Vegetable Crescent Roll

Vegetable Crescent Roll

We made this at meal prep using different ingredients than the recipe.  Since everyone wants to know how we made it, I will use our recipe instead.  The actual recipe calls for mushrooms instead of Mexican sausage and I added in the peppers and yellow squash to give more veggies.

2 medium shallots, diced (1/2 c)
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow squash, chopped
½ red pepper, diced
½ yellow pepper, diced
¼ c red cooking wine
¼ pkg (1 link) Field Roast Mexican “sausage”, diced
¼ of medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1.5 c)
¼ bunch kale, stems removed and chopped (1.5 c)
¼ c balsamic vinegar
1 packages of Immaculate Baking Company Crescent Rolls

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute the shallots in the oil with a pinch of salt.  Cook for 5 minutes until shallots begin to brown.  You can also use vegetable broth to keep from sticking if you want to go oil free.  Add sausage and lightly brown, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic, yellow squash and peppers along with red cooking wine and cook for 10-15 minutes until the cooking wine has evaporated and vegetables are tender.   Stir in kale and turn down the heat as the kale wilts down.
While that is cooking steam butternut squash in steamer pot.  Meanwhile heat ¼ c balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan stirring until it reduces to a glaze. 
On parchment paper make a roll with the crescent rolls.  Use fat ends of the triangles and overlap in a line (tips will be pointed away from the middle on either side) for the cooked mixture to fit then fold over the tips to cover.  There will be veggies peeking out and that’s ok.  Brush or spoon the glaze over the roll and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

*This can also be made into a holiday ring (wreath).  Just double all the ingredients and form the roll into a ring using the additional can of crescent rolls.

Black Eyed Pea and Greens Soup

Black Eyed pea and Greens soup

*adapted from Carolyn Strickland

2 15 oz cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
½ TB extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ package (2 links) Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage “Sausage”, sliced or diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
1 large bunch kale, stems removed (also great with collards)
4 carrots, chopped
½ tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp smoked paprika

Heat oil in skillet (or use some veg broth for oil free version).  Cook sausage until lightly browned (2-3 min).  Set aside in a bowl.  In a stock pot over medium-high heat, saute onion, garlic and celery until onion is translucent, 5-8 minutes adding water a few T at a time to keep veggies from sticking to pan.  Add drained and rinsed black eyed peas and broth and bring to a boil.  Add carrots, liquid smoke, and paprika (add collards here, if using) – simmer until tender, at least 20-30 minutes more.  Add sausage and kale and simmer 10 minutes. 

Makes roughly 6 servings

Black Bean Burgers

Black Bean Burgers

*adapted from Happy Herbivore

Makes 4 burgers

1 15 oz can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
2 TB organic ketchup
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup gluten free oats

Preheat oven to 400 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl mash black beans with potato masher or fork.  Stir in condiments and spices then fold in oats.  Form the mixture into 4 patties and bake for 10 minutes.  Carefully flip the burgers and bake another 5 minutes.

Favorite dessert recipe - Carrot cake and cream cheese frosting*dairy, soy, nut free

Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream cheese frosting

This carrot cake is delish but the icing is surprisingly insane!  And it's made with a japanese sweet potato!  During meal prep we made cupcakes but my next plan is a layer cake so I can get more icing!  And the cool thing is there is no sugar (unless you count maple syrup, but I count that as more natural sweetness).  The kids, in the homes that this went to, requested I post the recipe so here goes!

Vegan Carrot cake
*adapted from Straight Up Food cookbook

1 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk (we used coconut)
14 Deglet Noor dates, chopped
1/2 cup persimmon puree (or 1/2 ripe banana, mashed)
1/4 cup raisins or craisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder or sub baking soda if allergic to corn
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (2-3 medium)
1/2 cup raisins or craisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts if not allergic

Combine milk, dates, persimmon, 1/4 c craisins, and vanilla into a small bowl and set aside 15 minutes for dates to soften.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.  Grind oats into flour with food processor.  Transfer to medium bowl and whisk in cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves.
Blend the wet ingredients in blender until smooth.  Stir into the bowl of dry incredients.  Fold in grated carrots, 1/2 c raisins or craisins and walnuts. 
Spoon batter into pan and spread evenly.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until top is medium brown.  Let cool for 10 min before removing and placing on cooling rack.  Cool completely before icing. 
*For 12 cupcakes, line muffin pan with parchment paper liners and bake 25-30 min on 350.  To bake a standard loaf, decrease milk by 1/2 cup, line a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with parchment and bake at 325 for 50-55 min.

