I love soup and could eat it everyday, but especially in the winter.  It provides warmth and comfort and we call can use that no matter what the temperature is outside.  I’m lucky enough to live where the farmers market is open all year long.  This is new to me and I’m having fun seeing what is in season here.  This week I found great mushrooms, bok choy, napa cabbage, and carrots.  For some reason I’ve really been wanting to make a soup with rice noodles.

This is not a soup that swims in a lot of stock but just enough that you can call it a soup.  If you want more stock please add it in until it makes you happy.

So I put this soup together in 10 minutes and was eating it 2 minutes later.  It’s fast and easy.  When making a soup like this I tend to prepare the ingredients as I need them instead of all together first and then build the soup.  Probably because I was hungry when I was making it and I wanted it fast.  Feel free to prepare it either way.

Reset. It means to set again.  So to reset your health means to set it again and for me that means in a healthier place than the state it is now.  That is what can happen when you participate in a cleanse.

The holidays have come and gone.  If you’re like me they start off with just a bite here or there of what you typically don’t eat or more of what you do.  By the end of the holiday season those portions or the frequency in which you eat them has increased, almost without you even noticing.  Maybe what you are noticing is you just don’t feel as good as you did or would like to.

Maybe this didn’t happen to you this holiday season and if that’s true count yourself among the lucky ones.  No matter which path you took, participating in a cleanse will help reset your body.  I know this because this is what happens to everyone I talk to who has gone through a cleanse.

Here’s what happened to me.  If you would rather listen Click Here.

In conjunction with a Registered Dietitian  I’ve created and used the Next Level Cleanse myself.  I wouldn’t share something with you without trying it myself.  This 7 day whole foods whole you cleanse is really easy to follow and can be used even if it’s your first cleanse.  I’ve broken it into 3 levels.  This means you can start with level one if this is new or you can choose level 2 or 3.  But no matter you get the materials for all three cleanses when you enroll so you can use this over and over.  The materials are yours.

For me I was scared to try it but I’ve studied so much and knew it would be good for me.  I had no idea just how good, good was.

The results I received were with using the Next Level Cleanse on level 1, the beginning level.

I lost 8 pounds and kept it off.  My weight had been stuck so this kickstart was nice.

The bloating was gone and has not returned.  I used to get random bloating after a meal and could not figure out which ingredient was irritating my body.   My body was just irritated, now it’s not.

My skin changed.  It cleared and began to glow.  Many people commented on seeing this.

My energy level soared.  I felt younger.

Coping with stress became easier.

I’ve had a house full of sick people and was able to not catch their colds.

And here’s the one that really surprised me.  I can now eat dairy and rice.  I’ve not been able to tolerate those foods for 4 or 5 years.  Even a bite would have made me sick.  I’m not going to reincorporate either of those into my diet on a regular basis as they both can cause inflammation, but on occasion or when I’m eating out and it’s the only safe gluten free option, now I have more possibilities for foods I can eat.  I of course had to make risotto just to test my system.  Both my mouth and body was very happy.

My body was able to detox and allow systems to start working again the way they are meant to work.  It was a reset.

Now I can’t promise 100% that this is going to happen to you, but I do know you will feel amazing.  The other results of kickstarting weight loss, losing the bloat, glowing skin, and feeling amazing will happen.  It’s happened for everyone else.

I would love for you to join me on the Next Level Cleanse.  It runs January 11-17.  It’s a guided cleanse which means I will be with you every step of the way.

But here’s the thing.  I really want to make this accessible to you so I’m offering a New Year Special of $100 off the price of the Next Level Cleanse but this ends on Monday January 7th.  Don’t miss out on this discount and please don’t miss out on this opportunity to reset your health.

Read more about everything that is included in the cleanse.  All of the materials I give you including the complete menu plan and recipes for every single meals.  All of the support you’ll receive.  Grab a friend and the two of you can start 2013 off healthier then you ever imagined.

Exciting Announcement

If you were on my Gluten Free Holiday Survival free teleseminar last night than you first got some great tips and the tools that will help you immediately.

