Yikes,
As you can see I haven't been here much this last five days. My sweet Grandma passed on last night and the week leading up to this has been an emotional one. We knew that she was leaving us, we just didn't know when. I finally got to see her last night and was with her when she left us. I can't go into detail right now, but I know she could hear what we said to her and I know that there's something else out there. She had a conversation with God and decided that 11pm last night was her curtain call. She's now reunited with my Grandpa and they are playing piano and singing together again.
I've stayed on my smoothies through all of this and I really think they have given me the strength to get through it all. I have still had less hair loss, no more weight loss, that's evened out and I have fluctuated between 138 to 140 all week. Hungry less, that is for sure but is that the smoothies or the stress? I am sure I have dealt with the events of the last week better than I would have, had I been eating a standard Canadian diet.
My father was in the hospital yesterday with a suspected heart attack. He suffered one about 7 years ago and smartened up for a couple of years...but with time so went his efforts. Bootcamp kept him active for a the last couple years, but even that he lost interest in this last ten months. We began Sun Run training together just a week ago. Turns out it wasn't a heart attack but a gentle nudge (more like push) in the right direction. He goes to see a heart specialist soon.
My brother in law is experiencing a fever of 102 to 104 degrees F. There seems to be no real reason and it's been a week. What is causing this I wonder? He isn't into Doctors or meds, so is trying to do things naturally but finally saw a Doctor today but still no explanation was found. Yikes.
What I wonder is if I could convince my father to go raw for 30 days, if he could get off his meds. If my brother in law went raw for a week, I bet he'd see marked improvements and if he was raw for 30 days, he'd feel so great he'd never look back! He's already vegan, so half the work is already done. I have been modelling this type of eating for a year now and still they see how much it's done for me but are unwilling to do something for themselves. I know that they have to find their way here themselves, and I am just a beacon in the distance for them. Hopefully with these health issues they will begin to take notice and start to add more raw foods into their diets. One can only hope.
The knot I have had in my stomach for three weeks - not sure if I have mentioned it here, I thought it was just something that I had acquired over time - finally let go this morning. I was doing my breathing exercises and massaged it and it just left. I was so relieved. It's been there since before Christmas and I didn't know why. Stress works on us in many different ways. Being raw can help to alleviate a lot of the body's stresses, but it can't do it all. Lifestyle and the stresses we are exposed to are such a huge factor in how our body will function and feel.
Feeling peaceful tonight, enjoyed a great bunch of smoothies. The check out lady thinks I am nuts buying so many bananas! Little does she know that is just my two or three day supply and that I get the next bunch somewhere else. I am trying to put in more greens and less bananas as time goes on and I don't need it to be as sweet.
Got Greens?
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Day Nine - Daily Green Smoothies
Sunshine in my tummy makes me full....with all these green smoothies going down so well, I am rarely hungry for anything else!
Weight stable at 138lbs. I am 5 foot 7, not sure if I mentioned that before.
Skin - great, noticing it seems almost like I have a slight tan. That's possibly because of the sunshine we've had this week or the sunshine in my tummy!
Feeling - full of energy, not tired at all. Getting up without a problem, even after being up with a sick kid all night.
Speaking of sick kids. Mine seem to be well when they eat the terrible diet of "Christmas time" but are sick when I have them eat raw until noon and then vegan meals after that. Rarely do they have sugar. In fact sugar intake usually causes a runny nose for them and they have started to make this connection. The same goes for any dairy they ingest, be it at a party or when we eat out - we are more lenient at those times and hope the kids make good choices. My daughter even said she likes "rice cheese" better than regular cheese now. Now all I have to do is get her to like the seed cheeses and we've got it made! I am sure that their little bodies are trying to rid themselves of all the yuck they have collected in their young lives but still it is a little disappointing when you think you are doing things right and this is the outcome...
I am always trying to test my immunity to colds etc. I will drink from their water bottles, and eat off their spoon when they are sick to see if I get anything. So far, since being 90-100% raw I have not had a cold or flu. I believe that even if I did get a cold or flu that it would be much less of an issue and be over sooner. I would also think it was detox, and not a cold/flu, especially if no one else in the house experienced the same thing.
Didn't eat much today as I was so full with smoothie there was no need for anything else.
I had one smoothie at 11am
2 bananas
6 leaves of kale
half a pineapple
2 cups of water
Drinking my sunshine, oh ya.
Walked in Kits with a friend of ours who just had a baby. What a sweetie that little one is. The sun was out and although it was cold, it was invigorating to walk outside! The kids thought it was a little cold, but did well.
At home I had raw ice cream. Take frozen bananas and berries and put them through the Champion Juicer. This is one of my kids' favourites. I fed it to them around 4pm and I also had about a cup and a half of it too.
Smoothie number two was at 6pm.
2 bananas
1/3 tub of mixed spring greens tub
1/2 pineapple
2 cups of water.
This made a whopping seven cups of smoothie. My kids weren't interested, they had their dinner and I drank about five cups and gave the other two to my parents when I visited them.
Great day in general. I did feel some frustration with my youngest, who is not at all pleasant when he's sick. My daughter was a gem tonight, but very emotional. It's going to be an interesting night with both of them sick so I am going to get into bed early and read some more of "The China Study". If you haven't checked this book out yet, you must!