Vegan Cream cheese frosting

*adapted from detoxinista.com

1 large japanese sweet potato (white flesh), peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup maple syrup
6 TB coconut oil, melted
2 TB water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp salt

Steam sweet potato cubes for 10-15 min.  Fill one cup with sweet potato and mash with a fork until cup is packed.  Transfer mashed potato and rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend until silky smooth.  Add more water if needed to reach smooth consistency.  You can now frost your carrot cake or transfer to a bowl to keep in the fridge for up to a week. 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Weekly Meal Plan and Prep Service (Incredible Health made EASY)

So, you watched Forks over Knives or The Game Changers and you are sold!  OK, you want to give this plant based thing a try but where do you start??  What do you eat if you don't eat meat?  I was there 7 years ago.  Not only was I bitter that I couldn't eat eggs for breakfast anymore, I didn't know what to eat instead.  I had no idea how good food could be.  I also didn't know what recipes to try or where to get funky stuff like chic pea miso.  And what is nutritional yeast anyway??

Trust me because I have been there!  I became a Plant-Based Culinary chef through Forks over Knives, I know where all the goods are and I know where to get them for the best price.  Let me plan your meals, do the grocery shopping and teach you how to do this right while we prepare your meals for the week.

Incredible Health Farms, LLC accounces a new service to our area:

Incredible Health made EASY
Eating plants
Accountability
Support
Yummy meals for the week

Here's how it works:

1.  Every week on Monday I will announce the meal plan for the following week on Incredible Health Farm's Facebook page.
2.  If you want in, comment on the Facebook page and pay via Venmo, check or cash by Wednesday.
3.  Meet me at the farm on the prep day specified.  It will be either be Saturday morning or afternoon depending on our schedule.

 This incredible price includes:

    👉  Meal planning
    👉  Grocery shopping
    👉  Prep planning
    👉  Counseling during prep - questions answered by myself or Cliff, the plant-based Physician's                    Assistant.
    👉👉 ALL THE MEALS you need for a week including breakfast, lunch, and dinner

 When we started out we were spending at least $100 per person on groceries alone, bumping around trying to figure out what to eat, what tastes good, what to feed people if they came over.  I would have happily paid someone to take the thinking out of my meals and someone to guide me every week and answer my questions as I change my lifestyle???  That's GOLD!  If you want to give plant-based a try, there has never been an easier way!   

Still not sure?  Here are a few pictures of what I have accomplished with Marie Owens as she changes her life for the better.  I even posted some recipes that we have already used:

Spicy Kale Wrap
White Bean Chili
Instant Pot Beans and Rice topped with
Addicting Queso
BBQ Quinoa Salad

Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast:  Blueberry Oatmeal and kale/fruit smoothie

Lunch:  Spicy kale salad wrap and organic strawberries with Chocolate hummus

Snack:  Fruit or non-dairy yogurt with granola and dark cherries

Dinner:  White Bean Chili with frozen grapes for dessert

BBQ Quinoa salad

This is an adapted recipe from Happy Herbivore

BBQ Quinoa salad

Make BBQ sauce and set aside to cool or use 1 c BBQ sauce free of high fructose corn syrup.

Sauce (makes 1 c):
1/2 c organic ketchup
3 TB apple cider vinegar
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB organic brown sugar
1 TB vegan Worcestershire
1 TB dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika or Smokehouse maple seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 c water

In small saucepan combine all ingredients and whisk together while you bring it to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

Quinoa salad:
3 c cooked quinoa
1 c bbq sauce
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz cherry tomatoes
1 c corn and/or chopped peppers (red, yellow and orange)
1/2 c red onion
guacamole, optional topping

Toss quinoa with bbq sauce.  Add beans, tomatoes, corn and/or peppers and onions.  Mix together.  Serve cold or warm topped with guac, if desired.

