reaction was off, but expected.  But the taste of the food wasn't all that impressive.  I had a bagel in the morning, grilled cheese in the afternoon and even In-N-Out french fries with the hubby.  But none of that met my expectation of what I thought I was missing.  My tastebuds were satisfied, but not impressed.

So that got me thinking...

Do I need anything more than the Daniel Fast?
Is my body on to something that my mind isn't aware of yet?
What if I did the fast more permanently?
What would happen?

So here's what I'm going to do...

I'm going to do a hybrid of "real life" and the Daniel Fast.  This week I'm going to play out our meal plan because we already have it written out and did our grocery shopping.  Then, after the end of the week I'm going to reassess how my body reacted and how I felt.

I'm going to incorporate juices and smoothies at almost every morning meal and dinner meal.  This will exceed my 5 servings of fruit & vegetables requirement by a landslide, it will create less snacking, more fullness and more nutrition.

Here's what I need to figure out...

...and if you have any suggestions please let me know.

• As a picky eater, how will I eat more "Daniel" and organically while in public situations?
• How do I close that gap between eating in the comfort of my own home and in the real world?
• How realistic is this long term and will I be satisfied?
• Can I push myself out of my comfort zone to try new smoothies and juices?
• What is it my body needs?

I recently purchased the book "The Smoothie Bible second edition" and it's really good.  It breaks down the entire body in simple terms, gives direction on each ingredient that you'll use, and tips for any problems you're having (ex: anxiety --> then make this).  It's really opening my eyes that you are what you eat and that only YOU have control of what goes in your mouth.

I'll be blogging all the way through.  In the mean time, here's a great smoothie I enjoyed this morning.  It has:

• 1 cup water
  
• 1-2 cup spinach
• Handful of blueberries
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
• 5-7 large frozen strawberries

Blend & enjoy!

Day 5, 6 & 7 - The Daniel Fast

Didn't mean to leave everyone hanging there...but it's been a jammed packed couple of days.

Day 6 of the Daniel Fast (yesterday) was the most difficult.  I think it had to do with a couple of things:

• So close to the end of the fast and you can see the light.
• I work at a family entertainment center, and smells of the amazing pizzas, mozzarella sticks, french fries and more were more intense (all the stuff you CAN'T have during the fast of course.)
• It's a test of strength.  Not physical strength, but mental and spiritual strength.

In my mind, I wanted to give up and quit and eat something.  But in my heart I made a commitment to God and I genuinely wanted to keep that promise.  The object of fasting spiritually is simple.  You fast to disconnect the world (ex: doing the Daniel Fast you're saying you don't need the food of the world like process foods, etc.) and to draw closer to God.  This is done with prayer.

Today is Day 7, the final day of the fast.  I'm excited and joyous.  Here's what I've learned from this experience:

• Prayer is more powerful than most realize, and it should be exercised daily. 
• With God all things are possible.  Most people know this verse, but you don't "see" it until you need the help from God to not even be tempted by a pint size Blue Bell ice cream.
• Personally, I need to pause.  Take more time between what I hear and when I speak.  Take a moment to absorb information and process it before adding my opinion.
• I've become more relaxed, in a positive manner.  I'm less high strung about life.  This is all because God is in control of EVERYTHING.  Again, why prayer is so important. 
• I want God to shine through my life with what I do, what I say and how I act.
• I learned a variety of juicing and smoothie recipes that I wouldn't have otherwise tried.

I would suggest a fast for anyone.  Take time to plan it out and have your meal plan ready.  Do it when your church does it and go to their prayer sessions.  Blog about or write in a journal to document what you learned or felt.  And have a friend or family member do it with you.  This helps with encouragement and it's nice to have someone to talk to about it.

Glory to God for all this and for my transformation.

Day 4 - The Daniel Fast

I'm over 1/2 way done with the fast.  This gives me great confidence.  Here's some food for thought...

The other day I learned that a networking friend of mine was told he has 6 months to live because "there's nothing else we can do."  In October a co-work of mine, Eric, passes away at age 20 from leukemia.

I'm at that age (currently 27) where reality is hitting.  When I was a little girl there were wars, and worldly conflicts and death, but it was never part of my reality.  Now, knowing more and being more in tune with the world and other people, it's all becoming a reality.  This causes reflection and is a natural time for questions.  So I ask you (and am constantly asking myself) the following...

