image provided by smart water

Hello all, yes it’s me, the water faster!

I am still around, and still hungry! I know I said I would keep you updated on my water fast adventure on Day 1, but I’ve been a little preoccupied with hunger and forgot to write an update.

Well, as we approach Day 6 I say to myself, when is this over! Yep, it’s been an adventure and I am taking it one day or I should say one bottle of Smart Water at a time.

How am I feeling you ask? I am feeling great to be honest, I have loads of energy and the initial uncontrollable burping I experienced the first 3 days has finally disappeared.

I’ve managed to cook everyday, check out my other blog Creole Contessa to see what I’ve cooked this past week.

I am still trying to decide if I am going to break the fast with a green juice on Day 8.

I am not sure about the green juice just yet.  I was thinking about completing 10 days like I read in Dr. Fuhrman’s book Fasting and Eating for Health. Only time will tell.

I am also considering Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live program after I break the fast.

What I’ve learned on this journey is that because I’ve fasted previosuly all the detox systems that most experience like headaches, nausea, joint pain. I had none of that.

I read that the less toxic your body is the less detox systems you experience.

I also didn’t weigh myself at all. I wanted to focus on the fast, not the fat, so I stayed away from the scale.

On average in the past I’ve lost between 2-3 lbs a day while water fasting. But the number on the scale is not important during this water fasting period for me.

I am focusing on my cleared up skin, my bright eyes and the fact that I am only suffering from “mind hunger.”

In my mind I want to eat up everything, but physically I have tons of energy so I know it’s in my mind.

I am trying to pray away these food cravings I have because I don’t like feeling like my cravings are controlling me.

I’ll give another update soon folks!

The post Water Fast Day 6 appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

image provided by Smart Water

It’s been a minute since I last posted due to Back to School and the fact that I was trying to get my mind right to perform a water fast.

Yep, ya heard me correctly, water fast!

No food, no juice, no smoothies, just me and my water.

Yes, it’s not easy, and NO this isn’t my first time water fasting.

I was informed about water fasting after reading Dr. Fuhrman’s book Fasting and Eating for Health.

I am not a doctor so I look to Dr. Fuhrman’s books for guidance on proper fasting.

Let me explain what happened the last time I fasted.

I fasted on water for about 7 days then I broke the fast with vegetable juice for about 4 days and transitioned into smoothies for a few days after that, then I moved on to steamed veggies and apples.

This was months ago and I’ve been healed of acid reflux and IBS.

I haven’t had one episode of acid reflux and I’ve eaten spicy foods, cooked tomatoes, and chocolate, all BTW which were triggers for me.

My IBS disappeared. And I’ve been back on a regular eating plan for awhile, not one issue.

Is fasting for everyone? I don’t know, as I mentioned previously, I am not a doctor, I am just a gal trying to figure it out.

I do know that people have been fasting for centuries and it’s not a new idea.

Do I love to fast?  Not the first couple of days, because HELLO, I am hungry.

But, it’s o.k. to be a little hungry.

I’ve pretty much eaten every type of food and I know what it all taste like so “mind hunger” isn’t the end of the world.

I will spend the next week or so updating you daily on my fasting results, the ups and downs, trials and tribulations.

I am currently on day 2 of my fast as of right now and I am not sure how many days I am going to complete.

I take it one day at a time.

I drink 12 to 16 cups of Smart Water daily and I find that the Smart Water helps me stay active.

I know it has a little electrolytes included, maybe that’s why I still have energy.

I also make sure I rest.

Proper rest while fasting is key.

Don’t forget prayer.

I pray all day because I can’t do this without the guidance of God, I am not that strong.

Until tomorrow folks!

Water Fasting

Ingredients:

WATER, LOL

12-16 cups of purified water. 

The post Water Fasting Day 1 appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

O.K. everyone the detox is going great, well most days are great. I am mentally hungry, but that’s my mind playing tricks on me. I am down 16 pounds this week, HOORAY!

Don’t know how I did that, but I am drinking loads of water and some juice.

I haven’t drunk as much juice as I would like because I’ve been too lazy to clean my juicer. I am going to up the juice so I can get more nutrients.

I add 1 teaspoon of Amazing Grass Raw powder to 2 cups a water 4 times a day. That stuff is full of all types of good greens.

