Recipe: Pomegranate PUNCH!

We've been fiddling around with juicing Pomegranate seeds, and we came up with this tart and tangy tasty treat!

 

Pomegranate PUNCH! Juice

3 large Carrots

3 Pomegranates (seeds only, not the fluffy white stuff)

3 Red Delicious apples

1 Green Apple

*mix honey or other sweetener in the juice if needed

 

 

Health Update: 2 Months

It's already been two months, though we spent two weeks gaining weight, and another week losing that weight again. So in the real weight loss tally, we should be at 5 weeks!

Anyway, here is our status...

Busy Bee

-total Reboot weight loss of 19 lbs, and at least one pant size

-eczema more controllable

-rare heart palpitations (perhaps due to the food during vacation)

-no stomach aches whatsoever

-heartburn only occurs with the usual citrus culprits

-Gastroenterologist says there is no need for a follow up 

Night Owl

-total Reboot weight loss of 17 lbs

-no difference in eczema

-sugars/A1C level down from 9 to 5.6, which is now the range of a non-diabetic

-has been taken off 3 of his medications

-completely weaned off coffee

-his PCP and diabetes doctors are WOWed by his results!

We're both feeling great, and we want to keep it up! In fact, we've got weights to aim for, to see if we can really do it! Owl wants to hit 160 lbs, and Bee is going to try for 140 lbs. Lets see if we can do it!

Summer and Vacation, Summed Up!

Hi there, Busy Bee here!

It's been a while since I posted. I told you we were busy people! I bet you thought we either quit the juicing, died, or fell off the face of the earth. Well, we haven't... and we're still at it!

So, when I last left you, we had just started exercising and we weren't quite at the level of juice fasting yet. But then we worked harder and kept at it until we got to the point of drinking three Juices and one Smoothie per day, plus an afternoon apple or rice cake, and an evening bowl of fruit. We drank plenty of water, and we both were completely weaned off caffeine, and all of that made a HUGE difference in our weight loss! And symptoms, I might add.

We also worked harder at the exercise part, and we got up to taking three one-hour walks per week, walking an average of 3 miles per walk, burning about 500 calories each time, and by using our handy Endomondo phone app we've been trying to beat our 17-minute mile time! This app is great because it also tells us how much to drink to stay properly hydrated!

Anyway, we kept that up for a few weeks right up until the day our California vacation began, which was June 22. Then it all went downhill from there...

No, actually, we did fairly well considering the circumstances! It was going to be a long trip, just a day shy of two weeks, so we tried to be prepared. We were smart enough to bring along the OmegaVert juicer so we could keep up as much juicing as possible.

Aww, it made it through Security!

So we started each day with a Juice and nothing else. No fluffy steaming Chinese baus (buns) filled with roast pork or buttery sweet coconut. No Chinese dahn tats (egg custard pies). Not this time. That would have been our usual San Francisco treat. And before we went off to play for the day, we would walk for an hour to burn off the calories we'd be ingesting later on. We even walked across the Golden Gate bridge one day!

Yep, we walked from this side, to that side!

The sidewalks are NOT wide enough for
four lanes of traffic!

We still went for lunch to our favorite spots, eating our favorite items (even the ones with meat!) though we certainly ate less of it, and we stuffed ourselves with as many veggies as possible during each meal. We generally skipped an afternoon dessert, with three exceptions, and we only had to get coffee once because we were away from the juicer and there were no juice bars in the area. (Disneyland, you need to GET ON THIS JUICING BUS!) For dinner, we tried to eat mostly vegetarian when there was the option, with the exception of a few regular favorites we like to have when we visit each year. And we only went out once for a late night dessert! Typically, this would nearly be a daily thing during our San Fran visit!

