Vaccinations

I have seen this topic spring up several times in the last few weeks. The feeling I get is that most people who choose to vaccinate cannot fathom why you would choose not to?! Why would you risk contracting a potentially deadly virus if you can prevent it? So I thought I'd give my opinion on the matter as best I can in a nutshell. I personally have two children who are partially vaccinated, and one that I chose to not vaccinate at all... so far. This is not a decision that I've taken lightly, nor is it a decision I made overnight or based on a single article or opinion. This decision came from an accumulation of ideas and connections I have made over the last five years.  This is why I rarely debate or try to convince people why I am against the current vaccination schedule, because it's near impossible to explain 5 years to someone in one conversation and if you want hard evidence, I can't exactly site all of my sources. Vaccinations do in fact help prevent the spread of these viruses, there's no disputing that. However some questions to consider are at what costs are we preventing these viruses and is there a better way to prevent them and gain immunity? I am not against vaccinations nor do I think that people who do vaccinate are making a bad decision. However there is information I believe to be true that has made me rethink the decision to impose the rigorous mainstream vaccination schedule on my own children.

1. The standard vaccination age is too young in my opinion. I understand the 0-5 age is a more vulnerable stage of life where their tiny immune systems are not as developed and therefore more susceptible to disease. But that is exactly why I feel they shouldn't be exposed to partially live viruses and artificial additives at that time either! 0-5 is by far the most delicate and fragile stage of development in a human's entire life! Their little bodies are growing and changing so rapidly on a daily basis and all the more vulnerable to a negative reaction.

2. I feel like the ingredients in vaccinations should be explained in detail to parents before a child in injected. I don't think physicians are trying to hide this information on purpose, but if you are injecting my child with any substance through a needle, that would seem like an important routine thing to do. Im sure they have that information available, I just wonder why it is not routinely provided when a vaccination is given? Especially knowing that the majority if not all vaccinations contain preservatives and/or toxic metals.

3. Speaking of negative reactions, the numbers speak for themselves as far as healthy children in this country and adverse reactions are more commonly linked to vaccinations than most people think. Asthma, allergies, frequent "mild" illness (cough, runny nose, fever), autism, vision impairment, deafness, and cancer are some of the conditions you become more susceptible to when you are vaccinated very young. And it is my opinion that vaccinations as well as a diet lacking in nutrients are the main contributors to the dramatic increase of these illnesses in the last 50 years. Autism is a perfect example of this. In the 1940s the number of autistic children was 1 in 10,000, in 2008 it was 1 in 88. Many people will have no side effects whatsoever, more frequently will have the first few I mentioned and even less commonly are the latter. This is because everyone has a different biological makeup and will not respond the same way as someone else.

4. Vaccinations did not act alone in reducing the spread of these viruses. In fact clean water, sanitation, and nutrition awareness around the same time period were MAJOR contributors, and still are.

5. Vaccinations do not provide true immunity, but rather herd immunity. Herd immunity basically means that a weakened version of the disease still exists but without the extreme reactions we used to see before vaccinations. You could very well have measles but you wouldn't know it since your symptoms would be very mild and flu-like. This is why immunized people still get sick when there is an outbreak and also why people need booster vaccinations their entire life. Alternatively if you were to contract a virus and fight it on your own (i.e. no vaccination), you would have actual immunity.

Again, none of these realizations came to me over night, and I've really only scratched the surface here. These ideas have been reiterated to me over and over in the last few years through my own personal health research, as I have strived to increase my understanding of the body and the physical effects that any food or substance has on it. Last week I stumbled onto an article about vaccinations that gives a pretty comprehensive explanation (from an expert) on many of my concerns. To me I don't think you can make a well informed decision until you've looked at what both sides have to say. You can read that article HERE. At the end of the day I know that good parents choose to vaccinate and good parents choose not to vaccinate. I feel fortunate to live in a time and place where information is shared so easily and I have the opportunity to research and decide for myself.

Breakfast Oats

I eat this almost everyday for breakfast. 

Favorite Oatmeal

1/3 Cup Rolled Oats

2 Tbsp Sliced Almonds

1/2 Tbsp Raw Coconut Oil

1/2 Tbsp Honey

couple dashes of Cinnamon

Cook oats according to directions then mix in remaining ingredients.

Simple, clean and yummy!

Juice Cleanse - last day

I did it! Now that its over it felt quick, but I do remember Monday and Tuesday feeling like they would never end. This cleanse was definitely more difficult that the fruit and veg fast where I could eat the whole food. The difference between that and juicing is you are able to get a higher concentrated dose of nutrients. The millions of cells in our body are constantly regenerating and building new ones with the materials that we feed them... FOOD. So a cleanse or detox allows the body to flush out the toxic cells and replace them with healthy cells that are built with nutrients. In addition to the benefits on a cellular level, here are a few other benefits I noticed over the last few days...

• Remembering what hunger feels like. Most days I eat/snack whenever I want without feeling any hunger (aka necessity). Food tastes amazing and is more satisfying when you physically need it! 

• Re-focusing my mind on nutrition and breaking away from some habits I have started to notice worming their way into my diet (like snacking late at night when I really don't need to and and having treat foods everyday). My palate is also more easily satisfied with healthy food since cutting it off from those rich roods.

• I feel much lighter and notice my stomach is definitely flatter and less bloated.

