Now that I am properly equipped with a Vitamix and my smoothie routine is getting under way again I needed to find something filling for breakfast. Smoothies at 5am haven't worked for me. I end up starving an hour before lunch and that makes it much more likely that I am going to stray and eat a super filling lunch full of empty calories with zero nutritional value.
I started to play around with having oatmeal in the morning, without dairy. It was very filling, but as soon as it becomes 80f in the mornings my desire for a hot breakfast is so not there. And then a pin on pinterest brought me to The Yummy Life blog and Monica's lovely Summer Porridge. It is so good just as the recipes are, but my husband requested more oatmeal and I had to adjust it to our tastes. Now I can enjoy that in the morning with some fresh fruit and be full most of the morning. We also like it more than hot oatmeal!
Here is how I tweaked the recipe for our tastes. I use twist and lock plastic containers more than mason jars because I have a tendency to loose the mason jar lids.
1/2 cup organic rolled oats (not quick cook, instant, or steel cut) 150 calories
1/3 cup vanilla and honey Greek yogurt (we like Greek Gods) 76.7 calories
1/2 cup coconut milk ( again my preference is So Delicious) 60 calories
1 tsp chia seeds (approx 30ish calories)
calories: 286 without the berries
1 strawberry = 7 calories
15 blueberries = 12 calories
calories with the berries = 305
Stir it up or shake it up, scrape down the sides, put the lid back on and put it in the fridge to sit overnight.
The next morning add fresh blueberries and strawberries and eat!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
The Rolls Royce of Blenders
Last weekend I wandered into Whole Foods to pick up a few things and met the Vitamix Blender. Whoa! What a machine it is! I had tried to make a green smoothie in my food processor several weekends back and it was a disaster. I ended up with a horrible dark green ,thick, goopy, weedy mess of spinach, bananas, and coconut water. It tasted mostly of bananas and was the most hideous thing to try and swallow and digest. I am a texture eater. I have had to train myself to accept Chia seeds and had actually gotten used to it, but lumpy green stuff was so not something I really could get down. I stopped after 8oz and tossed the rest. At that point I decided green smoothies may not be in my future as long as I had cheap equipment.
All hail the Vitamix!
The man who was giving the demos and sales pitches for this blender had a wide assortment of fruits and veggies at his fingertips. He made me a smoothie that was so good. It consisted of Red seeded grapes, 2 handfuls of spinach, a few kale leaves, a slice of lemon with the rind on, lime juice, pineapple skin removed, a whole strawberry, and ice cubes. He put all of this, save the ice cubes, in the blender and started her up. About 5 minutes later I had a bright spring green smoothie that was smooth as silk. It was literally like drinking water! There were NO lumps or green goop in the pitcher, no froth, the mixture was a perfect even texture and what blew me away was that while it was green and I had seen the spinach and kale go in to the pitcher, it tasted of fruit.
Sadly, the Whole Paycheck package was $449 and that is not an amount I spend without consulting my other half. But I sure as hell debated it. I came home and got on their website and found that low and behold the vitamix site actually has payment plans for those that want a Vitamix, but coming up with $600 all at once is a bit of a challenge. They also have refurbished blenders that are about half of the price of new that come with a warranty of 5 years. I think I see a Vitamix in my very near future :)
All hail the Vitamix!
The man who was giving the demos and sales pitches for this blender had a wide assortment of fruits and veggies at his fingertips. He made me a smoothie that was so good. It consisted of Red seeded grapes, 2 handfuls of spinach, a few kale leaves, a slice of lemon with the rind on, lime juice, pineapple skin removed, a whole strawberry, and ice cubes. He put all of this, save the ice cubes, in the blender and started her up. About 5 minutes later I had a bright spring green smoothie that was smooth as silk. It was literally like drinking water! There were NO lumps or green goop in the pitcher, no froth, the mixture was a perfect even texture and what blew me away was that while it was green and I had seen the spinach and kale go in to the pitcher, it tasted of fruit.
Sadly, the Whole Paycheck package was $449 and that is not an amount I spend without consulting my other half. But I sure as hell debated it. I came home and got on their website and found that low and behold the vitamix site actually has payment plans for those that want a Vitamix, but coming up with $600 all at once is a bit of a challenge. They also have refurbished blenders that are about half of the price of new that come with a warranty of 5 years. I think I see a Vitamix in my very near future :)
Thursday, May 24, 2012
To have a meaningful life and career
I was given this phrase "Break downs lead to break throughs" my first night of massage school. We were told to trust in the process and allow our emotions to surface when they did, if they did, and a break through would come to us. I believe this with my whole being. It was one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given.
I am now a counselor and work in community mental health. The graduate program I went to for this education didn't really get me the license I originally wanted (licensed professional counselor.) I hemmed and hawed until I had to get the Licensed Associate Substance Abuse Counselor. I tried to return to school to get the extra classes I was deficient in in order to get the LPC, but it was not cost effective. I literally needed another year and a half. I took most of them, but ran out of money and patience.
After many years of blame and shame about that snafu I decided to apply for a doctorate and just stop worrying about the LPC board in my state. The program sounded like a great idea. Doctoral level clinicians in Primary Care offices. I would work with ordinary people with ordinary issues that had real insurance companies and not the state HMO. I was very excited. I applied and was accepted. And then I dug a little deeper and found out that 1) the program would not give me any license or certification. 2) in order to get a higher level license that would allow me to practice privately and not in a state agency I would need to take those classes I needed. 3) the college I was accepted at would not allow me to take the extra courses because one of the two was for students in that program only. And finally 4) there was an obnoxious program fee per credit hour attached. Essentially, a $40,000 doctorate became an $80,000 doctorate with out licensing, certification, or a Ph.D. or Psy.D. to go along with it. I would have been bonkers to accept that program. I declined it. If I was going to spend $80 grand on an education I was going to get more out of it then an over priced cap and gown or dinner after graduation. A vacation to Fiji still would not have sufficed.
After declining and withdrawing from the college I came to terms with the fact that I had to stick it out and deal with what I had been licensed in. I did. I am a born try-er. I will try most things if there is some logic behind it and at that time there was. I went to work each day, I worked hard, I was a team player and I trained each doctoral level intern that came into our office on their residency rotations. I ran groups. I met clients for individual sessions.I also struggled to keep my head above the rising tide of cruddy paperwork that continued to flow in from the state and feds. I still do all this. I love many parts of my job, but I am finding that the more that I do the same thing every day, week, month, and year the less I am growing and that is a problem. Another wonderful piece of advice was " when you are not learning anything or being challenged find something else to do." I heard this in graduate school, it was directly related to counseling.
Everyone needs growth in their lives. And growth is tension (another great piece of advice from my current boss.) If we do not have challenges or some tension in our lives we become stuck in our ways. Our trains of thoughts become so ingrained that we have difficulty breaking out of them and forming new pathways. The best and most glaring example is someone who is an alcoholic or drug addict. After years of abuse they have to first suffer through the physiological withdrawal stages of their addiction. Second, they have to accept and work with the biological and physical defects their use has left them with (including brain damage that may never repair itself.) Third, they suffer through the social issues that they have given themselves from their behavior when addicted. It's an awful lot of work for someone who spent years, maybe decades taking the easy way out. And Fourth, there is still the psychological damage, the trauma that living the life as one addicted to drugs or alcohol has to work through. And then imagine, if you can, the whole time they are working though all that other junk they have to fight moment to moment and day to day for their survival; their sobriety. You may not know that addiction is a progressive disease. It is. The brain is so warped by the drugs and/or alcohol that when they get some clarity they have to fight to keep it and still suffer through post-acute-withdrawal that could last up to or past 24 months from the time they stop use! That daily stress, tension, and pressure leads to some serious break downs which then can lead to break throughs. But again the pathways for their instinctual thinking are set, their behaviors, their go-to coping skills are all set and it is a brutal death match to choose the alternate direction.