Addicting Queso

You have been warned.  This queso is off the charts.  I'm not responsible for what I do with a pot of this and a bag of whole grain Tostitos. 😋😋😋

Addicting Queso

In a blender add:

2c water

1/3 c nutritional yeast

1/4 c Tahini

1/4 c arrowroot powder or 7 tsp cornstarch (both are gluten free)

2 TB lemon juice

1 TB onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp taco seasoning

2 dashes liquid smoke

Blend for a minute or two.  Pour into a pot and add:

1/2 can rotel, drained

Whisk rapidly over hugh heat until mixture thickens.  

Instant Pot Beans and Rice with Queso

Instant Pot Beans and Rice

6-8 servings

2 cups brown rice, any non GMO brand
2 1/2 cups water
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans rotel, undrained
2 TB Garlic and Herb seasoning
3 cups spinach, chopped

Add all to an instant pot except spinach and set on manual for 25 minutes.  Stir in spinach.  It will wilt quickly.  Serve in 2 cup servings topped with Addicting Queso.

White Bean Chili

White Bean Chili

1 small yellow onion, diced
Vegetable broth for saute
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 TB tapioca flour
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, chopped
4 c Vegetable broth
2 cans white beans, drained
1 c corn kernels, canned or frozen
1 (16 oz) jar of salsa verde
1 (4 oz) can green chiles
1/4 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, optional topping

In large pot saute yellow onion until translucent.  Add vegetable broth as it cooks to keep from sticking.  Add garlic and cumin and saute for 30 seconds continuing to add broth as needed.  Add in tapioca flour, potatoes and 4 c vegetable broth while stirring.  Add in white beans, corn, salsa verde, green chiles, and oregano.  Let soup come to a boil and turn down to let simmer for 30 minutes to let potatoes cook.  Stir frequently.  Once potatoes are cooked, salt and pepper to taste.

Store leftovers in fridge for up to 7 days.  Freeze for up to a year.

Spicy Kale Salad Wrap

Spicy Kale Salad

This can be used as a wrap or a topping to a salad or a large salad all by itself.  It's chock full of flavor and pairs great with Incredible Health Farm's spicy radish microgreens!

Prep time:  25 minutes
Serves:  6 wraps

1 head of kale (finely chopped) or roughly half to 3/4 bag of organic kale
1/3 red onion (finely chopped) or about 1/2 cup
1 large avocado
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes (from bag or jar), divided
1 TB olive oil, or water for oil free option
3 TB nutritional yeast + 4 TB
2 cloves garlic
2 TB lemon juice
2 TB Tamari
1/2 bag of radish microgreens from Incredible Health Farms
6 organic whole grain wraps

Blend olive oil or water, Tamari, lemon juice, garlic cloves, 1/4 c chopped sundried tomatoes and 3 TB nutritional yeast.  Add more water if you need more liquid to blend.  Remove kale from stems and chop finely.  Chop radish and add to kale.  Add in red ontion, avocado, 1/4 c sundried tomatoes, blended mixture and additional 4 TB nutritional yeast and massage everything together.  (I recommend doing this part using disposable gloves.)   Put roughly 1-2 cups in a wrap and enjoy!

Emotional Health - getting to the core

I've never really considered myself an "emotional" person.  For a female, I'm pretty even tempered.  I was raised in a house of brothers.  Emotions were pointless.  We never discussed big stuff unless it was of the spiritual nature.  I understood perfectly how the spiritual world worked.  You go through something - you give it to God and you wait.  You have a problem with someone - you give it to God and you move on.  You feel heavy, burdensome stuff - you give it to God and you get relief.  He will handle it.  And there is some serious comfort in that simplicity.  I saw God take problems and turn them around.  I saw us run out of money time and time again and miraculously someone would show up to pay Dad back for a time he loaned money to them.  Or a bank error was adjusted and suddenly we had groceries.  My parents (more times than I can count) gave us their last $20 to hitch a ride with friends to attend a feastmeeting revival with our church.  I'm not sure what they would stay home with - I guess the food in the house.  Point being, God ruled our house and He was the most important.  As I raise my family and make the important decisions, I'm so incredibly thankful for that example.  It has led me well through this life.