Except for extreme cases where people are treating disease (like cancer and obesity) I don't think a long term juice-only diet is necessary or even that effective. Our bodies were designed to digest the whole food and there is definitely a role that plays in digestion and health. Three days seems to be perfect for what I wanted to accomplish. Gave my body a little rest and recovery, I appreciate food more, and am once again motivated to keep myself on a healthy track. Just in time for Thanksgiving!:/

Juice Cleanse - Day 2

Well I'm at the end of day 2 and have to admit this cleanse is both mentaly and physically harder than I thought it would be! Firstly, juice is just not filling. No matter how much I drink it doesn't seem to quench my hunger! And on top of that I've been fighting the urge to give up. My mind puts up a pretty good fight too with thoughts like "one day is still a great accomplishment" and questions like "is it really worth all the effort?" Another very difficult thing about this cleanse has been continuing to provide food for the rest of my family. I still have to prepare 3 meals a day plus snacks, all of which I cannot eat! To help me stay on track I have been taking advantage of 1 vegetable meal a day as outlined in the Joe Cross cleanse. I really felt like I needed to incorporate this to help me keep going and it has worked. I look forward to that meal and it helps satisfy my hunger a little better so I can sleep at night. Here's what I've had today...

Morning juice - 4 carrots, 2 apples, 1 slice ginger

2 glasses Gazpacho Juice (made the night before, recipe HERE)

2 glasses green juice (kale, cucumber, orange)

Dinner - roasted onion, beets and butternut squash

Juice Cleanse - Day 1

Over the last 6 weeks I have been training really hard for the Desert Grande Triathlon and finally got to compete last saturday. It was a fantastic experience but I am still stiff and sore from competing! I've been on a pretty good exercise streak this entire year so I knew after that event I was going to give myself a little rest. With a break from exercise already on my mind I thought it would be the perfect time to dust off the old juicer for a 3-day raw juice cleanse. This will be a first for me! I decided on three days because I know it is an amount of time I can actually accomplish and then maybe next time I will try extending it to a week or longer. In searching for some juice recipes I came upon the Joe Cross 3-Day Weekend Juice Cleanse. Joe Cross is famous for his documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead which follows him on a 60 day juice cleanse in an effort to turn around his health. If you have not already seen this documentary it is a must-watch! Very informative and motivating about this subject and I like how it documents ordinary people who take charge of their health using food as medicine. Anyway the weekend juice cleanse looks perfect for what I want to do the next three days. It outlines a meal plan with juice recipes, shopping list, and I also like how it allows you one meal for dinner (consisting of fruit and veg of course). I plan on drinking as much juice as I want and I may or may not do the 1 meal a day, but I really like the idea of having that as an option in case I am dying to sink my teeth into something! Since this cleanse was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision, I wasn't all that prepared with loads of veggies. So last night I just used what I had on hand so I would have something to drink today until I went shopping.

1lb of carrots, 5 celery stalks, 2 apples and 1 pear...

 Turned into this!

Three days is not that long, I can do this!

I LOVE Halloween! Except for...

THE CANDY! What a weird holiday where everyone dresses up and goes door to door to get candy from strangers? Nevertheless I still love the dressing up part about it. But what to do with all the candy?! I remember being a kid and getting TONS of candy. Me and my sister would categorize it and then thoughtfully select which ones to eat first. My parents were awesome and never took our candy away but let us eat to our hearts content. And even though I can appreciate now how awesome they were to do that, I feel bad letting my kids to the same! I'm sure when they are older I will have no choice but for now I try to keep it reasonable. I let them eat as much as they want on Halloween, then after that it all goes into a huge bowl and is used for rewards. This still doesn't solve my dilemma that I love to eat candy. I hardly ever keep treats in the house because I can't control myself. But I'd feel too wasteful just throwing all that Halloween candy in the garbage so the only defense that has somewhat worked for me is to keep the candy where I can't see it, usually in the pantry up high. If its in the fridge or on the counter or even on a shelf that is in my direct line of sight, its just too difficult to not reach in a grab a piece. Its like an impulse food that I don't even care about if its not there, but if I can see it there's no stopping me. So readers (all 5 of you), what do you do with your Halloween candy and how to you keep yourself from going overboard on treats during the holiday season?

Best Veggie Dip

**Just realized I forgot my favorite ingredient to this recipe! It's only half a teaspoon too but it makes all the difference! See updated recipe below:)

I really enjoy eating vegetables when they are cooked however I have a really hard time eating them raw. Even salad, which I do like, but I can't eat it all the time and it needs a stellar dressing for me to enjoy it. I found a recipe a couple weeks ago when I needed to make a veggie tray for a birthday party and it is the perfect partner for raw veggies! I keep a big bowl made along with already prepared veggies so when I need a snack I can go for this first. It surprisingly satisfies my sweet cravings too!

Best Veggie Dip

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup Kraft mayo with olive oil

3-4 scallions

1 tablespoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Season Salt (can add more to taste)

handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy!

P90X Evaluation

Today was my last day doing the 90 day P90X workout program. I think I mentioned before that I was not to fond of it after having done the first workout and really hoped it would grow on me. Well grow on me it did! I love the strength training in this program and I love the results! I did not lose any weight which for me is ok as I am happy with my current weight. I did have an increase in muscle definition and also an increase in energy. There is only one thing I didn't like about these workouts at first, and that is that they are kind of long. I think each workout is at least 50 minutes long which normally I might have one workout during the week that was that long and the rest would be 40 min or less. However, I don't mind the time anymore, probably because I am so happy with the results that I am more willing to set aside that much time for working out. The other thing I liked about this program is I really didn't follow it exactly and still had good results. Here are a few things I did differently...

- I did not stick to the diet. They give you an entire meal plan and tell you exactly how to calculate your calories too. I'm just not that disciplined. Maybe one day:)

- I only did the ab workout twice in the whole 90 days. I just didn't want to do an extra 15 minutes of abs on top of a 50 minute- 1 hour workout. However I think my abs still became more toned, probably as a result of the core work required in each workout.

- I never did the yoga video. It's an hour and a half long and I hate yoga.

- Never did the stretch video.

- Sometimes I would substitute running for the cardio workouts.

- I used a chair to do modified pull ups and was on my knees for almost every push up.

Point being you do not have to be a psycho to get results, you just have to do the best you can!