Ok. Be well. Goodnight.
If you're up and want to read something about someone doing a raw vegan diet for 30 days, check out Steve Pavlina's blog.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2008/01/raw-food-diet-day-1
I have enjoyed some of his recipes and reading his daily blurb about his experience going raw.
Weight stable at 138lbs. I am 5 foot 7, not sure if I mentioned that before.
Skin - great, noticing it seems almost like I have a slight tan. That's possibly because of the sunshine we've had this week or the sunshine in my tummy!
Feeling - full of energy, not tired at all. Getting up without a problem, even after being up with a sick kid all night.
Speaking of sick kids. Mine seem to be well when they eat the terrible diet of "Christmas time" but are sick when I have them eat raw until noon and then vegan meals after that. Rarely do they have sugar. In fact sugar intake usually causes a runny nose for them and they have started to make this connection. The same goes for any dairy they ingest, be it at a party or when we eat out - we are more lenient at those times and hope the kids make good choices. My daughter even said she likes "rice cheese" better than regular cheese now. Now all I have to do is get her to like the seed cheeses and we've got it made! I am sure that their little bodies are trying to rid themselves of all the yuck they have collected in their young lives but still it is a little disappointing when you think you are doing things right and this is the outcome...
I am always trying to test my immunity to colds etc. I will drink from their water bottles, and eat off their spoon when they are sick to see if I get anything. So far, since being 90-100% raw I have not had a cold or flu. I believe that even if I did get a cold or flu that it would be much less of an issue and be over sooner. I would also think it was detox, and not a cold/flu, especially if no one else in the house experienced the same thing.
Didn't eat much today as I was so full with smoothie there was no need for anything else.
I had one smoothie at 11am
2 bananas
6 leaves of kale
half a pineapple
2 cups of water
Drinking my sunshine, oh ya.
Walked in Kits with a friend of ours who just had a baby. What a sweetie that little one is. The sun was out and although it was cold, it was invigorating to walk outside! The kids thought it was a little cold, but did well.
At home I had raw ice cream. Take frozen bananas and berries and put them through the Champion Juicer. This is one of my kids' favourites. I fed it to them around 4pm and I also had about a cup and a half of it too.
Smoothie number two was at 6pm.
2 bananas
1/3 tub of mixed spring greens tub
1/2 pineapple
2 cups of water.
This made a whopping seven cups of smoothie. My kids weren't interested, they had their dinner and I drank about five cups and gave the other two to my parents when I visited them.
Great day in general. I did feel some frustration with my youngest, who is not at all pleasant when he's sick. My daughter was a gem tonight, but very emotional. It's going to be an interesting night with both of them sick so I am going to get into bed early and read some more of "The China Study". If you haven't checked this book out yet, you must!
Ok. Be well. Goodnight.
If you're up and want to read something about someone doing a raw vegan diet for 30 days, check out Steve Pavlina's blog.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2008/01/raw-food-diet-day-1
I have enjoyed some of his recipes and reading his daily blurb about his experience going raw.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Day Seven and Eight - Daily Green Smoothies
Time got away on me last night and I didn't get a chance to update my day seven. So I'll do the two of them together.
Weight stayed the same the two days...138lbs.
Skin is fine but woke up this morning with a painful split in my lip. I am not used to getting this type of thing. Dry weather? Or stuff getting out of the system? Not sure.
Emotions and feelings: Great, full of energy until late last night. I did eat some non raw food! Sometimes I just pop it in my mouth without realizing it. A danger if you family is not fully raw with you. So I had some falafel and crackers. Small amount but it did make a difference in my energy level in the evening. I fell alseep earlier than normal.
My two green smoothies on Day Seven were:
2 bananas
5 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of strawberries
2 cups of water
Blend and drink. I made one in the morning and loved it so much made another one for dinner. It was simple and delicious!
Woke up before the alarm at 6:30am and was wakeful, not tired. Great! Did my breathing exercises for the first time in a week and then did my A.M. Yoga session which is about 20 min. My daughter even joined me for part of it. The breathing I do is to help detox the body. David Wolfe talks about it in his book "The Sunfood Diet Success System". You breathe deeply and exhale toxins through your breath. It is counting six seconds as you breathe in, six as you hold the air in, six seconds breathing out and then six seconds without any air in your lungs. It can make you dizzy to begin with if you aren't used to breathing deeply, but I had no trouble when I started this breathing exercise about six months ago. My yoga is A.M. Yoga by Rodney Yee. I really enjoy this yoga program. It's easy, done in your house and Rodney Yee is really relaxing to listen to. If I do it every day for a week, I notice dramatic improvements in my flexibility. Now it is just about consistency and doing it at least three to five times a week!
Today we spent another day up at the mountains. My daughter had her second ski lesson. I had my first green smoothie around 9am.
2 bananas
5 cups of spinach
1 cup strawberries
2 cups of water
Again, loved it so much yesterday that I finished off the spinach today.
Had a Smart Monkey bar up on the mountain with three dates too.
Wasn't hungry when I got home and was offered some free time by Nana and Papa (they took the kids for an hour) so I went for my training run for the Sun Run. Today was Run 1 min. Walk 3 min. and do that nine times. It was a beautiful, full of sunshine day. The run/walk was energizing. It took about 40 min. to complete.