Though we slowly gained some weight (Bee gained about 5 lbs and Owl gained about 10 lbs), we also gained some food knowledge! We visited some friends in Santa Barbara, and they introduced us to this lovely place called Backyard Bowls. They made the BEST oatmeal, (which we learned how to make and we'll share the recipe with you soon) and smoothies and something called an Acai berry bowl. It's a frozen concoction made of blended Brazilian Acai berries with the texture of thick, melted sorbet, and topped with all sorts of healthy items such as granola, honey, and fruit. It was FABULOUS.

The one with the bananas is oatmeal!

This one had broccoli and spinach blended into it!

We're going to fiddle around with some recipes and try making our own, and I'll definitely share it with you once we've mastered it! And we also found some tasty snacks to eat for when we need something to crunch on once in a while, and I'll be sharing those things too.

It was hard going back home to straight Juice, so we had to re-wean ourselves off the solids all over again. We tried the hard core way but both Owl and I got really snappy, so we had some vegan meals and I decided to finish off the frozen waffles while he ate a few handfuls of nuts. But, finally, after nine days, we're back to where we left off before vacation, both in weight and in habits. Today is a mostly Juice day, and tomorrow we'll be back to our usual exercise routine!

AND YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE OUR HEALTH UPDATE!!! I never thought in our life that we'd be able to make the progress we have been making now. I had hoped, that's for sure, but I never truly believed we could become so healthy. We're foodies at heart and we can't give it all up permanently. So we will be good all year long knowing that on certain times of the year, we can have whatever we want. (In case you are wondering, these are the days we shall look forward to: Our two vacations per year, Each day of our birthdays, Our anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chinese New Year. Maybe Easter. No leftovers, either.)

We don't want to sabotage all the good we've done for ourselves, so we're going to keep at it! And we think YOU should, too! It takes lots little baby steps to get from where you are now to your goals in the future. It takes a lot of patience, and some failure, some bad moods and some serious lows. But it gives back ten times the amount in energy, happiness, and feeling good! Not to mention the long, healthy life we'll get to live!

Thanks for reading- I'll buzz ya later!
~Bee

Week 4 of Partial Reboot!

Sunday, July 8th, marked the last day of Week 4 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods/meals must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no refined sugars (we use honey, agave nectar or TruVia), no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast (which is fine, because they are fruits after all!).
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


Oh-my-gosh, I can't believe we've been doing this for a whole MONTH already!!!

Even though we are busy, we've been able to manage the Juicing. We've learned to make our Juice at night for the next day in a big batch, and store it in either glass or metal containers so as not to get plastic leached into our juice. (The whole point is to weed out the poisons!) We really like using these Klean Kanteens for storage and transport! They are pricey, but durable and the lids screw on super tight, so we don't need to worry about spillage.

Owl told me I get a lot of strange looks from our customers while I drink my Juice at work... They're always so surprised that what I'm drinking is not only healthy, but it also doesn't have any booze in it! They can look all they want- hopefully they'll notice I'm shrinking in size as well.

We're doing well staying on the Vegan track so far, with the exception that our cooks at work make our stir-fry veggie dishes with chicken stock. That's a bummer, but I'm pretty sick of the Chinese flavor anyway, so we're going to have to find some new things to eat at work.

Actually... Owl has been talking about trying a true Juice Fast again, and soon!

We have a vacation coming up, and we really want to lose more weight over the next two weeks. We've got some flax wraps, about a gazillion pounds of home made guacamole, and a few non-juiceable fruits (I REFUSE to juice perfectly good cherries!) still in the house, so perhaps once all that stuff is gone, we'll give it a try again!

Also, we've been trying to balance out our Juice recipes so that we aren't taking in too much sugar with the fruits. We learned from John the Juicer these awesome tips, below:

The rules to a good Green Juice are...
1. Start with one of these mild yet juicy Bases: zucchini/squash, cucumber, celery, carrot, apple. Your Juice should be 70% Base.
2. Make the remaining 30% of your Juice with dark, leafy green veggies, such as: kale, swiss/rainbow chard, spinach, collard greens.

