Juicing Journey: Day 2

So the juices I made last night for today were AWESOME. My favorite was pineapple-orange. But the apple-carrot-pineapple was also awesome. The carrot-pineapple was a bit much - ended up adding it to the apple-carrot-pineapple. Overall, a very successful day!

I made three juices tonight. One is for a friend - tomato-basil-cucumber. I'll try it - but I'm not sure I'll be able to do it. The second juice was a mixed berry-fruit juice. It ended up with a bunch of red grapes, blueberries (formerly frozen), strawberries, and 2 red apples. It is excellent! (Are you seeing my preference for the sweet, fruity juices?!)

My third juice was a bit of a gamble. I know the benefits of green juices - but you have to put GREEN things in (and I do not like most GREEN things.) An ever popular choice is kale - but I'd heard it has very strong flavors. So I skipped it - and went for some baby spinach. I did a spinach and green apple juice - that is surprisingly good! I had a couple little shots (for lack of a better word) before bottling it up for tomorrow. It was almost sweet, a bit tart, and quite refreshing (although that sounds cliche`.)

So hopefully tomorrow's juices will work out well! I am planning a big shopping trip this weekend (it is the beginning of the month, after all!) Pineapple and oranges are at the top of the list!

As a side note: I know it is better to drink the juice immediately after juicing - and this summer (and weekends for now) that is what I plan to do. But with my busy life right now, juicing the night before is the best I can do.

How have you fit juicing into your life? What is your favorite recipe for greens (specifically spinach!)

Juicing Journey: Day 1

So today was day 1. And it started well. I loved the Apple-Strawberry juice I made last night. It was a great breakfast (and mid-morning snack.)

And then came lunch. After a single sip, I realized my hi-jinks last night did not cover the celery taste. After a taste test by my friend, I opted to pitch the juice. It hurt - money wise I've got a lot invested in this. But I'll feel bad if it sits in the fridge and goes bad - and I need the container. So I dumped it down the sink and moved on.

Today, after a lot of thought, I decided to approach juicing differently for now.  I'm going to juice items separately (for the most part.) Especially items I'm not sure about liking. That way I don't ruin a whole batch of juice.

Today I made pineapple juice, apple juice, carrot juice, and orange juice. I'm fruit heavy right now - I'll ease into veggies as I get more comfortable with this process.

Today's juices got combined this way:

Pineapple-Orange
Apple-Carrot-Pineapple
Carrot-Pineapple

I'm happy with the tastes - sweet but the carrot comes through. So does the pineapple. I'm pleased with this batch! Hopefully tomorrow's lunch will be much better than today's!

For dinner tonight I had a cheese quesadilla, banana, and juice (cranberry-pomegranate-orange/store bought.) I'm not trying to eliminate dairy right now. I feel the need to add fruits and veggies into my diet through juicing. Maybe once school is out I can go for a more "juice only" diet for a while.  We'll see.

I felt good today - tired at times (but I was up late last night!) After dinner tonight I nearly napped on the bed - but a certain 9 year old needed help formatting her interview in Word. Saved by homework!

The Beginning: My Juicing Journey

Over Spring Break (April 6 - 15) I signed up for a Netflix free trial. (LOVE!) I happened to find the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

Life changing.

The gist is that this guy, Joe, has gained a bunch of weight, takes a bunch of pills, and - get this - has CHRONIC HIVES. Sound familiar? He gets checked by a doctor and then goes on a juice-only diet for 60 days. In the end, he even helps another guy (Phil) do the same thing. Joe came off all his meds and lost a bunch of weight. So inspiring.

So I spent some time thinking about it - juice fasting. And realized that with my current life style I just couldn't go with no food. There's too much right now - testing in 8 days, remediation after that, being a "single mom" 5 nights a week while my husband works. So I did some research and decided that I'd replace my meals of Instant Breakfast (breakfast and lunch) with juice. Also, I'd eliminate junk foods from my diet.

Then I had to face facts - how was I going to get money for a juicer?

Lucky for me, I got some money for my birthday and then some more for our wedding anniversary. Since my husband had spent the Christmas money to fix his car he told me to spend the Anniversary money on a juicer.

After all, spending $128 (plus fruits and veggies) is WAY cheaper than doctors to diagnose my hives.

So, I ordered the juicer (with a 20% off coupon) from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. And began the "Did it come?!" dance every day. Until yesterday!

After a quick trip to Walmart for produce (don't judge!), this is what my Twitter stream looked like:



I was seriously so excited. I got up this morning and had a glass of fruit juice - wonderful.  Until lunch time rolled around - and I discovered that what I thought "fixed" the juice last night, hadn't.  It was still pretty awful.

So I've learned my lesson - I don't like celery. At all.  That made me much more cautious about juicing today. But that's another post.

Have you ever juiced? What are your favorite recipes? Please share tips and tricks in the comments!

