Live Whole Food

Free Gardening kit from Annie's

2011-02-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

We LOVE Annie's Homegrown products. Mady adores the chocolate bunnies and I'm addicted to the Snack Mix - but all their products are yummy!
Now you can get a free Gardening Kit from Annie's Homegrown with 2 upc codes! Mady will love this!
Click here for the details.
Please allow 8-10 weeks for your Root 4 Kids gift pack. Offer good while supplies last.

Bento :: Getting started

2011-02-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

I had a great question from Helena today...

I have been looking at bento for awhile, but I've been discouraged because most of the bento sites are a little too complicated for me. I don't do Japanese very well and I haven't found great directions for it. Do you have any suggestions on how to get started? Thanks so much!

And I do have some suggestions! :)
I don't do Japanese very well either {I eat a Pescetarian/vegetarian diet} - and my granddaughter is a VERY picky eater.
I have a very limited "spend on fun stuff" budget by choice so I often make due with what I have or can get inexpensively. And, since I like cute, the bento gadgets spending spree could easily get out of hand if I'm not careful and thoughtful about it. :)

So... how to get started then? While it's true there are many sites that cater to the Kyaraben {character} bento designs there are many that are a bit more subdued and realistic for many of us. One great trick is to invest in some cute picks {depending on the age & version - boy/girl - of your child, or your own interests} and cute the lunch up that way. As you can see in the previous post the Bento I made for PWT was just left-overs presented in a way that was unique for her. I imagine as she gets used to this I'll have to up my game a bit but for now it seems to be working.

The only Bento gear I currently have is shown below:

For DH {Although I frequently give him some of the cute items too lol}:
Lunchbot - won in a giveaway
Lock & Lock container - Walmart, Amazon, + a less sturdy version from Dollar Tree. These come in various sizes + their lunchkits are cool.
Insulated bag - promo item from Yoplait {forgot to put in pic}

Cute:
Heart containers - Dollar Tree {pkg of 6 - maybe more. I forget}
Mini cookie cutters - had forever {star, butterfly}
Princess Crown cookie cutter - Amazon
Animal Picks - Amazon
Critter containers - Dollar Tree {2 in a pkg. - baby stuff aisle. Also have Panda + Hippo + they come w/ a spoon! lol}
Dora sandwich box - Dollar General years ago
HK sandwich box - Sanrio store about 20 years ago - seriously!
Small boxes - Dollar Tree {12?/pkg}
Magic Washcloths make great Oshibori - Dollar Tree
Muffin silicone cup - Amazon
Sandwich cutters dolphin + heart - Walmart or Amazon

You can also use craft punches for nori {seaweed} and the end of a straw {or end of a cake decorating tip} for cutting small circles from cheese/lunchmeat. Use an Xacto knife for cutting apples and other things into cute. Cookie cutters will cut bread, cheese, etc. and leave an imprint on harder foods so you have a guide for finishing the shape with a knife. If your lunch includes rice you can also use a cookie cutter to mold it into a cute shape then place in a silicone muffin cup.
Many tools can be found in the cake decorating sections of craft stores {you know the ones with 40% coupons! - which we don't have. boo} - fondant shape cutters are great for veggies!

I'm told that Dollar Tree even has seasonal tins {like in the shape of a bunny or butterfly for instance} that make great boxes for Bento! So getting a stash of stuff doesn't have to be costly. You probably have some of these things already lurking in your kitchen.

And here are a few blogs to get you started thinking about what to put inside your bento!

Bento Central - LOVE the toadstools and snail lunch. Includes recipes.
What's for lunch at our House - has a linky on Wednesdays where you can find more blogs! Uses regular ingredients - boy & girl bentos.
BentoTV - Lots of good info.
Mothering Corner - more elaborate but can be simplified; good ideas.
Cute Food for Kids - Love this site!
Bento Fabulous - cute ideas and not over the top time consuming. Love her monster strawberry + shroomies!
And of course BentoBloggy who I linked to in a previous post.

That should keep you busy for a bit. :) And now I have a sink full of dishes yelling at me so... happy bento surfing!

Disclaimer: This post contains to links that will result in me receiving a tiny kick back from Amazon if someone were to purchase something through said links. If someone was to do such a thing I'd be very appreciative. :)

Why Bento Rocks

2011-02-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

{Photo from flickr}
Well... besides the obvious CUTE factor. :)
My 3 year old granddaughter, Princess Wild Thing, doesn't like to eat most days. She just doesn't. Oh, she'll eat chips and crackers if you let her, and 2 or 3 things that she likes. sometimes... but she won't eat FOOD usually. She went through a spurt where all she wanted was Sonic Cheeeese Sammiches. But then changed her mind. She's done that with other "foods" but now... she doesn't want anything unless it's pretty much totally useless.
So... I decided to try Bento.
In case you aren't familiar with Bento - in Japan it's basically a "sack" lunch. It's packed in such a way that the food items are packed in closely together, as in the photo above, and won't shift when toted around. For kids, and some adults, there are all kinds of cute containers, food picks, and just all kinds of CUTE accessories. Many containers feature anime characters {Totoro! HK!}, baby animals, or Sakura blossoms, ect.
In Japan they also pay close attention to foods that need to stay away from other foods, the lunches are usually enjoyed at room temp and normally include all the food groups to make a healthy lunch; because of this it's helped many looking to loose a few pounds or correct their portion sizes.
There are many blogs in the 'verse singing the praises of Bento, and they all routinely share their lunch ingredients with readers. Some contain traditional Japanese foods, some are Americanized, some do a little of both, and some... are over the top with their cute and creative designs.
I'll be sharing some of these sites in the near future - as well as some info for those who are wanting to stay away from plastic no matter how cute.

So... Princess Wild Thing... {excuse the beyond horrible pic! She's not wanted to be in pics lately - better ones next time. promise}
I have a few Bento-y items hanging around so last tuesday I decided to try her out with a simple Dora sandwich container, a small heart container, and a pink silicone muffin wrapper. She requested a Sonic Cheeeessse sammich so I gave in. BUT I cut it into 5 mini-stars with a cookie cuter and topped them with 2 cute picks: A meow and a woof. So, those went into the Dora box along with some unsweetened applesauce {muffin wrapper}, 6 Annie's Bunnies {the heart box} and a little mermaid spoon {her choice}. I let her set her table space with a towel {napkin} and a small candle {a Waldorf-y thing}. We lit her lunch candle, I gave her the box, I sat with her to eat my lunch... and to my amazement she ate.it.all! I was excited!
Disclaimer:
I also wasn't above a little bribery; earlier we were at the store and she latched onto a Hello Kitty Pez. I usually don't let her grab onto things but being a huge HK fan myself... I gave in, but told her she would have to eat her lunch first. Now, Nana doesn't do candy but after lunch I filled it with her choice of the 2 candies - and she hated it. She even told Poppy today how she spit them out. lol. Honestly, when she choose the Pez I don't think she even knew that candy was part of the toy and she's perfectly happy with her HK head on a stick. lol.

Then today, thursday {pic above}... She had eaten some cereal for breakfast* so I waited a little longer to bring out lunch. This time there was some left over taco insides that she normally likes {one of the few things} so that went into a muffin wrapper with a little cheese on top, her bunnies that she loves jumped into the heart container {she knows to eat these last}, 2 corn chips {which she didn't actually eat surprisingly enough}, and 4 banana slices with her woof and meow picks in them. We lit her lunch candle, she chose a spoon {purple this time}, and... score again! She ate!

I watch the Princess on Tuesdays and Thursdays so once or twice a week I'll post an update on how we are doing. :)

*She will sometimes eat a granola bar in the mornings but generally doesn't eat breakfast I don't think. And this hasn't been ALL my doing. Her parents are working on not giving in to her begging for the chips and HFCS enhanced granola bars that are in the kitchen {her dad is a lover of junk food} and report that she is breaking that habit nicely - which leaves room for actual food in her tummy.

Bento Rocks

2011-02-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

I'm a fan of cute. Which usually means I'm a fan of Japanese things because, lets face it, the US is lacking in cute in a big way.
Because of this I've been known to get lost in, what I call, Bento-hell frequently. Reading and devouring all the cute Bento blogs out there {Blogs replaced my former magazine addiction - hey, it saves resources} and this is one of my favs: Bentobloggy. And I'm always amazed at what her kid eats - we struggle to get Princess Wild Thing to eat anything. Altho' her new love I hear is Pepperoni straight from the package. lol.
But back to Bentos!
While I don't have kids at home to pack cute things for anymore... I have been known to put cute in dh's lunchbox. He's such a good sport!
This is also a great way to portion control your food if you are trying to watch that, or to get a good ratio of protein, carbs and whatnot.

Want to get started and learn more about Bento? You're in luck! Bentobloggy is having a giveaway of cute!
Head HERE to enter! And while you are there check out the rest of the blog for inspiration on your next bento, or maybe even just your next regular meal.

We have a problem Houston...

2010-11-12T10:43:00.001-08:00

And it's called Monsanto. And GMOs. And the FDA. I could go on and on but, lucky for you perhaps, I won't. I will, however, ask you to click over to a friend of mine's blog to read more. She wrote it so well and has a ton of info - so why reinvent the wheel so to speak. Head over and do what you think is right. Informed consent is imperative these days in regard to what we put in our bodies whether it be vaccinations, or food. Knowledge is power.
And by all means, if you do nothing else - watch Food, Inc. Please. and thanks!

Simplify your space

2010-11-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

There are many many popular blogs about "Living Simply". About Downsizing and not having as much stuff. Sometimes its motivated by life changes that were not by choice: job loss for instance. But sometimes its motivated by changes we choose to make in our lives for whatever reason. George Carlin even did a wonderful skit once about how we have too.much.stuff.
When we moved from our 2400 sq. foot house in a small town to a 1400 sq. foot home in the country it was amazing the amount of stuff we got rid of, and we are still getting rid of things. Things we've accumulated over the years, but mean nothing to us.
We even have plans for the future to get rid of more stuff and downsize even more! It's almost like a game now... lol. Do I really need that? Can I re-purpose that? Can someone else use this? In the future we hope to build a home that is less than 1000 sq. feet; a place where everything has a dual purpose. Shockingly we probably won't even have a kitchen table! lol. We just don't use the one we have and I have this thing I call Flat Surface Filing Syndrome - if there is flat surface I'll put stuff on it. lol. So, no kitchen table. I might have a ledge thing in between the kitchen tho', you know something like bar tables and stools. Maybe. I figure we'll just go to mom and dad's if there is a gathering - they have plenty of room. :)

What are your favorite ways to re-purpose something or your favorite dual-purpose items?

