Not everyone has a killer sweet tooth. (I don’t understand this at all, but yet it’s true!)

And not only that, diabetes is common enough these days that one of the more common questions I receive about green smoothies is how NOT to make them sweet.

And then on top of that, there are whole cancer- (and other illness-) fighting schools of thought that say to nix the sugar entirely, even if it comes from fresh fruit.

So for all of us who will enjoy the change-up, here is a smoothie AND a juice for you that I hope you will enjoy thoroughly. Even I (sweet tooth like crazy!) find these recipes to hit the spot. They are so cleansing and satisfying!

Non-Sweet Minty Green Smoothie
contributed by Kristen Suzanne at www.KristensRaw.com

INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 cups water
1/2 to 1 cucumber
2 stalks celery
1 to 2 heavy handful(s) spinach or romaine
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon or lime
handful mint (Don’t be shy…this is the trick! A heavy handful of mint elevates the flavor brilliantly, and you can also add other herbs – rosemary, basil, or parsley are wonderful)

INSTRUCTIONS
Blend until smooth and enjoy this brightness in your life.

———–

Green Clean Juice
contributed by Rainbeau Mars at www.RainbeauMars.com

INGREDIENTS
1 lime
1 handful kale
1 apple (Granny Smith)
1 cucumber
1 handful dandelion greens
1 sprig parsley
1 sprig cilantro
1 cup green grapes

INSTRUCTIONS
Put each of the vegetables and fruits above (or your favorites) through the juicer and combine.

Hello to you dear friend!

[Mission 7] Sweet doesn’t have to be sweet.

For various reasons (healing, glycemic load, preference…) not everyone wants sweet. So we have some selections for you that are DELICIOUS but are not sweet. {The recipes are right here!}

I’d love to hear how it goes for you!

Love,
xxo Eva

—————-

{Click here for the green recipes – YUM!}
{Click here for the 30 Days Green resources page.}
[This link is a reference for uncooking club members only.]

One of the great things about green smoothies is just how ridiculously versatile they can be. For this next mission, I propose we indulge in DESSERT! Dessert comes in many colors and forms, so why not hide some greens in it?!

We’re joined in this mission by contributors Stacy Stowers and Summer Sanders. Stacy’s frozen yogurt-like “Happy Shake” is literally known around the world, and Summer’s drinks ought to be if they’re not yet. (SERIOUS YUM, ALL AROUND!)

Fresh Green Coconut Milkshake
contributed by Summer Sanders of {www.RadiantlyRawLifestyles.com}

The cool thing about the young coconut water and meat in the mix here is that it gives the sweet indulgence of including nut milk without needing to make a nut milk. I love that about it! If you happen to not have access to young Thai coconuts, you can substitute with 1 1/2 cups of nut milk.

INGREDIENTS
1 young Thai coconut, water and meat
2 Tbsp of E3live or wheatgrass
1 tsp of maca
2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 banana
2 Tbsp fresh mint
1/4 tsp mint extract
1/4 tsp salt
ice to taste
cacao nibs for topping

INSTRUCTIONS
1/ Add all ingredients to Vita-Mix. Blend on high. Add ice if it doesn’t taste cold enough for you. Enjoy!

———

Beauty and The Beet
contributed by Summer Sanders of {www.RadiantlyRawLifestyles.com}

I’m fully in love with this drink as a dessert even though it includes spinach, kale, and celery juice as part of it! Maybe it’s the fact that it’s pink and full of vanilla and strawberries? Ha!

Whatever it is, there is so much that is right with this drink, from the look to the taste to the feeling. It’s so hydrating and nourishing that you feel an immediately clear impact!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of beet, kale, celery, spinach and lemon juice
1/2 cup of young coconut water
1 banana
5 frozen or fresh strawberries
1 scoop of vanilla SunWarrior protein powder
1/2 tsp of camu camu
1/2 tsp of bee pollen (optional)
Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1/ Add the vegetable juice and coconut water to the Vita-Mix, along with the banana and strawberries. Blend well.
2/ Add remaining ingredients and blend till integrated. Enjoy!

———-

Happy Shake
This drink has so much flexibility within its magic that it needed a full and super-detailed post when we wrote about it. {Click here to check out the “Happy Shake” from the lovely Stacy Stowers}.

TGIF! TGIF! It’s Friday!

We have a mission perfectly fit for Friday and the weekend…

[Mission 6] Have green for dessert.

That’s no joke. I hope you will love this one. We have THREE recipes for you this weekend, all of which make me want to drool. (I’m actually salivating as I type. No joke on that either!)