I would recommend home workouts for anyone who is trying to lose weight. There are so many benefits to sticking to a workout plan and really it doesn't take that much time out of the day to do it. Exercise is the best way to rev up the metabolism so that you burn calories even when you are resting. I love home workouts because they allow you the convenience to exercise privately in your own home, they come with a personal trainer on screen to motivate you, cheaper than a gym membership, and there is lots of variety out there to keep exercise different and interesting. All you have to do is set aside that time and push play!

Now I am onto 5 weeks of triathlon training however I think I will continue to do 3 days a week of the resistance workouts. I'm addicted!  Looking forward to trying out P90X2 after the triathlon is over!

Hippie at Heart

It is true, I believe in caring for the mind body and soul holistically for optimal health, using food and nutrition as medicine to heal sickness and build immunity, essential oils, herbal remedies and singing to the trees. But I tell you what, when it's 10 o'clock at night and your baby is laboring to breath and you are trying to calm him down because crying makes the gasping even worse, and the oils and the humidifier and the hot shower haven't worked, I am THANKFUL for modern medicine! This is my first baby to ever have croup. It was almost unbearable to watch my little one suffer, but what a relief after the first breathing treatment to see him breathe normal again. He is doing much better today, still has a barking cough and raspy breathing, but not strained like it was last night. It's kind of funny that now every time I hear a dog bark outside I immediately think he is coughing and waking up from his nap! What an amazing day and age we live in where we have access to instant relief of sickness symptoms. Yes I have my concerns about some of the practices in the medical industry, but right now I really appreciate medical science and technology that helped my baby breathe again and eased my burden when I needed it.

Motivation Monday

Over the last year as I have been losing the baby weight and trying to be fit and healthy, I have been lucky to establish exercise as a habit. It's just something that I've committed to doing and I make the time for it. I would like to say the same thing about my diet as it takes some time and planning to eat healthy, but that is still a work in progress. I am also lucky that I get to stay home with the kids and be a mom! I wouldn't label this an easy job, but it definitely has it's perks. I get to make up my own schedule for the most part, work in my pajamas if I want to, and of course spend lots of time with my babies. Having said that I still have to make time to do the things I want/need to do and exercise is one of those things! What do you do in your leisure time that you could be using to achieve your health and fitness goals instead? Researching healthy recipes, working out, grocery shopping and preparing healthy meals in advance are all things that take time, but will make achieving goals a lot easier. Put living a healthy lifestyle as a priority and then make time for it, no excuses!

Hubby's 100 Day Sugar Fast Results

He did it! My husband went from drinking a gallon of soda per day, to 100 days without soda and keeping his sugar intake to 30grams or less. The best part about achieving this goal is that he no longer NEEDS sugar to function. Before the challenge he literally could not wake up in the morning or survive through the day without multiple sodas or some kind of sweet to keep him going. He is definitely proud of his physical results and is happy that he can wear clothes without his stomach sticking out. But more than any of those results, he is relieved to be free of his soda/sugar addiction. 

To quote him directly "I'm not living to eat anymore." 

Before: 200lbs

 After: 170lbs

One of the great things about this challenge is that he did not have to eat any crazy meals that taste bad or do an insane amount of exercise. To be honest he really did the bare minimum and still had amazing results. He did minimal exercise and still occasionally ate some of his favorite foods like pizza and chips which happen to be low in sugar. Here is a quick breakdown of what he did to achieve his results.

• Food: Eat whatever you want as long as the total daily intake of sugar accumulates to 30g or less (including fruit)
• Exercise: Interval running twice a week (he also joined a gym and started weight lifting the last 30 days)
• Incorporated Zeta8 supplements into his diet

A special shout out needs to go to Tayce and Josh, our Zeta8 sponsors! None of this would have been possible without their their knowledge, motivation, support, and passion for healthy living! Thank you so much for guiding Ethan down this road. If anyone reading this blog is interested in achieving these same results please let me give you their number! I am so proud of my hunny. It makes me so happy to see his confidence grow and him enjoying life even more now that he feels physically better. I cannot wait for him to feel the difference when he jumps on a snowboard this winter!

Immunity Boost

I have been so sick the last few days! It began on Friday as a little tickle in my throat, so I started on my DoTerra OnGuard essential oil and then Saturday it seemed like it was going away. Sunday I woke up feeling awful and Monday was the worst of all! I didn't do myself any favors over the weekend by indulging on every comfort food I saw fit. So my husband says to me, "I guess your oils didn't work" but what he doesn't realize is that oils are just an additional remedy that can help fight illness and symptoms. They can certainly treat an isolated symptom in many cases, but actually work better as a holistic remedy when you care for the body as a whole, starting with nutrition. I truly believe that the right food can boost your immunity and help the healing process, so yesterday I kicked myself into gear and ate a ton of healthy alkaline foods. Alkaline versus acidic foods is something I've only just started to research. Basically it has to do with the PH balance of your body and the research indicates that disease and illness cannot live in a body that is PH balanced. Its not about the acidic content of the actual food but rather how that food is absorbed by the body, for example lemons are an acidic fruit but are very alkalizing to the body. I found a decent webpage HERE that briefly goes over this topic and lists some of the foods. With nothing fresh in the house yesterday I had to drag myself to the store and grab a bunch of fresh alkaline fruit and veg! When I got home I started with this refreshing drink..

1/4 orange sliced, 1/2 lime sliced, 6 slices cucumber, 4 drops lemon essential oil (the store had no lemons what the?!), purified water

I also tried a garlic sandwich for the first time. My sister Lucy swears by these or just garlic in general when you are sick. The bread and mayo are not alkaline but it helps the garlic go down. I probably could have just eaten plain garlic since I could not taste a darn thing! I can only imagine what my breath smelled like when Ethan got home.

