i am so sorry, vitamix.

dear vitamix,
i stupidly used the tamper today in my vitamix without the lid! i don't know WHY i thought this was a better idea than taking some lettuce out of the blender.
long story short: i have shattered the end of my tamper and the blades don't want to turn so much anymore. i tried out my dry container and that seemed to work after a little bit of a warm up.
i am worried that i have damaged the motor and wet container!
what can i do?
i realize the warranty (i purchased my machine in january 2011) doesn't cover stupidity, but i am hoping i can repair my machine rather than have to save up for a new one! is there anywhere local i can take my vitamix in for repair? what are my options?
i love my vitamix!
i appreciate any advice you can give me.

sigh. so i am juicing again. for now. not as easy and quick as putting it all in the blender.
the website says i should get a response within 4-5 days. it appears i am not the first person to do this and it sounds like they have excellent customer service and that this broken drive socket repair could be $102. if it's that, i am soooo relieved. we'll see!

p.s. can't help but feel like my blender has cut me off from green smoothies. it was like, 30 days? that is IT!!!

day 27 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today's morning smoothie was romaine lettuce with celery, cucumber and apple. i didn't think i would have time to have a smoothie before leaving in the morning so i was excited! and paul didn't have to make a smoothie for himself as i left a glass of it for him too ^_^

at lunch, i had another green smoothie!!! i was in seattle with sarah and we went to chaco canyon where i had the ginger sesame bowl which was delicious and oh-so-perfect for how hungry i was by then! i was really impressed with how easy it was to order despite my allergies. (note: friday i had a re-test of allergies and i have a much shorter list now - HURRAH!!! - but i have to avoid gluten/cashews/peanuts/green peppers/honeydew always along with my "wouldn't-eat-anyways" dairy products, coffee and meat) i got the "really green smoothie" to go, which was kale with apple juice and banana. yum!

later that afternoon, i got to check out jodee's desserts which was awesome. i could eat some raw cookies, macaroons and raw taco chips. all super good. didn't like the raw chocolate so much (felt it should have a stronger taste - more bitter, more sweet - anything!). everything else had cashews in it though there were smoothie options. pretty near by, also in the greenlake area, is the chocolate shoebox where i got some costume-looking green flats for $24. and a bunch of fun (and unhealthy!) snacks, like cocomels and caramel popcorn. yum!

day 26 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today's smoothie is basically a repeat of yesterday's (loved it!) but i added one apple:

day 22 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today's smoothie was some remaining collard greens, romaine lettuce (i feel like i haven't used romaine in awhile), an asian pear, 2 kiwis (they were getting kinda soft), mint leaves (not as much as yesterday) and an apple with 1 cup of filtered water.

i loved the texture - the pear and kiwi added a light grittiness. paul found it too thick (and not ice cream smooth-type thick!) so he blended it with some apple juice.

i love that making a green smoothie is a daily tradition now. next week, as i am spending one night in seattle, paul is going to have to make at least one of his own ^_^ i'm curious what he will concoct!

day 20 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today has been a wonderful day off. i was up early and feel so accomplished and it's barely mid-day now. yay!
for today's green drink, i blended 1 cup filtered water with almost a whole bunch of mint, my remaining kale, a bunch of red leaf lettuce and 2 apples. yep, i am still enjoying apples. (just not apple juice on its own! hehe)

and since i didn't mention it yesterday in my long post, i have to mention it today! on monday, i received my first grocery delivery from spud and it was so exciting! i am already excited to peruse online to figure out what to get next week. i LOVE that on the bill they print out (on the other side of their newsletter) how many kilometres your food travelled to get to you so you can keep track! though i really only find that accurate for produce. but that's so awesome just for that. (ie just because someone's warehouse is here in vancouver doesn't mean that the actual food stuffs were grown and processed here, like say coconut water).

one of our bins. the produce bin! 

i'm pretty proud that i have been eating more local (or at least north american) produce as of late. though today i put some bananas in the freezer and will probably add one to a smoothie tomorrow. but it feels soooo great to eat stuff that grows where i live! i hope someday i live in an apartment with green space for gardening or at least some south-facing light!

