The Good News & Not So Good News While Keeping it REAL

The not so good news first... My weight hasn't gone down in the past two weeks. I knew this would happen at some point, but I didn't think it would be so soon. I will need to rev up my workouts this week and see if that will make a difference. The good news is that I'm eating super healthy and am feeling even better. I've been eating mostly raw foods with plenty of veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. I haven't gone completely raw because I still want to take advantage of foods that are nutritious, but can't/shouldn't be eaten raw or just plain taste better when cooked, i.e. fish, eggs, brussel sprouts, potatoes, etc. I want to keep variety in my diet and not make it too difficult to find options when I go out to eat or attend a party. Some other good news is that I got through Valentine's day very well even with all the chocolate in the house. I used to be a chocoholic and I mean a serious chocoholic! However, this Valentine's day I was satisfied with a few dark chocolate Godiva Pearls that my husband gave me. It came in a tiny container and I still have some left. Knowing how I would previously devour chocolate, my husband was surprised I did not finish it all yesterday. I think he was testing me last night, because he kept talking about how much he was craving chocolate and then went out to buy some. He came back with a king size bar of Hershey's milk chocolate. Now, he is not a chocolate eater, so I had to question "Why so big?" His response...so he could share it with me. I happily said "No, thank you". He kept insisting and even asked me to put away the half that he had not eaten. I don't know, but this seems to me to be another attempt at sabotage. Why do people do that to people that they are supposed to care about? It's disturbing, but I will not dwell on it. Here are some tasty nutritious treats I enjoyed over the weekend.



Chana Masala (Chickpeas) over sauteed spinach & garlic



Bananas, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and goji berries



Red chard, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli sprouts, lemon juice & a sprinkle of hemp seeds



A green smoothie made with water, young spinach, banana, hemp seeds & flax seeds...
And YES, it actually tastes good. I was surprised myself the first time I tried it.

This morning I made a more complex one that was very good. Here's the recipe:

Super Green Smoothie w/Strawberries & Pineapple - 2 large servings

Ingredients

1 cup water
1tbs. flax seeds
3tbs. hemp seeds
1 leaf red chard
3 leaves of romaine lettuce (more or less depending on size)
handful of cilantro
approx. 5 strawberries (more if desired)
1" slice of pineapple (cored, peeled and cut into small pieces)

Directions

Blend water flax and hemp seeds at high speed.
Cut up greens, add to blender and blend some more till liquid consistency.
Add cut up fruit and blend till smooth
Pour over ice cubes in 2 tall glasses.
Enjoy with a loved one while fresh!

My 15 yr old son has been drinking these smoothies with me in the morning. I introduced them to him a couple of weeks ago and he's come to expect and enjoy them. It's a good way to send him off to school. My 8 yr old daughter won't touch them if they're green, so I make her other nutritious drinks. Her favorite is juiced carrots and oranges. I use a ratio of 1 large carrot to 2 oranges. She's says it's yummie! To me any freshly juiced fruits/veggies taste better than the store bought bottled/canned ones. They are also healthier. The store bought juices are usually pasteurized (heated) to kill microorganisms so that the juice will have a longer shelf life. The problem with that is that heating also kills the enzymes which are good for you. After it's heated, the food is no longer alive and in it's best form. Freshly made juices are more energizing.

Another good thing I've been doing is being more adventurous with my diet by trying new foods. Over the past month I've added the following new foods which I never tried before...
red chard, carambola (aka star fruit), pomelo, bison, goji berries....and there are many others I'm looking forward to trying.

And on a final note, my choices have become more loving and conscious. I choose organic whenever it's available. I do not eat processed foods. I've significantly reduced the amount of meat I eat to almost none, and when I do (if it had legs) it's free range, (if it swam) it's wild caught, and eggs come from free (not caged) chickens. Eating REAL food with compassion for myself, the animals, and our planet makes me feel better physically and spiritually.

I will continue to keep it...

Raw (most of the time)
Energizing
Adventurous
Loving