You also were introduced to my 7 day Whole Foods, Whole You detox, the Next Level Cleanse that will take your health to the next level!

This will change they way you look and feel in a week.  I say this from personal experience and that of clients who have tried it.   It totally changed my energy by giving it a boost, changed my skin  and complexion so it was clear and glowed, it kickstarted my weight loss, and I felt amazing.

One of the cool things about this cleanse is it’s like getting 3 cleanses in 1.  There are 3 levels so you can pick where you want to start.  If you’ve never been on a cleanse than you may want to start at level one.  Let’s say you do that level and you love it, of course.  Then a couple of months goes by and you want to detox in the spring.  You already have everything you need.  You can repeat level 1 or try level 2 or 3.

What you receive in this cleanse is such a long list that you’ll want to read it for yourself.   Follow this to the Next Level Cleanse and learn more about this opportunity to change your life.

Now just to let you know there is an Early Bird Special going on until midnight ET on Saturday December 22nd that also includes Early Bird Bonuses.  The value of these specials and bonuses is way more than the price of the cleanse.  But you have to register before the 22nd.  So go check it out now.

Read all of the great gifts you’ll be receiving and learn more about the cleanse.  But more importunely than all of the guides, recipes, menu plans and so on, you get to feel and look amazing, get a boost in energy, kickstart weight loss, lose the bloat, feel amazing.  Oh and since it’s a guided cleanse you get me for every day of the cleanse making sure you doing great!  Follow this to the Next Level Cleanse and sign up because spaces are going fast and the class size is limited!

If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Start your day off on Thanksgiving with an amazing juice to make your body happy! It will thank you for sure.

On this day where we tend to stuff ourselves with too much of everything, why not start your day off with something to help your body.  The ingredients in this juice or smoothie recipe is filled with antioxidents (fight off anything someone walks in the door with), tons of vitamins and minerals, protein, anti-cancer fighting ability, anti-bacterial and reduce inflammation.  Do you need more convincing.  OK, this glass of juice is very low calorie which I’m guessing is a good thing today.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Just a reminder to join me on Facebook tonight along with Shirley Braden (gluten free easily) and Ellen Allard (Gluten-Free Diva) to Talk Turkey, Gluten Free Style.

This article ran in my newsletter, The WHOLE-istic Life last month.  I don’t usually share the information given in my newsletters on my blog, I keep it exclusive.   But I felt this information was so important that I’ve decided to repost it here in order to help save you from my pain.  If you read this in the newsletter forgive this repeat.  Please leave me a comment if you have ever had any experiences like mine.  Also I’d love to know if you have tried either of the juice recipes shared and what variations you made.

Juicing is a part of my daily easy healthy gluten free living diet.  Read and you will see why.

Juice Detoxing From House Rennovation Chemicals

There are times during the year that are natural landmarks for a detox.  Spring and Fall are the two that most folks use.  Four times a year would be even better would be four times a year.  The more you do the better and deeper they work.

This past couple of weeks, I found another reason to detox – exposure to excessive chemicals that my body couldn’t process.

We are having remodeling work done in our house to bring it up to date.  We’ve put a new granite countertop in the kitchen and are also remodeling our bathrooms with granite tops for the vanities.

I’ve never had a granite countertop and had no idea about the installation process.  It turns out that  the installers use an epoxy glue for the seams, a chemical to seal the top and another chemical to clean off the top to remove excess epoxy and anything else.

I was actually away when the kitchen countertop was installed and arrived home on the evening of May 10^th with my son.  I got ten steps into the house and, even though the smell was overwhelming, I didn’t realize the physical and neurological effects the epoxy fumes were having on me.  Thankfully, my son was with me and as I started to bob and weave he got me upstairs and opened the windows so I could get some fresh air.

I kept the windows open all night.  The next morning when I awoke the effects on me were apparent.  I felt nauseous, tired, and my brain felt detached from my head.  I was at a loss for words, couldn’t string thoughts together, my short term memory was not working and I mostly sat in a dazed state.  I also had sharp headache pains around my temple that migrated to different spots on my head. I also had aches and pains all over my body in random places.

