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
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
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.
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