{Click here for the dessert recipes – YUM!}
{Click here for the 30 Days Green resources page.}
[This link is a reference for uncooking club members only.]

————————————————————————-

EVA | RAW AND SOME ENCOURAGEMENT

Separately, we have received (already!) a number of successes from you!! We’re putting everything together all pretty-like but I wanted to acknowledge two timely bits that might just affect YOU.

1/ One of your successes which I simply must share… after cancer, surgery, la vida loca, etc… only TWO DAYS in on the green project, it’s like a miracle to be finally getting pH to pretty much perfect (the pH balance being the indicator that basically communicates if you are on the right track and in a healing or healthy state…). Two days for HUGE improvements! If for any reason you personally haven’t had success in making things happen during this week so far… there happen to be two days in the weekend.

2/ Otherwise… there is some great conversation going around about commitment. Looking at commitment more intently seemed to resonate with several of you and surely even more who haven’t emailed in. I will just say this, in case you’re open to it: DO NOT WAIT! Commit NOW to what you can and will JOYFULLY commit to. It can be a simple commitment! But make it and do it. I know you can!

On a personal note, you might have noticed that my commitment was NOT to eat all raw! I am not eating 100% raw at the moment, which is quite strange for me. But this is the choice I’m making… I’m here in Texas with family uninterested in eating all raw, I’m without a car, with my baby, with my husband in another state (we’ll be reunited soon enough!), not within driving distance to any fresh food, ETC. And I could eat all raw anyways. I could and can do anything I want, including even make it happen to leave here, grab a car, whatever. But for now, for me, these are my choices. And so… I’m JOYFULLY committed to two daily doses of green gratitude. And believe me, those two liters of green smoothie, taken with conscious gratitude that my CAR was totaled but MY BABY and I were not… that I’m healthy… happy… surrounded by family ETC… it’s perfect for now.

3/ Truly, I would be thrilled to hear from you if you have any questions or love at all to send in our direction. Your emails so far have been such a joy.

That is ALL for now. I wish you an amazing weekend and will “see” you on Monday!

Love,

xxo Eva

Mission 5: Green Gratitude.

I bet some of you saw this coming.

EXACT INSTRUCTIONS — but edit any and all missions to suit you, if you feel so called!

Drink 1 liter of green smoothie at breakfast tomorrow (or today if you’re catching this early enough!) AND the two days that follow (that’s THREE days total), and set aside 10-30 minutes to enjoy it. During that time, make a special point to focus on the (many!) gifts in your life. (Some might even say every bit — even the challenges — are gifts. But you don’t have to stretch it that far if that’s too “out there” for you.)

Ideas: You might want to go for a walk, relax at the kitchen table, enjoy the kids, or simply make your commute extra special. A state of gratitude knows no bounds because it comes from inside. Thankfully. Ha!

WHY THIS IS HELPFUL (besides the obvious stuff)

We know life has its challenges. That is for sure. But if you have challenges, you are alive! And if you are alive, you have choice.

And so the act of green gratitude is a choice to see and enjoy the joys in life, the big stuff and little too. (It’s all big and little too…) Beginning any day with a choice like that makes a statement and starts the momentum in a positive direction.

THIS IS NOT A ONE-TIME MISSION (not for total success)

Here’s the thing. This whole project is not about a one-day successful mission. If it goes better to do this today than not to do it on an average day, try it again tomorrow. Make it a habit.

It’s when you wake up one day, and the most natural thing you could possibly do is to start with green gratitude, then all day you catch yourself continuing the state of gratitude, and continuing the green… well… that’s not too far off from today.

Hmmm… perhaps the day we begin this is a great day to be grateful for new habits forming. 

Just sayin’.

I can’t wait to hear how it goes for you! PLEASE pop me an email to share any successes, because it will surely make my day! (And don’t hesitate either if you have any questions…)

Love,

xxo Eva

The mission itself (look for the ===== for the commitment below):

[Mission 4] Make a firm commitment.

Here goes some background…

You see that lovely smile in the photo at left?

As I think you know, that is Lilla — and she reminds me so sweetly how important it is for me to be alive AND be vibrant and joyful while doing so. She helps me remember to help myself so I can then help others, especially including her. For that I am so grateful!

HERE’S WHY THIS MATTERS FOR THE 30 DAYS GREEN PROJECT.

I have something to tell you, and if your health is not great, you might get mad at me for saying so. I’d understand the challenge behind the frustration. Separately, if you are in great health, you may already agree that:

(Generally speaking) The state of your health directly reflects your will to live.