4 cloves garlic chopped, bread, mayo

5 minutes after eating this sandwich my sinus pressure went away and my nose cleared! I continued throughout the day with more alkaline water, another garlic sandwich, watermelon, fresh carrot/orange juice, and for dinner a chicken barley vegetable soup (not an entirely alkaline soup but still really healthy and felt so good on my throat!). By the end of the day I was feeling a little better but tired. Woke up this morning feeling AMAZING! I know that my diet has really been lacking the last month, but I haven't been gaining weight either so I've justified indulging more than usual. Note to self: weight is not an accurate indicator of health!! Hopefully this has gotten me back on track, if for no other reason than to avoid feeling that sick again anytime soon!

Sprouting

First of all let me just shout out a special thanks to Lucy Hansen for showing me how easy it is to sprout your own grains and for buying me my first sprouting tray and seeds for Christmas! Honestly she knows way more about healthy living than I do, in fact if I ever want to know about natural remedies or anything health related I go to her and I appreciate the many thought provoking conversations we have about health!

Ok now onto the topic of the day, SPROUTS! I remember as a kid my mom would occasionally buy alfalfa sprouts and we would put them on sandwiches or just eat them straight out of the package and I loved them! It was kind of a novelty that we really didn't buy that often, probably because they were a little on the expensive side, but everyone in the house would gobble them up. What I didn't know back then is just how healthy this little superfood is and how easy they are to grow! (seriously those alfalfa sprout farmers must be raking in the dough). Here are some facts about sprouts...

• Sprouting activates food enzymes in the grain and increases its vitamin, mineral, fatty acid, protein and fiber content. It really is amazing that simply adding water causes the genetics of the grain to do this!
• Sprouts are an alkaline food which promotes good heath
• There is a wide variety of beans and seeds that can be sprouted
• Sprouting is a convenient way to grow your own fresh salad year round.
• If you keep grains and beans for food storage, it is a novel way to use that storage, either in rotation or in a time of need.
• Sprinkle in any soup, salad, or dish for added flavor and nutrients!

I recommend buying a sprout tray (easier and more effective when using one) and there are all different types but it doesn't really matter what kind, just something that will allow you to rinse and drain the seeds in the pan. I use a single tray Sprout Master. 

Soak the seeds overnight. I used about 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds with about 1-2 cups water.

 The next morning dump them in the sprout tray and rinse. Soaking helps release some of the toxins so you want to rinse them real good. Then spread out fairly evenly in the tray. I don't fuss too much over how even it is, they will grow straight up either way. I also keep the lid on the tray for the first couple days.

By the end of the 1st day they already look like this. Make sure you rinse again before bed.

 Day 2 - Rinse morning and night again, making sure to drain thoroughly.

 Day 3 - Rinse/drain morning and night. I keep the lid off all day and the light turns them more green.

Day 4 - I can't keep my hands off them! I usually rinse/drain that morning, keep the lid off all day, then by the end of the day when they are fairly dry again, put them in a container and in the fridge. 

The tray I use also has a divider to sprout different grains at the same time. On the left is alfalfa sprouts and on the right is a mixture of adzuki, triticale, mung beans and green peas. 

The grain/bean mixture is actually ready to eat while you'll notice the alfalfa is obviously not ready yet. Different grains and seeds will have their own germination time so at this point I would just put the grain mix into a container and in the fridge and keep sprouting the alfalfa a couple more days.

And that's it! SOOO easy and a great way to add some nutrition to your every day diet! 

Sprout Sandwich

I seem to have a lot of favorite lunches but this one is right up there.

 Fresh, simple and delicious!

Toast 2 slices Ezekiel Bread.

Spread one side with avocado and the other side with onion and chive cream cheese.

 Place tomato and any other veggies you like in the middle and don't forget the star of this sandwich - alfalfa sprouts! 

Stayed tuned for my next post all about SPROUTING!

Why Detox?

I think a lot people look at detoxing as just something heath "freaks" do to make themselves feel like they are taking care of themselves...at least that's what I used to think. What does it mean to detox and why? I found an article a while back that really reinforced by beliefs about food and how food contributes to health and what detoxing really does. The body is made up of millions of cells that are constantly regenerating themselves, and how those cells regenerate is based on age, genetics, environment, and food. There is a science behind how the cells in our body grow and react to what we feed them. I have always been so interested in people who fight cancer and other health problems with detoxing, natural remedies, and change in diet. One of the most intriguing things I have learned is that cancer is simply a defense mechanism of the body. Cancer is how the body contains toxic cells and prevents them from shutting down the rest of the system. So when someone cures their cancer from drinking vegetable juice....this makes sense to me! The body can regenerate itself, it just needs the right ingredients. I am not against medical intervention and I certainly believe it is needed in some cases, but it just makes sense to me to first look that what we put into our body that might be causing cells to react in a manner than causes chronic symptoms, illness such as diabetes, and abnormal cell growths like cancer.

If you follow this blog you know my husband is on a 100 day sugar fast where he does not eat more than 30 grams of sugar per day. As a soda addict this has been really hard for him, but he has done amazing and seen amazing results. What you may not know is that before this sugar fast my husband had chronic cold symptoms every other month. Most of the time not severe, just a runny/blocked nose for a few days to a week or longer which he would quickly medicate with sudafed until the symptoms eventually went away. Im sure he really thought nothing of it and he probably doesn't even realize it was that often. Since being on the sugar fast I have not heard him complain about this once! It is not a coincidence that his chronic nasal issues have subsided since depriving his body from sugar. Anyway, I could go on and on but I won't. The link I have is posted on a man's website who fought cancer with diet and he has a really interesting story if you care to browse around his website. At the end of the article you can download the full transcript of Dr. Tilden's research. The eBook is free, fairly short, and easy to understand (not all scientific jargon etc). If you are interested in detoxing, natural remedies and taking control of your health, this information is a great place to start!

Article: Toxemia Explained

Juice Pulp Crackers

 Great snack made out of those leftovers from juicing!

