My journey has been a wild ride in terms of diet and exercise…all over the place:

2005:  I went vegan!  I subsisted mainly on lentils, beans, rice and LOTS of processed soy products   My exercise was lots of cardio twice some days!

2006:  I got engaged and moved in with an omnivore who loved meat.  I veered away from veganism and transitioned to an omnivorous diet including greasy guy food aka ribs, pizza, wings, cheesy anything.  It was easier to eat what he ate.  At first, we exercised together lifting and doing cardio at the gym.  Then, we both stopped caring.  I began drinking ridiculous amounts of wine from the vineyard close to my home.

2007:  I became pregnant and healthified my diet again.  I including lots more produce.  I couldn’t eat pizza or the like due to heartburn.  But, I still ate McDonald’s (gasp!) and powdered donuts (not together) a few times per week.

2008:  I gave birth to a healthy baby girl and immediately increased my fresh produce intake. I went back to the gym doing only cardio 3 weeks after delivery.  I continued to do cardio 3-5 days a week for about 6 months. I breast fed for 6 months.  I was still eating omnivorously.  I was unaware of the horrors of factory farming, processed foods and so on.  Soon, I went back to school and aqcuired a huge amount of stress.  I “had no time for exercise”.I subsisted on almost 300 ounces (yes, three hundred!) of black tea and diet pseudo foods. 

2009: I began doing a little yoga and running outside and on a treadmill.   I learned about factory farming, conventional produce, processed pseudo foods, deceptive marketing….ah!  I cut back on tea, increased my water intake and cut out the pseudo foods. I ate a lot of ”natural” cereal,  organic dairy (Greek yogurt) and organic poultry as well as fruits and lots of veggies. 

2010: Although my running had increased to 5-6 miles 5 days a week I was not at a healthy weight for me.  I disovored that after a healthy weight gain, my weight went over my healthy weight due to some poor eating habits.  I had been eating the bulk of my calories in the evening right before bed.  Lots of nut butter, cereal and dairy before bed was not helpful.  I started to eat 3 whole bag of steamed veggies and lots of tuna and chicken each day.  I was still addicted to artificial sweetener.   I did P90X and ended up gaining weight!  I was bummed out.  I felt that I may never reach the level of health that I desired. 

2010:  I was fed up with no results from my workouts. (Read: lovehandles and muffin top) Although, I was convinced I may never get to the physical level which I desired, I contacted Alyson as a last resort.  I expressed my concern about my rollercoaster of health.  I was pleasantly surprised that she offered no diet plan.  She encouraged me to listen to my body and add to my diet rather than subract from it.  She also helped me with a workout routine that included resistance and cardio.

I was able to eliminate caffeine and artificial sweetener within 3 months!  I cut out dairy to see what would happen and it made a world of difference.  I discovered how much better I felt on a minimally-processed, vegan diet.  Then, I began to play with raw food.  I decided to see if I could stay raw for a day. .. and I did!  So, I figured I would try a week.  That turned into a month!  I have now been raw for one month!

The first few days of raw eating, I gave myself permission to eat what sounded good as long as it was raw.  My diet was pretty high in fat.  But, I actually lost weight!  Then I noticed that I was consuming a  lot more fruit and a lot less fat.  I felt good, but I would wake up hungry at 1:00am.  Not good.  So, I thought what about more protein?  I started to increase my protein in the evening with nutritional yeast and minimal amounts of raw nuts.  That did not help the hunger pangs.

So, now…I am still searching for the combination that works for me.  I love fruit.  I could eat it all day everyday.  But, the body needs variety.  Greens are nutrition powerhouses.  I  include spinach or kale everyday.  But, I am still finding my groove.

I decided to experiment with different processed and cooked foods to find my balance.

I ate two low-carb torilla with some rice cheese to make a quesadilla one night and the first half of the quesadilla  tasted divine but then it began to taste like chemicals to me When I read the ingredients on the tortillas, I understood why.

I felt horrible the next day!  My stomach hurt.  My head hurt.  Nothing sounded appetizing. 

I tried natural roasted PB the next night and had similar results.

However, when I tried organic canned pinto beans with nutritional yeast, I didn’t feel bad at all!

So, I am actually 98 percent raw most days since the only “unraw” thing I consume is decaf americano with stevia and salad dressing .

Other days I would say I’m about 75 percent raw due to cooked beans (which is one of my top 5 favorite foods!)

I actually haven’t had the desire to eat any more cooked food than that.

Anyone care to share tips on finding your groove?