I am so lucky and blessed to have both my parents and my in laws close. My parents live just a block away and my in laws live across town. They do so much for us and the kids. We get exercise time, date nights, day care, etc. They really help us out so much and if not for them we wouldn't have time to ourselves. Our kids are extremely close to their grandparents on both sides and are the only grandkids, so they get spoiled terribly. In a good way of course.
While preparing dinner for the family I made up one of my favourite fruit treats...papaya banana pudding. After blending it up and tasting a little I wondered if I put in a wack of greens if it would taste any different. I chose to put in seven leaves of kale as kale isn't too strong tasting and really it only tasted a little green, but it was more like pudding than a smoothie. I did add about a cup of water but even then it was a thick consistency.
It was made like this:
1 large papaya - peeled and deseeded
2 bananas
7 medium sized leaves of kale
Blend the papaya until it's mushy, add banana and blend until smooth, add kale and blend until smooth again.
Simple and delicious again! I had some figs with that as well, just chewed them up though, eating the old-fashioned way. :)
I was full of energy all day, it's been great. I had a snack around 7:30pm - avocado mush. That's the avocado mushed up with some celtic sea salt and juice of half a lemon with some grape tomatoes mixed in. Simple and delicious again! No cravings for sugar today, no cravings for cooked food today, even though we were in the cafe up on the mountain. Managed to get through that no problem.
Eat raw, live well.
Weight stayed the same the two days...138lbs.
Skin is fine but woke up this morning with a painful split in my lip. I am not used to getting this type of thing. Dry weather? Or stuff getting out of the system? Not sure.
Emotions and feelings: Great, full of energy until late last night. I did eat some non raw food! Sometimes I just pop it in my mouth without realizing it. A danger if you family is not fully raw with you. So I had some falafel and crackers. Small amount but it did make a difference in my energy level in the evening. I fell alseep earlier than normal.
My two green smoothies on Day Seven were:
2 bananas
5 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of strawberries
2 cups of water
Blend and drink. I made one in the morning and loved it so much made another one for dinner. It was simple and delicious!
Woke up before the alarm at 6:30am and was wakeful, not tired. Great! Did my breathing exercises for the first time in a week and then did my A.M. Yoga session which is about 20 min. My daughter even joined me for part of it. The breathing I do is to help detox the body. David Wolfe talks about it in his book "The Sunfood Diet Success System". You breathe deeply and exhale toxins through your breath. It is counting six seconds as you breathe in, six as you hold the air in, six seconds breathing out and then six seconds without any air in your lungs. It can make you dizzy to begin with if you aren't used to breathing deeply, but I had no trouble when I started this breathing exercise about six months ago. My yoga is A.M. Yoga by Rodney Yee. I really enjoy this yoga program. It's easy, done in your house and Rodney Yee is really relaxing to listen to. If I do it every day for a week, I notice dramatic improvements in my flexibility. Now it is just about consistency and doing it at least three to five times a week!
Today we spent another day up at the mountains. My daughter had her second ski lesson. I had my first green smoothie around 9am.
2 bananas
5 cups of spinach
1 cup strawberries
2 cups of water
Again, loved it so much yesterday that I finished off the spinach today.
Had a Smart Monkey bar up on the mountain with three dates too.
Wasn't hungry when I got home and was offered some free time by Nana and Papa (they took the kids for an hour) so I went for my training run for the Sun Run. Today was Run 1 min. Walk 3 min. and do that nine times. It was a beautiful, full of sunshine day. The run/walk was energizing. It took about 40 min. to complete.
I am so lucky and blessed to have both my parents and my in laws close. My parents live just a block away and my in laws live across town. They do so much for us and the kids. We get exercise time, date nights, day care, etc. They really help us out so much and if not for them we wouldn't have time to ourselves. Our kids are extremely close to their grandparents on both sides and are the only grandkids, so they get spoiled terribly. In a good way of course.
While preparing dinner for the family I made up one of my favourite fruit treats...papaya banana pudding. After blending it up and tasting a little I wondered if I put in a wack of greens if it would taste any different. I chose to put in seven leaves of kale as kale isn't too strong tasting and really it only tasted a little green, but it was more like pudding than a smoothie. I did add about a cup of water but even then it was a thick consistency.
It was made like this:
1 large papaya - peeled and deseeded
2 bananas
7 medium sized leaves of kale
Blend the papaya until it's mushy, add banana and blend until smooth, add kale and blend until smooth again.
Simple and delicious again! I had some figs with that as well, just chewed them up though, eating the old-fashioned way. :)
I was full of energy all day, it's been great. I had a snack around 7:30pm - avocado mush. That's the avocado mushed up with some celtic sea salt and juice of half a lemon with some grape tomatoes mixed in. Simple and delicious again! No cravings for sugar today, no cravings for cooked food today, even though we were in the cafe up on the mountain. Managed to get through that no problem.
Eat raw, live well.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Day Six - Daily Green Smoothies
Began my day with the my daughter waking me early and asking to get up to eat. It was 6am. I put her off until 7am when we finally got up and got going for the day.
Weight 138lbs - so up .5 pound from the last time I weighed in, two days ago
Skin - clear, no problems anywhere that I could see.