Added a little of this to some natural plain yogurt for a yummy dip. You could use any kind of dip mix or create your own using dried herbs and spices!

Juice Pulp Crackers

1-2 Cups leftover pulp from juicing (today I had used kale, carrot and apple)

1 egg

1-2 Tbs Flax Meal

1-2 Tbs Chia Seeds

1 Tbs Garlic Powder (I use the one from Costco that has parsley in it)

1-2 Tbs almond or coconut milk

1-2 Tbs water

Poppy Seeds

Nutritional Yeast

Mix the first 7 ingredients together until it forms a dry paste. All of the measurements listed on this recipe are approximate since it depends on how much pulp you have to use. Add more water if its too dry or more flax meal if its too wet but just try to get a paste consistency. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil. Then thinly spread the paste out onto the sheet and sprinkle with poppy seeds and nutritional yeast. I baked at 350F for 20 minutes then peeled it from the foil, flipped it over and toasted the other side for another 10 minutes. If I were to do it again I would use non-stick baking paper instead of foil and I would turn the oven way down to maybe 275 and cook for 1-2 hours. This would dry it out better I think without toasting it too much. I still really liked it even though it was more brown than I expected (left it in a little too long)! Next time I will experiment with the temperature and with different spices!

Fitness Goals

As I am about to start my new fitness goal I thought I would reflect on what I have been doing for fitness the last 9 months post baby.

September 2012: Baby Sawyer is here and we were just over the moon to have this baby finally here! But after feeling so heavy the whole pregnancy (and gaining nearly 60lbs) I was beyond ready to get active again and get my body back! I could hardly wait to get started however I took it easy the first month and let myself really recover and adjust to having the new baby around. The second month I started walking/jogging 2-3 times per week and it felt so good to just breath hard and sweat again!

Nov 2012-Feb 2013: Driveway Bootcamp/Group training
In November I decided to join my friend who had been doing a driveway bootcamp in her neighborhood. I prepaid for 3 months so I would be forced to stick with it that long! I would go to the night class after Ethan got home 4-5 times a week and this was a fantastic way for me to get back into fitness. Having an instructor there really helped push me and show me how strong I could be. It was so hard at first! But I loved having the accountability that someone was going to notice if I didn't work out so thank you Amber at Physique-Ed! Also special thanks to Heather for inviting me to go with her and pushing me through the workouts too. It was so fun having a friend to work out with! I ended up doing 4 months of that then decided I really wanted to start working out from home for convenience and cost reasons.

March 2013: Insanity
The bootcamp really showed me what I was capable of, so I knew if I was going to workout at home I'd want to have another program to help me set goals and push me at a certain level of intensity. I investigated the Beach Body programs and went with INSANITY! Really great cardio and I love the motivation and workouts. I lost another 10lbs on this program and reached my goal weight.

April 2013: Chalean Extreme
By the end of the Insanity program I was ready for a change and really wanted to start weight training to build some lean muscle....enter Chalean Extreme! I think it is my favorite exercise program I've ever done. Chalean is motivating and I love the variety of the workouts that span over 3 months. I definitely feel strong and overall more toned. I will definitely do these workouts again but for now I want to change up again and try something new which brings me to my latest fitness goal...

July 2013: P90X
Not gonna lie, I completed the first workout this morning and didn't like it. The video/workout style of it is totally different than the Chalean program, it was too long, and I'm not really motivated by the trainer. Not to mention the majority of the first workout was pushups and pull ups, my least favorite exercises! But I'm not going to give up so easily and will really try to stick with it at least the first 4 weeks. Who knows maybe I'll learn to love it. If not I'll find something else because it is not worth sticking with something if you dread doing it. That is exactly how I have failed in the past! And that is why I now set goals and frequently changes things up so I don't get bored with the same old routine.

Oct: Sprint Triathlon Training
As I've said before, I usually have my next goal lined up well in advance. If I finish P90X that will bring me to October which is when I will start training for the Casa Grande Sprint Triathlon. This is a 100 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run. I've done it once before with my sister Lucy and had so much fun training and performing in it, so we are planning on doing it again with more of our family members this time.

Wow October seems right around the corner, I cannot believe how fast this year continues to fly by! Another reminder of how important it is to start your goals TODAY and then remind yourself every day why it is a goal and how you will achieve it. Time will pass whether you are accomplishing your goals or not, so you may as well do it and be living the life you want!

Motivation Monday

Staying motivated is the hardest part when it comes to health and fitness for me. There are just too many yummy things out there to eat! That is why setting new goals and constantly working towards something is so important. For example my current fitness goal is to finish Chalean Extreme and I already have another goal lined up after that once I finish. I have also decided to try to finish the sugar challenge with Ethan. This came after Saturday where it felt like I had particularly binged on sugar (and a girls night party the previous night didn't help either). I just keep thinking if Ethan can do it so can I! And I would love to be able to support him these last 2 months of 30g or less per day, Although it doesn't seem he needs any support, he is doing so good! It almost killed me yesterday saying no to ice cream because I had already met my limit (thank you cherry ripe), but it felt so good at the end of the day to have met that goal. Making goals public is also a good way to stay accountable (which is why I usually keep them to myself lol). So there ya have it! Set some goals and re-motivate daily!

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

My mouth is watering as I finished typing the title to this post. One of my all time favorite meals I think. Ever. It is a little time consuming because you have to peel the mangos and chops everything for the salsa, but it is so worth it!