Inspired by Finn Amber Necklace giveaway!

2010-10-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let everyone know about a new giveaway I just found over at Hip Mountain Mama {she has all sorts of cool things so be sure to look around her sites}

The lucky winner will get to choose an Inspired By Finn piece of jewelry from the shop {16" or smaller}.

Not familiar with Baltic Amber or Hazelwood? I don't have any experience with Hazelwood but would love to try it out on my mom who has a few of the ailments it is supposed to help, however, my granddaughter has worn her Baltic Amber necklace since she was about 3 months old {She's 2.75 years old now}! She never had any major drama with teething - just some drool. lol. I'm a major believer in Baltic Amber. Head over to Hip Mountain Mama and maybe you can win one & become a believer too!
{for more info check out the Inspired by Finn website}

A little headboard shopping with CSN

2010-09-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking of possibly getting a headboard for our bed. I keep toggling between do we need one or no? I'm still not decided but it's fun to look and we really don't have any storage in the room except in the closet so... I was looking specifically at the bookcase headboard style for that reason.
I really like the look of this one:

It comes in several finishes but I like the black. I think.

I also like this one - it's a Top Seller and I can see why:

What do you think? Do you have a headboard and why do you love it or not?

I'll be reviewing more of CSNstore's great products in the near future so stay tuned!

Want to win a $35. gift code to any CSNstore? Head over to Mark it with a B and enter to win!
Not familiar with CSNstores? They have 200+ online shops to choose from - everything ranging from toys to kitchen gadgets and everything in between. You can check out my cook pan review here. Great selection of name-brand items, pricing you can live with and helpful and prompt customer service... what's not to like?!

This post was sponsored by CSNstores.com, who provided the first link in the post. Content after that is entirely my own as are all opinions. I was provided with a gift card to use in any of their online stores in exchange for writing this post. Thanks CSNstores!

Report for the past few days

2010-09-11T19:13:00.001-07:00

Well this morning I was down from 236 to 234 - but not by my doing. Thursday I had the Princess and we always go to Sonic to get her a grilled cheese since she refuses to eat just about everything these days but will still eat a cheeeessseee. And I was hungry and being as the cheeesssee is the only thing I can eat there... and I got a med. sweet tea {which is better than a coke}. I don't even remember what dinner was. BLT with fake bacon?
Then yesterday I was working on some sewing for the Princess and we had Mac and Cheese. Not even the sorta good kind. The really cheap kind. And... dinner was something uneventful apparently and I had a few of the tiny waffles that I'd gotten at Whole Foods with some unsalted cream butter {WFoods} and real maple syrup. So see what I mean?
Oh! I remembered. Dinner was soup {corn bisque w/ chipotle from WFoods} and a large salad. :)

Today I've done better. I got up waaaay late after staying up til 3am with the dog due to a huge storm - so... I had a little of Kashi & rice milk, 1 serving of oatmeal {not the quick kind} w/ some of the butter, & syrup. For dinner was my last 2 cornmeal pizza crusts with Glen Muir Pizza Sauce, onions, Bubbies Sauerkraut, sprinkles of Jalapeno juice, cut up tomatoes, & some Italian Seasoning. Must remember to have the HFS order me more of the crusts. Yum! Dh would eat these every night for dinner easily.

I'm not really sure what is in store for tomorrow... I'm not one to plan ahead {really!?} as you might have noticed.

My daughter, the former cheese hound, has gone Vegan and lost 10lbs in 2 weeks! I'm very proud of her for starting to kick butt on her health!
I don't advocate everyone go on a certain way of life eating style - everyone is not cut out to be Vegan etc. But listen to your bod. If you are feeling sluggish and tired after eating something just maaaybeee that isn't one of your better foods. Your body is a machine and will tell you what it needs and I can guarantee you it's not the High Fructose Corn Syrup, or the ton of Gluten that's in everything, or even the white rice and flour that we are all used to. It's good, real food.
Eat peacefully.

Another beginning

2010-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm starting again. This blog has been totally neglected and it's been a year since the 30 day mostly raw experiment and loosing 25lbs ... I'm ready to go again. :)
So... this is mostly an accountability thing for me I guess. So today...
Kashi cereal with rice milk.
I'm working on a bottle of Kombucha {the total bottle is 4 servings & I'll prob finish it today sometime}.
And thinking about dinner... hmmmm... the ever present problem. dinner. I'll think of something. lol.

Too much computer time today tho' so I'm signing off for a bit. :)

Okay dinner was Snobby Joes from happyfoody.com
I use coconut oil instead of olive, and ... well I think that's the only thing I changed. Oh, I also used Glen Muir Organic Pizza Sauce instead of Tomato Sauce just because. lol. We sometimes put this on Sprouted bread or just in a romaine leaf, but tonight I had pita bread from my Whole Foods trip so we used that {pic forthcoming} lined with ruffly lettuce and topped with some avocado {because they are good with everything!} and some Muenster chive/radish cheese {from the same Whole Foods trip that brought us the pita bread} crumbled on top. :) I usually don't have cheese around so it was kind of unusual. And for those who are lactose intolerant - the aged cheese might work for you if you think you must.have.cheese. We used to be real cheese addicts and now... not so much. It's a rare treat. Also had some Bubbies Sauerkraut {yum} since you really should have something cultured with your protein. I hope to do more with cultured veggies soon.
Anyway, that was dinner. :) I'm lucky in that I have a dh that will pretty much eat whatever. Good thing or he'd starve b/c I'm really not a good cook. In fact he cooks better than I but rarely does it so... he's stuck with me.

Okay, I gotta mod some curtains but...
I was 236 this morning so we'll see how I do this week. :)
Eat peacefully! :)

Tommee Tippee in the US!

2010-08-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

I recently received 2 - 11oz./325ml sippy cups from Tommee Tippee and they are fab! I chose the pink and purple colors for my granddaughter who is 30mo. While she still uses sippy cups she is a bit old for this version according to the packaging perhaps but... she loves them and they are great for use when a regular cup would be a disaster - like when she's in her carseat.

These 2 cups are part of the Tommee Tippee Explora line and claim to be a "truly spill-proof cup". How many times have you bought a sippy cup only to have your toddler be able to shake the contents out of the cup? Or worse, have the contents spill out just from the cup tipping over? These Tommee Tippee cups rock - and, true to their claim, we've had no spills! The cups I received are "stage 2 for 9mo+" cups for an easy transition from bottle to cup and feature a unique soft-flex spout that protect gums and advance-flo technology* for easy drinking. And they are BPA free! LOVE that. They also have a non-slip rubber material on the cup itself so little hands can grab and hold onto the cups easily.

These sippy cups also feature a spout cover that is attached to the cup and, when not covering the spout, the cover fits into a depression in the lid - I love a well-designed product and these cups are just that. SweetPea also likes to play with the cover, flipping it to the spout and then off the spout. Kept her entertained for a few minutes. lol.

The Explora line of sippy cups includes:
A handled Trainer Cup for 6mo+
The pictured Sippy Cup for 9mo+
A Straw Cup for 12mo+
A Water Bottle for 18mo+
and a Drinking Cup for 24mo+
And all are spill-proof!

Tommee Tippee has been a household name in the UK for ages and hopefully they will be here in the US as well. I look forward to shopping for their more advanced cups down the line for SweetPea - but for now she loves the sippies!
You can check out their website, tommeetippee.com, for other items your baby or toddler will love!

*Advance-Flo Technology: Unlike other valve systems, our active sensor valve is designed by a physicist to be both so sensitive that liquid flows on demand, yet truly spill and leak proof.

This review was brought to you by Tommee Tippee and TwitterMoms. Tommee Tippee sent me 2 sippy cups to review free of charge; no other compensation was received & I was not required to post this review. This review consists of my own opinion, and experiences, regarding the product. Thanks Tommee Tippee for a great product!

Lunchbots rock!

2010-07-15T16:46:00.001-07:00

A quickie review on the lunchbots container that I won... it's wonderful! I've been sending it to work with dh for at least a month now and I love it. I don't have a dishwasher so it's been banged around being hand-washed and still looks new. :) The lid fits nicely, not airtight or anything of course but nice and tight but easy to remove at the same time. I can get a sandwich and something else in it too - nice and roomy. Their product line is extensive also: they have different sizes in containers like the one above, and even have stainless steel children's items. :) I look forward to using more of the lunchbots line!

CSN Stores Review - Coming Soon!

2010-06-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Summer seems to be the season for remodeling - whether it be a room or the whole house, I hear of people everywhere changing things up. Looking for a store that has everything in one spot? Check out CSN Stores! Recently my daughter has been re-decorating her daughter's room and upgrading her to a twin bed. She settled on a bunk bed {right now they only use the bottom bunk as SweetPea is only 2.5} but... I can't help but think she would LOVE one of the twin beds pictured below!
Which is your favorite?

Stop back by in the very near future I'll have a review of a fabulous CSN product. In the meantime feel free to check them out!

{This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were posted. These opinions are my own and your mileage may vary. Thank you to CSN Stores for supplying me with a gift code in exchange for this post. The support of CSN Stores is greatly appreciated!}

You know who you are

2010-05-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU! to whomever placed an order with The Raw Food World though my affiliate link on the sidebar! It was greatly appreciated and I hope you enjoy your order! {I have no idea who you are nor what you ordered lol}
I try to make my hobbies pay for themselves - I knit and crochet for others on occasion and that pays for my yarn, and fabric. My affiliate links help pay for the time I spend ~~surfing~~ blogging and related activities as well as my yarn and fabric. :)
In reality, this is the first commission that I've earned through that link - and I'm thrilled! Very few get rich with affiliates {the commission is 5% or less usually} but every little bit adds up. So thank you!!

Win Lunchbots containers

2010-05-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

I won! Can you believe it? There were nearly 700 entries.
I chose the Eco version and I'll let you all know how I like it.
Thanks Valerie at Sweeps4Bloggers & Lunchbots!