My kitchen was still torn apart so I couldn’t cook myself some good cleansing food.  I spent as much time as I could outside in the fresh air.  Thankfully, the weather was amazing.  We spent most of our meals eating out however whenever I came in the vicinity of any type of cleaning chemicals I immediately become ill.  The nausea, dizziness and disorientation returned in full force within seconds.

My reaction was more severe than anyone else in my family.  They call me the canary in the coal mine because I detect odorless gas before most other humans.  I’m not very happy to have this job but I don’t really have a choice.

Thankfully, I’ve taught my family so much about nutrition and detoxing that they stepped in and helped me when I couldn’t help myself.  Off we went to the grocery store and filled the cart with lots of kale, parsley, cucumbers, beets, ginger, apples, pears, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cauliflower and baby broccoli.  As soon as we got home I started juicing and drinking.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been drinking lots of water and fresh juice to help my body detox.  Regular walks outside for some exercise and fresh air has also helped.

It’s been almost three weeks and I’m finally able to get back to writing and taking care of my family.  I’m not at 100% yet but I know I will be as long as I keep drinking my juice and taking care of myself.

I also know that if you are dealing with anything that could be throwing you off balance that juicing and smoothies full of great vegetables and fruit will do your body good.  Drink these to detox your liver, get your kidneys and adrenal glands in better shape to work as the filters they are meant to be.

Now I’d like to share the detoxing and restorative juices I’m using.  If you don’t have a juicer you can make smoothies in a blender.

If you are looking for a juicer I have to say I am in love with mine.  I have a Hurom Slow Juicer.  http://www.slowjuicer.com/

When I watched the video on the Sur la Table website I was convinced this was the one for me.  It is very easy to use and very easy to clean up quickly.  I’m one of those people if it’s too hard to use or especially clean, I’ll use it once and then it will just sit there.

So, with no further ado, here are two of my favorite fresh juice recipes.  First, you’ll find the Green Elixir of Life which is a great way to mix fresh green vegetables with tasty fruit.

The Golden Joy is a great way to sneak in beets.  The combination is sweet and even wins the approval of my most extremely picky son.   The Green Elixir of Life taste is dominated by the fruit used.  The key is to have some type of citric fruit in the mix and your favorite fruits helps too.  The only way to know what will work best for you is to play in your kitchen.

Just a warning about ginger.  It is extremely potent so use only a small amount.  By small amount I mean a slice the size of a dime both in roundness and thickness.  Taste and you can always add more.  Trust me you won’t have enough fruit and vegetables in the house to reverse too much ginger.

Green Elixir of Life

Ingredients:

1 bunch organic kale

1 organic cucumber

large handful organic parsley leaves

1 organic lemon

1 organic green apple

1Ž2 cup pineapple

1 thin slice of ginger root size of dime

Instructions:

Put it all through the juicer.  I like to run the juice through one more time to get it as clear as possible.  I find when I make a pitcher full for the day that it stays together and more fresh for the entire day and even into the next if there’s anything left.

Golden Joy

Ingredients:

2 organic Golden Beet

1 Organic green or red Apple

1 Orange

10 Organic Carrots

Instructions:

Put it all through the juicer.  I like to run the juice through one more time to get it as clear as possible.  I find when I make a pitcher full for the day that it stays together and more fresh for the entire day and even into the next if there’s anything left.

OK I know this is going to sound totally crazy to some and I can’t believe it myself, but this “go insane every spring from seasonal allergies gal” has left this body.  Yep it is now April and where I live all of the trees have bloomed, shed and now have leaves on them.  People are out cutting their grass and flowers are popping up everywhere.  Even the cherry blossoms came early.  What am I doing?  I’m out walking in the beautiful spring sunshine taking deep clear breaths and super excited.