anyways... i used lots of mint today in my smoothie (which was super yummy) because i got an extra package of it FOR FREE since they were out of the basil i wanted (which was taken off my bill) and i wanted to get some organic lives chocolate macaroons but they were out so they substituted the lemon macaroons with a discount! ah, and their small (raw, organic) coconut waters on super special right now - about $3.50 each! (usually they are at least $5). LOVE IT.
i generally go get groceries (mostly produce) 3 times a week which gets annoying sometimes. i love that i can get the biggest trip out of the way (and delivered to me!) especially with annoying bulky things like toilet paper or heavy stuff! hurrah!
my friend phil told me about spud the other day and then i was curious as i have seen their trucks around. then he showed me that if i used his promo code, he would get a $25 credit and i would get the same but over 4 orders. and delivery is free in my area if i spend at least $35. no problem! especially having fun stuff like gluten-free bread (made almost entirely of quinoa and brown rice flour) from glutenell in their warehouse! yum! it was amazing having a "bread" again yesterday for the first time in what feels like forever. i liked it slightly toasted best, with garlic and avocado and raw sauerkraut. DROOL. hehe.

day 19 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

wow. what a day.
so last night was my liver/gallbladder cleanse as per andreas moritz's book and wow, do i feel good (and relieved) now!

**a great post about liver/gallbladder cleansing can be found here**

i did my green smoothie later today because i was so excited to eat and drink other things first.

paul's request was more of a fruit taste which i figured i would have when i combined 2 kiwis, a head of green leaf lettuce, an apple, an avocado for creaminess and a couple pieces of dried mango. i still really tasted the lettuce so i tried to fix by adding a pear, some ground vanilla, lucuma and then some dried wheatgrass powder (i was feeling guilty about adding so many sweet things). so then i was left with a grainy smoothie which i added apple juice to for paul anyways! i should have just drank it as is for myself and then have done the juice addition for him. sigh. i know for next time. it's fine. i just wish i had kept it more simple. i enjoy simple tastes more!

so anyways.. this morning was the defining moment of my cleanse. i had to drink my final 2 glasses of epsom salt water (the WORST thing in the world. it is NOTHING like himalayan salts which people have asked and i probably would enjoy. it tastes like POISON.). my mom didn't think i would be able to do the olive oil/grapefruit last night before bed but that was like a nice salad dressing and was NOTHING like the epsom salt water. and 4 glasses of! by this morning, it was really a test of willpower and commitment and i feel so great for having passed! i found i could down the glass in 4 gulps but both times, the 3rd gulp was the hardest and i thought i would throw up. but wow, when i was done that 4th glass and my next thing to look forward to was my freshly squeezed orange juice after not eating since 1:30pm the previous day? heaven! i started thinking about the juice truck's newest smoothie offering of a "key lime pie". i didn't try it today (as i got a "creamsicle" at organic lives instead) but i hope to tomorrow if possible!

i am currently reading dr. gabriel cousens's conscious eating, which is brilliant and inspiring by the way, and this morning really was a true moment of appreciation for my food. i enjoyed that orange juice like never before (and it wasn't just because of my UFO squeezer) and i'm thinking i'll have to do it more often! but going without food and knowing that i was hungry and that i needed it and wanted it and that i would have to wait afterwards until i was allowed to eat, made me enjoy my fresh fruit juice moment all the more. i feel a bit silly as it wasn't even a full 24 hours of a fast but that is a lot for me. i get really edgy after 4 hours of no food even. (i feel bad for paul who was such a great sport these past 24 hours!)

so... i am happy to report i got to see many of the tiny liver bile stones! scary to think they were in me and there are still stones left. but it's encouraging to know that my prep for the night (i feel like the anticipation was the most thought-consuming!) and the wretched epsom salt water was all made worthwhile when it produced the results promised. i can do it again and i will. until i am stone-free!

i grossed out paul earlier by showing him one of the green pea-like pebbles. and i came home this afternoon to him proudly showing me his pebble he eliminated. which turned out to be a glob of his matcha powder that must have just been left in his mug. sigh. he is the best.