Now, my job is no where near like being an alcoholic. Staying in the same career and same position forever are not as brutal as that either, but when those pathways are built and repeated for years and decades you get set in your ways pretty damned well.Some people think career changes or layoffs aren't that tough, but if you have been doing the same thing for decades it is a frightening world out there.In a way our jobs institutionalize us and that is what I have seen occurring to me.
I am stuck in my ways. I have difficulty instituting new group or individual counseling rules, new processes at work are lost on me for a minute, finding new ways to see my clients and still do all I need to do to satisfy the state and continue to make productivity (the company) is a constant battle. Hell, even my eating habits and waist line have suffered. I can't stay up past 9pm without being non-verbal and glazed. I wake up naturally at 6:30am on Saturdays. I adapt to changes at work at a much slower pace because my brain is still stuck on how we did it for the last 2 years and now the state totally changes the whole game and things that were a slap on the hand are now sanction-able. It's horrendous and not the life I want. But for the last several years I have done it because it's just a part of life. It's not any part of what I want my life to look like when I turn 40 and I am nearly there.
In a matter of speaking I had a break down. It was more of a realization,an epiphany. Emotionally, I felt like absolute garbage for about 3 weeks. I gave my boss the business for sending me to a training that was the same thing I have heard for the last 3 years when I go to that training. I've been watching my career eat my natural way of being in the world for years. And still, I just accepted it and then I received an email with a job opportunity in Portland, Oregon from a friend who is a Psychologist up there.
I had to think long and hard about when and if I could do take the national certification exam for SA counsleors, apply for Oregon licensure, apply for the job up there, interview and get hired and then move. Oy! That was a lot for my grieving brain to take in, but it all looked and sounded do-able over about a year year and a half. My husband was ok with whatever I chose to do. It is something that could actually happen in the next year if I wanted it to, but I really do not want to just practice substance abuse counseling no matter where it is at. I want to move on to working in a more private setting where I don't have to just be a substance abuse (SA) counselor.Yes, I know SA is cross cultural and pretty much every one has a substance of choice that they rely on to bail them out, make them feel better about themselves, make them able to cope with crazy family, help them to cover up what they think is wrong with them. Substance Abuse is a fantastic foundation to start in, but it is not my be all end all.
Do I really want to move up there and have to re-do school so I can stop being a SA counselor? ugh. Even if there is some beautiful country and temperatures? Nope. But I do need a change. A change in career is not what I am going to do, but it is time to deepen and enrich my skills and education to finally get that LPC and be able to practice mindfulness, EMDR, and DBT.
After that I may move , but currently I need to focus on one thing at a time for my career. First things first, get the loan to go back to school and take those last few courses.
I am now a counselor and work in community mental health. The graduate program I went to for this education didn't really get me the license I originally wanted (licensed professional counselor.) I hemmed and hawed until I had to get the Licensed Associate Substance Abuse Counselor. I tried to return to school to get the extra classes I was deficient in in order to get the LPC, but it was not cost effective. I literally needed another year and a half. I took most of them, but ran out of money and patience.
After many years of blame and shame about that snafu I decided to apply for a doctorate and just stop worrying about the LPC board in my state. The program sounded like a great idea. Doctoral level clinicians in Primary Care offices. I would work with ordinary people with ordinary issues that had real insurance companies and not the state HMO. I was very excited. I applied and was accepted. And then I dug a little deeper and found out that 1) the program would not give me any license or certification. 2) in order to get a higher level license that would allow me to practice privately and not in a state agency I would need to take those classes I needed. 3) the college I was accepted at would not allow me to take the extra courses because one of the two was for students in that program only. And finally 4) there was an obnoxious program fee per credit hour attached. Essentially, a $40,000 doctorate became an $80,000 doctorate with out licensing, certification, or a Ph.D. or Psy.D. to go along with it. I would have been bonkers to accept that program. I declined it. If I was going to spend $80 grand on an education I was going to get more out of it then an over priced cap and gown or dinner after graduation. A vacation to Fiji still would not have sufficed.
After declining and withdrawing from the college I came to terms with the fact that I had to stick it out and deal with what I had been licensed in. I did. I am a born try-er. I will try most things if there is some logic behind it and at that time there was. I went to work each day, I worked hard, I was a team player and I trained each doctoral level intern that came into our office on their residency rotations. I ran groups. I met clients for individual sessions.I also struggled to keep my head above the rising tide of cruddy paperwork that continued to flow in from the state and feds. I still do all this. I love many parts of my job, but I am finding that the more that I do the same thing every day, week, month, and year the less I am growing and that is a problem. Another wonderful piece of advice was " when you are not learning anything or being challenged find something else to do." I heard this in graduate school, it was directly related to counseling.
Everyone needs growth in their lives. And growth is tension (another great piece of advice from my current boss.) If we do not have challenges or some tension in our lives we become stuck in our ways. Our trains of thoughts become so ingrained that we have difficulty breaking out of them and forming new pathways. The best and most glaring example is someone who is an alcoholic or drug addict. After years of abuse they have to first suffer through the physiological withdrawal stages of their addiction. Second, they have to accept and work with the biological and physical defects their use has left them with (including brain damage that may never repair itself.) Third, they suffer through the social issues that they have given themselves from their behavior when addicted. It's an awful lot of work for someone who spent years, maybe decades taking the easy way out. And Fourth, there is still the psychological damage, the trauma that living the life as one addicted to drugs or alcohol has to work through. And then imagine, if you can, the whole time they are working though all that other junk they have to fight moment to moment and day to day for their survival; their sobriety. You may not know that addiction is a progressive disease. It is. The brain is so warped by the drugs and/or alcohol that when they get some clarity they have to fight to keep it and still suffer through post-acute-withdrawal that could last up to or past 24 months from the time they stop use! That daily stress, tension, and pressure leads to some serious break downs which then can lead to break throughs. But again the pathways for their instinctual thinking are set, their behaviors, their go-to coping skills are all set and it is a brutal death match to choose the alternate direction.
Now, my job is no where near like being an alcoholic. Staying in the same career and same position forever are not as brutal as that either, but when those pathways are built and repeated for years and decades you get set in your ways pretty damned well.Some people think career changes or layoffs aren't that tough, but if you have been doing the same thing for decades it is a frightening world out there.In a way our jobs institutionalize us and that is what I have seen occurring to me.
I am stuck in my ways. I have difficulty instituting new group or individual counseling rules, new processes at work are lost on me for a minute, finding new ways to see my clients and still do all I need to do to satisfy the state and continue to make productivity (the company) is a constant battle. Hell, even my eating habits and waist line have suffered. I can't stay up past 9pm without being non-verbal and glazed. I wake up naturally at 6:30am on Saturdays. I adapt to changes at work at a much slower pace because my brain is still stuck on how we did it for the last 2 years and now the state totally changes the whole game and things that were a slap on the hand are now sanction-able. It's horrendous and not the life I want. But for the last several years I have done it because it's just a part of life. It's not any part of what I want my life to look like when I turn 40 and I am nearly there.
In a matter of speaking I had a break down. It was more of a realization,an epiphany. Emotionally, I felt like absolute garbage for about 3 weeks. I gave my boss the business for sending me to a training that was the same thing I have heard for the last 3 years when I go to that training. I've been watching my career eat my natural way of being in the world for years. And still, I just accepted it and then I received an email with a job opportunity in Portland, Oregon from a friend who is a Psychologist up there.
I had to think long and hard about when and if I could do take the national certification exam for SA counsleors, apply for Oregon licensure, apply for the job up there, interview and get hired and then move. Oy! That was a lot for my grieving brain to take in, but it all looked and sounded do-able over about a year year and a half. My husband was ok with whatever I chose to do. It is something that could actually happen in the next year if I wanted it to, but I really do not want to just practice substance abuse counseling no matter where it is at. I want to move on to working in a more private setting where I don't have to just be a substance abuse (SA) counselor.Yes, I know SA is cross cultural and pretty much every one has a substance of choice that they rely on to bail them out, make them feel better about themselves, make them able to cope with crazy family, help them to cover up what they think is wrong with them. Substance Abuse is a fantastic foundation to start in, but it is not my be all end all.