I don't post many giveaways over here that aren't hosted by me but... hot on the heels of my post about getting rid of bad plastic in your lunch is a giveaway for LunchBots steel containers that I just couldn't pass up!
Head over HERE and get your entries in - giveaway ends 21 May 2010.
You're welcome. :)
{But I'm going to win! muhahahahah!}

Make Strofoam take-out containers a thing of the past

2010-04-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

My inspiration for this, oddly enough, was a restaurant. A special little place Brianna and I found in Columbia called Main Squeeze. They are a veg/sometimes Vegan place practicing sustainability. Wow. Let that sink in; a business using sustainable, organic products & business practices. I know, right!
Now, this cool little eatery has clean {of course} plastic tubs for your left overs to go into - you get them off the shelf of a cute cabinet along with your silverware. These tubs used to be full of Organic Sour Cream etc. What a fab idea! Yeh, it's still plastic {see previous post here} but mucho better than Stryofoam I think everyone will agree. You can also purchase a stainless Tiffin there.
Anyway, when in Rome...
So the next time Bri and I ate at Main Squeeze I took my little pillowcase tote bag that I'd won from Very Mary, which is very cool btw, and filled it with my own reusable tub - because I knew I'd have leftovers! - a reusable cool plastic straw {I'd love to get glass ones someday!}, an empty Quinoa packet to put the straw in after use so it doesn't drip my Vitality fresh juice on anything, and a cloth napkin.
I also plan to add a small cloth towel so that I don't have to use paper to dry my hands after restroom hand-washing.

We don't go out to eat often but this little "kit" would be so easy to take to any restaurant where you know you'll be taking home portions of your meal. One difference I'll make soon is to use stainless containers instead of plastic {altho' I LOVE my Hello Kitty sandwich keeper - yes, I'm 5} and I'm going to sew that Quinoa bag into something smaller that fits my straw better. And if you routinely get your drink refilled to take with, just add a stainless bottle or sealed cup to the kit and you'll be set! Now if I could just get Sonic to fill my own bottle/cup when I purchase my once-a-week Vanilla Coke I'd be a happy camper! {hear that SONIC - I mean Styrofoam? Really?}

Some other ways to be more earth-friendly when you eat out:
Just say no to the bag they put your sandwich in at Subway. Especially if you are eating-in, there is absolutely no reason for it. Just tell them you don't want your sandwich bagged. And if you do end up with a few reuse them as produce bags at the grocery store.
And reuse your produce bags from the grocery. It's not like they get dirty. If they get wet from greens that get misted just allow them to dry before reusing.
Bring your own straw - it's a small thing but can you imagine how many straws people throw out each year? I've not searched it but I'm sure it's a ton!
Tuck a small towel in your purse - even a washcloth - and use it to dry your hands instead of the paper towels or air dryer in the bathrooms. Make a cute little zipper pouch for it. {or even one w/o a zipper lol}
At places that put your meal in a paper bag - when feasible just say no. When not feasable {Like with french fries that need more containment} reuse it for lunches, or another use later. Try to get at least 3 uses from an item before tossing into the trash/recycle pile.

What other strategies can you think of in working towards less packaging in our lives?

Replacing your plastic food storage containers

2010-04-29T14:57:00.001-07:00

I'm a keeper of stuff. I'm trying to not be, and I've gotten much better over the years - but sometimes I still catch myself. This is not always a bad thing but... I like containers. I have a cabinet full of plastic containers that once held food that was long-ago consumed. And of course we all now know that plastic can be a problem. If you don't have a clue why google {and by that I mean use Swagbucks!} BPA, Phthalates, and a PILE of plastic the size of TEXAS that lives in our ocean... then come back here and finish reading. ;)
So... plastics = bad. Gotcha. Now what?
I've been researching, as I love to do, and have found that the best alternatives to plastic are stainless & glass. I'm leaning towards stainless as it's less heavy and there are more items available in it.
Being the thrifty sort, I'm currently saving some Swagbucks {not using Swagbucks? Click here to find out more and start earning $ for something you may be currently doing for nada - you can read my post about it HERE} for something like this -

DH will be returning to work full-time again soon and I'll be making his lunches, so first on the agenda will be to score him a decent Tiffin. Like this {click on all images for more info*}:

or this:

or I could do several of these together in a ~~cute~~ manly bag:

And if I need something leak-proof these two items fill that need {one has plastic lids but they are BPA/P-free}:

or these from Living Without Plastic with Silicone seals:

I'll be packing things that don't really need to be reheated as, obviously, these can't be put in a microwave {altho' if time permits they can be reheated in a toaster oven} - but I don't like microwaves anyway. And that's a post for another day. :)
These would easily work for at-home storage/leftover storage as well.

Even tho' I'm here dissing plastic, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Laptop Lunches in this post. They have worked hard to revamp sack lunches as we knew them and teach the reduction of waste and packaging. While their items are plastic, they make a lot of sense for kids AND are BPA & Phthalate free, which is very important. I have never tried their products but know several people who have, and they say it's made lunch so much easier and their children love them, and eat better because of them. They were only mostly excluded from the above post because I'm gathering lunch packing items for an adult for whom stainless suits his personal taste better.

As you replace your plastic tubs with beautiful stainless please feel free to reuse said tubs to hold other things in your kitchen, craft room, office, or garage - just not food - or to recycle them. Please please do not add them to the pile in the ocean! Thanks! :)

* clicking on images = more info. And if you would happen to choose to purchase something that I've posted about please feel free to use one of the links provided to do so as I will get a tiny kickback from you doing so from Amazon.
This post was not officially sponsored by anyone, & reflects my own research, thoughts, and whatnot.

:.Where we are now.:

2010-04-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, time for a regroup... My Juicer is in! Yay! And I love it! More Yay!
Originally we had planned to do a Juice-Feast which I was rather excited about, but in playing with my Juicer I'm seeing that consuming ONLY juice for a week or more could get rather pricey here & with Jerry working/going to school... I'm not sure how feasible that is considering how much you have to drink to get enough calories for his activity level. So... the new plan is to juice as much as we possibly can & do raw{er} when we can't.
I'm not sure of DH's numbers but when we started this in August 2009 I was at a weight of 255 {I'm 5"9' for reference} & I was in a size 22W jeans - I had been a Vegetarian for about 5 years so it just goes to show that a Vegetarian diet doesn't always mean weight loss! We did raw{er} for that month + a week or two & I'd lost about 25lbs & was wearing a solid 18W jeans. Then I started eating much less raw, tho' better than when we started in August. Now, it's April 2010 and I've kept off the weight I lost in August {yay!} by just being sorta raw and modifying behavior {such as just eating until I'm no longer hungry which is different than eating til you are full} so last week I was 235lbs. and in that size 18W. Today I'm 228 and almostbutnotquite in a regular size 16 jeans... they gap at the zipper & are tight but I can get them over my hips! :) Small steps people small steps.
This is with no exercising! {I hate to sweat but know that I'll need to get over that for the health benefits} So that's my report for today! My goal is to be at a much more comfortable weight by the time the heat & humidity set in.

My mantra, & it should be yours too, is to not deprive yourself of food. I eat when I need to - I just try to make wise choices. I have a Large Vanilla Coke once a week when I'm out & about with my granddaughter - because I LOVE them. HFCS is the devil and that's the only product I have that contains it. It doesn't lead me down the path of more evil; I'm content with just that once a week indulgence.
A few links for you:
Alissa Cohen - she has a great {un}cookbook & a forum on her site full of fun people enjoying eating Raw food.
I got this little gadget* - it's sooooo cool! It will turn zucchini into spiral noodles! Summer Squash too. Fun!

So how are you all doing with your goals, whatever they may be?

PAX,
Robin
*Overnight they have replaced the spiral cutter w/ one that has some improvements over the one that I have. You can compare the two by clicking here - Saladacco Spiral Slicer - which is the exact gadget that I have.

Juicers

2010-03-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

And a little bit about juicers that I learned.
I was really toggeling between two juicers - one that cost about $100 & one that cost about $350... I knew there was a reason that I wanted the more expensive model but I couldn't put my finger on it until today, which is why I kept putting off hitting that buy button.
What I realized, for me, was that I was comparing apples & bananas.
The less expensive juicer probably would have been fine & I know a person or two who love theirs. However, it's a centrifugal juicer that spins the fruit/veg at a high rate of speed and this can heat the juice as it does so. Now there are tons of raw foody people that probably have a juicer like this and are fine with it & I'm sure it makes great juice because my friend tells me it does. :) However, I, personally, wasn't okay with the heating thing {my friend that has this juicer isn't a raw foody}... so I chose the more $ model - it's an auger/squisher model {also called a slow juicer}... this one to be precise. Here's another link - they are often backordered so it's good to have options & pricing is always the same. I only wish it were in black to match my other appliances. lol.

Now, the moral of this is that if you are in the market for a juicer... do some research. There are several kinds... some are quiet, some not so much. Some are easy to clean, some not. Usually there are videos some place so you can see the machine in action. Figure out what you need and go with it. :)
Happy juicing!

Oh, and if you'd like to check out juicers on Amazon there's a cute little search box just over to your right... If you end up purchasing anything at all at Amazon I earn a tiny %. Doesn't cost you anything extra & I really appreciate it! Thanks!

I didn't really abandon this blog

2010-03-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

... it just feels like it sometimes. :) But we have a new plan. While I'm loving the Melatonin to help me sleep, the Apple Cider Vinegar wasn't working out for me. I'll put it in dressings and things of that nature. The water/AVC drink was... quite awful! lol. Can't do it anymore. So there's that.
The new plan... today I ordered a juicer! yay! So when it comes in we'll start juicing then on 01 April we start a juice feast! And we'll do that for however long works out... and then it's back to a raw / juice combo. I.can't.wait!
I got the Alissa Cohen book and 2 DVDs and they are wonderful. I'm going to use that to kick start our raw adventure part II after the juice feast and will be trying out some of her recipes this week while waiting for the juicer, and while waiting for 01 April. :)
So that's the plan. I'd like to say that we'll juice feast {if you don't know what that is google it. It's not a fast} for 30 days but we'll see how we feel. I think I could do okay since I don't really do anything taxing on my bod, but Jer does a lot at work so I'm not sure it will be enough calories for him for that long of a period of time - we'll see how it goes.
I'll be shopping for raw goodness tomorrow.
We've been eating very well at home so it's not like starting from scratch but Jer and I are wanting to get back to raw - we just felt really good and we both have more weight to get rid of. And with summer coming {it is coming right?} ... well who likes to actually cook in the summer? ick.
I'll report back on that!

