Tina Radcliffe Juices Her Way to Writer Health

Tina Radcliffe Juices Her Way to Writer Health

I’ve got the juice bug. Inspired by Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, the movie (available on YouTube for free right now, also free for Amazon Prime and available on Netflix free streaming), I purchased a Breville Juice Fountain Plus and began my REBOOT!

I started last Monday and I’ll tell you how it REALLY was. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I spent napping or wishing I could be put out of my misery. I was in severe caffeine, processed sugar, flour, and processed food in general WITHDRAWAL. No less pain than a junkie. Trust me. Severe headaches as I was a total java addict.

By Wednesday afternoon I was beginning to show signs of surviving detox.

Thursday I felt great. Not just good but great with lots of energy I haven’t had in a long time. I’m going as long as I can on this juice fast, but don’t let that intimidate you. You can juice one meal, two meals or check out the three day and five day REBOOT on the Reboot with Joe website.

Basically, it’s five 16 oz. juices a day, 80 percent veggies and 20 percent fruit. A fruit only juice is recommended in the am only as it will raise your blood sugar and plunge it.  I started working my way up to five juices. Frankly three was filling me up. But it’s good to have options if you are hungry. Strangely enough, I am NEVER hungry.  I have a few cups of hot water with lemon in the am, herbal tea at night and lots of water during the day, including a pitcher of TAZO tea (unsweetened) that I keep in the fridge.

As far as recipes there great juice recipes on the Reboot site, and many come with the Breville, and you can get this free for Kindle juice recipe book on Amazon-.Breville Health Full Life: Juice Recipes for the Juice Fountain® Plus. There’s some REALLY good stuff in there, obviously valuable no matter what kind of juicer you have.

It’s trial and error to find what you like and what gags you.  Also, if a fruit or veggie is on sale I buy it and then go home and go to the Reboot site and search for a recipe to use it in.

Here’s my yummy breakfast today:

Spiced Celery, Apple and Carrot

4 celery stalks

2 apples (red)

3 inch piece of fresh ginger

3 carrots whole and unpeeled

Clean up is easy. I toss the parts in a sink of warm water to soak while I drink and then clean them and let them air dry. The pulp is collecting in a shopping bag on the side of the machine. You can use it for cooking, compost or toss it.

Serve your juices over ice, at least until your taste buds acclimate.

Another favorite recipe?

Apple, strawberry, pineapple and cabbage with lemon!!

BTW on a side note, I am trying to send an author friend to REAL REBOOT CAMP. So if you have a chance, go and vote for her here.

So what do you think? Is juicing in your future? Have any questions?

Tina Radcliffe is a Love Inspired author who resides in Arizona. Her latest release is Mending the Doctor’s Heart. You can find her at www.tinaradcliffe.com

I Need a Leash on my Camera and my Remote Control

Or at least a "find handset" button like you have on a phone.... You know, a button you press that then signals you where the device is hiding this time.

I lose my camera constantly. And then it shows up in some obscure spot and I get that light-bulb "Oh, yeah!!!" moment of clarity (which are all too few lately).

I blame the puppies.

Really, you can LOSE yourself in puppies. It's totally doable.  Just check this out:

This was long-haired me with Maddie when she was a puppy.... How stinkin' nice are puppy kisses, right???

And that's son Seth and beautiful daughter-in-law Lacey behind me.

So here's the current batch of puppies...

This was taken a few weeks ago when there were about two weeks old....

And look at what six additional weeks brings:

 How stinkin' cute is this??? Look at her hamming it up for me!

And here is her brother, lovin' up on Beth.... Puppy kisses rule!!!!

We've been eating emergency rations these past weeks. Frittata. Tuna fish. Grilled something with grilled something else veggie-style. Pasta sauce. Because puppies are work....

And they don't get easier as they get older because they want to chase cats... follow children and construction workers... and eat.

They eat a lot.

Which means... well. I'll let you figure that out, LOL! So while I'll miss having puppies around because of their cuteness factor to the max.... I won't miss the extra morning and evening work!

The truth?

I'd rather write.

I love making up stories. I love writing them down. I love revising, editing, brain-picking.... I love the blessing of the Holy Spirit on my heart and my words. And as much as I love puppies, I'll breathe easier once they're safely at their new homes. Keeping one puppy safe and sound is a job.

Keeping ten of them that way?  The words "great exercise" come to mind, LOL!

