#mkculinarynutrition

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Wow it’s been awhile since I’ve last posted! And a lot has changed during my three month absence. 

1. On December 2nd Shamus and I sold Apoyo Lodge and made our move to the beach. 2. This is the last full moon we were able to witness before leaving the laguna behind.  3. - 6. The last of my Culinary Nutrition projects.  - Raw Amuse Bouche. onion cracker. tamarind date chutney. spicy honey garlic pickle. fermented cashew cheese.  - Oat chaptis + a raisin date chutney.  - Homemade body butter. Cacao butter. Coconut + almond oil. aloe vera gel + mint. - Raw Rainbow Green Papaya Salad. final project. The last of the Apoyo Lodge posts.  

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Raw Key Lime Tart. avocado. lime. honey. date paste. coconut oil. almond flour, coconut sugar, sea salt. 

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Making sure I still get my greens in during the Everyday Raw Dessert online course with matthewkenneycuisine this weekend! These are chlorophyll shots with kale, fennel, mint, ginger + grapefruit. All organic and locally sourced in Nicaragua. 

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When easing off of any length of juice cleansing it’s important to take enough time before transitioning back to a regular diet. The body has become accustomed to pressed juices and liquids solely for an extended period of time so it’s best to stick with hydrating watery fruits, fresh juices, smoothies + raw and steamed vegetables for about half the time it took to cleanse.  For my first day transitioning off my 5 day juice cleanse, I started my morning with a mono meal of watermelon. It’s uncomplicated, very hydrating and easy to digest.  I then moved on to a Sweet Greens juice made with pineapple, orange, celery, fennel + mint with pulp.  Like I mentioned in my last post, I had been feeling pretty wired through out my whole cleanse and this was due to the lack of good fats in my diet. Good fats would help to ground me so in the afternoon I enjoyed one creamy avocado with a juicy tomato and a little bit of sea salt and ground black pepper sprinkled on top. I consciously tried my best to savour and thoroughly chew each bite before moving on to the next so as to not shock my system after not consuming any whole foods for the past five days. I felt good and satisfied for the entire afternoon.  I ended my day with this Pitaya Coconut smoothie. I blended half a pitaya with three frozen bananas, young coconut meat and coconut water. 

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My final day of the 5 day juice cleanse with Matthew Kenney Culinary. I made it! I started off my morning with Spice-C made with piña, grapefruit, orange, lime + ginger with skin and a pinch of cayenne and cinnamon which I added in after the photo. I haven’t been straining any of my juices but instead keeping the pulp so I can “chew my juice.”  The action of chewing secretes saliva which contains an important enzyme necessary to initiate the digestion of carbohydrates in the mouth, making them readily available for energy. If we fail to activate the chewing motion, juice is sent to the digestive tract without the very important enzyme vital for carb digestion.  This second juice was a bit of a flop. I got my hands on a butternut squash as I wanted to give the Sweet Cream another go by replacing the sweet potato with squash. Didn’t work so hot. I’m not sure if it was just my juicer (masticating) but hardly any juice came from the squash, maybe a drip here or there at most so I stopped before wasting too much of it. I had a papaya in the fridge so decided to substitute with that. It turned out o.k. flavour wise.  My last juice of the day was a green one. The Herbal Infusion with cucumber, celery, parsley, cilantro + lime. The recipe also called for green apple but I substituted with local pineapple instead. I had quite a bit of juice left over from this one so I refrigerated it in a sealed glass jar and will be adding it to my green juice this morning.  My last “meal” of the day was a simple coconut yogurt. I blended young coconut meat with less coconut water then usual to reach a thicker consistency and added in raw honey, cinnamon + nutmeg. I really enjoyed the consistency of this one. Very filling and satisfying!  I’ve felt extremely wired during this entire cleanse almost like I’ve been drinking a lot of caffeine. Normally I sleep very well but during the cleanse I was a very light sleeper and waking up often. I noticed my heart centre was very stimulated as well as my in-breath. One night while trying to fall asleep I attempted to incorporate my yogic breath, lengthening my exhalations to create an overall calming effect but my inhalation was so in control and too unnatural to overcome. I’ve never had this kind of experience before! I definitely wasn’t alarmed or in any sort of discomfort but curious as to why this was happening to me.  From an Ayurvedic perspective my body could be adjusting to the lighter diet. A cleanse such as this can aggravate Vata dosha. Vata qualities are light, quick, cold and irregular which can be linked to a more irregular, light sleep.  To help balance my Vata I needed to incorporate some heavier elements like fats into my diet. It’s funny, I had been craving avocados a lot during my cleanse but wanted to only stick to juice. I should have listened to my body better! Last night I made a heavier coconut yogurt with added fat and slept like a baby and feel much more grounded today.  I will be sharing my experience of my first transition day after the 5 day cleanse later today. 