Yes, I have lost weight since I began working with Alyson.  My highest weight the week I began working with Alyson was 132.  But, I’m pretty sure there were a few pounds of water there.  I now weigh about 121-122.  Due to the water, it’s not a full 10 pounds.  Yet, I am still much closer to my goal!  Plus, I’m only half-way through the six months of health coaching that Alyson offers.

More importantly, I feel much more at peace with food. 

Through Integrative Nutrition I have learned to listen to my body and integrate my knowledge of nutrition in ways that work with my body.

I HAVE STOPPED COUNTING CALORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never ever in my wildest dreams thought that would happen. 

I never thought I would feel able to healthfully (yes it is a word)  accomplish my goal weight of 115

I never thought I could eliminate caffeine and artificial sweetener.

I never thought I would feel this good.

Never say never.

I will do a before and after post in a few months when my Nourished Life journey is completed.

In other WBL news:  I went grocery shopping by myself for the first time in forever!!

Snuffy requested Donuts and Candy from Whole Foods

(WF Apple Braid)

I made Averie’s balls using carob powder and a mixture of cashews, walnuts and almonds

and more of Ani’s Donuts

Then something horrible happened…

My ghetto blender and my 10 month old food processor both died!

The horror!

Time to start saving for a Vita.

Snuffy and I also made Double Chocolate Cookies

I used a recipe in Veganomicon as a guide

Since I have been eating high-raw, I have gone through LOTS of produce…

Blueberries, Bananas, Almond Butter, Cinnamon and Almond Milk

Pink Lady Apple, “raw” AB and Cinnamon

That’s only the tip of the iceberg.

One huge benefit of transitioning to raw is that Snuffy is eating a lot more raw fruits and veggies too.

Childhood Obesity is an issue close to my heart and I encourage other parents to lead by example

Our children will be ready to leave home ….

and make their own decisions

…before we know it!

I  can’t believe how much she has grown!

I’m getting older as well…

I will be 25 on Sunday!

I am absolutely not where I thought I would be at 25 but at least I have my lovely little girl to show for my time on this planet

I don’t think I have any male readers (besides Mallard). 

 But if you are a guy and you don’t want to know anymore than you already know about female hormones… you may want to steer clear

Here we go:

I have had less than 5 periods since I gave birth to Snuffy 2 1/2 years ago.  I wasn’t concerned for the first 7 months because I was breast-feeding.  The only periods I did have were very short and extremely light.  By the time I had finished breast-feeding Snuffy, I was dropping weight rapidly.  I had just started school at Xavier and I was extremely stressed out.  My weight sank to a dangerous level.  I assumed my lack of menstruation was due to my low weight and stress level.  Eventually, I re-worked my schedule and found ways to deal with my stress effectively.  I began to use exercise as a stress reliever.  My weight leveled out and then climb a little higher than necessary.  So, I assumed that my periods would regulate.  That didn’t happen.  I have been at a healthy weight for almost a year now and still nothing. 

 I finally decided to speak with my OBGYN about the issue.  First, he suggested taking out my IUD.  Although my IUD was non-hormonal, my doctor still thought there was a chance that the device was the culprit.  I had the IUD removed and still no period.   The next step was to have some general bloodwork done to check my thyroid.  That came back normal.  Then there was more bloodwork to check for PCOS and irregular hormone levels. 

I recieved the results of that bloodwork recently.  I do not have PCOS.  I do have irregular hormone levels.  My estrogen levels are extremely low.  So, now my hormones need to be regulated. 

I’m not exactly excited to deal with monthly periods again.  But, I do know that regular periods are a sign of a healthy body.  There are long-term detrimental effects of amenorrhea.  Most of thes effects are related to osteoporosis and bone density.   Both my paternal grandmother and my maternal great-grandmother have/had osteoporosis.  So, unfortunately, I need to get my hormone levels up to a regular level.

I’m aware of the need for normal hormone levels, yet taking oral hormones is not something that is easy for me to do.  I don’t even take over-the-counter meds anymore!  So, before embarking on a pharmaceutical rollercoaster, I took things into my own hands and began to look for information on treating my amenorrhea hollistically.  I tried some widely recommended herbal remedies.  They didn’t bring any change at all  

At least I tried to go the hollistic route.  Now, I have to accept the fact that I will be relying on modern pharmaceuticals.  I find it odd that I am eating a high-raw diet yet I’m taking prescription medication.  Anyway, I now have a med routine.  I have two medications to take on specific days of my non-existant cycle to move things along.