Green Juices are supposed to be mainly vegetables. Fruits are supposed to be eaten, mostly, and not juiced. However, we personally enjoy a nice flavorful Juice, so we'll add something that has a flavor kick to it. I like adding kiwis, or pineapple, or a few grapes for sweetness. Ginger, lime, lemon or mint can be added as well!

OH!!! OH!!!! I almost forgot to tell you this...

We've finally started to exercise!!!

Yes, for real and for true! Now that we're lighter, and feeling better, we felt up for a nice walk. And since then, we've been committing to walking three times a week for one hour, outside in our hilly neighborhood! And we've been using this app called Endomondo so we can beat our own record. So far, we can walk 3 miles in one hour, (1 mile in a little over 17 minutes). Isn't that GREAT?!!

Here are some of our other "exciting" moments this week:

My FAVORITE Smoothie <3

Before...

...and After!

Before...

...and After!

Before...

...and After!

Farmer's Marker Organic versus Store Bought.
FM wins taste contest!

Berry SLUDGE... FAIL.
Not even going to share this recipe! Ugh!

Before...

...a foamy After!

This particular mixture includes mint, and it was a little weird.
Someone might like it out there so it'll be in the Recipe Box!

Fun with watermelon!

Do you realize how MASSIVE that blackberry is?!?!?!!

Anyway, thanks for reading! Good luck with your own Reboot experience!

Some New Changes!

Hi there, Bee here!

There are going to be a few new changes to OwlBeeHealthy!

Firstly, I will be writing in First Person from now on. Third Person takes too much brain work when I'm already super busy anyway! As if you hadn't already guessed who was writing this whole time...

Secondly, I will be posting WEEKLY updates versus daily updates, to save on time!

Lastly, all new recipes will be in their own little post, so I can categorize them better. If I mention in a blog post a recipe name, there will be a link that will take you to the recipe!

I will continue to do the Health Updates, for weight loss numbers and other important health stuff.

And some new additions will include things like:
-Clean Food items that are processed but safe to eat in a vegan/ForksOverKnives diet;
-An Ingredient Index to provide information about a fruit or vegetable, legume or grain, and how to use them;
-Some Mostly Healthy Cheats for when you're feeling naughty and want to reward yourself;
-And knowing me, the Busy Bee that I am, probably more stuff once I think of it!

ALSO....

We've been slowly converting some friends and family to the Juicing life! I want to take this moment right here to say THANK YOU for reading our posts, and we're SUPER happy that you're trying to be healthier too! We're in this thing together, and if WE can do it, you SO can too!

Anyway, off to the next post about this past week! :D

oh, and this is new, too!
It means "Love, Bee!"

Day 23 of Partial Reboot

Tuesday, July 3rd, marked Day 23 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast.
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


Breakfast: this new Juice was pulpy, and yummy!

turn your head to the right to see this correctly, ha!

Peary Blueberry Juice

Yields 1 Qt (plus a bit more)

1 Zucchini

2 Pears

1 pint Blueberries

5-6 organic Carrots

about 4 leaves of Kale

We went walking for an hour, and it felt great to get outdoors for once! We've only gone on THREE walks in the past FIVE months, which is pathetic. We plan to go walking more often, though our weather usually doesn't cooperate with us on our mornings off.

Lunch time: our new frosty favorite (though it makes us hungrier later on)...

Snack: flax wrap with honey and fresh figs, and yellow cherry tomatoes

Dinner was this new-ish concoction. Newish, because we most likely have had this combination before at some point...

Only TWO kiwis this time, and the flavor was nicely balanced!

Yields this much!

Easy on the Kiwi! Juice

Yields 1 Qt, 2 cups

1 Zucchini

lots of Kale

2 Pears

2 Kiwis

2 cups of Red Globe Grapes (with seeds)

Day 22 of Partial Reboot

Monday, July 2nd, marked Day 22 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast.
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


Breakfast & Lunch: the following concoction was so BITTER we were both gagging as we choked down the Juice. However, we had the leftovers for lunch and it wasn't nearly as bitter. We really can't figure out why...perhaps the white part of the watermelon?