oh and... just have to say... the pre-cleanse colonic that day was not mortifying and uncomfortable like i expected. and i think i was flying on my way home as i made it home in record time with no effort ^_^ i am happy to report i do not dread my follow-up one in a couple days!

i really wish that i wasn't unusual in my quest for best health possible. i recommend everyone read both books i have mentioned. i marvel that people would opt to have their gallbladder removed, an ORGAN in their body, and not remove their problem! i don't see the harm, though i do see the discomfort and commitment necessary, in trying a natural method (or 2 or 3 or 4) first and then, as last resort only, opting for surgery or other drastic modern medicine methods.

i feel blessed with the opportunity to explore healthy options for myself as i don't appear to have a life-threatening disease to worry about. i am grateful i have challenged modern medicine's prescriptions for myself thus far and have felt and seen incredible results. i hope that my efforts will protect me as long as possible. i hope that my efforts and interests will inspire those around me to be proactive with their bodies' health as well!

day 18 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today is day 18 of green smoothie days but also day 6, and day, of my liver/gallbladder cleanse! eek! i am SO sick of apple juice and grateful i don't have to drink 1 litre per day at least until i do this cleanse again!
so this morning i made a smoothie quite similar to yesterday's but i took a photo. hurrah!

this smoothie is, as pictured, kale, green leaf lettuce (plus a wee bit of leftover romaine), and 2 gala apples (i didn't have any other fruits to blend plus i figured, reluctantly, that any extra apples i could consume would help for tonight's cleanse!). it blended quite foamy like a juice!

day 17 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

i forgot to take a photo of my smoothie today AGAIN! gah.

i am on day 5 of my 6 days of prep for my liver/gallbladder cleanse tomorrow. eek! so i think i have been thinking more about that.

anyways! today's smoothie was half a bunch of kale with half a bunch of romaine lettuce with one apple and one pear. i was taking it to go and was worried it was going to be bitter because of the big kale smell, but it ended up being perfect!

day 16 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today's smoothie was one bunch of collard greens, 2 apples, 1 pear and a sprinkle of frozen mango.

day 15 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today's smoothie was a whole bunch of dandelion leaves and because they have such a bitter medicine-like taste, i added some ginger, a pear and frozen banana and sampled it and then added frozen mango and an apple too! eek! but it worked! we had these this afternoon and i think dandelion would be better in the morning. just a thought.

day 14 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

somehow forgot to take a photo this morning! guess i'm running out of ideas to make the green smoothie look different!
anyways, today's smoothies for paul and i were made of a bunch of red chard (without the stems), an apple and a pear. yep!
i'm on my 2nd day of drinking a litre of apple juice in the morning. whoa. 4 more days until my liver/gallbladder cleanse. eek!

day 13 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

wow, day 13! i can't believe it!
well, today i made a less-sweet smoothie. i used an apple, pear, avocado and parsley.

the texture was a bit weird - not quite solid like a smoothie and i had to "drink" most of it with a spoon. oops.

 i didn't want to wake paul this morning so his smoothie was in the fridge until later when i blended it with a bit more water (i used 1.5 cups of filtered water) and a frozen banana.

day 12 of 30 green smoothie days in a row

today's smoothie was a few leaves short of a bunch of kale, 1 apple and 1 mango. trying to switch up the fruit and not rely on the frozen banana so much!

and... as to be expected, it was delicious!

within hmm, just over 12 hours (including sleep time), i have read andreas moritz's the liver and gallbladder miracle cleanse in anticipation for the cleanse i am doing on monday! eek! i have been curious about such a flush for quite some time and one of my friends already has a few done. i will most likely write about my findings as long as not too graphic ^_^ but basically i am super excited to see what happens and kinda nervous to see what kind of stuff i have been carrying around. last night when i was reading, i realized that i have been overeating again (i was so good when i first started the elimination diet in january - mostly probably because i hadn't figured out what i could eat yet!) and i worry about the stress i am putting on my digestive system! hopefully this weekend will be the start of something good for me!