• What do you do when you know you're at the end of your life?
• What if we lived like we are dying?  Because we all are, right?
• Are you happy with what you've completed in life?
• At the end of your life looking back, were you obedient to God?
• What do you want to be "doing" when that time comes?  or when the rapture happens?

...it's tough facing a reality.  But lets really think about those questions, that way when it becomes a reality you're ready.  This is a tough conversation.  They're tough questions to answers.  And it's uncomfortable.

To be honest, I'm scared out of my mind.  I'm scared of letting God down, I'm scared of having regrets, and I'm scared of death.  But today at prayer I had a peace come over me.  I learned that when you're praying and drawing closer to God you becoming filled with his love.  When you become filled with his love you're overflowing with joy.  When you're joyous then you're happy in all things.  When you're joyous and happy in all things, then you can start sharing that love and joy with others.  That's powerful.

I hope this stirs up great conversation and thought.  Share with me on twitter @PBJsSincePreK or @Rocky_Bush.

Here was my dinner tonight during the Daniel Fast.  I juiced cucumber, spinach, lemon, celery and apple.

Day 3 - The Daniel Fast

What a crazy day, and it's almost the 1/2 way point in this Daniel Fast!

God has a great sense of humor.  This morning I made a smoothie for breakfast BEFORE prayer at 6am.  It had water, spinach, and apple.  Simple, right?  Wrong!  It was terrible.  Maybe too much spinach?  So I took a few sips and dumped it.  Then I went to church for the 6am prayer session.

It was a great service and what I took away was, "I don't need to know the outcome, I just need to know when and where to go."  It's about being less fearful and having more faith.  (Something I need to work on.)

I went to work at 7:30am and was really hungry.  My snacks were gone in no time: strawberries, banana, popcorn and pistachios.  By 11:30am I was juicing in the break room.  It went all wrong again. I experienced my first juicer jam and had to work through that.  Because of it there was more pulp in the juice than normal.  Plus, our break room sink can't handle the intensity of my juicer when cleaning.  So I didn't drink that either.

I had about 4 hours left of work and I knew I needed food.  I drove over to Jamba Juice super quick and picked something up with my gift card (Strawberries Wild:  Strawberry/Apple Juice and Strawberries).

Here comes God's humor...

By the time I got back I had an email from Celebration Church saying that I was officially accepted to go on the missions trip to Xai Xai in Mozambique Africa!!!!!  All day long I felt defeated and saddened by my failures of smoothies and juicing during this fast.  But I stayed faithful and loyal and God served up something even better than a Jamba Juice smoothie.

Going to Africa, especially Xai Xai with Celebration Church, has been on my heart for 3 years.  It's time to take action!  I need to do this before having kids.  I want to go over and serve.  And best of all, I know this is what God has planned for me.

There's still lots of prep work to do like meetings, trainings, some Portuguese, shots and paperwork, but I'm getting really excited.  Prayers welcomed.  Here's where I'll be going...

I'll be traveling to Mozambique which is the pink area in the south east side of Africa.

Day 2 - The Daniel Fast

Today I encountered my first "battle" if you will.  I had a full day of work (9 hours).  To give a delicious backgound, I work at Mel's Lone Star Lanes in Georgetown, TX as the events & marketing director.  There, we have CJ's sports bar & grill which serves up amazing pizza, french fries, mozzarella sticks, funnel cake, and more!  Needless to say, I'm in a sea of temptation daily, especially when fasting.  The smell of popcorn and freshly baked cookies always goes from the kitchen through the cracks of my office door.  How does it know to do that?

(Air high five!)  I survived!  With lots of prayer and a straight focus I give all the glory to God.  It would be super easy to give in, to have a little taste, but food does not own me. 

In general when eating well, planning is key.  I've always said that.  Now with this week of fasting, it's come down to intense planning.  I took my juicer to work.  It was my only solution to survive without starving and being grumpy about it (and that's not good for anyone involved).

For lunch at work I enjoyed the "Daneen Juice" which is Spinach, 2-3 Apples, 1-2 Celery, & 1 Lemon.  My co-workers were impressed and learned a lot about juicing during that lunch break.  I left it at work to juice again tomorrow.  Click here to view a quick 15 second video on this juice.