My folks were here last month & did a wonderful job at embracing the cooked but not processed food/no meat/shrimp a couple times thing we were doing. I got mom some Stevia to replace her chemical laden fake sugar stuff & hopefully she's still using it. She was still taking her insulin but we had her at very very normal bs levels. I was proud of both of them for giving whatever I made a try. AND they are buying a great house, which was the goal. So yay! Now when we get them moved out here... look out! :)

A New Year Some New Tactics

2010-01-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

And... I'm back. Happy New Year! And it's time to get back on track. We've been slacking on the raw{er} thing and it's time to get back to it. I'm also going to try a few new things and will be tracking them here. for me. Altho' maybe it will help someone else as well.
We just got back from CR last week - it was amazing! and I felt great! The sun was shining and when we were in Escazu it was a perfect 70 or 80* and when on the coast in Manuel Antonio & Jaco it was hot and humid - but still wonderful. Back here it's snowy & yuck. The sun hasn't been out all week. And so you don't think I'm in AK or something - there is light, just no sun. :) In CR I was up at 8am at the latest with no prob. Back here I was immediately sleeping until 10am & feeling lethargic all day. Not what I was hoping for.
So... my thoughts.
I started taking Melatonin sups in the evening. I think that's helping me to get to sleep at a before midnight hour.
I'm working on training Haku not to get me up at 5am just b/c he's bored. :) This helps a lot b/c it seems when he gets me up I start my sleep cycle all over again from that point. Not ideal to say the least.
Yesterday I picked up some VitD-3 drops at the HFS. We'll see if that helps.
Today I started the morning {I got up at 8:30 easily!} off with 1 tsp. of Bragg ACV in 8oz. of water & a spoonful of local honey. I hope to work up to 2 tsp. & do this 3x a day.
I was hoping to make Kefir but I'm unable to find raw goat's milk so far so for those all important Probiotics I think I'll have to stick with the Live product. Which I'm currently out of.

I know you are supposed to only change one thing at a time so you know what works but well... yeh. :)

As for the loosing weight thing - I still hope to be in cute clothes by summer. I have gained back about 6lbs of what I'd lost in our Raw{er} experiment this past summer... so when I went shopping yesterday I got lots of fruits & veggies. :) So we'll be doing that. Even not doing Raw{er} we were really watching what we ate & being aware of what is in items - even if we went ahead & consumed a bad product we did it with knowledge. And that is power.

So... the recap:
* Braggs 3x a day. 1tsp in 8oz. water.
* Eat Raw{er} w/ 1 well planned lightly cooked meal a day.
* Green Smoothies in the morning.
* 4000 units or whatever the measurement is of VitD-3 per day.
* Melatonin supplement at night until I no longer need it.
* A few ReVive will give me some Probiotic support.

And I hope to start updating this frequently.

** for my own keeping track - today I did:
Took 1 Melatonin before bed which was around 9.30ish? 10 maybe since I read before falling asleep.
Haku didn't get up last night.
Got up at 8.30am.
Braggs am & pm. I missed one. :) It's not bad w/ 4 drops of Stevia. :)
VitD-3 2 drops afternoon.
1 Melatonin tonight.

Head's up on a giveaway!

2009-12-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

I've been reading Sara's blogs for quite some time and enjoy them a lot. She's recently started hosting a few giveaways which just adds to the fun & interaction. Right now she's hosting a giveaway for 2 clothing shops - One Love Creations and Gillian at Indigo Inspired.
So... head on over there and get in on the fun! I've never worn clothing with the following attributes but would LOVE to:
* Certified Organic Hemp + Cotton blend…with the perfect stretch!
* Dyed by hand with environmentally friendly dyes
* Custom designed
* Handmade with love
You can enter here! Go. now. :)

Time for a much needed update!

2009-11-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Okay... We started this on 06 August 2009. To date I've lost 24 lbs. and dh has lost about the same. I still have a long way to go but will get there! This summer I intend to be able to get into cuter clothes. :)
We are still eating at least one cooked meal a day, sometimes more, but it's still unprocessed and all that. And Vegan or Vegetarian at the very least.
I'm working on what to do for Thanksgiving and just got a food processor so that will open up more possibilities. I'm thinking of lasagna for Thanksgiving {we used to do that every year actually} - this recipe specifically. But I'll try it out before thrusting it upon the masses. That link has tons of wonderful sounding stuff actually!

That's it! Boring I know... But I've got some knitting to do. I, however, can't do a photo free post so I'll leave you with a lovely pic taken in our yard... enjoy!

Do you know David?

2009-08-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

I don't either. I came across David from Facebook. His wife is one of the photogs on my facebook. His story is quite interesting and heartbreaking; but his spirit is the most beautiful thing about his blog. He's not giving up. He's doing research and listening to his body. I, for one, am rooting for him.
You can check out his newest post here - it just happens to be about the lifestyle/diet changes he is making... guess what foods he's eating. :)
But read from the beginning too. It's a story of hope and action. Go. now.
Godspeed David.

:: Day 25 ::

2009-08-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jer asked me this morning how long until our month of raw{er} was up; about a week. He said, "is that all?"
I wanted 30 days to see what we could do. Here's what we did:
His back only hurts now on the weekends when he works.
He's lost 17lbs.
He has more energy and just feels better overall.
His gastrointestinal issues are gone.

My knee no longer bothers me.
I've lost 14lbs. {I think most of that is in the boobage area which is fine. lol}
And I feel better overall as well.

Very well worth almost 30 days!

What will we change after 30 days are up? I don't know. I don't really want to change anything. I've got so much more to learn about this lifestyle... I have a dehydrator now and need to learn what to do with it. :)

Some changes for the better we made to regular food:
* Pasta noodles have been replaced with Soba Noodles.
* Pizza has been replaced with Ezkl English Muffins with organic pizza sauce {no sugar}. Top with whatever.
* Packaged fake meat products have been replaced with Lentils and/or Rice.
* Cheese & crackers have been replaced with my current addiction: Flax crackers & Hummus!

Okay, I'm off to find some recipes for the dehydrator!

Some Green Smoothie recipes

2009-08-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

How is everyone doing on the Green Smoothie Challenge? If you've not yet joined up head over to Sara's blog, via the badge on my sidebar, and let her know you are joining up! It's never too late.
I am listening to Victoria Boutenko right now. She healed amazing illness in her family going raw and her story is amazing - but she also has some green smoothie recipes on her family's website. Yay! I tend to just throw stuff in the blender but it's nice to have guidelines of what works well together also. So if you need some new tastes click HERE and give these a try!

Update on my Kale Chips - Yumm! I just ate the bottom tray. lol. It's not a huge tray so don't panic but... yeh, good stuff. :)

And even after being a Vegetarian for about 4 years or so my blood tests came up non-anemic so they won't do a B12 test for me. I don't know if you can have a normal Iron test and still be B12 deficient but... I guess I'm good for now. I do have high thyroid levels so need to be put back on meds for that - I don't have a reason for the under-active thyroid tho' and I know that many many people have this problem so I'll be researching more about Thyroid and diet. I also recently learned that your thyroid won't work well if your B12 levels are low. So, more on what I find out on that later.

Happy smoothie drinking everyone!

The bread thing

2009-08-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

We are lovers of all things bread. I can pass by any sweet easily but put out bread of just about any kind and I'm all over it. So when we gave up white flour I knew that was going to be an issue... but know what? Surprisingly it really hasn't been, and one of the reasons for that is this. Ezekiel Bread rocks. I was skeptical at best when I brought it home from the Health Food Store's freezer. And was uber pleasantly surprised when I loved it! It's not raw - but it's made of sprouts so there is no white flour so I'm good. They also have tortillas and english muffins! Yay! We use the tortillas for the lentil based snobby joes or for the taco filling that I've got linked here somewhere - or just for canned refried beans in a pinch. Fill 'em with whatever. Now the english muffins ... I've been wanting PIZZA and these little guys were the answer I was looking for. We topped them with some Glen Muir organic pizza sauce {no sugar}, artichoke hearts, a few sun-dried tomatoes, some extra tomato, and some olives... put them in the oven on warm for about 20 min. to take the chill off the sauce and wallah! We had pizza! :D

Oh, and speaking of bread... we all know how terrible commercially prepared buns and bread in general is. {if not now you do!} -- especially in fast food establishments. So high on the glycemic index you might as well be eating cake. So, my mom is diabetic and we've been talking about gradually making her diet more plant-based... which is difficult. Old habits and all that. But she and dad went to In-and-Out the other day and... she had them leave off the bun and replace it with lettuce! And she said it was okay!! Yay! That's a great big step. See people you don't have to go all out in the very beginning... Small steps are okay. Change something once a week consistently and keep at it. Have a green smoothie each morning and go about your day. Whatever is easier for you. Small steps. :)

All hail the dehydrator is here!

2009-08-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

Yay! I received my dehydrator today {Free shipping!} from The Raw Food Store and immediately mashed together these Kale Chips which are currently dehydrating! They need to do that for 6 hours so that means they will be done at about... midnight. and my machine doesn't have a timer on it. I'll figure something out.*
I actually decided to get the 4 tray - and the Kale filled that puppy up. Now I'm wondering if I should have gotten the 9 tray after all but... I'll make do.

On another note I went to the Doc yesterday. Routine girly stuff if you really wanted to know. :) Doc looked up my records and I'd not been there since ... 2004. Well, ummmmm, yeh. She did manage to ask why I'd not been in since 2004.**
Anyway, I asked her to do a B12 test since that is the one thing that is pretty much only gotten from meat products and I've been a veg for about 4 years? Something like that. Since the B12 test isn't routine {and...??} she compromised by doing an Iron test and if that's low she'll do a B12, or my regular doc will. She said. Ummmm ok. At least she told me who my regular doc is b/c I had no clue not having been in since '04 and all. So she called this morning and of course I wasn't up {8:22am. HELLO!}, and I spent 20 min. on hold trying to call her back only to be told she wasn't in her office. So maybe she'll try to ring me back at 8:22 tomorrow morning perhaps? I might actually be up since SweetPea will be here. I'm sure my Thyroid thing was way high {which would = my thyroid being it's usual unproductive self}. Curious to see what other values she has tho' and will see if she'll give me the values from 2004 to compare to since those values would have been pre-veg. Interesting. {to me anyway. potentially}

*yes, I'm normally up until at least midnight but SweetPea will be here so... I'm not sure what is in store for my sleeping schedule.
** I wasn't SICK!

The China Study

2009-08-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this book and wow. I was just beginning to eat raw{er} when I started so I can't say that this book was extremely eye opening to me; I already knew the evidence. I already knew that eating raw{er} was the way to go for us and that it could cure many many diseases that are far too prevalent in our American society. I'd read other blogs, testimonials, technical papers etc. already, but this showed some of the why's. - so if you are eating a processed food / Standard American Diet it should be a super WOW! for you. lol.
Even if you don't wish to go raw{er} it has something for you - as this isn't a book about going raw at all. It's a book that supports a more plant-based diet, which can easily be accomplished with just about anyone's diet. It's more a "hey, let's get away from the processed food" kinda thing. Anyone can accomplish that with a little foresight and thought... it will take a bit to build a few new habits like not going to the freezer to get the bag of stuff and dumping it in the skillet for 20 min. but even if you still do that once a week and eat healthier the rest of the week you are ahead of where you were perhaps. Heck even if you add a salad into your dinner plans you are doing well. :)
Everyone can learn something from this book; it is quite the eye opener.
Here's info:

The China Study is part diet, part medical study, part condemnation of the governmental and industry politics that determine what we think about what we eat.