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Day 4 photo recap of my 5 day juice cleanse with Matthew Kenney Culinary.  First juice of the day was Piña Fresca a simple and delicious fruity green juice with piña, kale, ginger + lime with skin and a pinch of cayenne.  The second was the quintessential green juice made with blood purifying celery, cooling cucumber, chlorophyll rich kale, stimulating ginger + anti bacterial lime. This one could have used some sweetness to balance out the flavours for me personally.  I really enjoyed the Sweet & Spicy made with carrot, beet, red bell pepper, celery, kale, parsley, lime + a pinch of cayenne and sea salt.  Finished Day 4 off with Lemon Meringue a plant milk sweetened with raw honey and made by blending the meat from young coconuts with coconut water, lime (lemons are almost impossible to come by here) + turmeric.  Today is my last day of the cleanse and on Day 6 (tomorrow) I will be sharing how to ease off of a cleanse successfully. 

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Day 3 complete! I actually made more juice than I could drink today. 

First juice of the morning was Summer Heat and it definitely brought the heat. This juice called for one red chilli pepper but I substituted with chile congos that are growing wild on our property in the laguna instead. They are tiny little things but pack a big punch. I wasn’t sure how many to juice or how much juice would even come out of them. I’m guessing I juiced about eight of them and I could definitely feel the inside of my body come alive. The juice is balanced with liver cleansing grapefruit, hydrating watermelon, beta-carotene rich papaya and alkalising lime.  First green juice of the day was definitely not the prettiest of colours. I wasn’t able to find spinach which the recipe calls for so instead I substituted with Swiss chard. I wasn’t a fan of this one. The other ingredients were carrot, cucumber, mint + lime.  I was really looking forward to this V-10 juice as I used to looove Clam and Motts before I realised all of the not so natural ingredients they contained. This one is all natural and has tomato, carrot, beet, red bell pepper, celery, kale, parsley, cilantro, basil, jalepeno, lime + a rosemary sprig garnish. The recipe also called for dulse but I don’t have access to this sea vegetable unfortunately. It adds a salty, savoury component and I could really tell the juice was missing this in order to pull all of the flavours together. I still enjoyed it and really loved the way the jalepeno heated up my inside. I’ve never had experience with juicing hot peppers before this cleanse but I’m really loving their heating effects. The feeling kind of reminds me of the way your body feels after your first kombucha or alcoholic beverage.  Last concoction of the day before tea. Coconut Cure; young coconut meat blended with coco water, lime juice + nutmeg and cinnamon. I must admit I still purchase nut milk but after making these homemade coconut milks and realising how easy it is with coconuts from the property, I will never buy packaged nut milk again. 

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Day 2 recap of my 5 day juice cleanse with Matthew Kenney Culinary  After My Morning Rituals I enjoyed a few glasses of herbal dandelion tea and made Sunny Spice my first juice of the morning around 11:00a.m. It was made of pineapple, grapefruit, lime + ginger with skin and a pinch of cayenne.  The second juice of the day was a potent green one! After smelling the juicing of the cabbage I wasn’t really looking forward to the taste of this juice but I was pleasantly surprised by how all of the flavours were so well balanced. It was made of fennel, kale, green cabbage, celery, lime with skin + pineapple. The recipe called for apple but they are all imported here and sprayed heavily so I opted for a local sweet fruit instead.  The third was Sweet Cream with carrot, turmeric, ginger + lime with skin and a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. Where does the sweet come in? This recipe calls for sweet potato but I don’t have access to it here. Today I thought butternut squash would be a good replacement but that was after the fact. If I can get my hands on some squash I will try it out tomorrow. I decided to add some raw honey to balance out the flavours with some sweetness.  My final drink of the day was Mint Magic a dessert type plant milk made from young coconut meat blended with coconut water + fresh mint and raw honey.  Now time for tea!