Feelings - woke up tired but not groggy and my eye was not as bad as yesterday, less goop, less red but still troubled. I was feeling positive and ready to have a great day.
This morning was my first time out for the Sun Run Training Clinic at Hyde Creek. I signed up with my dad to help get him more active and to get me outside on a more regular basis. We meet Sundays as a whole group and there are many trainers. They have all sorts of sub groups. There's the walking group, the walking group with strollers, the run/walk group (which I am a part) and the running group. I thought it was great that strollers could come along.
There was a good mix of people there and we got warmed up and then ran/walked. Today it was walk three, run one and we did that ten times. I knew it would seem simple, but I really want to get back into running slowly as I have injured myself in the past and want to be sure that doesn't happen this time.
The weather could not have been better for mid January! It was cold, but sunny and refreshing. It felt so good to be breathing in that fresh, cool, forest air. The run/walk went by so quickly and I am looking forward to my next session. We are expected to run twice during the week and once with the group on Sundays. They do have an extra session on Thursdays if we so choose. That means that Tuesdays I will be training on my own. I will have to find someone to run/walk with during that time...not sure I would like to run in the dark on my own.
All I had to eat before I went to the run was 2 dates. I usually have some coconut water before Bootcamp, if I have time as it's a great energy boost. I didn't want to drink that much before the run today so I only had the dates. I had a great amount of energy and wasn't hungry until 10:45am. I had a spoonful of honey and then didn't actually eat my smoothie until 12:30pm.
1 fresh banana
1 frozen banana
1/3 tub of spring greens
1 cup blueberries
2 cups of water
I will have to make the time to actually create some of the great smoothie recipes I found on line. I need to use different greens to get a balanced number of nutrients.
Not sure if it's my imagination or wishful thinking but I mentioned in an earlier blog that I wanted to try and get my hair back to it's natural colour and I had read that it was possible to do so by drinking a smoothie a day for an extended period of time. Something maybe I didn't mention is that I have had a large hair loss since my juice fast in September. Every time I showered or brushed my hair or even ran my fingers through it I would get a huge number of strands of hair coming out of my head. It freaked me out. My doctor said it's associated with rapid weight loss and sometimes low iron. Well my iron was low but I am sure I have built it back up and will continue to do so with the green smoothies. What is great is that I have noticed that my hair loss has reduced significantly this week, especially noticeable today when I ran my fingers through and not one strand came out! I hope I have found the answer to having a great head of thick hair again.
I added honey to my evening smoothie so it was this:
2 frozen bananas (must go shopping for fresh!)
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp honey
1/3 tub greens
2 cups water
2 tbsp flax seed oil
Went to bed at 9:30pm as I fell asleep beside my son while putting him to bed. So nothing got done around the house but I woke up feeling great.
Eat well!
Weight 138lbs - so up .5 pound from the last time I weighed in, two days ago
Skin - clear, no problems anywhere that I could see.
Feelings - woke up tired but not groggy and my eye was not as bad as yesterday, less goop, less red but still troubled. I was feeling positive and ready to have a great day.
This morning was my first time out for the Sun Run Training Clinic at Hyde Creek. I signed up with my dad to help get him more active and to get me outside on a more regular basis. We meet Sundays as a whole group and there are many trainers. They have all sorts of sub groups. There's the walking group, the walking group with strollers, the run/walk group (which I am a part) and the running group. I thought it was great that strollers could come along.
There was a good mix of people there and we got warmed up and then ran/walked. Today it was walk three, run one and we did that ten times. I knew it would seem simple, but I really want to get back into running slowly as I have injured myself in the past and want to be sure that doesn't happen this time.
The weather could not have been better for mid January! It was cold, but sunny and refreshing. It felt so good to be breathing in that fresh, cool, forest air. The run/walk went by so quickly and I am looking forward to my next session. We are expected to run twice during the week and once with the group on Sundays. They do have an extra session on Thursdays if we so choose. That means that Tuesdays I will be training on my own. I will have to find someone to run/walk with during that time...not sure I would like to run in the dark on my own.
All I had to eat before I went to the run was 2 dates. I usually have some coconut water before Bootcamp, if I have time as it's a great energy boost. I didn't want to drink that much before the run today so I only had the dates. I had a great amount of energy and wasn't hungry until 10:45am. I had a spoonful of honey and then didn't actually eat my smoothie until 12:30pm.
1 fresh banana
1 frozen banana
1/3 tub of spring greens
1 cup blueberries
2 cups of water
I will have to make the time to actually create some of the great smoothie recipes I found on line. I need to use different greens to get a balanced number of nutrients.
Not sure if it's my imagination or wishful thinking but I mentioned in an earlier blog that I wanted to try and get my hair back to it's natural colour and I had read that it was possible to do so by drinking a smoothie a day for an extended period of time. Something maybe I didn't mention is that I have had a large hair loss since my juice fast in September. Every time I showered or brushed my hair or even ran my fingers through it I would get a huge number of strands of hair coming out of my head. It freaked me out. My doctor said it's associated with rapid weight loss and sometimes low iron. Well my iron was low but I am sure I have built it back up and will continue to do so with the green smoothies. What is great is that I have noticed that my hair loss has reduced significantly this week, especially noticeable today when I ran my fingers through and not one strand came out! I hope I have found the answer to having a great head of thick hair again.
