I have watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" more than a few times. I have toyed with the idea of a juice or smoothie fast on many occasions, and I think that now is the time. I have always put it off because "the holidays were coming", it was "too stressful to think about a smoothie fast" or some other reason that seemed to be an impediment to my getting serious and starting.
On Youtube, I came across Kitten, The Juice Pirate. She is such a nifty person, and is such an inspiration to me. She has answered many questions, and is soooooo enthusiastic! Check out her Youtube page... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AJatcP0uMU&list=UUE0MiNGf_oTL5DBlZUGunHg
I have watched this guy a couple of times, and he is inspiring to me... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjt3bxyKcCI
I am, by my nature, a person that likes to do things in a nice, metered, way. Committing to juicing for an extended period of time is daunting, but it is something that has begun to speak to me on a very primal level.
Soooo.. Last night, I was looking at 2 bags of kale and thinking to myself, "Now is the time." I am going to go for a 10 day green smoothie fast, and if that works, then a 30 day, then, if that is going well, a 60 day. If I am still feeling good at 60 days, I will go to 100 days.
I just might be crazy, but I figure if I am healthy, and the doctor is good with the plan (and he is) I can do this healthfully.
Today is Day #1 - I woke up and used my Nutribullet in order to make 2 green smoothies. They were identical, each of them containing;
1 banana
4 large strawberries
1/4 cup of blueberries
1 very large handful of kale
Filtered water to the "max" line (I would guess 2 cups)
1/2 cucumber
drizzle of olive oil
chia seeds
Luckily, I really like the taste of kale, spinach, and other greens, and have not had to "get over" the taste of the green smoothies. They are naturally tasty to me.
I also found this young woman's Youtube page, and think that she is informative and engaging. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D707pPrBWGc
Some of the tips that she gives has been helpful to me. Having too much juice (in my case smoothie) at my disposal so that I am not tempted to surrender my green smoothie momentum is something that I had not thought about. Making a gallon of smoothie, and having the goal of close to a gallon of water intake per day seems doable to me. I will keep you posted! :-)
t
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Groceries 1/21/2014
Cooks Natural Market
Larabar Uber 1.59 x 3 $ 4.77
Paleo Bread 8.99 x 2 $17.98
TOTAL $22.75
Aldi
Lettuce 2 x 1.99 $ 3.98
Zucchini 4 x 1.59 $ 6.36
Celery $ 1.19
Baby Bella Mushrooms 5 x .99 $ 4.95
Banana 14.51 lbs @ .29 per lb $ 4.21
Tomatoes 3 x1.49 per 4 pack $ 4.47
Eggs 6 x 1.59 per dz $ 9.54
Guachamole 2 x 2.99 $ 5.98
Iceberg Lettuce 3 x 99 $ 2.97
Cabbage $ 1.29
Tomato Sauce 6 x .25 $ 1.50
Diced Tomatoes 9 x .59 $ 5.31
Spiral String Cheese $ 2.49
String Cheese Stick 2 x 2.69 $ 5.38
Shredded Cheese 4 x 3.29 $13.16
Hot Dogs 3 x .75 $ 2.25
Minced Garlic $ 1.99
Sour Cream 2 x 1.29 $ 2.58
Cottage Cheese 4 x 2.29 $ 9.16
Deli Meats 3 x 3.29 $ 9.87
Sliced Cheese 3 x 1.99 $ 5.97
Almond Milk 2 x 2.49 $ 4.98
Cinnamon $ .99
Butter Quarters $ 2.49
Fresh Mozzarella 2 x 2.69 $ 5.38
Caesar Dressing 2 x 1.39 $ 2.78
Large Pitted Olives 2 x .99 $ 1.98
Fruit Twists $ 1.99
Raisins Canister $ 2.79
Golden Raisins $ 2.49
Applesauce Cups 2 x 1.59 $ 3.18
Trail Mix 2 x 1.99 $ 3.98
Dried Fruit Mix 2 x 1.99 $ 3.98
Natural Trail Mix 2 x 5.99 $ 11.98
Onions 2 x 1.69 $ 3.38
Dried Berries $ 2.49
Cashew Halves 2 x 2.59 $ 5.18
TOTAL = $ 164.64
I managed to get pretty far into January without going to the store for anything more than toiletries. After purchasing several hams and turkeys, I did not have a whole heck of a lot of room in my freezer for more purchases. I utilized many of the frozen veggies in my freezer to make dinners, so I have been able to avoid the grocers for the first few weeks of 2014. YAY!
I am not sure if I am going to attempt to do a 365 Day spending freeze. I will keep you posted if I do decide.
t
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Fallen off the face of the planet... sorry...
Sorry, I fell off the face of the planet, folks. Life got busy, the holidays happened, and we had a family emergency that threw us all off kilter. Things are better now, and I have time to sit and write again.
Rather than going item by item, I am going to do an overview of the remainder of the year.
September - $26.38 in un-budgeted expenses
After church one Sunday in September, the girls and I went to Centerton Inn. It is a local breakfast/lunch place that we occasionally splurge at. They know us, we live in a small town, and they let me substitute extra bacon in exchange for the hash browns.
