after a grueling work week prepping for Thanksgiving, my parents were both feeling under the weather this past weekend.  both of them had a nasty cough that kept them up at night.
luckily for them, one of their customers Ruth Ann, provided them with a recipe for an all-natural cough “syrup”.
keep in mind, it may not look or taste pretty — but by the same token, do you really like how Robitussin tastes?

here’s the recipe:

• thinly slice 1 red onion
• layer each slice in a container, drizzle honey in between each layer
• squeeze juice from 1 whole lemon

once you set aside this concoction in a container, what you end up getting is this juicy syrup.  pinch your nose, take a few swigs…and VOILA!  no more coughs!
once you’re done with the juice, you can munch on the onions (if you’re extra brave!)
if you’re looking for a homeopathic alternative to cough medicine, this might just do the trick!
this message is Momma & Poppa Park approved!


 
 

Each day gets better on this cleanse.
I received my Menu for Day 3, and was REALLY excited to try it!  Loving the variety that each day has to offer.  I never know what’s coming up next (kinda like life!).
One very valuable nutritional lesson this cleanse is teaching me: I think coconut meat is too rich for my simple stomach!  We all know the unfortunate Cacao Smoothie incident from Day 2…the Lemon Lime smoothie from Day 3 (while it was delicious) also had coconut meat in it.  It’s taking me a REALLY long time to get through it.  (I could actually only finish half)
So far, I’m loving it.  Benefits so far: energy, clear-headedness, “lightness”.  I also LOVE not having to think about food — I love not having to figure out what I’m eating for lunch on a given day.  :)
Day 3′s Play by Play.  Calorie Count: 1,439 + chlorophyl shot + cauliflower salad = approximately 1,500 calories?

• Item 1: Chlorophyll shot

• Love Fast 2 (approx 10/11am) 1 Orange: Orange
  FYI: In recent research studies, the healing properties of oranges (preferably organic as organic foods have been shown to contain higher amounts of phytonutrients)have been associated with a wide variety of phytonutrient compounds. Consuming vitamin C supplements does not provide the same protective benefits as drinking a glass of orange juice. - (Read More)
• SEOULDIVA SAYS:  Who doesn’t love fresh-squeezed OJ?  Deliciously sweet.

• Love Fast 3 (approx 11/12pm) 1 Green Love: Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Green Apple, lemon juice
  FYI: If vegetables got grades for traditional nutrients alone, Swiss chard would be one of the vegetable valedictorians. The vitamin and mineral profile of this leafy green vegetable contains enough “excellents” to ensure its place at the head of the vegetable Dean’s List. Our rating system awards Swiss chard with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid. - (Read More)
• SEOULDIVA SAYS:  Clearly, this was a “green” drink.  The Lemon juice was a little strong for my taste – it was like a green lemonade.  Next time, will probably add a little ginger zest to it.

• Love Fast 4 (approx 1/2pm) 1 Lemon Lime Shake: Lemon, Lime, Coconut water, Coconut meat, Cucumber, Alkaline Water, Himalayan Salt, Avocado, Stevia
  FYI:Stevia’s most obvious and notable characteristic is its sweet taste. However, the sweet taste is not due to carbohydrate-based molecules, but to several non-caloric molecules called glycosides. Individuals who cannot tolerate sugar or other sweeteners can use stevia. Stevia has been shown to inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay, making it an excellent addition to tooth pastes and mouthwashes. Many people have reported improvement in their oral health after adding stevia concentrate to their tooth paste and using it, diluted in water, as a daily mouthwash. -(Read More)
• SEOULDIVA SAYS:  OK…another smoothie. This one was without cacao, so it was easier for me to take.  The flavor was stupendous!  It kinda tasted like the filling of a lemon/lime tart. But the coconut meat made it SOOOO rich.  I learned my lesson from yesterday — I sipped this one very slowly, and ultimately couldn’t finish it because it was so rich.    Tasty, though!
  

• Love Fast 5 (approx 3/4pm) 1 Gazpacho Soup: Lime, Carrot, Tomato, Cucumber, Celery, Himalayan Salt, Cayenne Pepper, Cilantro, Olive Oil, Garlic, Jalapeno, Bell Pepper
  FYI: One of the most well known tomato eating benefit is its’ Lycopene content. Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant that helps in the fight against cancerous cell formation as well as other kinds of health complications and diseases. - (Read More)
• SEOULDIVA SAYS:  I was really looking forward to this soup — it was definitely good…but just Gazpacho how I’m used to it.  I can’t place my finger on it, but it may have been the cilantro & lime?  Nonetheless, it was the best soup I’ve had thus far.

• Love Fast 6 (approx 5/6pm) 1 Cauliflower Couscous: Celery, Parsley, Himalayan Salt, Red pepper, Pepper, Olive Oil, Basil, Cauliflower, Mint, Olive, Raisins
  FYI: Black currants are very rich in many phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, essential fatty acids and minerals. - (Read More)
• SEOULDIVA SAYS:  Tasty.  Again, I’m learning that perhaps OrgAve’s flavor profiles and my personal flavor preferences don’t necessarily line up.  (didn’t really like the parsley-basil-mint combo) But this salad was good nonetheless.