Do I really want to move up there and have to re-do school so I can stop being a SA counselor? ugh. Even if there is some beautiful country and temperatures? Nope. But I do need a change. A change in career is not what I am going to do, but it is time to deepen and enrich my skills and education to finally get that LPC and be able to practice mindfulness, EMDR, and DBT.
After that I may move , but currently I need to focus on one thing at a time for my career. First things first, get the loan to go back to school and take those last few courses.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
It's all a process
Grieving is freaking stressful. I think I have been dealing pretty well. I have been able to compartmentalize and not allow it to take over my life. The first couple of days I did struggle to keep my head about me, but all in all I have done ok. And as time has gone on, I have felt better. But grief sure has made me hungry!
And there in lies the problem.
I was about 65-70% raw for a good period of time, I am going to guess and say 6 weeks. I had been almost completely vegetarian for about 2 weeks at the end of those 6 weeks. I felt fantastic. I had a nice even energy level, no crazy peaks and troughs to speak of. I was even considering the insane idea of waking up at 2:30am every morning to practice yoga before I started my day. Seriously, for the last 7 years I have hated my schedule of having to wake up at 3am to get to work by 5. I have clawed my way out of bed and into the shower only to stand there wondering how I got there and what I was supposed to do with the pouf in my hand. But with the diet change I was so amazed by how well I felt. I ate so well. I slept so sound. And my mood was on an even keel.
And much like 2 years ago when my Yoga practice of 6 weeks went to hell something came up to make me stop treating myself as well as I had been. But unlike 2 years ago I have been attempting to re-commit myself. 2 years ago I knew I was bullshitting myself saying I would get back to a daily practice.Right now, I'm just having a hard time resetting myself to be inspired.However, it's a process of becoming inspired.
And I think I may be buying a new blender soon. The $20 special is not holding up.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
It's been a while since I last saw your face
On May 1st,2012 a beloved friend of mine was killed in a car accident. She had not secured her massage table in the backseat of her Ford Explorer and when rear-ended it had turned that massage table into a projectile that took her life. So very sad. She was an amazing woman; charismatic, fiery, tender, goofy, hysterical, just, and accepted life as it was. She was living her dream of practicing massage in Kauai. She had traveled to India as a caretaker for a woman who was getting stem cell treatments for cancer. She had bonded with everyone she met and always had a smile and a warm tight hug. No one could hug like Jaime. She was a very rare soul and I am going to really miss her in my waking life.
It's interesting witnessing others and yourself grieve; allowing the emotions of disbelief, horror, anger, blame, bargaining,sadness and finally acceptance run their course. I coached myself to invite Mara in, to let those emotions occur and when they transformed into another I allowed that to occur. I had to sit with them. I had to honor her, love is allowing someone to die, not holding onto them and fighting their departure. And she needed to depart, she was ready for her next great adventure.
The Guest House by Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
It's interesting witnessing others and yourself grieve; allowing the emotions of disbelief, horror, anger, blame, bargaining,sadness and finally acceptance run their course. I coached myself to invite Mara in, to let those emotions occur and when they transformed into another I allowed that to occur. I had to sit with them. I had to honor her, love is allowing someone to die, not holding onto them and fighting their departure. And she needed to depart, she was ready for her next great adventure.
The Guest House by Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Strengthening My Physical and Spiritual Self
So now that I am feeling 75% better I am back to making my smoothies and juicing. I cannot wait until the end of the week to feel the amazing difference. Looking back over this short jaunt I see that by the end of the first week of March I was already feeling better. I had a ton of energy and my moods were much more predictable and easier to manage. This time I am going to have to manage that energy and not keep myself going and doing as much as I was.My physical foundation was and is a bit weak.
It's time to start working on opening my hips and strengthening my core and that means starting an afternoon yoga practice. My practice room is in shambles right now, but that can be solved in a few hours. When I stopped my afternoon practice, my room became the laundry room and goodwill donation center again. Frustrating? Nah, it was bound to happen. It's our spare room and it was the donation center before my husband and I made it into a guest room/reading room/craft room/practice room.
I recently heard of a psychologist who has also had several years of Buddhist training that will speak to my spiritual self and since I have the time in the afternoon to practice yoga and meditate I am also going to listen to some audio dharma and start meditating on a much more regular basis. My issues with meditation have always been that I only do it when I need to go inside, be quiet, and just be. And for me, with my energy level and go-getter personality the desire to go inside and just be is not often. I am a born tryer. Not only do I try and work on all my interpersonal relationships, but I also try new things out pretty often.
If you are interested in these Dharma talks I suggest you check out: Tara Brach The talks are free on her site.
And for some neurological reprogramming which is what I am doing with how I look at food check out: Dr. Dan Seigel
It's time to start working on opening my hips and strengthening my core and that means starting an afternoon yoga practice. My practice room is in shambles right now, but that can be solved in a few hours. When I stopped my afternoon practice, my room became the laundry room and goodwill donation center again. Frustrating? Nah, it was bound to happen. It's our spare room and it was the donation center before my husband and I made it into a guest room/reading room/craft room/practice room.
I recently heard of a psychologist who has also had several years of Buddhist training that will speak to my spiritual self and since I have the time in the afternoon to practice yoga and meditate I am also going to listen to some audio dharma and start meditating on a much more regular basis. My issues with meditation have always been that I only do it when I need to go inside, be quiet, and just be. And for me, with my energy level and go-getter personality the desire to go inside and just be is not often. I am a born tryer. Not only do I try and work on all my interpersonal relationships, but I also try new things out pretty often.
If you are interested in these Dharma talks I suggest you check out: Tara Brach The talks are free on her site.
And for some neurological reprogramming which is what I am doing with how I look at food check out: Dr. Dan Seigel
Monday, April 23, 2012
My first green smoothie
Sunday I decided to let go of my apprehension and try a green smoothie. I gotta say it tasted pretty good at first, mostly of banana, but soon it became unpalatable. I could not drink more than 8oz of it because it filled me up FAST. And since I don't have a Vitamix yet I decided to try the food processor and then pass it through a fine mesh strainer. I dislike chunks or powders in my smoothies. I now completely understand why greens should be either juiced or blended in a blender with a lot more gumption than the one I have....The smoothie looked HORRENDOUS! It was a lesson in soluble and insoluble fiber I can tell you that! It had a foamy head complete with teeny tiny green speckles. It was not pretty.
Here is what I put into it:
3 handfuls of spinach leaves
3 carrots
1 apple
1 banana.
about 6oz of coconut water.
Here is what I put into it:
3 handfuls of spinach leaves
3 carrots
1 apple
1 banana.
about 6oz of coconut water.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Farmers Market
The farmers market was great fun. Its a teeny row of stalls off a fairly busy street, but it did have a very nice selection of organic produce. Yippee! It was not cheap, but I did get some delicious Beefsteak tomatoes, giant grape tomatoes, a HUGE bunch of spinach, some beautiful cloves of garlic, a few pounds of organic carrots and my first dozen of fresh cage free eggs. I did not buy a lot, the prices were pretty high, but I got some wonderful stuff to eat and juice. It was very much worth the drive.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
So very grateful
When health problems or out-of-the-blue issues strike it takes me a minute to readjust my lens. I adapt to change pretty well, but when my mobility comes into play or a change is forced upon me I take a bit longer to roll with the punches. I suppose it is part of my inability to take things lying down. I question everything. It's not that I don't trust the people who provide me with change, its just that in order for me to wrap my head around the why's of things I have to know every detail. Once I have those details I am golden. Try as I might I can't just take " because I said so" as the reason for anything.
Last week when my back went out I knew the details. I have been dealing with occasional back pain for ten years now. 95% of the time I manage well. I practice my yoga, follow through on most of the exercises that the physical therapy has taught me. But after awhile I get comfortable. To be honest I get lazy. I make excuses. I get "too busy."And then I forget. It is always a four-part process with me. With a lot of positive changes I make in my life there comes a time when I revert back to my old ways and just forget (literally) about what change I was trying to make.
Is anyone else like that?