I keep saying this is the last litter. I think I mean it. But every now and again the urge comes upon me to take care of babies... That inherent nurturer inside.

Libby understands me. This is Libby, our Standard Poodle. She's nursing Maddie's puppies a couple of years ago. What a nice friend, right? Yup.

Born Nurturer.

We need to do something about that. There must be a way to QUASH the nurturer.

Please.

Save me from myself. Make me realize that it's okay to STOP the baby producing madness....

But, oh...

:)

Puppy breath.

Puppy eyes....

Puppy whimpers....

Stinkin' cute. And that's how they SUCK YOU IN.... by being that cute.

Of course the kid's not too bad herself!

Tell me if you're a dog person.... Because despite my best efforts, I am...

Sigh...

A dog person.

Ooh La La! Macarons and A French Obsession

Hello, everybody!

 The Fresh Pioneer is back and I've got some fun eats for you! Edna and I were just reminiscing over our very favorite desserts of all time. That's what we do around here. No stimulating conversations over politics or religion. Favorite desserts is our topic of choice.

  When I lived in France, I lived in the North where they used almond paste for almost every dish. But every now and then I had something truly different. One day a friend of mine brought me a macaron. (I tried to find her on facebook, but there are a lot of Stephanie Michels out there and it's hard to tell what someone would look like at nearly forty when you knew them at 13. So, Stephanie, I really, really loved that macaron! And now I'm going to try and make my own.)

 Apparently there's a real science to it. I suppose I should have researched it a bit before I started. For one thing, it's NOT a rainy day activity. Which makes no sense. If it wasn't raining, we'd be at the park, not in the kitchen!!

 Anyway...

1 1/2 cups ground almonds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 300F.

(I used almonds with skins. I think you're not supposed to use almonds with skins because my nut flour had little dark specks and the other pictures don't have those specks. That's my theory. The other theory is that the internet is a big fraud and no on can be that perfect.)

Edna went to work on 4 large egg whites, room temperature. She was singing a lovely song. You can listen to it here. Sing it, Edna!

 So, she got the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks.
 Slowly add 2/3 cup sugar.
 Then we stirred in the nut and powdered sugar mixture, just until it was mixed.

 Then, I put it in a pastry bag and piped it onto a cookie sheet. Put it in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

While they're cooking, cut some fresh strawberries.

Ok, the oven went off and these looked done. They didn't look right, but they looked done. How do I know? I poked one.

The top should crack and cave in while the inside stays chewy. At this point I'm re-reading instructions because they look a bit... flat. Edna mentions the 'rainy day/ meringue' issue and I agree. Perhaps a sunny day would have a better time to try the elusive macaron. But we are not deterred!!

Leave the macarons on the sheet for 20-30 minutes until cool. Otherwise they will come off the sheet in one piece. Here's one with some whipped topping and strawberries. Verdict?? DELICIOUS. It was almost exactly like I remembered. And hey, that memory was from a long time ago. I'll say this was a success. A bit flat, but still a success.

And of course I had to try and make some cool colors. Here are some blue... with raspberry filling. My kids said it looked like they'd been given a color filter like one of those fancy apps on the phone...

 

So, they were good. An now they're gone. I thin I'll leave you with this picture of the cake my sister made for my birthday last week. DO NOT TRY TO COUNT THE CANDLES. The smoke alarm might have gone off. We might have had to get the fire extinguisher. We might have vacated the house. Or not.

 

Anyway, the cake is vanilla layers with huckleberry cream cheese inside an buttercream frosting for the outside! Huckleberries grow in the mountains where she lives. If you've never had them, they're like tiny blueberries an insanely hard to harvest. You can spend all day picking huckleberries and come home with half a gallon and a number of ticks. Yikes.

 

  But lucky me, I don't have to do any of the hard work. THIS just SHOWS UP at my house! yee-haw! And the picture doesn't do it justice. It was bursting with flavor, partnered with the light vanilla cake and silky smooth butter cream frosting... it was amazing.

 

 So, until next time my dears! Edna waves her beaters and we'll see you in a week!

 

 

I GOT MY COVER!!!!!

No recipes today. Life has gone haywire for me in recent weeks and my days have been spent taking care of my aging mother instead of cooking. Well, I am cooking, just not taking pictures or doing anything fancy. Which is also why I haven't been around much lately.

However, I couldn't miss whisking into the cafe today with some news. Can you guess what it is?