Seriously, we pretty much know what is good and bad for us. We’ve all heard fruits and veggies are good, cigarettes are bad, 6-8 glasses of water is ideal, 8 hours of sleep is too, and while we’re at it, exercising is healthy.

If I make poor choices with my health, it’s not fate or any other outside force, it’s ME. Yes, ME. ME. ME. ME. I can be my own worst enemy or my own best friend.

I know (I, know!) that can be tough to swallow if your health is not what you’d like. If you have aches and pains. Ulcers. Cancer. Diabetes. Headaches. And then to see, plain as day, you’re not drinking enough water, exercising enough, meditating enough, eating too much, blah blah blah.

Lemme be clear: I do NOT want to point fingers! Let’s just choose the joy of life today, even more than ever before!

SO… I SENT YOU AN EMAIL JUST OVER A WEEK AGO.

I pretty much just asked you to “do whatever you need to do” to get “whatever you need” to make this thing happen for the weekend and week. You might have done just that, or you might have let this green project slide.

You might have thought that I’d just tell you what to do for the duration of this project. You might have thought I had some secrets or miracles or whatever. You might have thought that you would be able to just follow simple instructions, and magic would just happen.

That’s actually kind of true.

No, really. I do have some simple instructions that result in magic. But here is the thing: YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO SEE THE MAGIC!

So if you’ve been with us from April 1, now we know what has happened without a lot of specifics. But let me tell you this: the specifics have NO VALUE if you don’t have the WILL to follow them. The WILL to live. The WILL to claim your birthright of enjoying the heck out of life, should you so choose to.

And I happen to know for a fact that this message was intended for you specifically! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading it…

============================================================

I, _________________, commit to the following action for the remainder of April:

_____________________________________________.

Let this action I have committed to serve as a living testimony to my will to live, to my desire to live, and to my birthright to enjoy my life for as long as I am alive.

____[your signature _________, signed this ___ day of April 2013

===========================================================

SOME NOTES AND CLARIFICATIONS ON THE COMMITMENT ABOVE – DEPENDING ON YOU

This is the commitment I also just made for myself. (My action was for a “daily double dose of green gratitude”, which I know is do-able because I usually make two smoothies at a time as long as I’m going to the effort!)

“This is silly.” If you think it’s silly, that’s really OK by me. I’m not sharing this with you so as to not look silly. I’m sharing it with you because I believe in you, and I believe in the power of your words, commitments, actions, joy, and vibrance. I ask that you consider making the commitment, in writing, even and especially if you think it’s silly!

“I’m not sure I can make this commitment.” OK. Well, what commitment are you willing to make for the remainder of the month? Please make only a commitment that you feel good about! Please only make a commitment that you’re willing to, well, commit to.

“What is the commitment?” This commitment is whatever you would like it to be. My personal recommendation, only if you’re not sure what to do, and this resonates with you, is to — with at grateful heart — drink a full liter of green smoothies each day. This means to take the time in the morning when drinking the liter of green smoothies to drink it with gratitude not just for the smoothie but also for all of your many gifts in life, including life itself! I call it “green gratitude” for short, and I tell you this, if that’s something you are up for, it is a life changer if you allow it to be.

But really… again… please only make a commitment you feel good about. Commit to two liters of water per day, a daily walk of any length, a weekly pleasure date/outing with yourself, honestly, whatever. What connects you to the earth/source/your highest self? What helps you to feel amazing? What gives you peace and clarity? You know that better than I could!

“What do I do with this commitment?” Copy/paste it to your computer’s word processor, then print it out and sign it? Paint it or write it in calligraphy? Write it in crayon then color it? HONESTLY, whatever you want, but making the choice to put it in writing and sign your name to it has some added oomph, so please do that!

“Can the words be changed?” Of course! This is not for my ego — this is for YOU! Change it however you desire. It’s your commitment.

“Should I share the commitment with others?” Only if you believe that will serve you and your commitment. You know yourself. Do you believe that making it public will keep you “accountable”? If so, please do! If you want to hold it close, keep it private, but just MAKE IT HAPPEN… do it. Then it’s between you and you. (Or if you’d like, you can replace that second you with “God, or Source Energy, or Goddess”, if it resonates with you.

————————————-

I’ve looked back and realized now that my answer to each of these questions is ended with a because I am smiling with you! I’m thinking such good thoughts, sending so much love and positive energy as I write this to you!

To quote my mom , “Smile and the world smiles with you, or at least I will!”

I love that. And it’s true in this case, with me ‘n you!

I’m sending you a separate email about this in a sec… I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear from you, especially if it will help you on this journey!!! And even if you just want to share some love or good news!