For breakfast I made a smoothie with my vitamix that includes:  1/2 c. water, 1 c. ice, 1 c. grapes, 1

pear, 1 banana and 1 c. kale.  With a vitamix they say to blend for 60 seconds on high.  They're serious! Make sure you do it!  This allows all the particles to break down so you don't have floating vegetables pieces. 

Here's what I've learned spiritually today...

You really can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.  He is your biggest cheerleader.  Your biggest rock.  Your best motivator.  Your greatest story.  Your best gift.  Your everything.

From an athletic background I've always been told "mind over matter".  This is true and your brain can do incredible things.  Put your mind in the right place and have God as your backbone and you're unstoppable.

Day 1 - Daniel Fast

DAY 1:  January 13, 2014

Breakfast:  Strawberry smoothie with 1 cup of freshly extracted apple juice (literally put fresh organic apples through a juicer) and about 1 cup of frozen strawberries and blend.  This is my new favorite!

Lunch:  Juiced kale, 1 large pear (or 2 small), 2 green apples and 1 lime.


Dinner:  Smoothie with 1 cup orange juice (freshly extracted), frozen strawberries, spinach and banana. This was pretty good, I think I'll use a different brand of oranges next time.

Click for more smoothie & juicing recipes.

Snacks today:  pistachios, popcorn (just popcorn kernels and sunflower seed oil), fruit.

LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!  Today I drank 72 oz. of water (but I also had a lot of other fluids from my juice and 2 smoothies.)  I will be trying to increase this ounce number throughout the week.

Stats:  I went to the dentist and had my blood pressure taken and it was 99 / 64.  Normal and healthy.

Exercise:  I did a 30-minute bike ride, about 15 minutes of stretching and a light 30-minute walk.  I'm not doing CrossFit during this week while fasting, but I will be doing little things like this to push all the "crap" out of my body.

Prayer:  I went to Celebration Church this morning for the prayer session they had from 6am - 7am.  This was a new experience for me.  My goal is to go 5 days (M-F) this week and to also reflect on the scripture they give.

We focused on 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says:

Throughout the day I never felt deprived or that I was "missing" anything.  Here's what I did realize:

• American television is a HOT mess!  I was getting a pedicure and the TV was on with no sound.  While watching it you learn more about the underlying messages because you're watching, not listening.  I learned that everything is so superficial.  How skinny can you get?  What anti-age products are you using?  This is what happy looks like!  Etc. Etc.
• I'm looking at food differently.  Sure, it's great to have moments where food gives you pleasure and happiness like a nice milk chocolate candy bar.  But as I do this Daniel fast, I think about the people of the New Testament and how they ate.  They only had what God provided for them.  None of this processed, GMO, superficial crap if you will.  
• You gotta do what God wants you to do.  Meaning... you need to do what's right.  Some people say Daniel Fasts includes nut butters, others don't.  Some people think/believe you need to pray for __ number of hours.  You need to set your personal and Godly goals that'll help you achieve your ultimate goal, which is getting closer to God.  Everyone has their own opinion, and that's okay, but you need to be able to live with your opinion.

So we today, as a society, are dealing more with the pressures to be skinny instead of healthy and be social and indulge more than ever before.  Where's the balance?  What's "normal?"  Am I the "normal" for fasting and eating more biblically, because as part of a fast you're supposed to disconnect from the world?  (And to clarify, I mean disconnect from the world on a food basis, not on a social media and blogging basis.)

The real test will be tomorrow when I'm back in the office.  I had today off so it was great to relax, squeeze in a nap, have 100% access to our kitchen to prepare all foods, and pray.

The Daniel Fast

I'm encountering a new adventure in my life.  I will be doing the Daniel Fast for 1 week starting tomorrow.  Our church (Celebration) is doing a week of Prayer & Fast.

PRAYER:  To connect with God.
FAST:  To disconnect with the world.

I chose the Daniel Fast which will includes all vegetables, all fruits, all whole grains, nuts & seeds, legumes, quality oils and of course lots and lots of water.

Weekly Meal List.

PERSONAL GOALS:

• #1 to grow closer to God during this week through prayer.
• Experiment and try new things (juices and smoothies).
• Blog daily to track my process and stir up a conversation about it.