I added honey to my evening smoothie so it was this:
2 frozen bananas (must go shopping for fresh!)
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp honey
1/3 tub greens
2 cups water
2 tbsp flax seed oil
Went to bed at 9:30pm as I fell asleep beside my son while putting him to bed. So nothing got done around the house but I woke up feeling great.
Eat well!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Day Five - Daily Green Smoothies
I was woken up today around 8:30am. Another speedy start to the day. Had to get ready to take the kids to their music play class. Due to the rush I completely forgot to weigh in. Skin is clear but my scalp seems to have a couple of spots that are aggravated. Energy level was even keeled.
My right eye has been red and goopy a few mornings now, off and on. Not sure what that's all about. It is not itchy at all, just a little bloodshot and somewhat crusty. Maybe it's some detox happening? I used to get crusty eyes every day of my life until I was 17. When I was 18 months old my tear duct was operated on as I had such trouble with it being blocked and was on antibiotics often for the infections that happened due to this blockage. Then from that operation on I would have to wipe my eyes with a warm cloth every morning to get the gunk out. That happened until my last year in high school. I clearly remember walking with my eyes stuck shut, feeling my way down to the bathroom getting the cloth (still with my eyes closed) and soaking it in really hot water. Then apply it to my eyes until I could open them. It ended instantly, just after my 17th birthday. No explanation as to why but my doctor had always said I would outgrow it before I was 18. Weird how he knew that.
I love music class as the kids get to be creative, musically and in movement as well. Both kids have attended classes since they were infants and it's just such a part of our lives. www.jumpstartmusicandmovement.com if you would like to check them out.
Snow was coming down on the way out and on the way back. None was sticking in the lower altitudes, but the hills around our area are quite white now. The sun decided to make its presence known around mid afternoon. It was nice to see it again. I really do miss the sun and feel lucky that I can drink my sunshine when the sun isn't around to bless me with it's light!
My first green smoothie of the day was at 12:30pm
3 bananas
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsp. flax oil
1/3 tub of spring greens
2 tbsp honey
2 cups of water
This was the best blueberry one I have made yet. It was so tasty. Probably the honey that I added to it...it was almost too sweet for me, if that's at all possible! It was more like a deep purple smoothie. I could not believe how vibrantly purple it became as it whizzed around in the Vitamix. I'll try to post a photo of it when I download the pix from the camera.
My energy levels have been good today. I have accomplished a lot around the house and played with the kids. I really find a huge improvement in my patience and all round attitude about things right now. There's a positive vibe inside that I am feeling and enjoy it immensely. Things are flowing nicely. I have so much more patience with my kids. I know I have mentined this before, but even they are commenting on how I don't raise my voice anymore. It's true, I am patient, and talk to them calmly and it has made a world of difference in our home. They are happier, we have less crying and they are far more willing to help out around the house because they see me working so hard to keep things neat and tidy. When there is a mess I don't tell them to clean up but ask them to help put 5 things away and they do it!
More and more people are asking questions about how I eat and I am really enjoying helping a few people with ideas and suggestions and support about how they can incorporate more raw foods into their diet. It is important though, when you do decide to make a change in how you live and eat that you talk to you doctor about your choices. Some may have alternative practitioners that they feel more comfortable talking to and that's great. Just remember to listen to you body and do what feels right for you, no matter what you read, hear and see. You know your body best and you are the one who knows how to make it feel it's best.
Just jump in and try a green smoothie today! Any addition of greens and fruits to you diet can help you feel better. A friend of mine who has been trying to eat more raw foods told me today that only after a week of eating more raw how much better she feels. It's amazing how quickly this great feeling courses through the body when it's getting fed exactly what it needs.
Dinner was avocado mash. I mash up an avocado and put in grape tomatoes and some lemon juice and a dash of celtic sea salt. It's great. I also had a piece of raw pecan pie. I am not hungry and it's approaching 8pm so I am not sure I'll get in a second smoothie today. I am not that hungry eating this way, especially with the smoothies I feel my hunger is truly abated. My sweet cravings came about today, and I tried to take care of that with the honey in the smoothie earlier today and then I also had the raw pecan pie. Better choices than what I would have chosen to eat a year ago but still a lot of heavy food for one day.
Energy levels are still good. Going out with the main squeeze tonight. Kids get some quality Nana time.
Go Green.
My right eye has been red and goopy a few mornings now, off and on. Not sure what that's all about. It is not itchy at all, just a little bloodshot and somewhat crusty. Maybe it's some detox happening? I used to get crusty eyes every day of my life until I was 17. When I was 18 months old my tear duct was operated on as I had such trouble with it being blocked and was on antibiotics often for the infections that happened due to this blockage. Then from that operation on I would have to wipe my eyes with a warm cloth every morning to get the gunk out. That happened until my last year in high school. I clearly remember walking with my eyes stuck shut, feeling my way down to the bathroom getting the cloth (still with my eyes closed) and soaking it in really hot water. Then apply it to my eyes until I could open them. It ended instantly, just after my 17th birthday. No explanation as to why but my doctor had always said I would outgrow it before I was 18. Weird how he knew that.
I love music class as the kids get to be creative, musically and in movement as well. Both kids have attended classes since they were infants and it's just such a part of our lives. www.jumpstartmusicandmovement.com if you would like to check them out.