Obviously, my motivations change over time. My wide-angle lens turns fish-eye and I end up over-concerned with the sparkly aspects of life. So this week was a huge readjust for me. Last week by about the third day of not being able to ambulate around my house for long I gave in to it and let my body rest. My mind was entertained by The Hunger Games Triolgy, but I did take a time out for 7 days in which I did nothing. Sure, I reflected on how I put myself back into the position of flat on my back, but after I let go I realized my focus must be me and my life.
So rather than bore you with psycho-babble of my own inner workings I will list the readjustments I am making as fast as my body will allow me. I'm still a bit wonky on that front, but as the days go on I am getting better.
1. Smoothies and Juices for 1- 2 meals a day.
2. PT exercises at least 2x per day.
3. Buy that hula-hoop to increase my range of motion.
4. Yoga in the afternoon because a morning practice is not going to happen unless I abandon my life as I know it and move to Massachusetts to study at Kripalu.
5. Research getting my NAADAC certification.
6. Apply for my LISAC when I have met the hours required. This should be late summer or early fall.
*side note: Tomorrow I have off and I am going to the Farmers Market to get some lovely homegrown veggies to enjoy in those juices and smoothies I love so much :)
Last week when my back went out I knew the details. I have been dealing with occasional back pain for ten years now. 95% of the time I manage well. I practice my yoga, follow through on most of the exercises that the physical therapy has taught me. But after awhile I get comfortable. To be honest I get lazy. I make excuses. I get "too busy."And then I forget. It is always a four-part process with me. With a lot of positive changes I make in my life there comes a time when I revert back to my old ways and just forget (literally) about what change I was trying to make.
Is anyone else like that?
Obviously, my motivations change over time. My wide-angle lens turns fish-eye and I end up over-concerned with the sparkly aspects of life. So this week was a huge readjust for me. Last week by about the third day of not being able to ambulate around my house for long I gave in to it and let my body rest. My mind was entertained by The Hunger Games Triolgy, but I did take a time out for 7 days in which I did nothing. Sure, I reflected on how I put myself back into the position of flat on my back, but after I let go I realized my focus must be me and my life.
So rather than bore you with psycho-babble of my own inner workings I will list the readjustments I am making as fast as my body will allow me. I'm still a bit wonky on that front, but as the days go on I am getting better.
1. Smoothies and Juices for 1- 2 meals a day.
2. PT exercises at least 2x per day.
3. Buy that hula-hoop to increase my range of motion.
4. Yoga in the afternoon because a morning practice is not going to happen unless I abandon my life as I know it and move to Massachusetts to study at Kripalu.
5. Research getting my NAADAC certification.
6. Apply for my LISAC when I have met the hours required. This should be late summer or early fall.
*side note: Tomorrow I have off and I am going to the Farmers Market to get some lovely homegrown veggies to enjoy in those juices and smoothies I love so much :)
Monday, April 16, 2012
I have not disappeared
I haven't been here in about a week. My back went out and operating a computer was the last thing on my mind. I also was unable to operate the blender, so no smoothies or juices for a week! And after I had bought all those glorious fruits and vegetables. Good thing they all did not go south.
I am feeling better now, but have little time to fully update today. But I will leave you with the promise that I will be back later this week. I am still resting easy and taking it slow so I do not end up flat on my back for another week.
Have a great week everyone!
I am feeling better now, but have little time to fully update today. But I will leave you with the promise that I will be back later this week. I am still resting easy and taking it slow so I do not end up flat on my back for another week.
Have a great week everyone!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Produce Joy
I have been struggling the last 2 or so weeks to afford enough fruits and veggies to feed myself twice a day. It's not easy with commercial food store prices. 89¢ for a cucumber, 77¢ for a avocado, $1.00 for a red bell pepper, $1.29 for a 1 pound bag of carrots. That's crazy! It got worse when I started to juice. $12.00 in apples made 12 ounces of juice. I started to question my sanity. Would it not be easier to just eat the fruits and veggies I pack into 12 oz of juice or a smoothie?
Yeah, if I had the room for it in my gut that would be one thing. But I do not. I also don't have the money to pay weekly for commercial prices. So I abandoned those stores and went to a pretty well known gem of a produce shack in the east valley, Superstition Ranch Market. It is always busy and in the winter time it is best to get there when they open other wise the lines to checkout can take upwards of 15 minutes. If you have the time to waste then that's ok, but I dislike spending my entire Saturday grocery shopping. So this morning at 7am I rose, showered, had a small bit of coffee ( I still have my one cup a day), and my husband and I went.
The store is NOT pretty. If you are a germaphobe this place may not be for you.It is old and worn, it smells of earth and farm. And that in and of itself makes this place a gem in my book. I love a produce shop that smells of the things it sells. We purchased A LOT of food. We filled the cart! They had cucumbers for 5 for a $1! Big beautiful dark green non-waxy cucumbers! Sadly, they are commercially grown so pesticides are still a part of my diet. They had Avocado's 4 for a $1. Romaine lettuce for 49¢ a head. Onions were 3 pounds for a $1, a bunch of organic celery for $1!
At the checkout I asked my husband how much he thought we were likely to pay.He guessed $60. I felt that was a bit high, but we had literally filled the cart with fruits and veggies. We got 12 apples not $12 worth of apples. The cucumber alone would have been nearly $6 at the commercial stores. I guessed $45. We were both wrong. We spent $30.79.
The best thing is if I run out of food this week I can just drive over and get more for those prices!
Yeah, if I had the room for it in my gut that would be one thing. But I do not. I also don't have the money to pay weekly for commercial prices. So I abandoned those stores and went to a pretty well known gem of a produce shack in the east valley, Superstition Ranch Market. It is always busy and in the winter time it is best to get there when they open other wise the lines to checkout can take upwards of 15 minutes. If you have the time to waste then that's ok, but I dislike spending my entire Saturday grocery shopping. So this morning at 7am I rose, showered, had a small bit of coffee ( I still have my one cup a day), and my husband and I went.
The store is NOT pretty. If you are a germaphobe this place may not be for you.It is old and worn, it smells of earth and farm. And that in and of itself makes this place a gem in my book. I love a produce shop that smells of the things it sells. We purchased A LOT of food. We filled the cart! They had cucumbers for 5 for a $1! Big beautiful dark green non-waxy cucumbers! Sadly, they are commercially grown so pesticides are still a part of my diet. They had Avocado's 4 for a $1. Romaine lettuce for 49¢ a head. Onions were 3 pounds for a $1, a bunch of organic celery for $1!
At the checkout I asked my husband how much he thought we were likely to pay.He guessed $60. I felt that was a bit high, but we had literally filled the cart with fruits and veggies. We got 12 apples not $12 worth of apples. The cucumber alone would have been nearly $6 at the commercial stores. I guessed $45. We were both wrong. We spent $30.79.
The best thing is if I run out of food this week I can just drive over and get more for those prices!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Frozen Solid
Yesterday I had to suffer a grave disappointment. *keys dramatic music* My juice was still frozen solid at lunch. This meant I had to either forage through the work fridge (HAHA) or go out and get something to eat. I was also short on time and my office is pretty far removed from a grocery store. The perfect storm for a junk food fix? A month and a half ago it would have been.
Sad to say, McDonald's is usually my go-to for fast comfort food. It's close to work, cheap, fills the hole, and satisfies my comfort food cravings. Problem is I haven't had a junk food craving in nearly a month! I crave stuff I never ever thought I would crave on a regular basis; things like spinach, lettuce, red bell pepper, melon, strawberries, apples, ba-na-nas, limes (yeah, I don't get that one either,) and mangoes. I crave Mangoes and Macintosh apples all the time now.
I am also picky about food now. I don't think about satisfying my junk food roots. I don't think in caloric intake, or fat grams. I don't consider if its high carb or high in cholesterol. This could be dangerous if I was eating refined garbage food like packaged crackers, canned soups, white bread, pastries, fast food, or drinking soda all day. Instead I consider where I may be able to find the most nutritious meal.