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

For the salsa:

3 ripe mangos, peeled and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3-4 Green onions, diced

Handful Cilantro coarsely chopped

Juice of 1 Lime

Dash garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

Mix all together and let marinate while you cook  the fish

Rest of the Taco:

2-3 Corn tortillas

Any kind of fish (I buy a big bag of frozen tilapia and used one fillet)

Heat a frying pan on high heat and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Fry the tortillas on each side for about 10 seconds (make sure they don't burn) and make sure to re-oil the pan for each tortilla. Then wrap them in a clean dish towel until you are ready to assemble the tacos. I know this sounds like unnecessary extra effort, but trust me, it makes the tortillas taste fresh! Re-oil your pan and fry the fish on each side for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Divide the fish among the tortillas and pile high with mango salsa! YUM

Sugar - A wolf in sheep's clothing

After blogging on here 8 days straight for the fruit/veg fast I guess I needed a break from blogging! My diet has gone back to the way it was, which was pretty healthy, but I really haven't done the sugar thing with Ethan. Seriously it is dead hard trying to eat 30g (or less) of sugar a day! And that's me, a fairly healthy person saying that. I do not know how Ethan is doing it! He is pretty much dying to have a soda and he totally deserves one at this point for doing so well, BUT he is determined to go 100 days without and I am so proud of him. Being sugar conscious has been really eye opening. You would not believe how many foods are hiding sugar in them and in high amounts. The hardest part so far for Ethan is not being able to drink anything except water and water flavored with these all natural stevia drink mixers I buy for him. Most drinks have a ton of sugar in them, even fruit juice has almost as much as soda. As I was about to go grocery shopping one day, Ethan asked if I would get some milk for him to drink, even if it had to be skim milk (which both of us assumed would have less sugar than 1% or 2% milk). I have a bunch of coconut and almond milk, but he says he can't drink it. Cow's milk isn't the greatest thing to drink in my opinion (whole other post there), but for him it was a much needed change from water. So I get to the store and sure enough even skim milk has 11g of sugar in 1 cup! Not to be discouraged, I had a look at the other milks which were in their own little section (for the minority of health weirdos I'm sure) and I found a low carb one that had only 3g of sugar per cup. Yes, that means my husband is actually drinking a step down from fat-free milk....fat-free low-sugar milk! This says a lot about goal setting and how focusing on that goal will affect the decisions you make on a daily basis. I wouldn't have bothered even looking for an alternative if it weren't for that one little ingredient we are trying to be more aware of.

As we have been more sugar conscious I have also been taking a deeper look into how sugar affects the body. In a previous post I mentioned sugar is the enemy when trying to lose weight, but the more I research the more I learn about even worse side effects. I found a really good LINK I wanted to share about this subject. There is a super long video all about sugar but then below the video is a written article about different types of sugar and the chemistry of how sugar effects the body. I really used to think all this stuff was just tree hugging leaf eating extremist kind of health information, but it is quite the opposite, it is fact based on science and biology! It is really interesting to see the connections between sugar and diseases. I totally understand that you have to die someday from something, be it a disease, cancer, heart attack, accident, whatever. To me it is about improving my quality of life while I have it and taking control of my health by recognizing how cells react to food, reproduce and die. If you read this blog you do not have to take my word for anything or believe anything I know, but I challenge you to research for yourself the effects of sugar!

After the fast...

Since finishing the fast we have continued to juice every morning and are eating pretty healthy still, except now we are including protein and grains and trying to stay away from sugar! Our first day off the fast I really didn't know what to eat, it was weird, Ethan made bacon and eggs for breakfast and it tasted heavenly. We had decided to splurge just a little and go out to dinner that night, plus I had my piece of cake from memorial day in the fridge that I had been saving and dreaming about all week. We ate at Texas road house, neither of us could finish our dinner, however Ethan managed to finish the water...a first for him!

Then we came home and I dived into my cake even though I was still pretty stuffed from dinner. It was good but I was so full I had trouble really enjoying it like I thought I was going to. I ended up scraping most of the frosting off and just eating the cake. Maybe my taste buds had changed over the last 8 days and it really wasn't that good in the moment? I don't know. All I know is a few hours after eating the cake I felt so SICK and ended up spending a while on the toilet (sorry TMI!). Over the next three days it felt like someone punched me in the stomach, it wasn't a throbbing pain, just felt like my insides were all bruised. I am sharing this to tell you DON'T DO THAT! Not only did I feel physically horrible, but it kinda felt like I flushed the last 8 days down the drain. Anyway, we are back on track and doing good. I was so excited to go to one of our favorite produce markets that has the best prices on fruit and veg. I got all this for $25! 2 pineapples, 12 ears of corn, kale, cucumber, 3 eggplants (all 3 for $1, figured I could afford to experiment with them), carrots, 3lbs of strawberries, raspberries, zucchini, red and green bell pepper, apples, pears, butternut squash, mushrooms, celery and asparagus. 

Also found this recently and LOVE it! I've never liked almond milk, something weird about the taste I can't get used to, so I usually drink coconut milk which I really like, but the texture is just a little too thick. This stuff is the perfect mix! Has the smooth texture of almond milk without the weird almond milk taste.

Our main focus the next 12 weeks is to minimize our sugar intake to 30g or less. Ethan has not touched soda still, although he did admit to me he came very close one afternoon after having a really stressful morning at work. I am so proud he resisted the temptation! 

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 8

Last Day!....

Juice - beet, carrot, spinach
Leftover vegetable soup
2 Bananas
1 peach
2 packages dried Mango
Spaghetti squash with vegetable marinara sauce
Popcorn

I feel really good about accomplishing this and I am so proud of Ethan who really was my rock over the last 8 days. I was amazed at his focus and determination to do it and it really paid off for him because he was able to break away from soda. Of course he would still love to drink it, but at least now he has energy without NEEDING to drink it. I accomplished my goal to support the hubs and to detox while overloading with nutrients in fruit and vegetables.  I do notice that my stomach seems more lean. The skin seems flatter now where as 8 days ago it seemed like it was more bloated on the surface. Now we are onto a 12 week metabolic diet with the main focus being a restriction on sugar. More on this later!