I have been on the first meds for 4 days now.  I feel emotional and tired.  Ugh.  Self-inflicted PMS

I am contuing to eat 99% raw! 

The only things I have ingested that are not raw since I last posted are:

Decaf Americano with Stevia

Annie’s Light Gingery Salad Dresssing

and

The last of my almond butter

Raw Almond Butter is not cheap.  I do love Maranatha Raw AB  but due to it’s price I have been mixing it with Whole Foods brand AB to save $

So, I decided to try to make my own AB.  I only had about 1/3 cup of almonds. 

 I put them in my food processor and after a few seconds, the blade stopped spinning and that was it for the food processor

That food processor has been used less than 10 times! 

I soooooo need a Vita-Mix!

Moving on…

I hauled out the old blender.  The one with no handle (it broke off months ago) and no lid.  It has the top but not the small lid.  I have to keep my hand over the hole in the top while I blend. 

I added some walnuts that I had on hand and began to blend.

I had to stop the ancient blender every 30 seconds so this took quite a while.

I was pretty proud of myself.  I only got about half a jar of WAB (walnut almond butter)

I’ve been experimenting with cooking and baking for years.  For some reason un-cooking makes me feel so much more accomplished lol

Unfortunately, the second time I tried this I had to alternate between my old blender and my immersion blender because both overheated.  There may have been smoke…    The whole thing took over 2 hours!

Mallard made me vow to buy my nut butters from now on

After the fact, I found some information regarding raw almonds in the US. 

Apparently, all of the almonds that enter the US are processed which includes substancial heating

 If I had a Vita-Mix I would be making all of my own nut butters and mylks.

What kind of blender or food processor do you use?

I also made some nacho cheeze kale chips

I massaged one bunch of kale with a little less than a tablespoon of EVOO

I mixed about 1/3 cup of nutritional yeast with 1/3 cup of water and poured the mixture over the kale.

I sprinkled some sea salt

Then I dehydrated at 105 degrees for 12 hours.

Yum!

I stopped by the farm down the road again. 

This time I bought 4 ears of corn, a watermelon and a pint of cherry tomatoes.

I’ve now realized that almost all corn, factory or family farmed, is from GMO’s.  After watching Food Inc ., I don’t know how I feel about supporting that even indirectly

The watermelon was so ripe! I haven’t eaten watermelon in years.  This was just what I had hoped for crisp, sweet and juicy!

Mallard took notice of my change of diet.   On Friday,  I told him that since I feel so great, I plan to stay high-raw. 

I told him I was going grocery shopping on Saturday.  He looked at our full pantry and asked me what we were going to do with all of that food.

Mallard will most likely not be going high-raw… ever.  But, a lot  of the food in our pantry were things that I use in vegan baking and cooking.  Those are things that Snuffy and I eat. 

But, I realized that there were things that had been in the pantry for quite a while. 

Things that weren’t vegan. 

Things that had way more chemicals and preservatives than I want in my child’s body.

Things that I had purchased for a recipe that I had since decided I would never make. 

In no time at all, I had filled a tote.

The After

Organic or Unsweetened Cereals, Foils and Wraps, Oils, Bananas, Mallard’s Roasted Almonds, Snuffy’s Yogurt Raisins

Canned Beans, Canned Fruits, Oils, Sauces

Oats, Couscous, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Teas, Mix-Ins, Flavorings, Nut Butters, container of Clif Bars, All Natural Pro-Bars, Luna Bars, Whole Wheat Mac, Rye Flat Crisps, Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

The bottom is Protein Powders , Amazing Grass, Shakers and room for my dehydrator.

Based on the after you can imagine how bad the before must have been

I’m off to devour an entire cantaloupe!  Yum!

 Of course you can always switch to soy. 

 But, too much soy isn’t something I want either.

  I tried to make my own out of almond milk and it was pretty…meh. 

 I kind of cut myself of from all forms of yogurt.  I relied on it far too much.

  I could go through 3 serving a day easily. 

I would also tend to “save  room” for a dessert of yogurt and nut butter right before bed.

  I had to get out of that habit

This past week, I have been exploring raw food.

I made beet burgers out of the raw cookbook I mentioned in my last post.

That’s dijon mustard on top.

It was in the recipe.  I didn’t think dijon mustard was raw…?

I wish I could say I loved ‘em. 

Another recipe from the same book

Made with:

dates, almonds, carob powder, raw honey

The almonds were supposed to soaked but I wanted them too bad to wait

They were prett good but I think I would love anything with dates

Next, I started experimenting with Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Kitchen

I made Sun Burgers

They had such a colorful ingredient list

They turned out RAWesome! (bad pun, sorry)

I actually turned my oven on the lowest setting and put them inside to warm and dehydrate a little.