What we didn't do was have the hard conversations.  We didn't discuss our feelings.  I didn't know how to process other than to give it to God.  That's fine but what about the feelings?  Feelings of loss, regret, guilt, anger?  How do you reconcile it?  How do you talk it through with yourself?  What is ok?  Can you get angry and yell?  Can you cry in front of people or is that showing that you are not giving it to God?  I still can't cry in front of people.  When talking about God, no problem.  He moves me to tears often.  When talking about my mom who I see leaving me a little each day - I can't do it.  By myself, the tears flow.  Right now, no problem even though I know people will be reading this.  I have to be vulnerable.  I have to take time to feel.  I have to take time to let it out.  Otherwise it bottles up and comes out in other ways.  It's ok to cry.  It's ok to be sad.  It won't last all day.  I'm always scared to fall apart because I won't get it back together and I have too much to do. Ain't nobody got time for that.  Not true.  You will heal a little at a time and the healing is the balm.

Alzheimers is so hard to watch in a loved one.  I hear, "enjoy every moment", "cherish these times", "she still knows you - that's good" but when your mom can't go to the bathroom without your help or she begs you to let her help you knowing she can't follow through on anything you ask her to do - it's so incredibly hard.  I give her laundry to fold and she may get the towels right but she balls up everything else.  It's ok.  I gave it to her because she so desperately wants to feel important.  Feel significant.  I talk about things that she does remember, funny moments that she recently laughed about knowing that soon she won't remember those either.  There will be a blank look when I mention it.  I want to scream - how can I enjoy these moments???  How can I cherish this time???  How do you mourn someone who is still right in front of you?  Nothing is put to rest.  If you are going through this, you are not alone.  I get it.

Why am I putting all this out there?  Because when I feel, you feel.  When you feel we connect.  When we connect we help each other.  I know the purpose of my life is to help people.  I know it to the core of my being.  In order to help people I have to be real.  I have to be vulnerable.  I have to show my weakness.  I will, one day, cry in front of you.  Maybe not today, but one day.  And it will be ok.  Emotions are a part of health and not all emotions feel good.  But healing does and letting out those emotions offers healing.

Psa 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed;  lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Reality and Recipes

So it's possible that things might finally be getting easier.  Not sure yet.  The first week home was a whirlwind, making up for being gone for 10 days.  Getting the house in order, getting supplies that I need to sustain my lifestyle, working through how I'm going to make this affordable...  What I have learned:

• Costco has a great supply of organic produce IF you have room in your fridge...
• Whole Foods has a weak supply of sprouts (at least here) so I will have to grow my own
• Whole Foods also has wheatgrass that can last 2 people 5 days for $10.  Growing my own...
• Whole Foods is too far from my house and Costco is further
• As always, a great dressing makes or breaks a salad and there are tons of raw, yummy options
• Almond milk may be cheaper from the store rather than making your own if you are willing to give up control.  Here's the how to make your own.  I add dates to the blender when blending the almonds instead of sweeten after.  You can buy a large bag of almonds at Costco and it might help make it cheaper to make your own.

The prep work is definitely time consuming and as with every new challenge I'm working on how to get everything done the most efficient way possible.  My tips so far:

Checklist at night:

1. What seeds need to be soaked for the next day?  Get that going. 
2. The energy soup (for me and Cliff) requires two runs of the blender so it's easiest to do that the night before.  
3. Put the Omega juicer together the night before so it's ready for wheatgrass the next morning.  It's the only juicer that can do wheat grass along with everything else.  Anyone want a used Jack LaLanne juicer?
4. Have the blender ready for the kids' smoothies.  It's the only chance I get to hide kale in their diet.  Lucky for me it works!
5. Fill up my water bottle with filtered water and lemon slices to drink first thing.  Here's 10 Reasons you can benefit too.

Checklist in the morning:

1. Drink my lemon water for all the reasons in #5 above.
2. Workout (currently Piyo videos - great combo of Pilates and Yoga only fast and intense)
3. Juice wheat grass into shots for me and Cliff.  Here's 50 reasons you can benefit too.
4. Down my E3 live (uck) quickly then onto the energy soup which after the E3 tastes amazing!