Every year I have spent miserable in the Spring.  I don’t bother to wear eye makeup because I’ll rub it off as I just about rub my eyes out of their sockets.  My ears will itch.  My throat will itch.  My tongue will itch.  My skin will itch.  My nose would run in both directions.  I couldn’t walk around the block without making sure I had something to drink for when I start gagging on the pollen.  Once they changed the laws around my OTC allergy medicines like Claritin, I would be frantic that when I could go get my next box, only one per week,  they would be out.  Sometimes they were and I’d have to drive around to 5 different places looking for them.

So what is this magic cure?

I gave up sugar and started drinking different green smoothies.  Yeah I know that sounds too easy or too impossible.  So by now some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking, yeah like that is going to work.  Well I say what do you have to lose except maybe saving your eyeballs from being rubbed out of your head and your poor nose from too many tissues.

This all started with my detox that I actually started 2 weeks before the one on my blog, and kept refining it as I went.  Actually I feel so much better I’m really not ready to let in too many of the other foods again.  You know that saying, nothing tastes as feeling good feels.

Remove this!

Here is what I removed:

The only sugars I ate were from fruit for the first 3 weeks.  The last week I added a tsp of Raw Manuka Honey to my hot tea.

Taking the sugar out of my body helped keep the inflammation down and not trigger that antihistamine reaction.  Not eating the simple carbs and wine kept the body from converting that to the sugars that cause inflammation and weight gain.

Add this!

Then I did the second part of this equation, I added in antioxidant and anti-imflammatory foods.  This helped the body fight off those horrible allergic reactions to the pollen.  Adding in green vegetables and whole foods makes this even more appealing.  I like adding more than removing but both are key.

Here is what I added to my days:

Now obviously these were not all tossed into a smoothie.  So I’ll share with you the recipe for two of my favorite smoothies.

Like how I snuck in exercise to the list.

Oh and before you get all mesmerized by the green smoothies, let me address your doubts.  First feel free to google avoiding sugar to allevate seasonal allergies.  I did this post experiment and found tons of articles.  Wish I would have read some first.

Next there is one thing you need to know about me, I hate whining.  If something is bothering me or you, then I say let’s do something about it.  If your allergies are any way as close to annoying as mine where they interfere with your life, than what do you have to lose.  Give this a try.   Add in the good food and by all means get rid of that sugar.  Try it just for 30 days.  Give your body time to process all of the gunk out.  I’ll warn you however, once your body realizes you are going to give it amazing foods it will start doing amazing things for you.   Oh and it will ask you keep these on the menu.

Green Ginger Goodness Smoothie

Ingredients:

4 kale leaves ripped into pieces, I love the dino kale

1 organic green apple, cored and cut into chunks

1 organic rib of celery cut into chunks

3-4 inch piece of organic cucumber cut into chunks

1-2 inch piece of ginger peeled and cut into chunks

1 organic lemon, cut the rind off and if you can find the seeds grab them but not necessary

1-2 TB organic chia seeds

4 ice cubes

1/2-1 cup filtered water

Instructions:

toss all of the ingredients into you Vita Mix.  If you don’t have a strong blender you can still make the smoothie you will just need to blend it longer to get that smooth texture.  You may want to add the water slowly until you get the consistency you like.

Pour into a tall glass and grab a straw!

Green Good Morning Smoothie

Ingredients:

4 kale leaves ripped into pieces, I love the dino kale

1 organic kiwi, peeled and cut into chunks

3-4 inch piece of organic cucumber cut into chunks

1 organic green apple, cored and cut into chunks

1 organic lemon, cut the rind off and if you can find the seeds grab them but not necessary

1 grab of organic parsley

1/4- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, just shake it 4-6 times

1-2 TB organic chia seeds

4 ice cubes

1/2-1 cup filtered water

Instructions:

toss all of the ingredients into you Vita Mix.  If you don’t have a strong blender you can still make the smoothie you will just need to blend it longer to get that smooth texture.  You may want to add the water slowly until you get the consistency you like.

Pour into a tall glass and grab a straw!

Now I want to hear from you!

Has anyone else had the same experience?  Do you think I’m totally off my rocker?  Are you willing to give it a try?  What’s your favorite green smoothie?