ALL RIGHT, that’s it for now.

Sending you love, gratitude, and all sorts of good energy,

xxo Eva

P.S. Just a reminder that there is {a page set up for 30 Days Green resources right here}.

P.P.S. As a head’s up: Most of our remaining emails will be short and sweet. Look out for two more emails today, and then on Friday look out for a weekend adventure with some fun recipes.

Website: {http://www.vitalitybistro.com}
Phone Number: (352) 735-8411
Address: 301 North Baker Street, Mount Dora, FL 32757
Get Social: {Twitter} & {Facebook}
Online Reviews: {Here at Yelp} & {Here at Urban Spoon} & {Here at Happy Cow}
Special Notes: Closed Sundays and Mondays. Offers a variety of raw foods including appetizers, main entrees, desserts, juices and smoothies.

Note: We always recommend calling ahead for opening times or confirming any details that might affect your travel plans!

Uncooking 101 provides info that’s as accurate as possible for ya, but we don’t guarantee it to be flawless. Restaurants close, change their hours, change their offerings, etc. If you find anything to be incorrect, we’d LOVE to hear from you so we can correct it! Just give us a holler using the {contact form here}, and provide a link to THIS PAGE to help us reference & correct it faster! THANK YOU!

And of course, thank you for supporting the businesses that exist to support YOU too! That’s the best way to keep them open… better than a McD’s being in your neighborhood!

COMMENT BELOW WITH ALL THE DETAILS — AND FEEL FREE TO LINK TO YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE LISTING IF YOU WROTE ABOUT IT.

You know… there are some days when I feel like eating fresh is really just not that worth it. I mean, to throw a piece of bread in the toaster would take, what, like 10 seconds of effort? But to make a smoothie, as a mom, it can take anywhere from 3 minutes to, like, 3 hours.

No. I’m not exaggerating. That’s the craziest part. I know there are plenty of mom’s who “get it.”

What to do? FINALLY, I found a solution that is working for us… Lilla gets to help me make everything. Everything!

1. If we’re juicing oranges, we take turns juicing. While I hold her up or sit her on the counter… I say “Lilla’s turn” and she presses half an orange onto the citrus juicer. Then I say “Mommy’s turn” and I press half an orange. She holds the same half each time, but I get new halves. This is because she isn’t quite as strong as me so needs to press her half an orange more times to get all the juice out of it.
2. I put a bunch of strawberries onto the cutting board, and Lilla picks them up individually to put them each into the blender.
3. She puts handfuls of greens into the blender.
4. She puts the ice into the blender.

So… basically… I coordinate making it easy for her to help, and she is the one who actually fills the blender and chooses how much of everything goes in there.

When it’s all done, Lilla is THRILLED to drink the smoothie she co-created with me. This is the recipe from today (Lilla doesn’t use measure cups, so I’m estimating…):

* 1 1/2 cups orange juice (5 oranges juiced)
* 10 large strawberries
* 3 handfuls spring green mix
* 10 large pieces ice

Blend — for a total of about 1 1/2 liters of smoothie.

Our mission (which is a question to be answered by your thoughts + words + actions): What is the SINGLE BEST THING you can do this weekend and in the coming week?

I find that making ONE special effort that I know I can do (like a daily liter of green smoothie) as a “guarantee” just feels really good. No matter what my day looks like, that’s the one thing that I know I can make it happen.

But then… other opportunities arise, and we’re able to enjoy them too. Kinda like bonuses. Sometimes. Like a feel-good fresh lunch. Snacks. Dinner. Exercise. Water. Walks in the park. Listening to the birds sing. Really taking a moment to stop and smell the flowers. Etc. We do what we can, today, and tomorrow will present new opportunities!

Whatever you need to do today to ensure that you can make that special effort this weekend and coming week, think on that, then make it happen. And just a little farmers market plug, you might like to check out www.localharvest.org to find a nearby market if you don’t know of one!

——————

Thinking more on this…

No matter how much passion we have, most of us simply don’t change everything overnight.

I did… but not really now that I’m looking back.

I “went raw” overnight almost 7 years ago… And in 3 days’ time, I went from eating a Standard-ish American Diet to eating All Raw. The detox was awful, and I didn’t have a clue “how” to maintain raw, either. I had a lotta learnin’ to do!!

And the truth is, that since that time, my mind, habits, and whole lifestyle have had to catch up in a lot of ways. I simply wasn’t in the mental space to change every single detail in my life right away.