If you would like to purchase some click the blue link on the side bar of my blog.

Today I made a big batch of Flush Fat™ Grapefruit Lemonade that is full of fat burning, detoxing properties.

First, grapefruit, it’s low glycemic so it’s good for those of you who can’t have a lot of sugar.

Secondly, lemon, also low glycemic gives this lemonade a tang. If you want to add sweetener add about a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey.

This recipe is really simple, just juice a grapefruit and lemon, both peeled, try to leave as much white rind on as possible, juice, add water, enjoy!

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1 grapefruit, peeled
1 lemon, peeled
2 cups water, purified

Directions:

Juice lemon, grapefruit, add water. Serve over ice, enjoy!

The post Flush Fat™ Grapefruit Lemonade appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

It’s day 3 of the Juice Detox and things are going really good.

I’ve had no headaches, or any detox systems at all!

I believe this is because I started to eat salads prior to starting the detox, which meant, no junk food to detox from.

I am making sure I drink enough water and drink enough juice, which is hard because the water fills me up, then I don’t want juice.

Today’s juice is grapefruit, cucumber, celery juice. It’s o.k. but a little tart due to the grapefruit. I say drink it quick and move on.

The grapefruit is good for you, so we gotta do what we gotta do!

Also, don’t forget, grapefruit interferes with loads of different medications so check with your pharmacist or doctor to make sure this is o.k. if you’re on any prescription drugs!

Grapefruit, Cucumber, Celery Juice Detox 

Servings: 12 ounces

Ingredients:

1/2 grapefruit, peeled
1 cucumber, diced
2 sticks celery, diced

Directions:

Juice and enjoy! Strain if desired before drinking.

The post Grapefruit, Cucumber, Celery Juice Detox appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

Yesterday I told you about my 30 day juice fast journey. Today I wanted to share with you one of the juices I will be drinking every morning.

You can drink as much of this juice as you like.

Most people drink between 3-4 liters of green juice daily, plus 12-16 cups of water. I am not a doctor, so I just listen to my body about the juice and water.

For those of you who haven’t seen the film, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, it’s a much watch on the benefits of juicing.

Today’s recipe is a take on the Mean Green Juice in the movie. I added pear and grapefruit to my juice.

You can omit grapefruit if you don’t like the tartness of it. You can also do two apples instead of pear.

I also will be rotating my greens daily, as I read that it’s important to rotate greens due to toxicity in greens.

You don’t have to rotate daily but I will suggest weekly. 

Rotate your leafy greens according to family.

• Crucifers: kale, collards, arugula, cabbage, bok choy, radish greens, mustard greens, broccoli
• Amaranth: spinach, chard, beets
• Asteraceae: dandelions, leaf lettuce, Romaine lettuce
• Apiaceae: parsley, cilantro, anise, celery, chervil, cumin, dill, fennel, parsnip
• Poaceae: wheatgrass 

Juice everything together, stir and enjoy! You can strain the juice if you’re not into pulp. 

I must admit, this is the best green juice I’ve ever tasted.

Don’t put to much ginger unless you like it spicy!

Super Mean Green Juice Fast Day 1

Servings: 3 cups

Ingredients:

1 apple, seeded, peeled if non organic
1 pear, seeded, peeled if non organic
2 cups kale, tough stem removed
4 stalks celery
1 cucumber, peel if non organic
1/2 inch piece ginger
1/2 lemon, peeled
1/2 grapefruit, peeled (optional)

Directions:

Wash all produce well, peel produce if non organic. Remove tough stem from kale. Remove seeds from apples and pears.

Dice into small chunks. Juice everything and drink.

The post Super Mean Green Juice Fast Day 1 appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

I would like to discuss with you my new journey.

I am about to embark on a 30 day juice fast and will spend the next 30 days sharing with you my ups and down, recipes, and all the fun that we can have with fruits and veggies.

The longest juice fast I’ve completed was 21 days about 2 years ago.

After the first week things started looking up!

I will make sure my juices are 80 percent green vegetables with about 20 percent fruit.

I will use apples, pears, lemon and grapefruit.

My veggies will consist of cucumbers, celery, parsley, spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce.