My dining options were: the crack shack (hole in the wall Chinese food that has a walk up window and no dining room,) 2 Mexican restaurants, McDonald's, What-a-Burger, or farther a field was Burger King or Blimpie.
I had a meeting in 30 minutes so Burger King and Blimpie were out. I also dislike both.
I am very sensitive to oil, what kind of oil is used as well as how often they change it and use fresh. I can taste what has been cooked in it and if the piece of food smells of it I can't eat it. That alone took the crack shack and one of the Mexican food places. I haven't eaten their food in 3 years because it last smelled and tasted like fried cabbage. I am not a fan of cabbage, cooked or raw. Fast food was out because well, its loaded with sodium even when I order my fries without salt. That left one of Mexican food place that makes their own beans and their own tortillas. While a bit greasy, they do give you a good portion for a fair price.
I ended up with Chicken Tacos. They were ok. The beans on the other hand were well worth it. Real beans, cooked nice and slow.
Lesson learned: I will thaw the juice on my desk if I take the juice out of the freezer that morning.I will not put it in the fridge and think it will be thawed in 6 hours. And Beans are a much better idea then tacos.
Sad to say, McDonald's is usually my go-to for fast comfort food. It's close to work, cheap, fills the hole, and satisfies my comfort food cravings. Problem is I haven't had a junk food craving in nearly a month! I crave stuff I never ever thought I would crave on a regular basis; things like spinach, lettuce, red bell pepper, melon, strawberries, apples, ba-na-nas, limes (yeah, I don't get that one either,) and mangoes. I crave Mangoes and Macintosh apples all the time now.
I am also picky about food now. I don't think about satisfying my junk food roots. I don't think in caloric intake, or fat grams. I don't consider if its high carb or high in cholesterol. This could be dangerous if I was eating refined garbage food like packaged crackers, canned soups, white bread, pastries, fast food, or drinking soda all day. Instead I consider where I may be able to find the most nutritious meal.
My dining options were: the crack shack (hole in the wall Chinese food that has a walk up window and no dining room,) 2 Mexican restaurants, McDonald's, What-a-Burger, or farther a field was Burger King or Blimpie.
I had a meeting in 30 minutes so Burger King and Blimpie were out. I also dislike both.
I am very sensitive to oil, what kind of oil is used as well as how often they change it and use fresh. I can taste what has been cooked in it and if the piece of food smells of it I can't eat it. That alone took the crack shack and one of the Mexican food places. I haven't eaten their food in 3 years because it last smelled and tasted like fried cabbage. I am not a fan of cabbage, cooked or raw. Fast food was out because well, its loaded with sodium even when I order my fries without salt. That left one of Mexican food place that makes their own beans and their own tortillas. While a bit greasy, they do give you a good portion for a fair price.
I ended up with Chicken Tacos. They were ok. The beans on the other hand were well worth it. Real beans, cooked nice and slow.
Lesson learned: I will thaw the juice on my desk if I take the juice out of the freezer that morning.I will not put it in the fridge and think it will be thawed in 6 hours. And Beans are a much better idea then tacos.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Smoothie in the AM and Juice in the PM
This is a quick note, so please pardon the grammatical errors if there are any.
Today is the first day I am doing smoothie/Juice for 2 full meals. I have to say I was disappointed how little juice I got from an entire bag of spinach though. It was maybe a quarter cup. Sad state of affairs as I was looking forward to it mixed with the lovely Macintosh apple juice I made. Oh its so yummy. I have to hold myself back from digging it out and drinking it all now.
I'm not sure that the juice and smoothie will be enough to sustain me, but we shall see. I do have some apple juice and carrot juice ice cubes I think I will toss into the mason jar just to make sure I have more than 10oz of juice.
I am having to re-think my grocery shopping. I have been spending a lot of money on this wonderful and glorious adventure. But we do have other bills to pay. So I will go to the Superstition Ranch Market this weekend and load up. I think I will be able to get more for less there. Or at least I hope I can. The Farmers Markets around here seem to be running only on Fridays right now, which is sad. I'd like to bring home some home grown goodness. Guess I will have to wait for my garden to produce! I cannot wait for my apple tree to start dropping her apples.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Today is the first day I am doing smoothie/Juice for 2 full meals. I have to say I was disappointed how little juice I got from an entire bag of spinach though. It was maybe a quarter cup. Sad state of affairs as I was looking forward to it mixed with the lovely Macintosh apple juice I made. Oh its so yummy. I have to hold myself back from digging it out and drinking it all now.
I'm not sure that the juice and smoothie will be enough to sustain me, but we shall see. I do have some apple juice and carrot juice ice cubes I think I will toss into the mason jar just to make sure I have more than 10oz of juice.
I am having to re-think my grocery shopping. I have been spending a lot of money on this wonderful and glorious adventure. But we do have other bills to pay. So I will go to the Superstition Ranch Market this weekend and load up. I think I will be able to get more for less there. Or at least I hope I can. The Farmers Markets around here seem to be running only on Fridays right now, which is sad. I'd like to bring home some home grown goodness. Guess I will have to wait for my garden to produce! I cannot wait for my apple tree to start dropping her apples.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Macintosh
That was some seriously good juice. So good a few hours later I was craving it again and rather than thawing out the juice cubes I had already made for later in the week I ran to the store for more of those delectable apples.
If I was closer to my nephews I would take some over to them. It is seriously that good!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
This Weeks Menu
Every week I make a menu of what we are going to eat for dinner. Most weeks we eat a few things from that menu, but there are those times when my husband and I just don't really want whats on the menu. I am sure we are not the only couple that goes through this.
One of the biggest changes in my outlook since embarking on this lifestyle change has been how I look and feel about the food I eat. I love food. I always have, but for the many years that I have been cooking for us I have favored rich foods, heavy foods; in short, the foods and meals that put extra meat on your bones. While it's ok to have one of those meals on occasion, we do not live in a third world country, I am not a chef, and I don't see my food supply running short any time soon. So why have the mind set that I need any extra meat on my bones? I blame the clean plate club.
I really enjoy my food and smoothies that I have every day. In fact I am going to try 2 new smoothies this week that I am pretty excited about:
1st a Banana-less smoothie!The Avocado and Berry Smoothie - It looks and sounds delish! I've also learned that I dislike suffering from smoothie withdrawal because my bananas haven't ripened or have gone south way too fast. It is time I branched out and went banana-less.
The 2nd sounds sinful. Green Monster Spinach Smoothie - I understand why she says that it does not taste green. There is Peanut butter, banana, vanilla greek yogurt, and almond milk! All of that combined makes a super rich and delicious smoothie on its own.
Dinner is always a challenge for me. I find I can no longer eat heavy foods. I love a cheeseburger, but find that when I eat beef now I have to eat a very small portion or I feel like I have a rock in my gut and I feel pretty sluggish. It is not pleasant.
the rest of the menu
Kiwi Mango Quinoa Salad . This recipe sounds like a fantastic work day lunch and a nice light dinner. Iowa Girl Eats seems to be one of my new favorite food blogs. She has a lot of healthier menu items that appeal to my palate right now.
Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos I've made these in the past and they were delicious!
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Sounds really tasty.
Chicken Gyros. I love tzatziki sauce, chicken marinated in lemon, garlic, and oregano.I do prefer using Mediterranean flat bread over Pitas. Less bread means more chicken in my book.
One of the biggest changes in my outlook since embarking on this lifestyle change has been how I look and feel about the food I eat. I love food. I always have, but for the many years that I have been cooking for us I have favored rich foods, heavy foods; in short, the foods and meals that put extra meat on your bones. While it's ok to have one of those meals on occasion, we do not live in a third world country, I am not a chef, and I don't see my food supply running short any time soon. So why have the mind set that I need any extra meat on my bones? I blame the clean plate club.
I really enjoy my food and smoothies that I have every day. In fact I am going to try 2 new smoothies this week that I am pretty excited about:
1st a Banana-less smoothie!The Avocado and Berry Smoothie - It looks and sounds delish! I've also learned that I dislike suffering from smoothie withdrawal because my bananas haven't ripened or have gone south way too fast. It is time I branched out and went banana-less.