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 7

Juice - kale, carrot, cucumber, apple
Snap pea, mushroom, and spinach sautéed in coconut oil
Smoothie - flesh and juice from a young coconut, frozen banana, pineapple, and cherries
2 bananas
Dried Mangos
Vegetable Soup (onion, garlic, celery, cabbage, potato, sweet potato, corn, pureed tomatoes, organic vegetable stock, herbs and spices)
Popcorn
Strawberries

I'm over it. So ready to eat meat again!!

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 6

Finished day 6, only 2 more days! Cannot wait to eat some kind of grain, any grain, I don't care what kind it is! Today I had...

Strawberries

Snap Peas, mushrooms, spinach and garlic sautéed in coconut oil

Dried Mangos

Fruit Salad - Strawberry, Kiwi, Orange, Banana,

Watermelon

Spaghetti Squash with homemade marinara sauce...again!

Popcorn - homemade using coconut oil and salt

The spaghetti squash with veggie marinara sauce is so satisfying, here is the recipe!

Vegetable Marinara Sauce

1 onion
1 bell pepper
6-8 cloves garlic
2 celery stalks
3 carrots
2 Tbs Italian Herbs
15-20 roma tomatos, cut in quarters
1 Cup organic vegetable stock

Put all ingredients except the tomato in a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped finely. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot and sauté until tender, about 5-8 minutes. While the other veggies are  cooking, blend tomatoes in the food processor until liquid and pour into the pot then mix in italian herbs. Bring everything to a boil on high heat then turn down to med/low so it continues to gently boil. I cooked it covered for about 2 hours and then uncovered for another hour. You could probably cook it even longer on low if you wanted, I think the longer the better you just have to watch and make sure it doesn't dry out. I cooked another batch in the crock pot today on high for 7 hours and it turned out good too. If you have a hand blender you could also blend the sauce even more once it has cooked so that the texture is more smooth, but we didn't mind it a little coarse. Serve over spaghetti squash with a big side of something green!

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 5

Today was pretty average. Ethan was back to work after having 3 days off and me and the kids did the usual. Went to Costco and was disappointed to find that all their dried mango and coconut I had wanted to buy was full added sugar. But I was still able to load up on strawberries, oranges, kiwis, dried apples, frozen pineapple, spinach and sugar snap peas. The highlight of my day was Ethan's reaction to having spaghetti squash and a homemade marinara sauce for dinner...he LOVED it! He said he felt satisfied for the first time in 4 days and liked it so much he would eat this instead of pasta anytime. Hallelujah! This detox was worth doing just to find out he likes spaghetti squash!

Here's what else I had today...

Juice - beets, carrot, apple, spinach - my favorite so far! (left out the ginger this time:)

raisins

banana

avocado

Portobello Veggie Burger (mushroom, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions & peppers)

Dried Apples

Strawberries

orange

kiwis

Spaghetti squash with homemade marinara sauce 

So excited we are past the half way mark already!

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 4

Memorial Day barbecue is not the greatest time to be smack in the middle of a fruit/veg fast. And to top it off I had offered to make a cake for my sister Lucy's birthday, it was a coconut cake I have been dying to make ever since I saw it on Pinterest. I've been going back and forth over the last few days trying to decide if I should just eat a piece of cake and be happy that it was my only cheat the whole 8 days, or if I should stay strong and restrain myself. I am proud to say I did not eat any cake! I did however save myself a piece in the freezer and will eat it after the detox is over, but boy was it hard watching everyone else enjoy the beautiful cake I had worked so hard on!

Here's what I had today instead of burgers, hotdogs, pasta salad, coleslaw and CAKE...

Smoothie (young coconut water and flesh, frozen banana, pineapple)

2 corn on the cob

baked potato fries

watermelon

3 bananas

red thai vegetable curry (potato, zucchini, carrot, onion, red bell pepper, thai spices, coconut milk)

grape tomatoes

avocado

No juice today, my morning was too busy getting ready for the barbecue, but I did miss getting in all those nutrients first thing in the morning. I am excited to juice tomorrow because I scored a ton of fresh beets from my sister Lucy's garden!

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 3

Todays' food...

• Morning Juice - Kale, beet, cucumber, apple, ginger - worst juice yet, I think I added way to much ginger, it was a tad spicy and kinda burned going down?!
• Celery, carrots, and red bell pepper dipped in homemade guacamole (avocado, green onion, tomato, lime, cilantro)
• watermelon
• bananas
• baked potato wedges
• 6oz container raspberries
• dried mangos (soooo good!)
• Portobello Mushroom Burger

Gotta say day 3 has been the hardest yet. This whole fruit and veg thing is getting old, but is definitely still doable, just gotta start getting creative now! As I was wandering the grocery store loading up the usual carrots, apples, cucumber, etc, these giant mushrooms caught my eye. I've never eaten them before but I've heard of cooking with portobellos this way and word on the street is they are "meaty". Best. decision. EVER. Fried one up just like you would a burger, piled high with caramelized onions and peppers, with tomato and a lettuce bun. My hunger feels satisfied for the first time in 3 days!

Portobello Mushroom Burger

1/2 Red onion, sliced

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced

1 Portobello Mushroom

Steak Seasoning (one made of natural herbs/spices)

1 roma tomato

2-4 lettuce leaves

Start by frying the onions and bell peppers on med/high heat with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. This will probably take about 10 minutes (depending on how cooked you like them) stirring occasionally. While the onion/peppers are caramelizing, heat another skillet with olive oil to med/high heat and place the mushroom top side down on the pan. Sprinkle with seasoning and cover with a lid. Turn after about 3 minutes and cook on the other side for 3 minutes. Layer burger with lettuce, tomato, mushroom, onion and peppers and top with more lettuce. 

I will definitely be having this every night for the next 5 days!

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 2

Today I've eaten...

Green juice (kale, cucumber, carrot, apple)

watermelon

raisins

pineapple

strawberries
6oz container of raspberries

3 bananas

2 ears of corn

about 3 potatoes and 1 yam (baked into wedges)
Smoothie (frozen banana, pineapple, cherries, and juice from a young coconut)

I feel stuffed, yet unsatisfied.