This exhaustive presentation of the findings from the China Study conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Referred to as the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by the New York Times, this study reveals the dramatic effect proper nutrition can have on reducing and reversing these ailments as well as obesity and calls into question the practices of many of the current dietary programs, such as the Atkins diet, that enjoy widespread popularity in the western world.

T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., is the project director of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project (the China Study), a twenty year study of nutrition and health. In more than forty years of research he has received more than seventy grant-years of peer-reviewed research funding and authored more than three hundred research papers.

Publication date: January 2005

You can find this book in hardback at The Raw Food World by clicking the image at the top of this post - or in paperback HERE, or of course, check your local library.

It's a good read. I promise. :)

Win it! Vita-Mix!

2009-08-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

I usually post giveaways and the like over at my other blog but... this one kinda belongs here. ;)
Just about everyone knows how great the Vita-Mix is so I won't go into the great things it can do like make smoothies, soup, icecream... it can even act as a food processor. It's kinda awesome. But you may have known that already. Anyway, I don't have one, nor do I have one to giveaway - but JESSIE does! Head over to her blog - The winner will be chosen at noon (CDT) on Monday, August 31st 2009 - and enter!
Thanks Jessie for such a great opportunity to own a Vita-Mix!

1 Week report

2009-08-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been one week since we began eating a more raw & less processed foods diet. Now, just so there are no misconceptions - we are not 100% raw and we may not ever be. But we have done the following consistently:
* No sugar except agave in a smoothie perhaps, and the cane juice that is in packaged almond milk. That's all to my knowledge. There might be some lurking somewhere but I'm not stressing about it. {You should see how much I used to put in tea!}
* No packaged food as we've come to know it. Just ingredients like tomato paste/sauce, coconut milk, rice/almond milk, and black beans {I'll be using dry black beans soon instead}... single ingredients that happen to be in packages in other words. :)
* Cooked food 1x daily at most. And it's all from scratch and usually lightly cooked.
* Sprouted grain bread instead of white/wheat bread 2x a week max.
* No white flour.

I'm shooting for 80% raw but I don't know... Once I get a dehydrator I think it will be more attainable :) We are both loosing weight and feeling fabulous so I think we are doing well. This is overall a diet about listening to your body and tweaking appropriately. I hate even calling it a diet per se; it's really about changing the way you see and think about food. It's a lifestyle change.

So... I've lost 8 lbs. out of my 80 I need to get rid of. DH has lost 9 lbs. of his 40. To say we are pleased is an understatement! We are never hungry and I've been packing dh's lunches all week {which has never really happened so he's VERY happy with that lol}. Other great things we've noticed: For the past 2 days I've been getting up at 7:30am all. by. myself. This is HUGE. I think I've mentioned that my previous sleeping time was like 3am-12noon! You know, the day is really long when you get up in the morning instead of afternoon. lol. And my knee that was previously bothering me a bit more than I'd have liked it to isn't bothering me any more. I'm guessing b/c packaged meals = inflammation in the body.
We have more energy. I've been more motivated; it's like a fog has lifted. DH finds himself with more energy and a more clear positive outlook, which is helpful in his often stressful retail job. We have really just been thrilled with our week!
I had thrown down a 30-day challenge to go raw{er} and I don't think there will be any stopping us actually.
I can't wait to see what week 2 will bring!

The thing about being responsible for ourselves...

2009-08-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

I'm one that firmly believes that our health care system is broken at so many levels, but I also believe that I don't really want our government controlling our health care either {so yeh, I don't have an answer for that even if they were to call me up and ask}... But I was just passed this article and the last part caught my eye, and I hope the author doesn't mind me using it...

Rather than increase government spending and control, we need to address the root causes of poor health. This begins with the realization that every American adult is responsible for his or her own health.

Unfortunately many of our health-care problems are self-inflicted: two-thirds of Americans are now overweight and one-third are obese. Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices.

Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat. We should be able to live largely disease-free lives until we are well into our 90s and even past 100 years of age.

Health-care reform is very important. Whatever reforms are enacted it is essential that they be financially responsible, and that we have the freedom to choose doctors and the health-care services that best suit our own unique set of lifestyle choices. We are all responsible for our own lives and our own health. We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health. Doing so will enrich our lives and will help create a vibrant and sustainable American society.
—Mr. Mackey is co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market Inc.

Thank you Mr. Mackey! This is a key statement I think. I've thought this for a long time but didn't have the solution - until now. Finally at 45 years of age {I'm slow lol} I have the answer. This is like the Holy Grail to me! Don't. Eat. Dead. Food. It's that simple. {sometimes it's not easy, but it's a simple truth} The people that are marketing junk to our families are lying to us big time. All that stuff that is labeled healthy in the cute boxes. It's not. It's dead food. By the time they load it up with chemicals and compounds we can't even pronounce, much less know what they mean, it's not even food most of the time.

Several people have said, "but I can't do this" for whatever reason... the kids won't like it, dh won't like it, they don't have time. Will you have more time when someone is in the hospital because the Standard American Diet has caught up with them? Will you have the time for insulin shots later for someone in your family that becomes a diabetic? or worse?

It takes 2 minutes to throw some fruits and greens into a blender, turn it on, go finish up something else while it's blendering, pour a glass and walk out the door. You'd probably spend more time in the drive through at Starbucks. Kids usually like green smoothies btw; I'm going to try this theory out on my 19mo. old granddaughter in a few weeks while she stays with us. :)

The smoothie challenge is a great first step. :)

30-day Green Smoothie Challenge!

2009-08-11T15:09:00.001-07:00

I just saw this on the Happy Foody blog - Yay! Sara did this last year & a bunch of people jumped on the bandwagon to better health... {see the testimonials on her page} & it tastes great too! To take part click on the graphic above and it will take you to the page for more info. You can also join us on Facebook for more support.
Basically here is what you will be agreeing to:

We will begin on August 17 and end on September 17.
* Drink at least 16 oz. of green smoothie per day (a quart would be even better!)
* Do some sort of activity every day. This could be an intense workout, or just dancing with your kids around the living room. It could be a 15 minute yoga session or a walk around the block.
* Add a green leafy salad to your lunch or supper (with light dressing…stay away from the creamier sauces).
* Stop drinking pop|soda|coke.
* Cut out all white sugar.

One of my favorite recipes for this is a froz. banana, apple {cut up}, lg. handful of baby spinach, orange wedges from 1 orange and another fruit if you want... sometimes peaches... just whatever I have. You can put this in with a cup or 2 of rice milk, almond milk, or water. Just enough to make it blend to the consistency you like. The apple should make it sweet enough {I like Fiji apples} but if you absolutely wanted to you could add a touch of Agave. I try to use it sparingly. I usually also add Wheat Germ ~~& sometimes some Flax seeds or 3-6-9 oil for Omegas but~~ {I just found out that oils shouldn't be mixed w/ fruits. See, still learning!}... that's getting a little carried away since this is supposed to be simple! {Not that those things are hard but you might not have them on hand and that's fine}

There are more smoothie recipes on Sara's Happy Foody site as well as others around the web. I'll be linking more as I try them.
Oh, you could also sub out the spinach for kale - both provide a nutritional punch.
And you only need a blender for this! Yay! Quick & easy as you run out the door. {If you are really crunched for time blend it the night before & pop in the fridge in an air-tight container|jar} I like that.
Leave us a comment and let me know that you're participating!

Why I continue to use the Nuriche products

2009-08-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Nuriche kinda gave me the extra push over the edge that I needed to go RAW{er}. There are 30 fruits & 30 veggies & an assortment of other wonderful things in the Live & ReVive products... but I wanted more. It's just my dh & I {our YA daughter lives here too but she's pretty self-sufficient lol - & we hope to get her to join us at some point!} so it was quite easy for us to just take the plunge. Now if we had smallish kids it might be a bit tougher, & teens would probably be extremely hard to convert to the RAW{er} lifestyle. & I know there are plenty of people who like their steak & whatnot. For people eating the standard American diet the Nuriche products are fabulous! They will give you the veggies & fruits, etc. without a hassle & without the kids staging a riot in protest of eating something that's good for them - put it in a smoothie & they will never know you just gave them a fabulous start to their day. It's also great for the little ones; add it to their juice or make them a smoothie as well, sprinkle it on their ice cream, or green beans. lol. It contains nuts & seeds so does have some grain|texture but tastes like grapes or berries. {I say berries, my mom says grapes}
Probiotics are soooo important - and more so when you are eating the standard American diet. Enzymes! Our cooked food looses soooo many enzymes & these are what you need to effectively digest & absorb the nutrients of food. Everything in Live & ReVive is so important.
AND a great effect of giving your body what it needs is ** weight loss ** as well as ** loss of cravings **.
I'm hearing wonderful things about how people are loosing weight & feeling healthier! I love that!

As a RAW{er} eater I'm getting many of these things now in my daily intake of food, but... as my about me talked about - I'm in the middle of the US surrounded by cattle & chicken farms. There are few orchards or veggie farms here. We don't have TJ's or WFoods, or anything remotely like that {unless I want to drive for almost 2 hours. each way. Which I don't}. We only have Wm & 2 independently owned groceries who have very little organic or locally grown anything. I'm growing some of my own food but that's a process! I'm learning tho'. :) So for now the Live & ReVive products are insuring that we get that extra punch of goodness.