My next uncooking adventure was something that I had wanted to try for a very long time

Ani’s donut holes!

I got to use a real vanilla bean for the first time ever.

The smell is incredible.

O

M

G

Yes, they are that good.  Dear lord.  Ani’s recipes have me falling in love with raw food!

I have actually been 98% raw for 3 days!

The only things that I have eatenn that are not raw are:

organic catsup

maranatha almond butter

Iced Americano (decaf w/ stevia)

I will admit that it’s an odd feeling.  The first day or two I felt … weird. 

But today I feel great!

I sprouted quinoa yesterday and it made me feel as if I had invented the wheel lol

I have always wanted to try sprouting but was intimidated by the concept.

I chose quinoa for my first sprouting experience since it is the easiest thing to sprout. 

It takes only a few hours.

 I ate it atop my beet burger

Here are some of my recent raw eats

Delicious Organic Blackberries

My friend, Sarah, had brought some to school with her lunch and I demanded to know where she had bought them!

Cherry Tomatoes from farm just a couple miles from  my house.  It’s actually on my way to work and school!

I stopped in for the first time a few days ago

They had corn, tomatoes, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, peppers…and mulch lol

As I was filling my bag, one of the employees offered my a cherry tomato to try and I was sold!

I hadn’t had one that good since I ate them straight from my mom’s garden

Lots of bananas, apples, kale, cashews, almonds and portabellos were consumed this week as well.

I don’t know if I will stay so raw yet.

I do know that if I am to have another child, I will be raw through pregnancy.

So many women that have had cooked vegan and raw vegan pregnancies have told me that there is a huge difference in the way they feel and the length of labor. 

Jinjee has experienced both cooked vegan and raw vegan pregnancies

 Her story inspired me to make the decision to make the next pregnancy a raw one

Sharah’s pictures say a lot as well

…just something to think about

I am looking forward to trying some more raw recipes!

FOR SOME REASON, THE COMMENTS ARE NOT WORKING HERE.  I’M CURRENTLY WORKING TO FIX THE SITUATION.  IF YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS, E-MAIL ME WITH YOUR ADVICE !

I’ve had a lot of fun veganizing my own recipes and trying the recipes from Veganomicon.

I made a vegan version of my

Strawberry Pie

I made a whole wheat crust with whole wheat pastry flour.

The filling was a blended strawberries, fresh halved strawberries vegan sugar (still sugar but I let it slide) and cornstarch

I topped that with CoolWhip’s healthier cousin

Mallard ,who still does not like vegan food, …  ate half.

I tried to make Veganomicon’s cupcakes.

I usually pride myself if being a fantastic baker

Not this time

Cupcake Flop

Was it the time?  The preparation?  The world may never know…

I spoke with Alyson about different ways to add fats into my diet since the only source of fat for me in the last 6 months has been nut butters. 

I guess I just love them so it’s an easy way get my fat in.  I really don’t use oil in everyday cooking.

There must be some variety though.

Choco-cadoats

1/2 cup of oats cooked in 1 cup water

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp Nustevia

1/4 smashed avocado

 I’ve seen this tooling around health blogs

So I gave it a try

Wow.  I may love that more than peanut butter.

However, I plan to experiment with making my own nut and seed butters soon.

In reading about minimally processed vegan food, I have come accross a lot of fantastic info on raw food.

Though the title lacks creativity, the book itself contains some great info and tasty-looking recipes

Beet Burgers

Raw Carrot Cake

Of course there is a lot more to raw food than just pink burgers and pretty desserts. 

The whole concept intrugues me.  In fact, I may go completely raw through pregnancy if I am to have another child. 

It seems to make the pregnancy and delivery easier on the body.

I know one high-raw mama who is proof of what raw can do for vitality in general!

I can’t imagine what a raw diet must do for energy levels.  Switching to a vegan diet has made me feel so much more alert and I don’t even drink caffeine anymore.  The only caffeine I have is the cocoa in my oats once in a blue moon.

Sharing what I have learned about health has become such a positve force for me.

Mallard and Snuff had a family birthday party to attend (I had to study for exams)

I sent a simple pasta salad.

1 box of whole wheat noodles cooked until aldente

one package of organic tomatoes

two chopped bell peppers

and about 2/3 of a bottle of organic Italian dressing

I mixed it the night before and put it in this vintage tupperware that my grandma gave me when I got engaged

I can’t help but laugh when I look at it.  But the concept of the lid design actually works!

