Mojo & Farmers

My Mojo is in the tank. I have one kiddo with pneumonia, and the other two with hacking coughs. I'm stuck with head cold and chest congestion. It's been hard to stick to the Mojo guidelines for these weeks three and four.

The third week entailed being gluten, dairy, caffeine, sugar and alcohol free. Gluten was hard when I didn't feel well. Toast was one of few things that appealed.

Week 4 is about reintegration. Now that food has been eliminated, we can slowly add elements back in to see how our bodies feel and process and how we distinguish between true and false appetites.

I like this guideline for distinguishing between the two that Marcie Goldman gave us:

False Appetite

- You don't want food until you see it.

- You finish your plate.

- You chose fast foods (low blood sugar)

-Weak/no appetite (also low blood sugar)

- Cravings for sweets, processed foods, stimulants, toxins, etc.

True Appetite

- Crave and are sated by whole foods - all five tastes including bitter, sour, savory, salty and sweet (not just the last two)

- You don't finish your plate

- You picture, taste and see your food in your mind's eye

- Slow Food - you're willing to cook (balanced blood sugar)

- Strong appetite for real meals and real food

Our final week is about reentry into the real world and keeping a mindful balance with our diet.

I feel like this has been an incredible learning experience and one in which I have really learned what foods make me feel good.

In preparation for the long weekend, here's some stuff I have wanted to share:

- My middle son, Patrick, got accepted today as a youth farmer to the Boulder County Farmer's Market. We are ecstatic! He's going to grow, sell and market what we cultivate in our garden - tomatoes, pumpkins, herbs, veggies, flowers and more. Can't wait to update about this.

- You can read my article about Colorado Chai that just came out in Edible Front Range Magazine. Here's where to find hard copies and the online version should be up soon.

- Delicious shortbread sandies that are vegan and gluten free.

- I ate the 48-Hour Brisket here two weeks ago, and am still thinking about it.

- King Cakes 101

- A big cool serving bowl that's great for wedding gifts.

- 2012 Beauty & Body Award Winners by Delicious Living

Mojo Mastery Week 2

Mara King and Marcie Goldman preparing a vegetarian soup with tofu and miso.

This week we strip it down. No dairy. No gluten. Oooo. It's hard.

Last week I added greens to nearly every meal I ate. My food consumption was really high, but I never felt hungry. Only satisfied. We feasted on kale, collard greens, brussel sprouts, spinach, lettuces.

We added herbal infusions and lots of water to our daily meals.

Adding was easy. Removing is not.

Gluten is the tough one for me. I have already eliminated most dairy because of a sensitivity to it. That hasn't been too bad. I am a bread freak. I eat it every day. Kicking gluten is harder than quitting caffeine for me.

My brother-in-law is in the process of mastering the round, hard-crusted loaves from Tartine Bakery in San Fran. He makes a loaf daily. We're his guinea pigs and try every perfect loaf with cultured butter.

I am only on day two and jonesing big time for a roll. I'd take anything - even a crappy, generic hamburger roll from the grocery store.

Our directive this week?

- No dairy

- No gluten

- Lots of water - 1/2 cup every half hour or a 1/3 of your water before breakfast, 1/3 in the mid morning, 1/3 between lunch and dinner.

- Breakfast - eat within 30 minutes of rising. Plenty of fat, protein, leafy greens and healthy carbs.

- Small meals - shoot for little meals every 2 to 4 hours to help stave off cravings for sugar and foods you're trying to avoid.

- Non-starchy vegetables - make these the mainstay of your diet including them whenever possible.

- Protein - eat 5 to 25 grams of protein with every meal. Make sure to eat grass-fed, local and non-commercial when possible.

- Healthy fats - include healthy fats like grass-fed butter and ghee, ocean-caught fish, fish oils, coconut oils, avocados, pasture-raised eggs, extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed sesame oil, nuts and seeds.

- Increase enzymes - eat fermented foods like kombucha, kvass, raw cultured vegetables

Keep up with bone broths and herbal infusions.

Hoping I don't end up in a corner stuffing stale saltines in my mouth. Kicking my habit slowly ...