Watch the videos to the right or on my official Nuriche page. Request a 3-day sample and see for yourself if Live & ReVive doesn't help you function better & with more crash-free energy to do the things you want to do for yourself & your family - without the jitters & crash that the caffeine in soda & energy drinks give you. And if you do decide to order, there's a unique money making opportunity as well - so you could help your family's health as well as your financial health at the same time. Check it out; Nuriche also has a money back guarantee. What's to loose?

the Day 4 Report ::cue music::

2009-08-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

-- first off a very Happy Anniversary to my folks!!! --
This RAW{er} thing is going fabulously! My only regret is that we didn't do this sooner. I've not lost any more in the past 2 days but that's okay - there was the 4lbs just taking the Nuriche Live & ReVive product & 2 lbs since then. I know it will come down... this is for health.
If you know me you know I have a sleep issue; some people are insomniacs, some people {perhaps people who are depressed, etc.} sleep a lot... I sleep a normal healthy 9-10 hours usually but the kicker is I was getting those Zzzzzs between 3am and noon-ish. Not very in tune with our reality. {which is par for the course for me probably} - I've NEVER been a morning person. Ask my dh... he almost refuses to get me up even at a reasonable 8am b/c I'm such a grouch - even when I ask him to.
Then... night before last I went to bed about 9:30 & during the night I kept waking. I was all... oh it's still dark, go back to sleep, over and over. Then got up about 9am or so finally. Last night I went to bed about 10pm - Haku {doggie} got me up at about 1am b/c of a storm. But... I felt okay at 1am. Weirdness. Usually I'd be Zombie-like & feel literally ill b/c of such a short amount of sleep. Went downstairs, got him medicated, went back to bed. This scenario would repeat itself around 5:30am... and again the Zombie I used to be was gone! I even held a conversation with Bri when she got up for work! {she was the zombie! lol.} I actually could have stayed up at that point but... I'm a creature of habit {and my bed is really comfy!} so I went back to bed even tho' I had a hard time getting back to sleep. And got up at 9:30am... Still feeling really good. See, the thing is even when I did get that morning-morning sleep in my previous lifestyle I still didn't feel good upon waking. I couldn't eat breaky; it would make me feel sick to eat so early after rising. Even after hearing that our bods need something to break the fast - I couldn't do it. Now I'm doing a green smoothie in the morning with no prob. then eat again whenever I get hungry. Yes, I'm attributing this to our new eating style! And to think my first thought, to try to reschedule my sleep pattern, was to get Ambien or something!
Just watch - I bet I'll be doing some sort of exercising within a month! I know right! Wow.

Oh, and for dinner tonight we had THIS: Kale Avocado Salad. I will say that I think I liked it better than Jer but he didn't dislike it, it was just a touch bitter still... I didn't get it quite right. If you look at the recipe on the link it says to mix everything together & let the Kale wilt. I did that & my Kale was having none of the wilting thing. So I looked at the video for a min. {much to the dismay of the bandwidth gods} & in it she tosses the Kale with the lemon, oil, & salt to get that wilty-ness going on before adding the other things. Happy eating!

A recipe report...

2009-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

We've been eating RAW{er} for about ... since our anniversary on the 6th of August.
We've been doing great during the day, today we had a smoothie, then went to our fav. Greek place after shopping & got the usual Veggie Pita {so only the pita wasn't raw - we were hungry tho' and I love them so...} full of veggie goodies & sprouts. Then came home and I cooked. I know I know, I dislike cooking.... but this is kinda fun. lol. I made the THIS Curry Stir Fry. I hope Sara doesn't mind me linking to her all the time {she actually doesn't know I exist.}.. & one of these days I'll get around to taking pics of dishes but until then... :)

Yesterday we did basically the same thing but were totally RAW until dinner. For dinner we had THIS taco-lentil-rice taco mix in lightly cooked {in a skillet w/ olive oil} corn tortillas w/ pico basically & some guac & romaine. It was really really good; Bri is asking me to show her how to do it even. {she's the pickiest eater I know}

Since I'm not the 'all or nothing' type anyway & this is way healthier than I usually eat {even as a Pesce-vegetarian we were relying on much that is processed}, this is working fine. RAW some of the time and RAW{er} the other part of the time. :)

Now, the really cool thing is... 3 days I've lost two pounds! If I count the going half-assed RAW thing I did several days before the 6th {which is when Jer joined me so that's what I'm counting as the beginning} I've lost 4 lbs. I don't expect it to keep going that quickly forever but... that rocks. :)

PS - I put Live! in the smoothies for an extra kick of probiotics & enzymes & healthy goodies. :)

Here's the thing about Green Smoothies

2009-08-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people ask me about Green Smoothies since I threw down the 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge {I'll put a button on the sidebar w/ a link to more info soon}... Just saying they are great for you doesn't really cut it. Those who know me know I love to research things & learn things {altho' I dislike 'schooling' as we know it.} & I've been researching RAW & the Green Smoothies. So in my reading I've found who appears to be the Green Smoothie Queen: Victoria Boutenko. I know this is an older report - but it should still hold true. Our bods still need what they needed in 2005. This is really long, & will look even longer in my thin margin I have for posts so I'll shut up in the interest of not making it even longer. We are going shopping tomorrow so the Green Smoothie Challenge will begin on Sunday the 09 August but feel free to join in at any time!
Here we go....
By Victoria Boutenko Reprinted from The Raw Family newsletter. Copyright 2005

My husband, our two younger children and I have been on the raw food diet for more than eleven years. We were able to heal all of our incurable, life-threatening diseases. However, after several years of being raw, each one of us began to feel like we had reached a plateau where our healing process stopped and even somewhat began to go backwards. Since then a burning question in my heart grew stronger every day. The question was, "Is there anything missing in our diet?" The answer would come right away: "Nope. Nothing could be better than a raw food diet."

Yet, however tiny, the unwanted signs of less than perfect health kept surfacing, in minor but noticeable symptoms like a wart on a hand, a gray hair, etc. that instantly brought doubts and questions about the completeness of the raw food diet. Finally when my children complained about increased sensitivity in their teeth, I reached a state when I couldn't think about anything else. I drove everybody around me crazy with my constant discussion of what could possibly be missing.

In my eager quest, I started looking at every single food that exists for humans. As my grandmother used to say, Seek and ye shall find. After many wrong guesses, I finally found the right one. Whew! I found one food group that particularly matches ALL human nutritional needs: greens. The truth is, we in my family were not eating enough greens. Moreover, we did not like them. We knew that greens are important, but we never heard anywhere exactly how much greens we need in our diet, just a vague recommendation to eat as much as possible.

In order to find out how much greens we need to eat, I decided to study the eating habits of chimpanzees, since they are the closest creatures to human beings. According to recent scientific research, they share 99.4 % of the same genes with humans.1 I am not trying to say that humans developed from chimpanzees. I am simply grateful for the reality that there is another species in this world that closely resembles us. There are thousands of chimpanzees living in Gombe Valley, Africa. The most remarkable fact is that majority of those chimps of Gombe, as opposed to humans, have not been touched by civilization. I went online and purchased $300 worth of books and DVDs about chimpanzees and their diet and lifestyle. I wrote a letter with my questions to the Jane Goodall University. I traveled to three big zoos that have chimpanzees and spoke to many people who feed them and take care of them every day. I discovered so much fascinating information about chimpanzees that I totally changed my view of them. They became one of my favorite beings. My research gave me a solid idea that humans are supposed to eat a lot more greens than I would have guessed.

As long as I can remember, in books and pictures I always saw chimpanzees depicted with a banana or an orange in their hands. That definitely misled me to the assumption that they eat only fruit. To know that greens compose almost half of their diet became a revelation for me. As far as root vegetables are concerned, the chimpanzees don't eat any of them unless there is a famine and nothing green is left. Based on how much fruit we consume in my family (about 4 or 5 pounds per day per person) I estimate that we need to eat about two good sized bunches of dark leafy greens per person per day, and probably reduce the consumption of nuts, seeds and roots.

Another thing I noticed is that the chimpanzees really love greens. I remember watching at the zoos, how excited they became when given fresh acacia branches, young tender palm tree leaves or kale. I was so inspired looking at them that I went to the nearby bushes and tried to eat acacia leaves, but the truth was that the green leaves were not very palateable for me and that presented another problem. To eat greens was always more like a duty for me. I would think to myself, I have to have my greens. Some days I would "cheat" by juicing my greens. I would quickly drink a cup of green juice and consider myself good for a couple of days. Or I would make a delicious raw dressing and sink my greens into that dressing. That was another way for me to enjoy greens. But I could never imagine sitting and eating two bunches of kale or spinach.

The more I read about the nutritional content of greens. the more I became convinced that greens are the most important food for humans. If I could only find a way to enjoy them enough to consume the optimal quantity needed to become perfectly healthy!

I tried countless times to force myself to eat large amounts of greens in the form of salad, or just by itself, only to discover that I was not physically able to do that. After about two cups of shredded greens I would have either heartburn or nausea. All along, I was aware that my body was missing the nutrients that are available only from greens.

One day, while reading a book on biology, I became intrigued by the amazingly tough composition of plants. Apparently cellulose, the main constituent of plants, has one of the strongest molecular structures on the planet, because it is one of the longest and most complex carbohydrate molecules. From this I understood that in order to assimilate the many needed nutrients from greens, the human body needs to be able to break down these tough structures. However, cellulose is insoluble. That means in order to get nutrients, its structure has to be broken into the tiniest pieces, preferably down to the molecules. In simple words, we need to chew our greens to a creamy consistency in order to get the benefits.

Secondly, in order to digest the released minerals and vitamins, hydrochloric acid in the stomach has to be very strong, pH between 1 and 2.

These two conditions are absolutely, vitally, necessary to the assimilation of nutrients from greens. Apparently, I did not chew my greens well enough and possibly did not have a high enough level of hydrochloric acid in my stomach.2 As a result, I experienced unpleasant signs of indigestion, after pushing myself to eat greater quantities of greens. Hence, I didn't like eating greens altogether!

However, after more than a century of eating mostly heavily proccessed foods, mordern people lost their ability to chew normally. Our jaws became so narrow that even after extracting our wizdom teeth, we still need to wear braces.3 Our jaw muscles became too weak to thoroughly chew rough fiber. In addition to these compromizing conditions, many people have lots of fillings, fake or missing teeth. These conditions make chewing greens to a necessary consistency virtually impossible.

That is why I decided to try to "chew" my greens in the Vitamix blender. 4 First I blended a bunch of kale with water. I was thinking, I will just close my eyes and nose and drink it. But as soon as I opened the lid, I closed it back again quickly because I felt queasy from the strong, wheatgrassy smell. That dark green, almost black mixture was totally unconsumable. After some brainstorming, I added several bananas and blended it again. And that was when the magic began! When I slowly and with some trepidation removed the lid and sniffed the air, to my greatest surprise this bright green concoction smelled very pleasant. I cautiously tasted a sip and was exhilerated, because it was better than tasty! Not too sweet, not too bitter, it was the most unusual taste I had ever tried, and I could describe it in one word: freshness.

In four hours I emptied all I blended, which was one bunch of kale, four bananas and a quart of water. I felt wonderful and made more. Triumphantly, this evening I realized that this was the first time in my life that I consumed two good-sized bunches of greens in one day. Plus, I ate them without any oil and salt! And I enjoyed the whole experience.