Yeah, okay, so the title of this post probably gave it away. Seeing my very first cover--with my name actually on it--was definitely a bright spot among the chaos of last week. Suddenly, it was real. I actually wrote a book that is going to be on the shelves of many a bookstore. Maybe someone will even buy a copy. Maybe they'll even read it!

So without further ado...



I absolutely love it. And I can't wait to hear what y'all think.

The story takes place in the tiny town of Ouray, Colorado. I had sent my publisher a couple of snapshots I had taken.

Of course, they tweaked them to make it, well, perfect, but kept the essence of Ouray--the Victorian buildings along Main Street and the proximity of the mountains.

Want to hear something funny? When I pitched this story to Melissa Endlich, I first showed her some pictures of my setting. One of which was the first snapshot above. She pointed to it and said, "That's an LI book cover right there."

Who knew her words would so prophetic?

Birthday Cake!

It's Birthday Cake time at our house! This guy turned 21 last week!

Well, yes, that picture IS a few years old, but I don't feel like I'm any older than I was when this picture was taken...um...
/whisper/
nineteen years ago.....

Now he's tall, lanky, shaves, and can drive a car and everything. He also just finished his sophomore year of college.

Where does the time go?

Eagle Scout Project, 2010

On his birthday, this college boy got up and went off to work at 7:00 like he does every day, and never told me what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.

So I got to choose. Baker's prerogative.

I didn't take long to decide on chocolate, so I got out my cookbook - this time it was my trusty Better Homes and Gardens red plaid cookbook from 1982 - and found a recipe.

If you've never baked a cake from scratch, try this recipe. You'll never go back to box mixes again! This is so easy, and the cake is so moist and delicious, you'll love it.




Sour Cream Chocolate Cake


Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour (I always use cake flour for cakes!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cold water

Now one problem was that I had all the ingredients I needed except one - no unsweetened chocolate squares. But it's easy to substitute! I have plenty of cocoa powder...

And yes, that does say 3.5 POUNDS. I love that store....

Anyway, to substitute cocoa powder for unsweetened chocolate, use 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 Tablespoon butter for each ounce chocolate in the recipe.

Here are the steps to making delicious chocolate cake:

1) Let your butter (1/2 cup PLUS 3 Tablespoons if you're using powdered cocoa) warm up to room temperature. 

2) In a separate bowl (not the one you're going to be mixing the cake in), combine the flour, baking soda and salt. This is also where you add the powdered cocoa if you're making that substitution.

3) Prepare your baking dish - 2  round cake pans, or a 9"x13" rectangle, or cupcakes, and pre-heat your oven to 350°.

4) Once the butter is room temperature, use your mixer to beat it for about 30 seconds.

5) Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined

6) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition

7) Mix in the sour cream (and melted and cooled chocolate if you're using that option)

8) Add the dry ingredients and the 1 cup cold water alternately, beating on low speed after each addition until combined

NOTE: step 8 is very important when making a cake from scratch. This is what keeps your cake light. When you add the ingredients, add about 1/4 of the dry mixture, beat, 1/4 cup water, beat, 1/4 of the dry, beat, and so on until all the ingredients are combined.

9) Pour the batter into your pans

10) Bake in a 350° oven for 30-35 minutes or until done. You can insert a toothpick into the center - if it comes out clean, then the cake is done. Or you can use the touch test - lightly touch the top of the cake. If it springs back, it's done, but if a depression remains, you need to bake it a few more minutes.

11) Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pans. Let it cool completely before frosting it.

I frosted our birthday cake with Chocolate Buttercream frosting, and added mini chocolate chips.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

about 2 cups powdered sugar

about 2 Tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

In your mixer, or in a medium bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add about 1/4 cup powdered sugar and vanilla and stir well. Add a splash of milk and combine. Add cocoa powder and combine. Alternate adding milk and sugar until you have enough frosting and it's the consistency you want. Add more milk or sugar as necessary.

The birthday boy wanted to have dinner at Olive Garden. I'm not sure about your family, but no one at our house felt like eating cake after Olive Garden! So we opted to save it for the next day.

Remember how the birthday boy has to be to work by 7:00 am? This is what the cake looked like when I got up the next morning:

We have another birthday coming up at our house next week. How should we celebrate this one?