Today was prep day.  We heard the message from Pastor Joe this morning, I hand wrote out my list on what my meals would be for the week and then I carefully constructed our grocery list.  We purchased most of the bulk stuff at Costco, and the rest at HEB.  Here is our entire grocery list:

• Frozen Strawberries
• 34 Apples
• Frozen mixed berries
• 1 zucchini
• Almonds
• 1 Cucumber
• Kale
• Blueberries
• 2 Green Apples

  

  Fridge full of fruits & veggies.

• 1 Avocado
• 1 Lime
• Whole Wheat Tortillas
• 7 Pear
• Strawberries
• 6 Organes
• Granola
• 9+ Bananas
• 15 cups Spinach
• Green Grapes
• 10 Celery
• 5 Lemon
• 4 Carrots
• Popcorn (all natural, no added sugars or ingredients)
• All natural peanut butter

I am all stocked up and ready to go for the week!  It's great to see our fridge totally stuffed with fruits and vegetables.  I also set up a nice "snack station" with fruit that doesn't need to be refrigerated, popcorn and nuts readily available.  This way I don't even need to open our pantry for anything.  I'll be blogging daily, stay tuned...

Snack station with nuts, popcorn and fruit.

An Organized Kitchen = Success

An organized kitchen means success.  I haven't always been this way.  I used to be a clutter freak, a "collector", a hoarder if you will when I was younger.  Everything had a memory and I didn't want to throw anything away.  Then, my neighbor Pam (a highly organized kind of person) came in and did a bedroom take over!  She threw away things I wouldn't dare, she folded clothes to declutter my closet and made more space than I could have ever imagined.  At the end of it all I felt freed with open space and organization.  So now, I would call myself organized.

So here are some tips.  I had a New Year Kickstart where I'm organizing our house room by room. It's always a good idea to have a "Spring Cleaning" twice per year.

Here's a picture of our pantry before and after:

Pantry tips:

• Use shelving units to to help utilize space.
• Put like items together (ex: drink mixes, oils, snacks, etc.)
• Create a snack box go-to to make snacks easily accessible
• Use your top shelf for minimal use products (paper towels, emergency kit, etc)
• We have things on the walls to help with organization (example: battery organizer, grocery bag container, cooking apron, etc.)
• Use containers to a good seal for items like sugar, granola, pastas, nuts, etc.
• Put all your medicines in one plastic box.  You shouldn't need more than 1 box.  If you do then that's another conversation...
• Store all your pet food in a closed container (don't leave it in the
  
  opened bag.)
• Use an open wicker or wooden basket to put all your munchies in.
• Keep all your lunch boxes in the pantry to pack in one place (if room permits)
• Have fun with it!

Here's our fridge and tips:

• Get a plastic bin to keep your meats in.  This helps with cross
  
  contamination.
• Utilize the fresh produce bins at the bottom.   You should have more food in here than anywhere else.
• Put egg on a shelf, not the door.  (Same with milk is suggested).  With the opening and closing of the door, the temperature fluctuates the most there, and you want to keep eggs about the same.
• Use a fridge deodorized box.  There's some for less an $1 that last 3 months.  It helps with any smells.

Spices Cabinet:

• Use this space for spices, cook books and extra storage. 
  
• Use a spinning rack to help see all your items.
• Keep the pretty rack (see in picture below) out on the counter top.  It'll encourage you to use it more and it looks nice.
• Have all your cook books (and smoothie & juicing books) all one place and remember to use them often.  We try to make a new recipe at least once a week that we find in a book or on Pinterest.
• Remember, cooking can be fun (and scary at first if you're new).  Set yourself up.

I also want to take this moment to brag on my parents for a moment. They got us a nice gas grill for Christmas.  It was more time consuming than difficult to put together but we did it and here's the final project.  Our first test is in a couple weeks when we have a BBQ planned with our neighbors.  (And yes, in that picture is my gorgeous hubby.)

Lastly, I found this great image online that I had to share.  It's becoming more and more relevant in my life.  I am not perfect, nor do I eat perfect.  But I'm going to eat the best I can when I can.  And the more I think about this the more it's true.  "Eat your medicine."  It's like what Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."  Think about how much our food has been processed and changed.  Think about how chickens are being fed steroids to be grown plumper and faster to generate more revenue.  Think about how God made this earth with fruit and animals which is what we are supposed to be eating.  Just think about that...