That was in August, 2004. The solution was so unexpectedly simple. To consume greens in these way took so little time that naturally I continued experimenting with blended greens and fruits day after day. At first I didn't tell anybody. I didn't have any big health problems and I didn't expect any dramatic changes, I just didn't want to age. However, after about a month when a couple of my warts and moles peeled off my body and when I definitely felt more energized than before, I started sharing my experience with my family and friends. The next thing I noticed was that those little cravings I'd had once in a while for heavy foods like nuts or crackers, especially in the evening, had totally disappeared. I noticed that many of my wrinkles on my face went away and I began to hear compliments from other people about my fresh look. Also my nails became stronger. Another bonus I got was a wonderful taste in the mouth, all the time, even upon waking in the morning. I hadn't had this pleasure since childhood.

When my husband Igor saw the noticeable benefits in my health, he joined me in drinking green smoothies. He started to ask for a cup of "that green stuff" whenever I was making it. Let me point out that although I didn't like greens, Igor simply couldn't tolerate them, which is pretty typical of Russian men. Another two months later his mustache and his beard started growing blacker, which made his face look a lot younger. Igor got so excited about this that he became the green smoothie champion of my family. He would wake up early and make two or three gallons of smoothie every day: one for me, one for him, and one for Sergei and Valya to share. Both of our children enjoyed including this tasty green drink in their daily menu and even though they were already experiencing great health, noticed even more benefits, like the ability to sleep less, more complete elimination, stronger nails, and most of all the improvement in their teeth, which became less sensitive.

One of my fears was that I would get tired of green smoothie one day, and I wouldn't want it any more. Yet, after three months of regular consumption I was enjoying it more than ever. Now I couldn't imagine my life without my green smoothies, as it has become 80% of my diet. In addition to smoothies I eat flax crackers, salad, fruit and occasionally seeds or nuts. In order to always have the opportunity to make fresh green smoothie for myself I purchased an additional Vitamix blender for my office. Whenever friends or customers came in, they saw a big green cup next to my computer and I treated them to my new discovery. To my great satisfaction, everybody loved it, despite their different dietary habits. Unexpectedly for me, some of my friends and coworkers started to comment on their health improvements just from the cup of green smoothie they were drinking in my office! No kidding! I can tell you their names. My web designer began to crave more raw foods as a result of rather irregular helpings of smoothie and lost 15 pounds in a couple of months. The woman from the office across the road got rid of her ecsema, drinking a cup of green smoothie almost every day. The UPS guy likes it too.

Inspired by the warm reception, I wrote an article "Ode to Green Smoothie" and emailed it to my entire list. Almost instantly I began to receive strong positive feedback and many detailed testimonials from my friends, students and customers. While I felt compelled to do more research, it looks like the multiple benefits of green smoothie became obvious to everybody who tried them, and the number of people who are drinking green smoothie is growing rapidly every day. This "green wave" makes me more excited than ever! I am busily compiling all the information together with the research into my new book, due out in a few weeks.

1 Source: Chimps belong in the Homo genus? by Michael Matthews and Carl Wieland http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2003/0521chimps.asp
2 http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0203cat/020305ppnf/PPNF.HTML
3 I would like to explain that the Vitamix is not just a simple blender like the ones you can find at any department store. It is called a high speed blender, because its speed goes up to 240 mph! That means that its blades don't even have to be sharp; even if they were just dull metal sticks they could still liquify something as hard as, for example, blocks of wood. In order to reach such performance, the Vitamix has a 2+ peak horsepower motor. Any simple blender will blend the tough cellulose of greens only so long as its blades are sharp. Unfortunately, when the blades become dull, they just move around pieces of banana and the blender very quickly overheats. Eleven years ago, after burning several blenders, I finally bought myself a Vitamix at the country fair. It still works like new.

A new tactic...

2009-08-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm going to up the stakes a bit from what I said I was going to do in a prev. post {which was basically nothing different than I usually do}... and here's what was the catalyst for the change.
Hang with me for a sec.
Many months ago I re-heard about the RAW diet. Nothing cooked over 118*. {still with me? lol} To me it's sort of a progression of the Vegetarian diet... but remember, dh was still eating meat when he was anywhere but home. Well, apparently he's been eating too much of the wrong thing b/c he's been feeling ill, + some stress at work and well, I won't go into the details {you're welcome} but it seems every time he eats a cheap burger somewhere he feels ill. In fact, it's not always a cheap burger... other things {even the good stuff} are sometimes making him ill {stress} So... this is his body telling him something. What that is I'm not entirely sure and if we feel he needs to he'll def go see a doc, but I know he needs to lay off the meat products {+ the stress will be taken care of shortly. I hope.}. I've been wanting to do RAW again, but the first time I did it {for a week} it was difficult b/c I was still cooking for him. I dislike cooking to begin with so cooking for him + scaring up something for me was too much for my lazy self. But now... he's on board. I'm excited!! So... while I may not be changing the premise of this blog by exercising, I am changing what we eat. And I'm going to share that with you!
I'll get some links together here soon so that you know what I'm talking about. What's super cool is that I think it will mesh in with the Nuriche product really perfect + I'll tell you why in a bit. :)
::The Plan::
To incorporate RAW food into as many meals as I can. We are going to ease in... tonight we had some tuna {w/ a bit of mayo} on greens, + apple slices w/ a natural pnut butter. {I was bad + forgot to add seeds. + before you scream; I'm actually a pescetarian right now.} See, that's not really RAW but better than what we might have eaten.
For 30 days {I don't have a rigid start date as I need to shop!} we are going to do a green smoothie every morning. What's a green smoothie? I'll be telling you. with more links even! In the meantime there is one mentioned here, + a ton of smoothies here some of which might be green, or just throw some spinach|kale in there and make 'em green!

And, really that's it. This will take effort on my part to make sure dh has something to take for lunch - this will be made a bit easier b/c of him starting school soon + not having to leave for work before sunrise... but I think it will be fine and he says he'll learn how to make things too. :)

::The Meals::
So... what in the world are we eating? Everything! :)
Here is what is planned after a quick shopping trip... All of these links are from the Happy Foody blog. Sara is wonderful inspiration {she has no idea this blog exists but in case she stops by: Hello Sara!}.
Snobby Joes - we actually had these the other night {in flour|corn tortillas b/c I was out of bread} + they were really good. This concoction will replace the fake-meat-soy-stuff we'd been using. 1 less processed item in our lives. yay! There is also this meat replacement but I've not yet tried it. The following are on the menu, but we've not tried them either. We'll let you know!
Creamy Basil Pesto, a RAW lasagna I need to find the recipe for, Garden Chowder, Coconut Curry Stir Fry, Kale-Avocado Salad. If you are playing along please let us know how they were!

Okay, those are my plans. I'll post more later in how Nuriche is going to work into this + about charting our weight loss progress. Yay!

A little filler info... caffeine

2009-07-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

In light of my daughter's sinus surgery and the taking care of her that has ensued... my WL journey is sort of put on hold until she is better. At least the fairly structured part. My sleeping is erratic and therefor so is my eating and everything else (ReVive has been a godsend for this! I can get energy when I need to be up during the middle of the night with her but still be able to sleep when it's DH's shift). My dh and I are kinda tag teaming her care and observation. :)
So... I've been listening to some of the Nuriche conference calls (they can be found HERE) and learning some new info. Anyone can listen to these; they cover some info about product, some of the business side etc. - interesting stuff for the most part.

Here's some info about the Caffeine in the ReVive product from ... actually this is bad. I'm not sure what call this is from. I'll have to add that in when I find it. ;)
I believe it's a March/April call.

Here you go:
Live and ReVive vs Energy Drinks:

It's a fact: People are consuming less nutrients in the foods they are eating, this translates to less energy in their bodies which is leading to them consuming energy drinks - which are very damaging to their bodies. (my note: I'm saying people in general because I've never had an energy drink... everyone says that they taste evil so I've never wanted to test that out. Ick.)

ReVive Crash-Free Energy is a healthy, effective alternative to energy drinks. Take 2-3 caps and within 20-30 min you will feel the increase in energy. Energy, sense of well being, improved mental clarity and focus. You feel good coming off of it because your body has not been overtaxed, it's been nourished. ReVive has the same nutritional base as Live and it's recommended that every time you take ReVive take a serving of Live as well. Grab a Live bottle, add water, shake, take 2-3 capsules and drink it down - you'll start feeling benefits within 20-30 min.

But Caffeine is caffeine right? Not exactly. Not all caffeine's are created equal - There's a difference in how your body utilizes natural occurring caffeine, like Guarana/Cocoa/Green Tea, vs processed Caffeine.
When you provide your body naturally occurring caffeine, such as listed above, It's only a % of what's in that ingredient item. What is in Guarana for instance, is naturally balanced within an oil base - so the release rate, and how that works in your system, is different than one isolated component. An isolated, or denatured, caffeine will go in and burn very quickly, creating a taxation on your system where nutrition may be lacking already, creating additional stresses, and that's why after it's burned off your body feels more tired than what it was before you took the energy drink. Here we provide a stable energy supply that has additional naturally occurring compounds that help support that naturally occurring energy level within the system. We have the Cha de Bugre ingredient. Known to help increase the thermogenisis process in the body while it strengthens the glandulars at the same time. So here's something that helps; increasing the benefit effect of the Guarana, but at the same time supporting your glandulars and adrenals that will sometimes be taxed by an isolated component. So these ingredients are helping increase oxygenation, as it helps increase the PH in your system. It's increasing the circulation, which helps create increased oxygenation and nutrients throughout your body. This process also helps create focus and mental clarity and sense of well-being. You couple the ability of what that does with the Live product and you compound the ability of people to experience decreased appetite. Increase thermogenics. It's an optimal based product to support people achieving natural healthy weight. When we eat things that we crave, but have none to little nutritional value, we've consumed it but still not fed your body the nutrition it needs - so your body continues to crave more. So here's a product that naturally reduces appetite, and because it provides so much nourishment, your body has an overall sense of satisfaction - you know when you've consumed a serving of Live and a serving of ReVive your body is getting nutritional needs met, nutrients that are essential to you experiencing the health and vitality in the way that you want. Taking a serving of Live with two -three caps, and taking that 2-3x a day, your energy levels are consistent. I don't have those cravings in the afternoon, where I feel like I gotta go find something to eat. I can eat a light snack and feel very satisfied throughout the entire day. This product provides the energy, the sense of well-being, the over all feel good, energetic outcome that we want. And it's providing it in a manner that's not compromising the health of our systems - it's helping provide our bodies with additional nutrition to strengthen our health at the same time.
If you haven't had the chance to try ReVive - Try it. You will thoroughly enjoy it.
Visit this website and you can request a 3Day sample of Live/ReVive (+ you get a nice little shaker bottle!) for only $5.95 s/h.