Getting Past the Pasta

Growing up I looked forward to spaghetti made with Spatini spaghetti sauce mix, my mom’s cottage cheese lasagna, and her gumbo served over rice. I miss stuffed shells, ravioli, mac and cheese, even Kraft out of the blue box. No Olive Garden either. Sniff. Whaa.  Okay, I am over it. Sort of.

Ten years ago, when I first gave up wheat pasta due to my allergies, I substituted yucky, mushy rice pasta elbows for everything I missed. Not much on the grocery shelves back then and I was desperate.  Now there are plenty of options. Lasagna noodles, jumbo shells, the fancy twirly kind. Even the texture has improved.

But I discovered rice’s dirty little secret and it wasn’t carbs. It was, GASP, Arsenic! 

What did you say?  Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace!

I had heard about arsenic through the play and the 1944 movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, about two maiden aunts who poisoned old men as an act of "charity." Arsenic was the go-to rat poison back in the day. Did I say it loud enough? RAT POISON.

Sorry, I write WWII stories. The propaganda posters, games and cards are fascinating.

Arsenic in my rice? Here I was, being healthy, eating brown rice products as my sole substitute and I discover “too much of a good thing” is true. Ack! Consumer Reports report on arsenic and rice here

Have I scared you? Read the report and calm down. But only a little.  Let's face it, carbs are carbs. Even without the warning, I was still not losing the weight I needed to lose. Too many carbs.

But, but, but! What to do? I couldn't go cold turkey on spaghetti sauce! What about Mom's lasagna? 

That's when Pinterest saved me.  If you don't know what Pinterest is, go here Seekerville Pinterest article and then come back. I will wait for you.

I learned there are plenty of folks dealing with the same struggles. They have found ways around giving up pasta:

Broccoli slaw for rice.  Need to know more about broccoli slaw? Read Ruthy's Broccoli Slaw Need-to-know post.

Spaghetti squash for spaghetti noodles.
How to cook spaghetti squash

Veggies, you know what these are, right?

Notice a theme here. Fresh veggies replace pasta! Veggies, those things that grow in gardens and don't come in a box. Veggies, those things loaded with vitamins and fiber.  Revelation!

And zucchini squash for lasagna! So I set about creating my own lasagna recipe to suit my tastes.

First I peeled zucchini and then just kept slicing it with the veggie peeler.  You can also use a mandolin cutter to get wider strips or one of those crazy things AS SEEN ON TV.

Lots of options for shredding your veggies.

Then, and this is the most important part. Lay the strips on paper towels and cover with more paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Let them sit for about 30 minutes. Pasta will absorb water in recipes but veggies contribute to it and you will end up with a more liquidy recipe than you probably want if you skip this step. Do NOT skip this step!

Substitute the strips in your favorite lasagna recipe. Just use less sauce since the "noodles" will make things a bit soupy and cook about fifteen minutes longer.   And, lookie, just like the real thing!

It slices, looks, and smells like the real thing. And it has more vitamins!

Hope this has helped those who love their pasta but their pasta doesn't love them.

Until next time, The GAL, living the gluten-free and allergy challenged life

Mother's Day Leftovers

Missy, here. We have a running joke in our house about Mom always wanting to eat at "Shaaane's" (said with a very whiny voice). This teasing is due to a past experience where I may or may not have whined about wanting to go eat at Shane's Rib Shack. And where I may or may not have driven straight to Shane's even though the rest of the family chose another restaurant.

Heehee. Don't you love being the driver in control?? It's so easy to hijack the family!

ANYWAY...

On Sunday, Mother's Day, I had the honor of once again being in charge. Gotta love those twice a year occasions (including the birthday) where a poor mother gets her way. So this past Sunday, I got to choose where the family would take me for lunch after church. And guess where I chose...

SHAAAANE'S

No one was surprised. And I had a wonderful lunch of barbecue, mac & cheese and fried okra. We bought the family pack, which gave us a whole pound of pork barbecue. And believe it or not, that meant some leftovers.

So what do you do with leftover barbecue?

I made a salad on Monday!

 Take your favorite lettuces (mine is romaine). Add whatever veggies you want. I only had carrots at the moment. Cucumbers and tomatoes are good. And actually chopped, raw sweet onions are good on this salad. Also, grated cheddar cheese--which I totally forgot about.

Add your leftover barbecue pork or beef or chicken. Top with ranch dressing and drizzle with barbecue sauce. YUM!

A nice reminder of my day at Shane's. :)