The first part of the week is the hardest, getting all the meals ready so my advice is to keep it simple.  Here's a few easy combos:

• Salad bowls.  Have these things on hand to be able to throw a salad together:  
• mixed greens, spinach, baby kale
• chopped veggies that keep in the fridge well (like carrots, celery, bell pepper in strips)
• avocado
• sprouted beans (see below for mung beans but the rest you can get at Whole Foods) check out the link for the benefits of sprouted beans - rich in iron, protein and other goodies
• A good, raw dressing or if ultra short on time just thin out your favorite hummus with water and use that as a creamy dressing.
• Veggie Kraut - here's more info on how to make this fermented food that is great for gut health.  I bought a kit similar to this one so I can make my own.  It lasts 6 months in the fridge.
• Zucchini noodle dishes.  I posted this recipe for an alfredo sauce that we used the last time we went raw.  We also made this amazing spicy spaghetti sauce which is very similar to this recipe only we added a cup of soaked cashews to make it creamier.  If you have the sauce done ahead of time then when you get home just spiralize a zucchini and add the sauce and dinner is done!
• Romaine leaves sandwiches - fill it with chopped veggies and hummus or nut cheeses.  My favorite nut cheese recipe comes from the cookbook This Cheese is Nuts by Julie Piatt.  Someone posted the recipe here and it works GREAT in a lettuce wrap with veggies and sprouts.  
• Recipes from the online ebook on this website are also very good.  You can purchase and download.  This was the raw restaurant we went to in Atlanta that was so amazing!
• Some of the days include 20% cooked vegan and we throw in some quinoa onto our salad or have a half of a japanese sweet potato for dessert.  After avoiding sugar for so long, I promise the sweet potato tastes like pound cake!

Sprouting and Growing

So far I have sprouted mung beans, wild rice and organic red hard wheat berries for wheat grass.  I'll have to take pictures and post in a separate blog for the how to.  I find that it's very hard to explain without pics.  The wild rice just needed to soak and split then it could be used on salads.  The mung beans just needed to sprout small tails and they were ready to eat.  The wheat berries have to be put on soil to grow the grass but I'm still researching the best method and will post when I know more.

For now, continue to follow the Journey to Incredible Health page for more pics and details and I'll be back with more info soon!  Thanks for checking in!

Wheat grass on top, left mung beans ready to eat, wild rice ready for salads

Wheat grass is growing!

Squeezing out the almond milk 

Zucchini noodles with spaghetti sauce topped with nutritional yeast - YUM

One of many colorful salads I get to eat these days.  That stuff on the carrots is the Almond cheddar cheese that is AMAZING!  Recipe above!

The Final Analysis of Living Foods Institute and plans going forward

I didn’t post about the last two days of the trip to LivingFoods Institute mainly because I haven’t had time and I’m trying to listen to my body.  I find that I can tend to use this blog as validation that people like me (which when I say it out loud sounds crazy) but it can fill my need for acceptance.  We all have that need so I’m not apologizing for it, I’m just recognizing that my strategy for filling that need can get overwhelming if I don’t have time to post.  It’s not more important than my need for family time, rest or being present in the moment.  Yes, this is stuff I learned this week that I will share in another post.

How it feels

So how do I feel?  Off the charts amazing.  My energy level is at an all-time high.  My joint pain and aches are gone.  My back can still hurt if I’m on my feet all day but my shoulders and neck don’t tense up like they used to (took care of that with my holistic chiropractor).  I didn’t think I had a brain fog until it lifted.  One of the girls in class has leukemia.  This was her last ditch effort to heal herself before succumbing to chemo.  She mentioned on day 8 that the lymph nodes in her groin area were substantially smaller.  When she said that I remembered the lymph node that was bugging me for years on the side of my neck.  It wasn’t huge but it bugged me – it was gone!  I also lost 7 pounds and I’m never hangry.  When I get hungry I don’t feel faint or dizzy, just empty.  I eat slower and in turn I fill up on less.  We had to do that every day at LFI.  Sit in silence for the first 20 minutes of lunch.  Harder than it sounds!  At least at first.  Then lunch started to be a time to stop and relax.  I know, I sound so hippie J

Others in class had phenomenal stories.  They recorded the testimonies and as soon as I get the YouTube link I will share it.  Across the board, everyone was in less pain, sleeping better, better focused and more energy.  One 82 year old grandma was hobbling in on a cane and by the end of the second day she left it at the clinic by accident.  By the end of the week she was walking stairs without assistance.  Everyone’s tastes had changed and carrots were sweeter, their bodies craved energy soup and they were excited about their new lease on life.