CcchhhhaaachhhhaaacchhaaCHANGES

2009-06-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Now it occurred to me that the 3 of you reading this blog might be wondering what other changes to my life I'll be implementing & that maybe it won't be the Nuriche working at all... but the other things that I might do to make the purchase of the product 'worth it'. (which is a very good value btw & I'm possibly one of the most frugal people you will meet. I'll do another post on that later.)
So... in the interest of full-disclosure to you 3 people...

* I'm Vegetarian/occasionally pescetarian. This means I do dairy but, as a personal preference and dislike for most things dairy, this means one thing: CHEESE! And sadly enough I've already cut back quite a bit on this wonderfully tasty food so that isn't a new change that will affect anything that is now.

* I also don't have a problem with eggs. I don't seek them out nor avoid them. If they are in something fine. But I don't cook them on purpose usually.

* Milk is ick - I'll be consuming Rice or Soy milk when the mood strikes or I want something to dip a graham cracker in.

* I won't be consuming any ~~chemical filled~~non-fat/zero calorie food/drinks. I would rather have a little of something laden w/ fat & calories than have a lot of a "diet" type food/drink.

* I also won't be giving anything up in it's entirety. Caffeine for instance. If anyone tells you that caffeine isn't a drug slap them. They are wrong. There are times I HAVE to have a hit of CocaCola. I don't need to drink the entire 20oz. bottle - just the first 2-3 sips & I'm good. I also like sweet tea (heavy on the sweet. Altho' I don't crave sugar, as some do, and don't even really like chocolate altho' if it's in the house I'll eat it simply b/c it is there!) & will still be consuming that too probably (the tea in case you lost track). Just not constantly ALL. DAY. LONG.

* And aqua. I don't drink much now & I do want to add that in.

* That dreaded E word. Yeh, I won't be doing that either. Not yet anyway. I know I know. For starters, Exercise makes me feel drained and yuck. I wish it made me feel energized & ready to take on the world's troubles & create peace throughout the lands, but it doesn't. at. all. & hate to sweat. Hate it hate it... Later we'll come to that (I have a treadmill so that will be the torture device of choice).

Hmmm... I think that's it.
So, the game plan is thus:
Live Mix in 6oz of water - or dumped into a green smoothie... + 2 Crash Free Energy ReVive caps for breakfast. Maybe even before I get out of bed! Maybe that will GET me out of bed! (I have a REAL comfy bed.) Repeat for lunch with a lite lunch. And then a regular dinner. We'll see how that goes. Now some of you 3 peeps might say "lite lunch! There's a difference already!" Not so much. I rarely eat breakfast, and lunch is usually just a froz. burrito (you know cheese El Monterrey?), or a sm. can of Tuna with a small dollop of Mayo seasoned with Creole seasoning (<3) + some lettuce wrapped in a flour tortilla... or something along those lines... and that's really it. If I get my sleep schedule thing straightened out I can remove the late-night-snack from my life which would be a + change!

Just so you know. :)

The Disclaimer Post :)

2009-06-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not a doctor {holistic or otherwise}, nor do I claim to be. Heck I was lucky to graduate High School {Thanks again mom btw for that All the President's Men report - is that the right title? Anyway Thanks!}.
I'm not saying that this will absolutely work for everyone - altho' I'm pretty sure it will. But that is just my opinion {see prev. disclaimer. The one about not being a Dr.} I mean have you ever heard of anyone dying from too many fruits & veggies? Yeh, me neither.
I'm not claiming that this will cure all your ills. Altho' there are reports & evidence saying that it can & has.
What it boils down to is that everyone should do their own research, listen to their own bods. Really listen. Most of us have gotten very lazy {me included} & tend to listen to the doctors who are basically taught by Big Pharma & not taught much in the way of nutrition & how our bodies are a well oiled machine, if we only will give them the right oil. Think about it; if we were all well Big Pharma would go broke! Studies say we can heal ourselves of many ailments, or avoid them all together, just by the food we eat! I'm not saying modern medicine is evil; it can be very extremely helpful - but it's not the only way. If we are putting junk in our bodies junk is going to present itself in the way of inflammations, cancers, other illness. That just makes sense; we just don't want to listen.
We finally, at age 45, listened. Won't you join us?

Welcome!

2009-06-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my progress!

On this site I'm chronicling my journey to better health. I'm a pretty healthy individual, so for me, this means weight loss and more energy. If you take this journey with me your story will be different.
Everything on this blog is based on me :) what works for me I in no way imply will definitely work for you. It might. It might not. I'm also not a physician, nor even remotely a dietary expert so please don't take my actions as a recommendation for what you should be doing. If you join me on this journey, and have illness or allergies, I ask you to do as you see fit - this might mean researching the products I use thoroughly (or whatever you are thinking of using - which I believe you should do regardless) or consulting your Doctor. Knowledge is power and all that.
Oh, and you'll see a lot of these ... on this blog. I realize this bugs some, but I like to use them... just so you know.

That's my disclaimer. Now... for me - these will be my weekly progress markers:
DATE: 25 June 2009
WEIGHT LOSS: ground zero
JEANS SZ: 20ish/22ish
CURRENT PROBS: mildly high blood pressure & a hypothyroid (non-medicated on both counts but I need to remedy that. note to self.)

These are the starting stats that I'm trying to modify... which brings me to... my goals.
Obviously lose weight... this, I believe, will be the catalyst for improving the 2 things listed under 'current probs' and for the potential to develop diabetes which, unfortunately, runs in my family. I also wish to have more energy - which ties into the aforementioned weight loss (WL lets do for short).
The other thing I'd like to change is my upside down sleep schedule - which may not seem upside down if you are jet lagged from a trip to Australia, but for here... it's wonky. I go to bed at 1am or later... I sleep in until 10 - 11am usually. I know many people dream of doing this but in reality it's just not that much fun. Now I'm no insomniac, I like to sleep & I have an awesome bed. And those hours = 9 or less hours of sleep so it's not an issue of sleeping excessively. I just need to adjust the timing of it all. And maybe if I have more energy in the AM to do things I will be able to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. I've never been a morning person so this may be genetic and hopeless but I'm going to try. I'm tired of doing dishes at midnight b/c that seems like the natural time for me to do so.

The process to achieving said goals:
I'm going to use some help in the form of live, whole food supplements - specifically a product called Nuriche (Nourish). There are two components to this: The Live drink mix (ingredients can be found here if you are wondering) and ReVive Crash-Free Energy Capsules (ingredients here). You can find more info & request a sample here if you are so inclined. There is awesome stuff in these products! There is also more info on benefits etc. on that last website.
I'll be using Live as a meal replacement for one meal (probably breakfast) - this will actually be an improvement & not a replacement since I rarely actually eat breakfast. :) Now for breakfast instead of nothing I'll be consuming live, whole food! Sweet!

And for the Vegans that may have stumbled in here: Both these Nuriche products are Vegan. And Kosher. I'm a vegetarian/occasionally a pescetarian & this little fact (that the products are Vegan and therefor Veg) made me very happy. Yes, that includes the outer part of the Crash-Free Energy Capsule. Yay!

I think that's it. Once again welcome, feel free to comment, join me, cheer, and whatnot.

About Us

2009-06-25T04:43:00.000-07:00

Robin :: 45 year old with roughly 80lbs. to loose. Health concerns are mild lower back pain, occasional hypoglycemia, a low-high blood pressure, am starting to feel pain in at least 1 knee frequently, I'm pretty inactive, & have a strong thread of diabetes in the family females.
I've tried many many diets with the normal success|fail rates as the rest of the US.
I've been off red meat for I don't know how many years, not really as a health issue, I just found messing with it gross. lol. I quit even chicken & labeled myself Pescetarian about 4 or so years ago... Not sure, it just sort of evolved. Then recently really lowered the fish consumption also to only tuna once a month, altho' when the 3 cans I have left are gone that will be done with & I'll re-label myself a Vegetarian. I'm not sure if I can be called a Vegan yet; I have leather seats in my van {not by choice, they were just there}. I hate labels. :)
Previously we were cheese-freaks; currently we are cheese-free. I've disliked white milk ever since I can remember, altho' chocolate was great, but several years ago I gave up skim & chocolate for first soy milk, then rice & almond milk. I am also a former Coke {the drink people, the drink!} addict. That was phased out over time & I no longer crave the stuff which is a recent, & welcome, development. Basically I'm the only obese vegetarian I know! {okay, I'm the only vegetarian I know but...}
All that evolved mostly b/c of my love of all critters & my taste preferences.
We evolved to the RAW lifestyle for a very different reason; our health. I think It's finally sunk in that if we eat for health the weight will resolve itself. Am I stepping on that scale every morning? Youbetcha! But I'm not going to fret over what it says.
I have no clue where we will be with this even 1 year from now - I'm all about the journey & not the end. All I know is even after 4 days, FOUR DAYS, I feel better than I did before we started this journey. And that's enough for me.

Jer :: 45 years old, I don't know how much he has to loose, I'm guessing 40 lbs?
He is dealing with sometimes severe lower back pain, a Dx of some spinal arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, & off-the-charts high triglycerides.
He comes to this as a meat eater... previously eating at the EAE {Evil Arches Empire} for lunch most days. He prefers warm|hot food over cold so is bringing a different perspective to this RAW lifestyle; I prefer most things straight out of the fridge the following day. He's quite active in his job in retail as he walks A LOT & used to enjoy running & biking many years ago.

We'll be watching our weight & blood pressure decrease hopefully. The other numbers will be harder to monitor since they involve a doctor visit.

We are also the parents of 2 wonderful young adults {1 Veg & 1 Standard American Diet eater} & Poppi & Nana to one amazing 19 month old girl. We live in a rural area outside a small town of about 20K on 20 wooded acres with a pond of pet catfish - smack in the center of the US. There are probably more cows than people in our area so getting good fruits & veggies is sometimes a trick. Very little here is organic or even locally grown. We are just basically normal Americans who, perhaps, bought into the American way of life a little too enthusiastically & are now trying to fix that.

This is not a site that will tell YOU what to do. It's not a site with a bunch of links to research & statistics; where there is one article telling you that fast food is the devil, there's another telling you that it's not. I'm not here to go back & forth with published findings. I'm here to encourage you to do your own research for YOU & your family & your health. {lets see if we can bankrupt Big Pharma lol!}

I'm here to record the journey of what is working for us.
Come on the journey with us k?