By The Numbers...

Claritin - 3 small boxes @ $4, 2 bottles @ $7 = $12 + $14 = $26
Benedryl - 3 bottles @ $4 = $12
Zyrtec - 4 boxes @ $5 = $20
Drugs total: approximately $58

Family Doctor Copay - $30 (6 vials of blood)
Specialist Copay - $70 (12 vials of blood)
Insurance Deductible - $200 (for labs)
Doctor/Insurance Total: $300 + 18 vials of blood

3 tubes of Eucerin Calming Creme @ $10 each = $30
1 bottle of Eucerin Calmin Itch Relief @ $7 = $7
2 bottles of Eucerin Calming Body wash @ $7 each = $14
Many packets of oatmeal bath in the early days = $10
Various tubes of creams and ointments = $20
Skin total: approximately $81

Approximate Grand Total: $449 + 18 vials of blood (and counting!)

4 months or 136 days with hives, pain, and general illness.

No answers. Is it any wonder I'm frustrated and just want to hide and CRY?

(I am counting from approximately November 12, 2011 since I don't feel like digging through my Twitter history to find when I first started complaining of hives.)

Read the beginning part of the story here.

Today (or How I Cooked My Way to Exhaustion)

Here are some images from my day. It was... busy. Friday night and this morning were our mega-trips to STOCK the pantry and freezer. And then I cook for a day to be able to take it easy for about a month :) Good trade, right?

 This is actually from last night's trip to Sam's Club. And I didn't get it. But this WILL BE my birthday cake... or heads will roll! Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting with chocolate pieces all over the top. YUM!

 The best chicken EVER. Garlic, rosemary, salt liberally, lemon slices and juice, drizzle w/veg oil. Roast about an hour. Let sit in juices!!! at least 30 minutes before slicing. I use this chicken as a meal on its own, for quesadillas, for chicken alfredo, and for chicken and noodles. I let it cool and cut into appropriate sized chunks. Bag, tag, and freeze. Thaw or use frozen :)

 Sorry it's sideways. Blogger won't let me rotate it. 2 trays of chicken fajitas :) Ready to throw in the oven.

 Ground beef for tacos, sloppy joes, Hamburger Helper, or quesadillas.  Used some of today's 10lbs to make a shepard's pie (below) and 2 trays of stuffed shells (jumbo pasta shells, cheddar cheese, meat. Top w/spaghetti sauce) All of it went into the deep freeze to use in the next month :)

Shepard's pie: meat, peas, corn in a gravy, topped with mashed potatoes.

 Beginnings of potato soup. Also includes some chicken, onions, and garlic. Cooked chicken, onions, and garlic first. Added homemade stock (made from Xmas turkey) and potatoes. Boiled/simmered for about 30-45 minutes. Ran through the food processor, added some milk and LOTS of cheese :)

 Lots of potato soup for the freezer. Already ate one of the small containers on the left for dinner tonight.

 Potato soup MUST be served in a bread bowl. Or a bread mug since this chunk was a funny shape :)

So today was crazy busy - here are the numbers:

• 12 chicken breasts roasted (about 4 meals worth)
• 2 trays of chicken fajitas
• 10lbs ground beef yielded:
• 1 Shepard's Pie
• 2 trays of stuffed shells
• 5 gallon sized bags of ground meat
• 1 giant pot (approx 10-12 servings) of Potato Soup w/chicken & cheese

• Cooked for 3 hours
• Shopped for 4 hours
• Ready for February :)

The bonus is tomorrow? I can veg (and grade papers...)

So there is a glimpse of one of my tricks. What are your tricks to get healthy meals on the table quick?

Strangeness - An Account of My Hives (LONG!)

Fair warning: This post will probably be a big downer. Read at your own risk. ALSO: It is L.O.N.G.

I've been having lots of issues since my last post. Most of them are physical, which leads to mental and emotional complications.  I'm not in a good place, mentally or physically, as 2011 draws to a close.  I'm feeling extremely frustrated - and absolutely scared out of my skull.  Here are some details.

I've been under a fair amount of stress at work this semester. So when I broke out in hives in early November, I kind of wrote it off to that. Then I realized it may be an allergic reaction to an herbal tea (sad panda!)  I got rid of the tea and hoped for rapid improvement.

There was some - but never for long.  I consulted my mom (a retired nurse with 41 years of experiences in ALL kinds of places) who advised me to go on Claritin around the clock.  Combined with some good lotion (shout out to @EucerinUS for their awesome products!) and oatmeal baths and benedryl creams and hydrocortisone creams... I reached a point of live-ability.  I wasn't cured or really even better - but I could function on a day to day basis.

Then I got sick. Initially it was a cold but it turned into a sinus infection.  Off to the doctor I went, where I recounted my issues (we think it was the chamomile in the tea).  The doctor was a sweetie and prescribed me a 5 day course of Zithromax and orders to keep taking the claritins.  This was Saturday, December 10.