Snow was coming down on the way out and on the way back. None was sticking in the lower altitudes, but the hills around our area are quite white now. The sun decided to make its presence known around mid afternoon. It was nice to see it again. I really do miss the sun and feel lucky that I can drink my sunshine when the sun isn't around to bless me with it's light!
My first green smoothie of the day was at 12:30pm
3 bananas
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsp. flax oil
1/3 tub of spring greens
2 tbsp honey
2 cups of water
This was the best blueberry one I have made yet. It was so tasty. Probably the honey that I added to it...it was almost too sweet for me, if that's at all possible! It was more like a deep purple smoothie. I could not believe how vibrantly purple it became as it whizzed around in the Vitamix. I'll try to post a photo of it when I download the pix from the camera.
My energy levels have been good today. I have accomplished a lot around the house and played with the kids. I really find a huge improvement in my patience and all round attitude about things right now. There's a positive vibe inside that I am feeling and enjoy it immensely. Things are flowing nicely. I have so much more patience with my kids. I know I have mentined this before, but even they are commenting on how I don't raise my voice anymore. It's true, I am patient, and talk to them calmly and it has made a world of difference in our home. They are happier, we have less crying and they are far more willing to help out around the house because they see me working so hard to keep things neat and tidy. When there is a mess I don't tell them to clean up but ask them to help put 5 things away and they do it!
More and more people are asking questions about how I eat and I am really enjoying helping a few people with ideas and suggestions and support about how they can incorporate more raw foods into their diet. It is important though, when you do decide to make a change in how you live and eat that you talk to you doctor about your choices. Some may have alternative practitioners that they feel more comfortable talking to and that's great. Just remember to listen to you body and do what feels right for you, no matter what you read, hear and see. You know your body best and you are the one who knows how to make it feel it's best.
Just jump in and try a green smoothie today! Any addition of greens and fruits to you diet can help you feel better. A friend of mine who has been trying to eat more raw foods told me today that only after a week of eating more raw how much better she feels. It's amazing how quickly this great feeling courses through the body when it's getting fed exactly what it needs.
Dinner was avocado mash. I mash up an avocado and put in grape tomatoes and some lemon juice and a dash of celtic sea salt. It's great. I also had a piece of raw pecan pie. I am not hungry and it's approaching 8pm so I am not sure I'll get in a second smoothie today. I am not that hungry eating this way, especially with the smoothies I feel my hunger is truly abated. My sweet cravings came about today, and I tried to take care of that with the honey in the smoothie earlier today and then I also had the raw pecan pie. Better choices than what I would have chosen to eat a year ago but still a lot of heavy food for one day.
Energy levels are still good. Going out with the main squeeze tonight. Kids get some quality Nana time.
Go Green.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Day Four - Daily Green Smoothies
Another bang of a start to the day, at least I got some sleep last night as I went to bed around midnight and didn't wake up until 7:20am. Quite a late sleep in for me, but felt good when I woke up. Had a meeting at 8am so rushed around to get to work on time.
Started the day like this:
Weight 137.5, so I am down another .5 of a pound. That's a total loss of 2.5 lbs in 4 days.
Skin: clear today, except that the skin on my hands is extremely dry. Skin conditions can be due to detox, but I am not sure about this one. Is it because I am spending so much time washing greens, and blenders and my hands are in the water more. I will have to see how it goes. The weather has also been very dry this last three days.
Feeling: woke up with lots of energy today, no headaches or other adverse conditions that I have noticed.
Ate an apple around 10am
Smoothie number one I ate at 12:15pm. It was so tasty! Adding flax oil makes the smoothie so much more smooth, I really like it that way.
3 bananas
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 tub of greens
2 cups of water
2 tbsp flax oil
Blended and enjoyed while reading over my mail for the day.
At work I had some young coconut meat at 3pm. What I do is bring in a food each week for the students to try. They know how I choose to eat and most can't get over that I can do without french fries and traditional chocolate bars on a daily basis. The students were excited about trying the coconut milk and meat. We all tried the milk during class (some were more receptive to it than others). Most tried it but there was a lot of fanfare around the whole thing.
After class some of the kids stayed to try the coconut meat. They thought it didn't taste too badly. Some actually enjoyed it quite a bit but figured their parents would not buy it for them. I wonder why they would think this. What parent would say no to buying a new food that's good for them?! I would love it if my kids came home saying that they would like to try a new healthy food. Maybe parents themselves are not open to trying new foods, we tend to get comfortable in what we know and rarely venture outside of that box. Hopefully though I will have enough of an impact on some of these kids that they start to think about what they are putting in their mouth instead of eating it out of habit.
It was a book club night. I had my second smoothie around 5:30pm.
2 bananas
1/3 tub of baby greens
2 tbsp flax oil
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 cups of water
I have certainly found a few favourites. In my second week I am going to try and branch out use some different recipes that I find in books, and on the internet. It is good to rotate what you eat so that you get all the nutrients your body needs.
I made raw pecan pie from the RAWvolution book by Matt Amsden.
Crust:
2 cups raw almonds processed to a meal
1/3 cup raw agave nectar added and then processed into a "dough"
Filling: I have doubled the recipe from his book as I found I liked having more filling.
