ACT Inspiration Days 5 - 8

Our ACT Inspiration cleanse is still going strong and we are loving it! I don't know if it is the extra excercise, the raw food, or the lack of sugar/gluten, or (more likely) a happy combination of all of the above - but I feel great! It has been such a small change but it has made a world of difference already.

It is hard to explain, but I feel calmer and more energized at the same time. I usually have a mind that is going a mile a minute, it never stops, no matter what. I'm always running through my hypothetical grocery list, rewriting the conclusion to my latest article, planning my next meal, figuring out my schedule, blah, blah blah! It doesn't stop. But now.....it has. When I'm driving to the stables I'm not trying to write an entire book review in my head....I'm just driving to the stables. When I'm walking the dogs I'm not scheduling my next 5 interviews....I'm just walking the dogs. I know, it sounds like such a small thing, and it is, but it is a great thing. It is breathing space in my brain and I love it.

The energy is more straightforward - I just have more! And it doesn't come and go, it is steady and deep. When I start working out I can feel it there, like a huge well of power that I can call on if I need to. I really thought that I would probably feel weak and shaky and have to cut back my excercise during this cleanse, but the opposite is true. Yesterday is the first time I sailed through our Vinyasa yoga class feeling powerful and capable, instead of wilted and weak. Yay!

Here are some of the culinary highlights of the past few days:





We start everyday with a delicious and refreshing green juice. This one was definitely the best so far. It had all the usuals, like carrots, chard, apples, cucumbers, mint, lemon juice and celery, but the addition of the seedy center of some zucchini and the brightness of leftover cilantro really made this juice special.



A few days ago we finally bought a blender to replace our old one that went to kitchen appliance heaven and we have been putting it to good use whipping up scrumptious berry smoothies. This one was particularly tasty (and pretty!) with blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, banana, rice milk, and a scoop of organic peanut butter. Wow!



I have been very surprised that I haven't had any cravings at all in the past week. The thought of potato chips, greasy samosa, or a plate a cheezy curly fries, my usual loves, doesn't even phase me. Even more surprising - I have been craving fruits and veggies - A LOT! I used to hate mango and now I can't get enough, it has become one of my favorite snacks. It has a bright citrus tang that really cools me off on these sweltering summer days.



Something that has not changed is my eternal love of hummus, it is just the best thing, especially filled with tons of garlic, lemon juice and tahini. Only now we dip with veggies instead of bread!



What a great dinner, don't all those bright colors make your heart skip a beat? The soup was part cooked, part raw. It was a sweet potato base with black eyed peas which was cooked, but when it was done, I removed it from the heat and threw in a ton of very finely chopped raw veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion. The salad in the back was entirely raw except for the cooked chickpeas. It had lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and bean sprouts.



Not raw but very delicious. Quinoa and black beans, purple cabbage, and kale. It was very simple but tasty, and a great use up of leftovers.









Say hello to the star of the show ladies and gentlemen! WOW! Now, I have made some tasty meals in my day, but this is one of the top 5 ever! Not just top 5 while trying to eat more raw foods, just top 5 out of everything ever! Please go make this, you will be licking the bowl clean, I promise! It is a raw pasta made from zucchini strips drenched in a thick, delicious pesto made from bright cilantro and spinach, but with a deep garlic 'cheeziness' from the nutritional yeast. The marinated bell peppers and onion add a warmth and a tang that compliments the heavy pesto sauce perfectly. The zucchini strips are so mild you really do feel like you are eating a big bowl of pasta. It is STELLAR!

Raw Pasta with Spinach/Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

2 LARGE zucchini (I really mean LARGE, like the size of your lower arm.) peeled into thin strips with a potato/vegetable peeler (once you peel down to the seedy center, just set the centers aside for use in a green juice later, don't peel them)

1 large red onion, sliced into paper thin strips
2 bell peppers, sliced into paper thin strips
drizzle of olive oil
juice of one lemon

2/3 cup ground raw pine nuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped very small
1 bag of baby spinach leaves, chopped very small
3 cloves garlic, diced very small
juice of 2 small lemons
pinch of salt and pepper
olive oil

- Set the zucchini strips aside

-Combine the red onion strips and bell pepper strips in a bowl and toss them with the juice of one lemon and a small drizzle of olive oil and allow to marinate for 1 hour

- Combine the pine nuts, nutritional yeast, spinach, cilantro, garlic, juice of 2 lemons, salt and pepper (I don't have a food processor so just chop everything very well!)

- Into the pine nut mixture drizzle in olive oil slowly while stirring until everything is combined and to the consistency that you like. I prefer mine fairly thick, but loose enough to cover my veggies.

- Combine the marinated onions and bell peppers with the zucchini slices and top with the pesto sauce. Enjoy!