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 lemon, sliced
3 cups water, purified

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a large glass, cover with lid and allow to chill overnight in the refrigerator, drink throughout the day.

The post Lemon Berry Flush Fat™ Spa Water appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

I have a new drink that over the past week has helped me flush out the fat!

First, cranberries does a body right. These little berries are packed full of all kind of nutrients that helps detox the body.

Drinking straight cranberry juice in my opinion, is not very pleasant.

But when you mix it with water, the diluted juice is not only palatable, it’s down right delicious, and the fat flush tendencies also makes it a keeper!

The Flush Fat™ Cranwater doesn’t require any expensive equipment, you just need 100% Cranberry juice and purified water.

Flush Fat™  Cranwater

1 cup 100% cranberry juice
6 cups purified water

Directions:

Mix cranberry juice and water, stir well. Drink throughout the day.

The post Flush Fat™ Cranwater appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

Saying I am addicted to Spa Water is an overstatement!

I spend hours thinking of new combinations to create and going through gardening seed catalogs to decide what fruits and herbs I need to plant to create new Spa Waters.

This is getting a little out of hand people, but I love it!

Today, I have for you a new creation, Melon Berry Coconut Spa Water, it’s delicious!

All you do is place everything into a large glass mug, allow it to chill overnight, that’s it and it’s time to drink up!

This drink is refreshing, sweet, and full of vitamins and nutrients.

The longer it chills, the more flavorful it becomes.

I even allowed it to chill for a full two days and it tasted so delicious, even my husband thought I put a sugar in it!

Enjoy

Melon Berry Coconut Spa Water

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut water
2 cups purified water
1 cup melon, diced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup blue berries

Directions:

Place everything into a large container, allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy!

The post Melon Berry Coconut Spa Water appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

O.K. people, I am sure you’ve surfed the web and saw hundreds of recipes for Flat Tummy Water.

Flat Tummy Spa Water is a detox drink that gets rid of the bloat and other things…in your tummy!

After replacing my lemon water for Flat Tummy Spa Water, I am  one happy gal!

Not only did I lose 3 lbs…yes…3 lbs in 3 days, but my stomach is also shrinking…I am sure it’s water weight I loss but who cares, my stomach is shrinking!!!

Did I mention I have not changed my diet!

I’ve eaten regular meals, most meatless, but still regular meals and this Flat Tummy Spa Water along with a green smoothie every morning for breakfast.

I am convinced, my Flat Tummy Spa Water is my new go to detox drink.  

Flat Tummy Spa Water

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

12 cups purified water
2 lemons, organic
1 cucumber, organic
2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 cup mint, organic

Directions:

Slice lemon and cucumber into thin pieces. Place all ingredients in a big jar, allow to chill overnight and drink throughout the day.

Mixture can be used twice, add more fresh ginger and refill with water, allow to chill overnight in the refrigerator and drink.

The post Flat Tummy Spa Water appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.

Can you believe it, we’re at the last and final day of our 21 Day Detox!!!!! This has been truly a food adventure.

 

I wanted to end the final day of the detox with my favorite, Pomegranate Blackberry Smoothie. 

My favorite part about this smoothie, is I don’t have to pull out my juicer. Which means I don’t have to clean two separate containers.

With the help of POM pomegranate juice, and good belly probiotics, I just put everything into the Vitamix and blend for less than a minute!

Yes, it’s that simple! 

Now, although the official 21 Day Detox has ended, that doesn’t mean we stop juicing and making smoothies.

The goal of the Detox was to teach us new ways of eating and being.

Not to end the detox with a cheeseburger…although that does sound good…but NO!

I want to thank you for taking this journey with me, and don’t forget, drink a green smoothie/juice a day to help keep you on the right track!

Food is our friend and it should be enjoyed, everything in moderation people!

Now it’s time for us to really start cooking as you join me on my journey to be, Not Quite a Vegan!



Day 21: 21 Day Detox with a Pomegranate Blackberry Smoothie

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup POM juice
1 cup Good Belly mango
1 cup frozen blackberries
1 frozen banana
2 cups leafy greens

Directions:

Add everything to blender and blend well.

The post Day 21: 21 Day Detox with a Pomegranate Blackberry Smoothie appeared first on Not Quite a Vegan.