In fact, shortly after I changed my diet, (maybe two weeks later?) I decided to take some time away from my husband. It was safer for me; I really needed time and space to absorb such sudden changes. And it was such a blessing! (Just a little side note that Carlos and I are coming up on our 8th wedding anniversary, and our love and marriage have grown stronger over time even as we have chosen different diets and lifestyle choices!!)

———

These 30 Days Green are simply about moving in the direction of where you’d like to be.

No need to ditch your job, husband, friends, or kids today. (Although I suppose those are options too, should you feel they are best for you!) But mostly, please know this: Where you are now is great too.

If it’s not your final destination, well, join the club! We are together in this experience. And yes, indeed, this is part of life. Growing, learning, changing (everything! changing your mind, your diet, your opinion, your version of truth… ETC).

It’s all good, if you allow it to be!

What a marvelous beginning this has been! I love – love – LOVE – that so many of us are ready and willing to take extra positive steps with just a little encouragement and group effort. What a gift it is to be open to making any and all joyful steps towards where we’d like to be!!

It’s also pretty neat that we’ve received the exact same information and between us all, many of us have done different things to add more green. I’ll share just what sticks out in my mind from the group yesterday:

* * filled the house with fresh foods (fruits, veggies, green leaves, raw nuts + seeds – it’s so much easier to eat them when they are on hand!)

* * drank a green juice with great pleasure and gratitude (juices are generally only the juicy part of the fruits/veggies with the fiber/pulp removed via a juicer or some kind of strainer)

* * drank a green smoothie with gusto (green smoothies are essentially any kind of blended drink that includes green leaves in the mix)

* * spent the afternoon in the park, listening to the birds sing (amazing how making this conscious effort, the birds grow louder and more entertaining!)

These are just a few examples, and actually more details are coming to my mind. If you want to have a look at what others are doing, {the Facebook event page is here} and the {uncooking club post is here}.

IF YOU’RE CURIOUS, THIS IS WHAT I DID

1/ Yesterday I did NOT manage to drink a green smoothie… and I sorely missed it by the day’s end. I’m writing this at 4am (this is my “workday” while Lilla sleeps!) and almost cannot stand the wait to make a morning smoothie when Lilla wakes up!

2/ I did, however, spend almost the entire afternoon in the park. (Yup, Lilla and I were some of the ones listening to the birds singing… took a nap too…)

I usually wouldn’t take a photo of us napping in the park because… well… it’s kind of awkward and not really part of the moment! BUT I wanted to share this with you so here is a self portrait from our time together. I took such great pleasure in connecting with Miss Lilla, in the sun shining through the tree we chose, in the breeze, in the birdsongs. Really, something about all of nature was like magic to me.

It boggles my mind that we can sometimes forget this magic and believe that everyday details are the important things. I intend to remember the magic, and that is part of the point of living green for me. It’s not just the smoothies, foods, and such. It’s about connecting to the part of me that remembers where I came from, that understands why I’m lifted by nature.

3/ When we were finished at the park, we plotted on the back porch instead of indoors. I made a phone call during that time, and we were able to hold the connection, but it simply was not the same being outside on the cell phone as it was to snuggle under a tree with the sun shining through the trees!

4/ I believe that, while it seems we are “connected” in many ways with others via the TV, the general tendency is to let TV be more of an intrusion than a gift. In the late evening before bed, one of my relatives was in the living room watching a murder mystery of sorts. I kept telling myself not to watch it, but that didn’t work at all. It’s amazing how we/I can get sucked in sometimes. And the truth is, that if I’d kept my focus on Miss Lilla rather than not watching the TV, I know now that only she would have sucked me in!

(I’m learning too of course… seems the learning never ends… even when sometimes I’m following my own advice from experiences past!)

5/ We also made some flavored water in the evening! YUM! If you’d like the recipe, I added about 6 cups of water to a large jar + half an orange sliced + half a lime sliced + about a cup of ice, then gave it a nice shake before pouring. What a joy to drink water infused with the extra flavor!

Note: On another day recently, I concocted a green smoothie that was more like a sweet lemonade. The recipe is planned for the {Raw News Bites newsletter}, so be on the lookout for that in a separate email if that sounds good to you.

Note: This mission is intended to continue for the length of the project but is of course optional if for any reason you would prefer not to follow it!

1/ Make at MINIMUM a full liter of green smoothie to drink each day, ideally in the morning if that works for you. Here are a few recipes you might like: {blueberry green smoothie} {cherry green smoothie} {juicy berry smoothie}

2/ Make at MINIMUM 16 ounces of green juice to drink. Whatever mix you'd like is great! But here are a couple recipes you might like: {green goddess juice} {"jesus juice"}