I have strictly stuck to my 5 day juice detox and not cheated at all.  Thank goodness that is over!  I do feel much better now than I did 5 days ago but I have missed cooking and eating with my family.

The first juice of the day involved beetroot again.  2 blog readers, Suz and Tina, suggested I peeled the beetroot to make it less earthy.  I had already done that previously but thanks for the tip ladies.  I think the beetroot which get too big taste too earthy and are very woody so today I picked much smaller ones and they were a huge improvement.

The day’s fruits and veggies (mainly) washed and ready for juicing.First thing I had a mug of warm water with lemon juice followed by a ginger shot which I really enjoy.  It’s the juice of half an apple and a chunk of ginger.
I then made the ‘Sweet Beet Smoothie’.  You juice 1 apple, 2 carrots and 1 medium sized beetroot.  Look at the colour of it !! You then blend that with frozen blackberries and it turns in to a soft frozen and very pleasant tasting smoothie.Very enjoyable.
In preparation for all the healthy food I want to eat next week, I went through my grains, pulses and superfoods cupboard, throwing out the old and making a shopping list of things that need replacing.  I found this packet of broccoli seeds I have not opened before. I found my sprouting jar. Followed the instructions. Now hoping they sprout ! Yesterday I bought a new cookery book.  It was a complete extravagance as I have loads but who doesn’t love Mary Berry?  Apart from the GBBO book, I don’t actually have any of her recipe books and wanted one. I chose this one because I am beginning to teach Harvey to cook and I love the layout of this book.  There is a big picture so you know what you are aiming for.  The recipe is VERY clear and easy to follow and each page includes ‘keys to perfection’. The ‘keys to perfection’ are helpful little tips to make your meal really good instead of just good.  For the novice cook, they tend to answer the questions they would have.

It proved to be excellent for Harvey and would also be good for any teenager or young person about to head off to University or leave home for the first time.  Also very good for their Mothers – I can’t wait to get cooking some Mary Berry recipes. The Little Fella did himself proud. He made, all by himself, a delicious ham and pea soup, served with toasted slices of French bread with mustard butter.  Yes, I supervised, but he did all of it himself.  He, his sister and his Dad all enjoyed it very much and I have saved the 4th portion to have in the week. Meanwhile, back at the juice ranch, I made do with a pear and parsnip juice which was very pleasant.  It has a mild and sweet flavour. The garden continues to produce food for us.  The runner beans have climbed up over their raised bed and up the wall of the fruit cage, where they continue to produce beans. Beans galore and plenty more young ones developing too. The raspberries are also doing well. These were picked and will be my first food after the detox tomorrow. I will need some help slicing that lot. 2 little helpers made swift work of that pile of beans.  Some were used in their pork and prawn stir fry Lara made for supper and the rest are blanched and in the freezer.  Thanks for helping 🙂 I have saved some beans to use to produce next year’s crop. The small ones are the ones I picked last week and in just a week they have dried out to less than half their original size.

I did ny exercise as well today.  I didn’t manage the 2 sessions Jason recommends but I was on my feet a lot of time so think I did OK.  We walked the dogs over the road and I tried a little bit of jogging again.  Both children were astonished that I can run and that i am still alive.  Humph!  Plenty of life left in this old girl.