Groceries for September - $570.49
$ 96.83
$ 5.96
$ 58.84
$143.28
$ 64.37
$201.21
$570.49
I thought that was a bit much, then I remembered that August's grocery total was pretty low, so I looked it back up, and it was $152.99, so a rebound amount that is a little large makes sense.
SNAP is $688.00 - $570.49 = $117.51 rollover for the month. Added to the previous rollover amount from the rest of the year of $1076.43, and I have a rollover total of $1,193.94 to go into the holidays with. YAY!
October - i have no idea anymore if I had un-budgeted expenses. Sorry. That is actually the case for the rest of the year. I did not hold onto any receipts like I had been.
Groceries for October - $418.38
$210.15
$141.01
$ 42.73
$ 5.41
$ 19.08
$418.38
SNAP $688.00 - $418.38 = $269.62 added to the rollover amount from above:
$269.62 + $1,193.94 = $1,463.56
November - un-budgeted expenses not tracked again. Sorry.
Groceries for November - $900.85
$ 30.49
$ 207.93
$ 312.17
$ 214.19
$ 136.07
$ 900.85
The most expensive grocery trip included 6 turkeys and 7 hams for the deep freeze to be nibbled on during the rest of the year. After Thanksgiving, they go on sale, and I try to grab a few every year to be eaten over the first few months of the following year, so 2014 has some treats in the deep freeze for it. :-)
SNAP $688.00 - 900.85 = -$212.85 to be taken from total rollover. $1463.56 - $212.85 = $1,250.71
December - no expenses. Sorry.
Groceries for December -
$ 58.69
$ 342.69
$ 401.38
SNAP $688.00 - $ 401.38 = $ 286.62 + $1250.71 = $1537.33 total rollover for the year.
In 2014, I am going to start focusing on increasing the amounts of meat from grass fed sources. I am going to work on getting away from feedlot beef, and conventionally raised animals. That will inevitably raise my monthly food bill, but I am still going to try to keep it under the SNAP allocation for a family of 4 in my home state of Arkansas. That amount has gone down to $632.00 per month for 2014.
If $632.00 had been the amount for 2013, I would have had a rollover amount of only $865.33.
$688.00 - $632.00 = $56.00 per month difference x 12 months = $672 difference over the course of a year. $672.00. That is more than a whole month in benefit less. I am blessed in the fact that I do not rely on the SNAP program. If necessary, I could absolutely go over $688 or $632 every single month, I am not restricted to an amount governed by averages.
t
Rather than going item by item, I am going to do an overview of the remainder of the year.
September - $26.38 in un-budgeted expenses
After church one Sunday in September, the girls and I went to Centerton Inn. It is a local breakfast/lunch place that we occasionally splurge at. They know us, we live in a small town, and they let me substitute extra bacon in exchange for the hash browns.
Groceries for September - $570.49
$ 96.83
$ 5.96
$ 58.84
$143.28
$ 64.37
$201.21
$570.49
I thought that was a bit much, then I remembered that August's grocery total was pretty low, so I looked it back up, and it was $152.99, so a rebound amount that is a little large makes sense.
SNAP is $688.00 - $570.49 = $117.51 rollover for the month. Added to the previous rollover amount from the rest of the year of $1076.43, and I have a rollover total of $1,193.94 to go into the holidays with. YAY!
October - i have no idea anymore if I had un-budgeted expenses. Sorry. That is actually the case for the rest of the year. I did not hold onto any receipts like I had been.
Groceries for October - $418.38
$210.15
$141.01
$ 42.73
$ 5.41
$ 19.08
$418.38
SNAP $688.00 - $418.38 = $269.62 added to the rollover amount from above:
$269.62 + $1,193.94 = $1,463.56
November - un-budgeted expenses not tracked again. Sorry.
Groceries for November - $900.85
$ 30.49
$ 207.93
$ 312.17
$ 214.19
$ 136.07
$ 900.85
The most expensive grocery trip included 6 turkeys and 7 hams for the deep freeze to be nibbled on during the rest of the year. After Thanksgiving, they go on sale, and I try to grab a few every year to be eaten over the first few months of the following year, so 2014 has some treats in the deep freeze for it. :-)
SNAP $688.00 - 900.85 = -$212.85 to be taken from total rollover. $1463.56 - $212.85 = $1,250.71
December - no expenses. Sorry.
Groceries for December -
$ 58.69
$ 342.69
$ 401.38
SNAP $688.00 - $ 401.38 = $ 286.62 + $1250.71 = $1537.33 total rollover for the year.
In 2014, I am going to start focusing on increasing the amounts of meat from grass fed sources. I am going to work on getting away from feedlot beef, and conventionally raised animals. That will inevitably raise my monthly food bill, but I am still going to try to keep it under the SNAP allocation for a family of 4 in my home state of Arkansas. That amount has gone down to $632.00 per month for 2014.
If $632.00 had been the amount for 2013, I would have had a rollover amount of only $865.33.
$688.00 - $632.00 = $56.00 per month difference x 12 months = $672 difference over the course of a year. $672.00. That is more than a whole month in benefit less. I am blessed in the fact that I do not rely on the SNAP program. If necessary, I could absolutely go over $688 or $632 every single month, I am not restricted to an amount governed by averages.
t
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