I was really tempted to take a bite of the kids pb&j sandwiches at lunch, and their popcorn while we watched a movie, and the eggs I made them for dinner smelled SO GOOD! But I resisted!

BRING ON DAY 3.

Fruit/Veg Fast - Day 1

After YEARS of avoiding water consumption at any cost and despising all vegetables besides peas, corn and potato, my husband is embarking on a lifestyle change... starting with an 8 day fruit and veg fast and I've decided to join him. Yes, that means we will only be eating fruit, vegetables, and vegetable juice for the next week! The goal of this detox is to reboot the system and give the body a jump start to a healthy diet. Out with the old and in with the new. I've always wanted to do some kind of detox just to see if I could be that strict for a whole week, so this is the perfect opportunity for me to scratch it off my list and support the hubs at the same time. Ironically this was all his idea! It's actually been fun so far, I loved waking up and juicing together, and yes I realize we are still in the honeymoon stage of this detox, and a few days from now I'm sure we will be pulling out our hair and biting our nails down just itching to get our hands on a sandwich.

My favorite part about this detox is that it is unlimited fruit and veg! After counting calories and logging in every single food to My Fitness Pal over the last 7 months, this is a huge perk for me! I might still log everything in just to see what I've eaten and to keep a record of this experience, but it is so nice to not care about the calories. I ate 2 avocados today, have you ever heard of anything so absurd! That's about 500 calories and over 100g of good fat, and I'm totally allowed to for the next week. I mixed it with fresh cilantro, lime and garlic to dip my veggies in

Dinner was a hearty italian style vegetable soup made with zucchini, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, corn, cabbage, fresh pureed tomatoes, italian seasoning, and some organic vegetable stock. We did kinda long for some dipping bread, but it was still yummy:)

I've also had bananas, raisins, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, baked potato wedges and am looking forward to some kind of frozen fruit smoothie later tonight. Weird to think I've only eaten fruit and vegetables all day?!

Banana Protein Muffins & Vegan Variation

What to do with all that pulp leftover from juicing? Throw it away? I think not! I have a whole list of ways I plan on using this stuff!

 Like throwing it into my protein muffins. Whenever I have old brown bananas, this is what we make. I USED to make delicious sugary banana bread, but as I strive to change the way I eat,  I have discovered that finding healthy alternatives is mandatory for success. And now I actually like these muffins better than the way I used to make banana bread. The texture is moist and dense and it has just the right amount of sweetness, all without using oil, white flour, or refined sugar. Even the kids (who have no idea how healthy it is) go BANANAS for this recipe and will eat 3 in a row without batting an eye.

Banana Protein Muffins

1Cup Rolled Oats, ground in a food processor or blender

1/3 Cup Almond Meal

1tsp Baking Soda (this is a must! otherwise the muffins turn out too heavy and dense)

1 egg

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder 

3/4 Cup Rice milk (coconut or almond milk will work too)

1/2 Cup Stevia in the Raw

1-2 Bananas

leftover pulp from Juicing

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray or line a muffin pan. Put oats in a food processor or blender and give them a whirl till they resemble a coarse powder (it doesn't have to be very fine). Then throw in the rest of the ingredients and process until everything is combined. The batter should not be too thick or thin, maybe slightly thicker than you would make pancake batter. You can always add more milk if it needs to thin out. Using 1/4 measuring cup, fill each muffin tin with batter. I usually get about 9-10 muffins from this recipe, it really depends on how many bananas you decide to use and how much of the leftover pulp was added. You could even use 2 scoops of protein powder if you want to up the protein content. Sometimes I use more oats or add flax seed or throw in applesauce if my banana seems kinda small. I love this recipe because you can pretty much tweak it however you want, which brings me to the vegan variation...

I made this recipe by ACCIDENT! I was making muffins one day and decided to throw some spinach into the recipe. I blended everything together, put them into the muffin tins (noticed that for some reason it only made 8 this time haha), and threw it into the oven. A few minutes later I realized I completely forgot to add the egg and protein powder! They still turned out really yummy and the kids still gobbled them up like there was no tomorrow:)

Vegan Banana Muffins

1Cup Rolled Oats, ground in a food processor or blender

1/3 Cup Almond Meal

1tsp Baking Soda (this is a must! otherwise the muffins turn out too heavy and dense) 

3/4 Cup Rice milk (coconut or almond milk will work too)

1/2 Cup Stevia in the Raw

1-2 Bananas

Big handful of spinach and/or leftover pulp from Juicing

Make the same as the other recipe except I processed the spinach with the oats before adding the other ingredients (to make sure it was chopped up nice and good). 

New Toy

A juicer! I plan on trying to make this a daily habit (hopefully for the whole family!) Better than taking a daily multi-vitamin in my opinion. 

Special thanks to my bro-in-law Josh for steering me towards this one, I love it so far! I am excited to try all the different functions this juicer has to offer, like pasta making and grinding my own flour. To make sure I use it, I decided to transform my messy cluttered counter...

...into a juicing station! I just know if it is stored away in some cupboard and I have to pull it out every time I want to use it, I will be less likely to make the effort. This way I am always reminded its there and it is convenient to use. 

 Already made our first batch of juice with some helpers! Thurston said he liked it at first, then after a few gulps decided to change his mind haha. Even I will admit some juices are more of an acquired taste, but I was so happy they at least tried it! (and they absolutely loved help making it:)

Even babykins had a taste of it (diluted with water). Yes we tricked him, and he didn't like it, maybe more fruit next time for the kiddies. (and now that I see this picture I wonder what was I thinking let him drink that on my white carpet!)

 We did 1 apple, 2 carrots, and a huge handful of spinach

Looking forward to trying out lots of new recipes, I'm gonna need them when I embark on my fruit and veg detox! More on that later.....