The 2nd sounds sinful. Green Monster Spinach Smoothie - I understand why she says that it does not taste green. There is Peanut butter, banana, vanilla greek yogurt, and almond milk! All of that combined makes a super rich and delicious smoothie on its own.
Dinner is always a challenge for me. I find I can no longer eat heavy foods. I love a cheeseburger, but find that when I eat beef now I have to eat a very small portion or I feel like I have a rock in my gut and I feel pretty sluggish. It is not pleasant.
the rest of the menu
Kiwi Mango Quinoa Salad . This recipe sounds like a fantastic work day lunch and a nice light dinner. Iowa Girl Eats seems to be one of my new favorite food blogs. She has a lot of healthier menu items that appeal to my palate right now.
Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos I've made these in the past and they were delicious!
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Sounds really tasty.
Chicken Gyros. I love tzatziki sauce, chicken marinated in lemon, garlic, and oregano.I do prefer using Mediterranean flat bread over Pitas. Less bread means more chicken in my book.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Lunch
I have been quite lazy about making smoothies this week. Part of the issue is I can't seem to get a banana to ripen fast enough or to stay in that middle ground before it gets spotty and brown. The bananas I bought this week went from green to BROWN in the matter of 2 days. I still eat them, but they are not smoothie material. I like some body to the banana and not more mush than substance. Does anyone else know what I mean?
Tuesday I woke up to no electricity and rather than stumble around the house with a candle I laid in bed for a while. I needed it. My allergies have been kicking my butt since Saturday and they are exhausting little buggers. I eventually called the power company and found that low and behold they were aware of the outage and gave an ETA of 5:30am. I am supposed to be at work at 5am. Oh well I work in an office where these things are allowed. You are allowed to occasionally sleep late, miss your alarm, or have other mishaps and it is not a big deal. You usually make it up within the week staying late anyway. If I ever wonder why I stay...that is why. Because I can be human. Being able to be human in a work place is HUGE to me.
Anywho I did end up showering by candle light. That was an experience. Shaving your legs by candle light is even more of an adventure and I will be happy to say I did not miss many hairs! The power came back on and I was able to get ready, use a hair dryer, and get my lunch together. I took my time getting it together this morning. I was already going to be late, it is not going to make a difference if I am there at 6:30 vs 6:40 so why rush?
So what did I spend an extra ten minutes on? FOOD! Glorious food. I sliced up cucumbers, red pepper, carrots, packed a few Romaine lettuce leaves, an avocado, put some hummus in a jar, a little feta in a baggie and a multi grain piece of flat bread. I also put some watermelon and strawberries in a container and poured myself some mint green tea . I was excited about wrapping it all up and eating it. And while there is some animal product in there, it is minimal. However I left the flat bread on the counter and didn't realize it until I was sitting down to lunch.
I am glad I forgot it! I just wrapped it up in the lettuce and grazed the vegetables that did not fit in the lettuce leaves. It was the best damn lunch I have had in at least a week. I wish I had taken a picture. There was a lot of food and funny enough I was not able to eat all of it. I do love this lifestyle change. I love being aware that my body is more fit to consume veggies and fruits than meat.
I also had some Raw Chocolate Bark it was delicious! The stevia was left out due to the aftertaste and Mango was added. It was so tasty!
Tuesday I woke up to no electricity and rather than stumble around the house with a candle I laid in bed for a while. I needed it. My allergies have been kicking my butt since Saturday and they are exhausting little buggers. I eventually called the power company and found that low and behold they were aware of the outage and gave an ETA of 5:30am. I am supposed to be at work at 5am. Oh well I work in an office where these things are allowed. You are allowed to occasionally sleep late, miss your alarm, or have other mishaps and it is not a big deal. You usually make it up within the week staying late anyway. If I ever wonder why I stay...that is why. Because I can be human. Being able to be human in a work place is HUGE to me.
Anywho I did end up showering by candle light. That was an experience. Shaving your legs by candle light is even more of an adventure and I will be happy to say I did not miss many hairs! The power came back on and I was able to get ready, use a hair dryer, and get my lunch together. I took my time getting it together this morning. I was already going to be late, it is not going to make a difference if I am there at 6:30 vs 6:40 so why rush?
So what did I spend an extra ten minutes on? FOOD! Glorious food. I sliced up cucumbers, red pepper, carrots, packed a few Romaine lettuce leaves, an avocado, put some hummus in a jar, a little feta in a baggie and a multi grain piece of flat bread. I also put some watermelon and strawberries in a container and poured myself some mint green tea . I was excited about wrapping it all up and eating it. And while there is some animal product in there, it is minimal. However I left the flat bread on the counter and didn't realize it until I was sitting down to lunch.
I am glad I forgot it! I just wrapped it up in the lettuce and grazed the vegetables that did not fit in the lettuce leaves. It was the best damn lunch I have had in at least a week. I wish I had taken a picture. There was a lot of food and funny enough I was not able to eat all of it. I do love this lifestyle change. I love being aware that my body is more fit to consume veggies and fruits than meat.
I also had some Raw Chocolate Bark it was delicious! The stevia was left out due to the aftertaste and Mango was added. It was so tasty!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Juicer
Juicers are expensive. They are not as expensive as a Blendtec or Vitamix blender, but they do take a chunk of change. I was lucky enough to once again find a family member who had one, was not using it, and was happy to get rid of the thing. They take up a lot of space! More than I was aware of and in my tiny kitchen it will be boxed up and put away until I need it. Which will not be tonight. Tonight I will make a lovely Banana, Strawberry, Mango, Kiwi smoothie and be pleased with that. However I have spinach and apples waiting for later this week.
My allergies have kicked in and I have to say this year is so much worse then the last two combined. I haven't had to take allergy meds in several years and in the past was able to control how my allergies hit me with local honey. It does not appear to be working this year so I buckled and picked up some Claritin D. I am not happy about taking it, but if it keeps me from feeling like I was hit by a truck it is worth it.
My allergies have kicked in and I have to say this year is so much worse then the last two combined. I haven't had to take allergy meds in several years and in the past was able to control how my allergies hit me with local honey. It does not appear to be working this year so I buckled and picked up some Claritin D. I am not happy about taking it, but if it keeps me from feeling like I was hit by a truck it is worth it.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Garden
The garden photos have been updated. *points up the Garden tab* We went out today to do a little weeding, to relocate the chard, plant some lettuce seeds, and find a spot for the leeks. I am happy to say that it looked lovely and we have some bumble bees floating around back there already. Thank god. I was thinking of planting some Nasturtium with the cucumbers to see if the flowers would draw them in, but the Blackberry bush and Orange trees are drawing them in just fine.The apple tree has mini apples growing and I am so excited to get them come June.
But one issue we do have is the Fig tree. It is HUGE, it takes up at least a 20 foot radius, and each year figs come out, we watch them grow and then the birds get them. We have never gotten a single fig that is ripe and ready to be eaten. Sure we have pulled off figs that looked half way to a ripe fig, but they are not nearly the size they should be. And we have been told if you pick them too soon they are poisonous when you eat them. Is that a myth? Can someone help with this?
The tree itself is a Brown Turkey. That is all I know. I'd say its about 7-10 years old.
But one issue we do have is the Fig tree. It is HUGE, it takes up at least a 20 foot radius, and each year figs come out, we watch them grow and then the birds get them. We have never gotten a single fig that is ripe and ready to be eaten. Sure we have pulled off figs that looked half way to a ripe fig, but they are not nearly the size they should be. And we have been told if you pick them too soon they are poisonous when you eat them. Is that a myth? Can someone help with this?
The tree itself is a Brown Turkey. That is all I know. I'd say its about 7-10 years old.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Fruit less!
Earlier this week the weather here was horrible; cold, wet, and even some substance fell from the sky that was half way between snow and hail. It was in pellet form like hail, but slushy. I just cannot drink a smoothie when it is 40 some odd degrees outside. Even a smoothie when we are in the 60's is trying. So while I tried to drink smoothies this week, it did not work out so well. On the up side by the end of the week I have been having serious cravings for fruit and NOT junk food.