2/3 cup young coconut water
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
Blend in Vitamix until it's a smooth consistency then pour into crust and garnish with a few raw pecans. I usually refrigerate it so that the filling is more gelled.
Some of the ladies at book club tried it and I think a couple liked it.
I did feel a little bloated after eating a huge salad and then that dessert. That's a lot of food for my small stomach. I do find I need less to eat when eating so well. My body isn't searching for it's nutrients, it's actually getting them instead.
Went to bed around 1am.
Eat well.
Started the day like this:
Weight 137.5, so I am down another .5 of a pound. That's a total loss of 2.5 lbs in 4 days.
Skin: clear today, except that the skin on my hands is extremely dry. Skin conditions can be due to detox, but I am not sure about this one. Is it because I am spending so much time washing greens, and blenders and my hands are in the water more. I will have to see how it goes. The weather has also been very dry this last three days.
Feeling: woke up with lots of energy today, no headaches or other adverse conditions that I have noticed.
Ate an apple around 10am
Smoothie number one I ate at 12:15pm. It was so tasty! Adding flax oil makes the smoothie so much more smooth, I really like it that way.
3 bananas
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 tub of greens
2 cups of water
2 tbsp flax oil
Blended and enjoyed while reading over my mail for the day.
At work I had some young coconut meat at 3pm. What I do is bring in a food each week for the students to try. They know how I choose to eat and most can't get over that I can do without french fries and traditional chocolate bars on a daily basis. The students were excited about trying the coconut milk and meat. We all tried the milk during class (some were more receptive to it than others). Most tried it but there was a lot of fanfare around the whole thing.
After class some of the kids stayed to try the coconut meat. They thought it didn't taste too badly. Some actually enjoyed it quite a bit but figured their parents would not buy it for them. I wonder why they would think this. What parent would say no to buying a new food that's good for them?! I would love it if my kids came home saying that they would like to try a new healthy food. Maybe parents themselves are not open to trying new foods, we tend to get comfortable in what we know and rarely venture outside of that box. Hopefully though I will have enough of an impact on some of these kids that they start to think about what they are putting in their mouth instead of eating it out of habit.
It was a book club night. I had my second smoothie around 5:30pm.
2 bananas
1/3 tub of baby greens
2 tbsp flax oil
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 cups of water
I have certainly found a few favourites. In my second week I am going to try and branch out use some different recipes that I find in books, and on the internet. It is good to rotate what you eat so that you get all the nutrients your body needs.
I made raw pecan pie from the RAWvolution book by Matt Amsden.
Crust:
2 cups raw almonds processed to a meal
1/3 cup raw agave nectar added and then processed into a "dough"
Filling: I have doubled the recipe from his book as I found I liked having more filling.
2/3 cup young coconut water
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
Blend in Vitamix until it's a smooth consistency then pour into crust and garnish with a few raw pecans. I usually refrigerate it so that the filling is more gelled.
Some of the ladies at book club tried it and I think a couple liked it.
I did feel a little bloated after eating a huge salad and then that dessert. That's a lot of food for my small stomach. I do find I need less to eat when eating so well. My body isn't searching for it's nutrients, it's actually getting them instead.
Went to bed around 1am.
Eat well.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Day Three - Daily Green Smoothies
Started the day like this:
Weight: 138 lbs. no change in weight from yesterday.
Skin: pimples gone, clear again
Feeling: very tired, almost nauseous, but able to get up at 7am.
What a rough night I had. I went to bed finally at 1:30am feeling fine, and then was woken up by my son at 3:30am. My husband is great and usually gets up with the kids but after about six times he was losing patience with our little guy. I went in and tried to console him as he was very upset and crying uncontrollably. He was having trouble getting back to sleep. Seems his naps are not every day and on early to bed nights, he has trouble sleeping through sometimes. After some time in the rocking chair to get him to settle down, I laid down beside him for only a few moments and he had drifted off to sleep. That was around 5am. So I guess I slept from 5 until 7 and then got up feeling as I did.
I was not hungry so didn't eat but drank lots of water this morning and enjoyed a delicious red delicious apple for a snack around 11am. At 12:30pm I had my first smoothie of the day. I had to race home at lunch time to use the Vitamix! Good thing I am only minutes from work.
2 bananas
1/2 medium pineapple
1/4 cup goji berries
1/3 tub of organic spring mix
2 cups of water
This made six cups of liquid and no one to share it with so I drank three cups and then raced back to work and drank the rest there. I was extremely full until about 4pm when I had a Smart Monkey bar. Drank lots of water today as well. Visits to the toilet are frequent, but not unreasonable! I was completely re energized for the afternoon. I wasn't tired at all and felt so much better than in the morning.
Back at home I had another smoothie at 6pm.
2 bananas
1/2 a medium pinapple
2 tbsp. flax seed oil
1/3 tub of organic spring mix
2 cups of water
This made six cups of green smoothie and I loved it. By adding the flax seed oil and omitting the goji berries it was so smooth and sweet. The kids loved it. Each had about 3/4 cup of the drink, leaving me with 4 1/2 cups to drink. Also ate ten grape tomatoes. Succulent!