Sunday evening we played games as a family and I noticed my mouth felt strange.  The family commented that it looked like I'd been smacked in the lip.  Sure enough, over the course of a few hours, my bottom lip, cheek, and top lip started to swell. I called my mom who told me to call the doctor on call for my practice. I felt bad (even though it was only 8:30 on a Sunday night) but I called.  The doctor called back almost immediately and asked all sorts of questions. I was told to stop the Zithromax immediately and to take both a Claritin and some benedryl. He said to call his office the next day to check in and to go to the ER if the swelling didn't respond to the extra meds.

By mid-day the following day, the swelling was gone.  I checked in with his nurse and all was well.  Until Tuesday night, December 13.  I felt the swelling start in my top lip that night.  I took benedryls and claritins and went to bed with an ice pack.  But in the morning my lip was no better. It was so swollen that there were blisters on the inside of my lip (near my teeth) from the swelling and stretching.  I went to work and did the best I could.  Finally, after the pestering of my students and colleagues, I called the doctor's office. I got someone to cover my class and left.

This was possibly the fastest doctor visit of my life - no waiting to be called, hadn't even finished paying my copay when they called me back! I entered the exam room and chatted with the nurse - and when she left the doctor immediately came in. We chatted and she looked me over.  She gave me another Rx - this time for a short acting anitbiotic, while keeping our fingers crossed that I wouldn't react to it.  And she gave me a steroid shot - to help me cope with the Zithromax reaction and boost me over the hump.  It worked! Within 24 hours I felt great - very little itching, no swelling, and my cold symptoms finally cleared up.

I went to Walmart that Friday (16th) and got some Zyrtec.  I added it to my routine which looks something like this:

• 6am (school days) - shower, slather with lotion, hit hive-y areas with benedryl cream and hydrocortisone cream, take a claritin
• all day - my creams and lotions are within reach - on my desk, night table, in my purse, lunch box, school bag, coat pocket.
• 9pm (or bedtime) - more lotion and creams, Zyrtec, and sometimes a single benedryl (even though I know lots of info online says don't take them together, I've had to)

I found another great Eucerin product - it is amazing. I've been using it every other day as a total body wash - including a shampoo. It is called Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil.  Some folks complained of a bad scent - honestly I can't tell any scent at all.  And realistically, if it worked, it could smell like a garbage dump for all I'd care.  The lotion I use is called  Eucerin Calming Cream. It is nice and thick and covers well. The only drawback for both these items is the price - the body was was $7 and the lotion was $10. One giant tube of lotion lasted a month, with heavy use... I can't say how long the body wash will last.

So, where am I now?  Well, after having been on the Zyrtec and Claritin combos for almost 2 weeks, I was in a good place. I forgot my claritin on Xmas day and had a really bad time.  I've started having angioedema (swelling related to deep hives) in recent days as well as hives breaking through the meds.  My mom convinced me to go off meds and see what happened.  Well, I didn't even make it 24 hours.  By hour 20, I was itchy and red on my legs and it only got worse. At about hour 23 I took 2 benedryls and a zyrtec. Today has been a fight to get the meds back into my system and to keep from scratching.

I know I need to see a doctor. But I also know most tests doctors run will come back with false results due to the amounts of meds in my system. So I'm stuck in a bad place.  I've eliminated anything new from my diet... now I'm looking at old stuff whose ingredients may have changed. I'm looking at things like eggs as potential culprits. I gave away or tossed many of my Xmas gifts from my students - because I'm SCARED. I'm worried about what might be the next thing that makes the reaction worse... bad enough to send me to the hospital. And that makes me worry about MONEY. Testing and doctors and medicines take lots of it. And I'm terrified that the doctors will uncover the root cause of my hives - and that it will be something awful. (Do you KNOW how many diseases and conditions have HIVES as a symptom? Here's a partial list: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac disease, even some forms of breast cancers! Stay away from Google!)

I looked for a funny cartoon or image... but there isn't one. And honestly, there's nothing funny about what I'm going through.  If you would - do me a favor.  Any info you have, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant - please pass it along. I need to connect with some folks who have experienced chronic hives - and who have come out the other side. Thanks.

For grins and giggles (videos of ME!)

I was at a workshop today (and again tomorrow) when I got a text message that my first class was "out of their minds." Gotta love that! So after talking to a colleague on the way home, I decided to make a video to be shown to the students tomorrow.  And I had so much fun making that one, I decided to make one praising my other 2 classes for behaving appropriately.  Enjoy the videos - and please pardon my:

• crazy facial expressions (bug eyes anyone? and why does it look like I talk out of the corner of my mouth???)
• slightly crooked appearance (stinky old tripod!)
• accent
• wild curly hair

Let's hope tomorrow is a better day for the one class and another fantastic one for the other 2!