Snack: flax wraps with yellow cherry tomatoes

Dinner: veggie fajitas, with chips... and only a little cheese, and no sour cream. We plan on skipping the dairy from now on!

And the highlight of our day...

Dude, we're nearly vegan, we aren't eating these guys!

We really love watching our lazy squirrels hang out on the deck! :D

Day 21 of Partial Reboot

Sunday, July 1st, marked Day 21 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast.
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


Breakfast: Orange Shmorange

Lunch: stir-fried summer squash and broccoli with cashews and tofu

Snack: leftover Juice, apple, flax wrap, celery with kalamata hummus

Dinner: we are assuming some sort of a Juice or a Smoothie, because we haven't broken any meal rules... We must have been too tired to even take a picture!

Day 20 of Partial Reboot

Saturday, June 30th, marked Day 20 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast.
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


Breakfast: Bee made two flavors for the day, and we took the leftovers to work.

This turned out to be WAY too tangy for not only Owl,
but for Bee as well!

Orange Shmorange, with zucchini added.

For here, or to-go?

 Lunch: some sort of veggie stir-fry at work

Snack: one of the above juices! Plus an apple, a wrap and some nuts.

Dinner: we are fairly certain that the below zucchini, given to Bee by her Aunt Pat, was slaughtered for the this meal. However, we have no pictorial evidence of said slaughter.

Death of a zucchini.

Day 19 of Partial Reboot

Friday, June 29th, marked Day 19 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast.
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


Well, it's been a busy week, and we both have been too tired to blog every night, so details of our daily meals are a bit foggy. We'll just have to do our best to remember!

Breakfast: Orange Shmorange!

Lunch: sensible salads at Panera, no meat or dairy, and we split one piece of bread!

Snack: leftover Orange Shmorange, probably an apple or some nuts

Dinner: the following Smoothie, which is Greenia Colada, but instead of frozen pineapple we swapped it for frozen mixed berries. It tasted... a little weird. So that's a no-go, for next time.

Day 18 of Partial Reboot!

Thursday marked Day 18 of our Partial Reboot experience! We're still calling it that for now, because we aren't necessarily following all the Reboot with Food rules, but we are following a set of our own adapted rules that we can improve upon once we're ready to.

These rules are as follows:
1. Swap 2 meals plus one snack with a Juice or Smoothie, totaling 3 per day.
2. All other foods must stick to a plant-based diet; no meat, no dairy, no processed junk.
3. Snacks must be as close to nature as we can manage: veggies, fruits, nuts, hummus (no tahini if we can find it), guacamole, flax wraps, popcorn (kettle is as naughty as we'll go), and Bee likes to eat dates with breakfast.
4. We allow cheats about once per week. So if someone makes dinner for us with cheese or meat, we aren't going to insult anybody. We just eat it, enjoy it, and move on with life!


We did very well today! We managed to make all 3 meals, (plus one snack) a Juice or a Smoothie! We just paired the lunch and dinner Juices with hummus and veggie wraps (small ones) for more sustenance. We had our other snacks as usual, and we're feeling good.

Bee's headaches and eczema are back this week, so we're wondering if it's hormonal, stress, or the fact that she snuck some chocolate. Twice.


Anyway, here's what we had today. For breakfast:

Orange Shmorange, plus cucumbers and a golden beet!

oh! and this apple, too

looks so purdy :)

A bit of a twist to Orange Shmorange!

For lunch:

It looks like Ecto Cooler!

Nice Green Juice (instead of Mean Green!)

Yields 1.5 Qts.

a bunch of Kale

2 Zucchinis

5 Kiwis

2 Green Apples

a bunch of Spinach

(if too sour, toss in some grapes or carrots!)

Annnnd for dinner:

Greenia Colada, but with mangoes instead of pineapple!
(and we decided to skip the purple kale)

LOVE the color combination!