Went to a meeting regarding kindergarten registration for my daughter and then up to my Bootcamp workout with Nadia - Back to Basics. It's great. I especially love the yoga/pilates fusion class that we do Thursday nights. I feel so much more flexible after that workout and it's not an easy one, that's for sure. She works us hard. I had so much energy all night. I did have a faint headache for most of the early evening and into the workout but since the workout I have had no headache.
I have been experiencing pain in my shoulders again. I had this when I did the juice fast in September. Not sure if it's a sign that there's some healing going on or what. I used to dislocate my shoulders, both almost annually for about six years so maybe there's some tissue healing going on there.
At home I made up a batch of cookies.
1/4 cup almonds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp honey
4 dates
2 tbsp raw cacao
3 tbsp shredded coconut
Whiz up the seeds and almonds into a meal, add the dates, whiz again, add honey and whiz again until it's the consistency of cookie dough. Add cacao and whiz. Then I roll them into balls and coat with the coconut. Plain and simple and oh so quick.
Usually I'd eat the whole recipe...that's a very dense food, but tonight I ate about four balls, not the size of tennis balls either...more like half a ping pong ball each. I saved the rest to give a co- worker tomorrow who is considering adding much more raw into his and his family's diet. I think he's going to love these! We had a great talk about raw and living foods today after work and I want to encourage him in any way that I can to start walking this path to health! Talking about living foods gives me a high that I can't explain. I am so passionate about eating like this and it's so amazing to talk to others that are receptive to the idea. I am feeling less lonely in this lifestyle every day as more and more people approach me and start asking questions.
So, even though I had a rough start to the day it ended up that my energy rebounded and it's almost half past 11 and I am just starting to feel the need to go to bed. Looking forward to reading and putting my head down to rest.
Eat raw, Live well everyone.
Weight: 138 lbs. no change in weight from yesterday.
Skin: pimples gone, clear again
Feeling: very tired, almost nauseous, but able to get up at 7am.
What a rough night I had. I went to bed finally at 1:30am feeling fine, and then was woken up by my son at 3:30am. My husband is great and usually gets up with the kids but after about six times he was losing patience with our little guy. I went in and tried to console him as he was very upset and crying uncontrollably. He was having trouble getting back to sleep. Seems his naps are not every day and on early to bed nights, he has trouble sleeping through sometimes. After some time in the rocking chair to get him to settle down, I laid down beside him for only a few moments and he had drifted off to sleep. That was around 5am. So I guess I slept from 5 until 7 and then got up feeling as I did.
I was not hungry so didn't eat but drank lots of water this morning and enjoyed a delicious red delicious apple for a snack around 11am. At 12:30pm I had my first smoothie of the day. I had to race home at lunch time to use the Vitamix! Good thing I am only minutes from work.
2 bananas
1/2 medium pineapple
1/4 cup goji berries
1/3 tub of organic spring mix
2 cups of water
This made six cups of liquid and no one to share it with so I drank three cups and then raced back to work and drank the rest there. I was extremely full until about 4pm when I had a Smart Monkey bar. Drank lots of water today as well. Visits to the toilet are frequent, but not unreasonable! I was completely re energized for the afternoon. I wasn't tired at all and felt so much better than in the morning.
Back at home I had another smoothie at 6pm.
2 bananas
1/2 a medium pinapple
2 tbsp. flax seed oil
1/3 tub of organic spring mix
2 cups of water
This made six cups of green smoothie and I loved it. By adding the flax seed oil and omitting the goji berries it was so smooth and sweet. The kids loved it. Each had about 3/4 cup of the drink, leaving me with 4 1/2 cups to drink. Also ate ten grape tomatoes. Succulent!
Went to a meeting regarding kindergarten registration for my daughter and then up to my Bootcamp workout with Nadia - Back to Basics. It's great. I especially love the yoga/pilates fusion class that we do Thursday nights. I feel so much more flexible after that workout and it's not an easy one, that's for sure. She works us hard. I had so much energy all night. I did have a faint headache for most of the early evening and into the workout but since the workout I have had no headache.
I have been experiencing pain in my shoulders again. I had this when I did the juice fast in September. Not sure if it's a sign that there's some healing going on or what. I used to dislocate my shoulders, both almost annually for about six years so maybe there's some tissue healing going on there.
At home I made up a batch of cookies.
1/4 cup almonds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp honey
4 dates
2 tbsp raw cacao
3 tbsp shredded coconut
Whiz up the seeds and almonds into a meal, add the dates, whiz again, add honey and whiz again until it's the consistency of cookie dough. Add cacao and whiz. Then I roll them into balls and coat with the coconut. Plain and simple and oh so quick.
Usually I'd eat the whole recipe...that's a very dense food, but tonight I ate about four balls, not the size of tennis balls either...more like half a ping pong ball each. I saved the rest to give a co- worker tomorrow who is considering adding much more raw into his and his family's diet. I think he's going to love these! We had a great talk about raw and living foods today after work and I want to encourage him in any way that I can to start walking this path to health! Talking about living foods gives me a high that I can't explain. I am so passionate about eating like this and it's so amazing to talk to others that are receptive to the idea. I am feeling less lonely in this lifestyle every day as more and more people approach me and start asking questions.
So, even though I had a rough start to the day it ended up that my energy rebounded and it's almost half past 11 and I am just starting to feel the need to go to bed. Looking forward to reading and putting my head down to rest.
Eat raw, Live well everyone.
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