What are we eating daily?  I know I have posted pics but I’m not sure I’ve been clear on what a day looks like. 

1.  First thing, Wheat grass shot – an effective healer because it contains all minerals known to man, vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, I and K.  It is extremely rich in protein and contains 17 amino acids, the building blocks of protein.  It also contains up to 70% chlorophyll, which is an important blood builder.
2. I added in a shot of E3 Live Blue Green Algae (just a TB) which contains high concentrations of protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, boosts and balances immune system and fights inflammation.
3. Energy soup for breakfast and throughout the day whenever I’m hungry.  It’s a blend of 5 c water, ½ green apple, handful of sprouts, ½ avocado, 1 TB dulse flakes and as many greens as can fit in the blender (4 cups at least).  If you are trying to make your own ask me about the sprouts first.  It all depends on what is in your stores.  The first 2 days are the hardest. 
4.  Lunch and dinner is something raw with living foods (sprouts) added.  Yesterday I made the spicy kale salad I posted a few days ago and dinner was salad with zucchini noodles and spicy spaghetti sauce.  Cliff was pleasantly surprised at how good everything was.
5.  I’m avoiding all sugar including honey, agave, etc.  I’m trying to lower the candida so no sweet fruits which limit me to green apples and berries.  After the first two days my body calmed down on the sweet fruits.  Now the ones I can eat are plenty sweet. 
6. What about grains?  There are some grains you can eat raw like oats (soaked in nut milk – which I learned how to make!) and wild rice which you can soak overnight and eat.  I’m sure there are others I’ll discover.

How long do I have to do this?  Rule of thumb:

• If you are healing from a major disease – minimum of 6 months (I’m not in this category)
•  If you are doing it for better health – 90 days
• After 90 days you go 80/20 – 80% raw/living and 20% cooked vegan which essentially is the Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle.  What’s the deal with cooked?  Depending on how you cook the food you can cook out all the good nutrients. 
•  Bear in mind there is more to healing than the food – there is the importance of a clean, healthy colon which needs to be addressed especially if you are fighting any disease.  Grab Brenda Cobb’s book The Living FoodsLifestyle for more details on her protocol.  There’s also the emotional work that may need to be done if you have layers of baggage.  There’s spiritual work that may need to be done if you do not have an experience with God.  Connecting with your community is a huge benefit.  All of this works together to bring about healing and what I call incredible health. 

So what happens when you get home?  What does the day to day look like?  I wanted to wait to write this until a few days after returning home so I could be realistic.  As most of you know, we went raw in April of 2016 for 21 days because I blogged about it.  The juicing and smoothies were incredibly time consuming.  This go around we are not juicing.  The “energy soup” is essentially a smoothie and what we make lasts all day.  The only prep work is the two other raw meals.  Because I came home on a Sunday night, breezed through Whole Foods, came home unpacked and cleaned up – this is not your typical week.  We are also heading to Huntsville as I write for an all-day field trip.  Luckily I made salads yesterday that we could take and I’ve packed fruits and cut veggies.  I’m sure we will grab a salad on the way home.  Doable.  A little time consuming yesterday but typically I would have more time to prepare for the week.  I’ll be posting how to manage it all as I go forward.  I may do some challenges on my facebook page so keep watch for that if you want to try this for yourself. 

I’ll continue to post about our progress.  Cliff is going to be joining me at his convenience.  One of the things I learned was “I release everyone else to their own journey” which surprisingly gives me much relief.  I can't change anybody.  Who knew?  So my brothers can find comfort in knowing I’m not coming after you!  Not yet anyway!

 This pic was significant because the first day I could barely choke down a mug of energy soup by lunch.  Here I'm downing a quart before 9 while juicing wheat grass for the class.  I got this!

 Pretty medicine from planet Earth!

 Vege Kraut.  Yea it takes a special love but it's doable.

 Sweet Julie who helped me in so many ways!

 The many beautiful people I met in this leg of my journey . Holds a special place in my ❤

And I can't forget Lacey!  She was my walking companion each night .I rented a room from her owner and she expected me to grab the leash as soon as I got home!