Last drink was the Green Mylk. (confession: I went home and added a little bit of agave to it to make it more of a “treat”)  MUCH

Just wanted to share my first impressions of the Organic Avenue Cleanse.
I requested my messenger delivery time to be 9am – 11am each day.  The package arrived promptly at 10am.  It looked like a moonman’s lunchbox…which I kinda loved.
←the package!
Upon opening, I discovered a neatly packed spread of my daily intake:

Each item was neatly numbered, each with a hangtag that had all the nutritional information.

Here were my items for Day 1:




So far, so good…I’ll be doing a juice-by-juice review soon!
www.organicavenue.com

Traditionally, NYFW is a time when I dive into the deep end of bad-for-you things: unhealthy food, vats of caffeine, alcohol and even ciggies.  I’m happy to report that this season, I was pretty good: no coffee or caffeine (except for a few raw cacao bars here & there), relatively healthy food (I slipped up a few times and indulged in some cooked foods), and NO ciggies!
BUT, after a few stressful months at work causing me to slip up on my commitment to raw…what better time than POST-NYFW to start a really great cleanse and re-commit?
My first experience with cleansing was with BluePrint Cleanse — a 6-juices per day cleanse.  I had a wonderful experience with it…it actually was what got me started changing my eating lifestyle and really thinking about what I put in my body.
But since I’ve delved a little deeper into the whole “wellness” community, I’ve heard some things about BP Cleanse that was not great news.  These were my hangups with BluePrint (and why I’m choosing to go with Organic Avenue this time):

• Not so clean? A good journalist friend told me their juice-pressing facilities were dirty and not as clean as you would like.
• Not organic. BP Cleanse even states this on their site — they do not guarantee that they use organic fruits & veggies for their juices.  Although this isn’t a MUST, why ingest potential pesticides and unnatural things…when you’re trying to “CLEANSE” them out of your body?
• Plastic bottles? I know this might be nit-picking, but with all the talk of BPAs…why use plastic?

Organic Avenue is a company that’s devoted to L.O.V.E. — Live, Organic, Vegan Experience.  They offer 4 main types of Cleanses of varying intensities:

• Love Easy:  A “level 1″ of intensity.  This Cleanse is a combination of fresh organic cold-pressed juices and raw food.  This is a great “baby’s 1st cleanse” for newbies, since you’re still eating solid foods.
• Love Fast:  ”Level 2″.  Still a combo of juices & raw foods, except the foods here are more salads and green soups.
• Love More: “Level 3″.  At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between this and the Love Fast, but the Love More program is designed to promote alkaline pH levels in your body, which is considered ideal for optimal health.  This is slightly more intense than Love Fast because every single item (whether juice or raw food item) is “green”.
• Love Deep:  ”The Deep End”.  All raw, organic, cold-pressed juice.  No food.

I chose the Love Fast Cleanse to start, mainly because I want to keep going to yoga.
Another major reason I’m going with Organic Avenue for my cleanse: Calories.  If you remember, last time I did the Blueprint Cleanse, I wasn’t able to practice Bikram during my cleanse because there simply weren’t enough calories for me to continue with my exercise routine.  I know it’s silly, but I’d really love to continue to practice Bikram during my cleanse…I feel like the yoga helps strengthen your mind-body connection, making it easy for you to get more out of your cleanse.
The cost for Organic Ave is pretty comparable to BP Cleanse.

• 5 days of BluePrint Cleanse = $325
• 5-days of Organic Avenue Love Fast = $350

But there are additional costs for my Organic Avenue cleanse:

• $2 Bottle Deposit per Bottle:  Because Organic Avenue uses glass bottles, there is a $2 bottle refundable deposit.  5-day For my Love Fast cleanse, my bottle deposit was $60.
• $20 / day delivery cost:  this is clearly optional — you can choose to pick up 3-days worth or your juices & foods at a time, but because the glasses are so heavy (and I don’t have  a car), I chose delivery

All in all, I cannot WAIT to get started!  Will keep everyone updated!

it’s been no secret that i’ve been guilty of slacking from my raw food lifestyle.  it’s been one of the most stressful work seasons of my entire professional career.  and unfortunately, i started using food as an emotional stress-outlet.  naturally, in times of weakness, exhaustion and exasperation, i reached for my typical comfort foods.
but this week, i woke up early one morning, and while waiting for my train to take me to yoga, i snapped this photo:

while uploading it to facebook, i wrote the caption: “Hello, September”
HOLY CRAP.  it was already September 1st.  the entire summer had passed me by.  and my summer had been filled with slippage.
well, no more.
i’ve done a Bikram 30-Day Challenge before: 30 classes in 30 days.  hell, i’ve even done a 60-Day Challenge.
so, why not do a 30-Day RAW challenge?  why not, indeed?  so here goes!!! that’s right…30 days of raw, 30 days in a row.
so, today marks the end of day 2.    a smattering of my meals from the past 2 days.
←raw vegan caesar dressing i made!
←avocado is my most fave ever!
←Thai Green Papaya Salad (spicy!!)
←a lil organic wine never hurt nobody.

even though this is going to be ESPECIALLY difficult for the month of September, given the fact that it’s NYFW, but there’s no day like today!