I also ran out of Mangoes! I know it does not sound that important, but Mangoes are quickly becoming as important to me as bananas are. I am truly in love with the Mango. I also have not had much luck with fresh mangoes and the frozen variety appears to be the perfect choice. Problem is the only place I can find frozen Mango is Trader Joe's. And of course they are not within a 5 mile radius of my home so it is more of an ordeal to go out there and pick some up.Who wants to go to three grocery stores?!
Needless to say I did not make it out to TJ's and settled on some fresh Mangoes. MEH. one of the three was good, the others, while I thought they looked great on the outside were a nightmare on the inside. I didn't even taste them as they looked diseased. I then bought a "tropical smoothie mix" of frozen Strawberries, Mangoes, and Pineapple. Eek! It was mostly pineapple and made my smoothies way too tart. There was an awful lot of lip smacking going on.That's one product I will not buy again.
I have decided I need to bite the bullet and buy a juicer. I have held back from green smoothies as I have a cheap blender and no juicer. Blending spinach or any other green, in my cheap $20 blender, sounds repulsive. I am a texture eater and I can't get past certain things: raspberry seeds, blackberry seeds, stringy stuff, chalky,gritty, or powdery substances are all wretch worthy. I recently learned from a friend ( my one and only friend who is a raw foodist) that she juices her spinach. She brought me some and I have to say it was really good and perfectly smooth.
So I hope to find a juicer that can do greens and is not as expensive as a Blendtec or Vita-Mix blender.
I did go to TJ's today and am happy to say that I have about 2 weeks worth of Mangoes now...
I also ran out of Mangoes! I know it does not sound that important, but Mangoes are quickly becoming as important to me as bananas are. I am truly in love with the Mango. I also have not had much luck with fresh mangoes and the frozen variety appears to be the perfect choice. Problem is the only place I can find frozen Mango is Trader Joe's. And of course they are not within a 5 mile radius of my home so it is more of an ordeal to go out there and pick some up.Who wants to go to three grocery stores?!
Needless to say I did not make it out to TJ's and settled on some fresh Mangoes. MEH. one of the three was good, the others, while I thought they looked great on the outside were a nightmare on the inside. I didn't even taste them as they looked diseased. I then bought a "tropical smoothie mix" of frozen Strawberries, Mangoes, and Pineapple. Eek! It was mostly pineapple and made my smoothies way too tart. There was an awful lot of lip smacking going on.That's one product I will not buy again.
I have decided I need to bite the bullet and buy a juicer. I have held back from green smoothies as I have a cheap blender and no juicer. Blending spinach or any other green, in my cheap $20 blender, sounds repulsive. I am a texture eater and I can't get past certain things: raspberry seeds, blackberry seeds, stringy stuff, chalky,gritty, or powdery substances are all wretch worthy. I recently learned from a friend ( my one and only friend who is a raw foodist) that she juices her spinach. She brought me some and I have to say it was really good and perfectly smooth.
So I hope to find a juicer that can do greens and is not as expensive as a Blendtec or Vita-Mix blender.
I did go to TJ's today and am happy to say that I have about 2 weeks worth of Mangoes now...
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Bananas!
This week my cache of bananas did not want to ripen for love nor money. They stayed green until the end of the week and went all brown and speckled in 24 hrs. I sure can't eat 6 bananas in 2 days. I like my bananas as close to ripe as I can get them, more yellow then green without brown speckles. The banana itself needs to be firm with a little bit of give. Bananas are the cream base for my smoothies and without them I find my smoothies to be lacking. They need to be just ripe, but sadly those suckers stayed green for way too long.
With this experience I have had to find out how to pick the perfect bunch of bananas and I found that this quest also came with some good information.
First off, Bananas contain many nutrients such as Vitamins A,B1, B2, B3,B5, B6,B9, B12, C, E,K, Choline, Calcium, Manganese, Potassium, Phosphorous, and Zinc. They are Cholesterol free,have both Omega 3 and Omega 6. 1 medium banana is about 105 calories and 27g of carbohydrates. They also contain roughly 88 grams of water.They are a complex carbohydrate until they ripen and get speckled and brown, at this point the starch is more sugar. Trying to find out whether a banana was a complex carb or a simple carb was a little bit of a task, but boils down to what stage of ripeness the banana is in!
Green or Tinged green = complex carb because it has more starch then sugars.
Brown and Speckled = more simple carb because the starch has been/is being converted to sugars.
Banana distributors have control over their bananas! Apparently they have large air tight ripening vaults that allow them to have the beautiful bright yellow skin that signals to us lay people they are ripe or near ripe. They can also slow down the ripening of their bananas so the green bananas can sit in the store a little longer.
I did learn that you should buy bananas from several bunches, some ripe or near ripe so you can have them in the next couple of days and a few others in varying stages of not so ripe so they can last through out the week.
References:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/482491-fructose-and-glucose-in-bananas/
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2
http://brokensecrets.com/2010/02/03/how-to-accelerate-and-slow-banana-ripening/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/419955-the-carbohydrates-in-bananas-and-oranges/
With this experience I have had to find out how to pick the perfect bunch of bananas and I found that this quest also came with some good information.
First off, Bananas contain many nutrients such as Vitamins A,B1, B2, B3,B5, B6,B9, B12, C, E,K, Choline, Calcium, Manganese, Potassium, Phosphorous, and Zinc. They are Cholesterol free,have both Omega 3 and Omega 6. 1 medium banana is about 105 calories and 27g of carbohydrates. They also contain roughly 88 grams of water.They are a complex carbohydrate until they ripen and get speckled and brown, at this point the starch is more sugar. Trying to find out whether a banana was a complex carb or a simple carb was a little bit of a task, but boils down to what stage of ripeness the banana is in!
Green or Tinged green = complex carb because it has more starch then sugars.
Brown and Speckled = more simple carb because the starch has been/is being converted to sugars.
Banana distributors have control over their bananas! Apparently they have large air tight ripening vaults that allow them to have the beautiful bright yellow skin that signals to us lay people they are ripe or near ripe. They can also slow down the ripening of their bananas so the green bananas can sit in the store a little longer.
I did learn that you should buy bananas from several bunches, some ripe or near ripe so you can have them in the next couple of days and a few others in varying stages of not so ripe so they can last through out the week.
References:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/482491-fructose-and-glucose-in-bananas/
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2
http://brokensecrets.com/2010/02/03/how-to-accelerate-and-slow-banana-ripening/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/419955-the-carbohydrates-in-bananas-and-oranges/
Friday, March 16, 2012
Lessons in Gardening
When I was a kid my parents had a garden and a huge peach tree. I do not remember the vegetables, but I do remember the massive amount of peaches that we had year after year. I never grew tired of peaches. never. Since I moved out of my parents home I have struggled to have homegrown vegetables, but since I was an apartment dweller, a student, and now a townhouse owner I do not have space of my own to plant a garden.
We have tried container gardening....with horrible results. Usually the plants were fried by the time growing season really started or they produced 4 tomatoes. We tried new or different soil, bigger pots, bringing the plants in every evening when the sunshine was too strong, watering after the sun went down, watering in the early early morning; planting under a full moon in the buff was the only thing we did not try. It did not take long to abandon the project and keep buying my fruits and veggies from the store or farmers market.
I was lucky enough to have a family member who had a garden plot they had dug, filled with organic soil, and grew in for a few seasons, then covered it in tarps and let it go. I suspect it became too much. The plot itself is of a good size, it fits approximately 22 plants and 2 trellis for vertical growing. There are also sun shades and a sprinkler system AND irrigation that in the summer months runs twice a month. Last fall, we took it over. This is now our second growing season since we have started using it. Last fall we didn't get anything. The weather was not normal, way too wet and cold from October-December. So this summer I am optimistic that it will be different. We have 18 tomato plants (gotta have your priorites!), 3 Zucchini, a bunch of green beans, 2 cucmber plants. 1 dill, 4 peppers, and 1 swiss chard.
The Garden Tab *points up* shows our work in pictures. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
We have tried container gardening....with horrible results. Usually the plants were fried by the time growing season really started or they produced 4 tomatoes. We tried new or different soil, bigger pots, bringing the plants in every evening when the sunshine was too strong, watering after the sun went down, watering in the early early morning; planting under a full moon in the buff was the only thing we did not try. It did not take long to abandon the project and keep buying my fruits and veggies from the store or farmers market.
I was lucky enough to have a family member who had a garden plot they had dug, filled with organic soil, and grew in for a few seasons, then covered it in tarps and let it go. I suspect it became too much. The plot itself is of a good size, it fits approximately 22 plants and 2 trellis for vertical growing. There are also sun shades and a sprinkler system AND irrigation that in the summer months runs twice a month. Last fall, we took it over. This is now our second growing season since we have started using it. Last fall we didn't get anything. The weather was not normal, way too wet and cold from October-December. So this summer I am optimistic that it will be different. We have 18 tomato plants (gotta have your priorites!), 3 Zucchini, a bunch of green beans, 2 cucmber plants. 1 dill, 4 peppers, and 1 swiss chard.
The Garden Tab *points up* shows our work in pictures. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bandwagon?
Several years ago my mother used to juice her breakfasts, but somewhere along the way she stopped and got rid of her juicer. It was a sad day when I found this out, let me tell you. Juicers are expensive and it would have been nice to get one for free or close to free. She now wants to try out these smoothies I have been raving about. Good for her! I hope she finds the benefits as nice as I do.
My husband is a very easy going sort. He will eat most things I set in front of him and doesn't mind a simple sandwich for dinner. He usually doesn't turn his nose up to much either! When I started this experiment I asked if he wanted to try as well. He needs to eat on a much more regular basis then I do or he gets raging migraines so he said he'd try a smoothie or two, but he'd stick with regular food for the work week. Well lo and behold he is interested in trying smoothies for breakfast during the work week. He was especially interested in the green smoothies that I am incorporating into this experiment of mine this week.
I even have a coworker that is curious and a couple of friends on Facebook who want me to keep them up to date on how it goes!
A handful of people do not qualify as a bandwagon in this wide world of ours, but it is surprising to me that they'd be this interested in trying it for themselves. It's great support to me too! The kind of support every one needs when they make changes in their lives.
My husband is a very easy going sort. He will eat most things I set in front of him and doesn't mind a simple sandwich for dinner. He usually doesn't turn his nose up to much either! When I started this experiment I asked if he wanted to try as well. He needs to eat on a much more regular basis then I do or he gets raging migraines so he said he'd try a smoothie or two, but he'd stick with regular food for the work week. Well lo and behold he is interested in trying smoothies for breakfast during the work week. He was especially interested in the green smoothies that I am incorporating into this experiment of mine this week.
I even have a coworker that is curious and a couple of friends on Facebook who want me to keep them up to date on how it goes!
A handful of people do not qualify as a bandwagon in this wide world of ours, but it is surprising to me that they'd be this interested in trying it for themselves. It's great support to me too! The kind of support every one needs when they make changes in their lives.
This weeks Menu:
Bananas
*Strawberries
*Mango
*Pineapple
Spinach
Meyer Lemon
Apple
Orange
Avacado
*Peaches
Shredded Dehydrated Unsweetened coconut
Kiwi
Greek Yogurt
Vanilla Almond Milk
Water
* denotes frozen
Friday, March 9, 2012
Curiosity
In February my office got a new intern, an older woman of
about 50, who had changed her lifestyle to Raw foods. She would bring in these
quart sized mason jars filled with delicious looking concoctions and when I got
to smell them they really did smell divine. Mint and bananas and mangos, and
lemons. One even had Arugula in it! I was so curious she brought me a couple of
recipe books. I looked through them and rather than wasting time debating it I
thought that I’d give it a shot. What was the worst thing that could happen?
It’s a smoothie not heroin.
I decided to start with fruits, yogurt; in short, things that I understood. Nothing wild and bitter like dandelion greens or Arugala. I had worked at a juice and smoothie shop once I knew the basics. Now I just needed a shopping list, a blender/food processor, and to figure out how I would work it with my schedule.
I decided to start with fruits, yogurt; in short, things that I understood. Nothing wild and bitter like dandelion greens or Arugala. I had worked at a juice and smoothie shop once I knew the basics. Now I just needed a shopping list, a blender/food processor, and to figure out how I would work it with my schedule.
The last few days of February came and I was exhausted. I was
physically at work, but mentally I was dying to go home and crawl in bed.. I
have a hard job in the best of times, but some weeks are harder than others
last week was not one of those weeks. By the end of the week I was done with
feeling like garbage. I made a list of the fruits I enjoyed, spent $60 extra on
that fruit, bought some coconut milk , greek yogurt, a food processor, and Chia
seeds. I came home and read some recipes and decided to wing it. Peanut butter
and banana would be my all time favorite flavor combination, so I went for it.
I wanted to experiment with the chia seeds and found that Holy CRAP they….became
gelatinous. I knew this would happen but
was intrigued with them. I was so freaking full after this smoothie I skipped
dinner and my husband ended up with hot dogs.
It’s now been nearly six days of smoothies and it has been a great six days!
The shifts have and have not been dramatic.
This weeks menu consisted of
Bananas
frozen Strawberries
frozen Peaches
frozen Blackberries
frozen Blueberries
So Delicious Vanilla
Coconut Milk
shredded dehydrated
unsweetened coconut
Chia Seeds
Chobani Yogurt
peanut butter (1x)
Cinnamon
The changes I saw and felt were pretty cool.
1)
When my cycle is upon me I am usually lethargic,
cranky, have a low tolerance for stress, am famished and snacking all day,
craving everything I should not be eating, and am generally a moody pain in the
rear. Not this time,I was cheerful, wide awake, looked at food on different
terms and have been very patient.
2)
It takes all of 5 minutes to put together a
smoothie, 20 if you have chia as they need to soak for 15 minutes to sprout the
gel around them.
3)
I make my smoothies at night, put them in 32oz Mason
jars, and in the fridge so in the morning I can grab and go. This works best
for me as I cannot work even the simplest gadgets at 4am.
4)
My energy level is constant throughout the day.
There is no dip in energy come 2pm! I have energy when I get home at night and
that is saying something! Even when my cycle is not part of the equation I am exhausted
come Wednesday.
5)
I get up when the alarm goes off at 3, rather
than hit snooze for the next 20 minutes.
6)
My concentration and thought processes have
improved. All week I did not battle with the situational ADD/ADHD that my work
environment induces on a moment by moment basis.
7)
I found that my choices about the food I did eat
were different; I have to say I do not want to look at this as a DIET. I hate
that word and am against them, but I was looking at food with more scrutiny.The
biggest shift, thus far, has been is it good for me or is it junk food? And can
my stomach tolerate that? That sounds dreary, but I haven’t had true junk food
in a week and the thought of it kind of turned my stomach.
8)
I cannot eat what I used to. I have no need for
it. I grabbed a granola bar to take into a meeting and was STUFFED after half
of it. Uncomfortably stuffed because I am having a difficult time wrapping my
head around the fact that I don’t need that much food any more. Or solid food
anyway.
9)
I still have to have my oatmeal and flax seed in
the morning.
10)
I need more snacks during the day! When I get
home from work at 4 I am starving and must feed in the very near future.
After thoughts:
I need to take it easy on this and not rush
it. I am excited about it, but for lasting change I need to allow myself to
have a little junk food and to be gentle on myself. I do not want to make this
into a diet, as so many other people I have talked to about it think it is. I also don't look at them as 32oz snacks. The
funniest response so far has been from my boss, she gave my 32oz lunch the look
of complete disdain and started talking about the fried chicken she had for
breakfast. It’s more about eating more
of what is right for your body and less of what’s bad. I have read blogs about
folks who lost weight and that would be a nice bonus but I don’t want to do
this for that.
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