When I press the center of the lid, the sides latch.   Go 1973!

I also made this vegan bean dip

I have kind of unofficially decided to incorporate more raw foods and eventually become high raw vegan.

But I have had some Amy’s meals and burgers in my freezer for months that need to be eaten or given away.

Amy’s All American Burger

Ezekial bread

Kale

Nayonaise

Organic Ketchup

yum.

I’m pretty sure I can get Mallard to eat some of the dinner meals when he is “hungry but doesn’t know what he wants”

Mallard has told me that he doesn’t fancy vegan food…

Exhibit A

…uh huh. 

I found the recipe here.  I omitted the sugar and used agave because I really don’t buy sugar anymore. 

Two years ago, I was baking every week at least once and I always had white flour and sugar.  ugh.  No more.

Once in a while is okay but I don’t really want refined white powders to be my pantry staple.

…well maybe if it’s this

I also made Veganomicon’s Collard recipe

with a side of black beans. 

Hooray I like collards!

Onto grocery shopping…

I buy Whole Wheat bread for Snuffy.  I buy Arnold’s brand because it is one of the few that doesn’t contain HFCS

People can say what they wish but in every study,

the rats that ate HFCS got fat or fatter and the rats that ate sugar maintained their weight or gained less.

So, we are as HFCS free as possible for that reason and because I am looking to help not hurt our farmers.

  The massive amounts or corn used to make junk drives the prices of corn down and thus hurts our farmers. 

Moving on.  Although Arnold’s brand doesn’t contain HFCS, it does contain soybean oil.

Great, now I am feeding GMO, chemical filled soybeans to my two-year old.

Plus, using GMO soybeans in everything is not helping our farmers either.

Don’t get me wrong, I like soy in moderation if it is supposed to be in something…like tofu or soy yogurt.

It’s not supposed to be in Whole Wheat bread.

So, I looked for a bread not containing soy bean oil…

I’m sure it’s not an essential ingredient and it’s wierd to put it in bread anyway.

Every loaf of bread in the aisle had either soybean oil of HFCS

A testament of what is wrong with our food system.

Does anyone have a recipe for vegan whole wheat bread?

It doesn’t necessarily have to be vegan

I don’t make Snuff eat vegan as she would demolish my Dyson if I took her Stonyfield Yo-Baby away

First of all CONGRATS TO JANETHA AND MARSHALL …what a gorgeous bride Janetha is!

Let’s get right to it

I am still working with Alyson.  The experience is bringing so many things into focus. 

I have only lost a couple,  literally a couple of pounds.  But, this experience is so much more about learning how to take care of my body and understanding what drove me to gain these 10 pounds.

  I am really getting in tune with my body.

I’m realizing what I really like and what I eat because I think I should.  I found that I truly love healthful foods (no surprise there )

I am also discovering how different foods work with my body…or against it.

Now, it’s time to get real…

I have had digestive issues for almost a year.  I didn’t think much of it.  I assumed it had something to do with all the veggies I eat.

So I grudgingly cut back on veggies and…no dice.

Next was one of the most common allergies, dairy.

Some of you may know that I was vegan when I met Mallard 5 years ago.  I was vegan for a total of 2 years and completely vegetarian for about a year following. 

I went vegan for animal rights reasons.  I had very little money and was living in government housing (the projects) and working two jobs while I went to school. 

Don’t feel sorry for me, I did it to myself after partying my way through freshman year

Anyway, I lived mostly on lentils, beans, rice and processed vegan food. 

Then I met Mallard and moved to a much much bigger city. 

 There was organic dairy from “happy cows”.  I slowly transition to a pescstarian diet.  That was years ago.

Since I had been vegan before, I had a basis of what to eat.

Plus, I already don’t eat red meat or fish and rarely eat chicken.

But I do love Oikos

 and Naturally More!

Oikos is of course dairy and Naturally More PB has eggwhites in it no bueno

Well, after testing the vegan waters for a few days,

I found my digestive issues to be almost non-existent!

Now to find replacements for my non-vegan faves…

This is okay but a little more expensive than I would like

Heather has a recipe for almond milk yogurt, I just need to find agar flakes.

(PS :  I am SO EXCITED that Heather is going to have a little almond butter lover of her own!! )

As for a new peanut butter, I am at a loss.

I tried this because it was cheap and natural (TWSS?)

SO YUMMY.  I used to love Jif.  Unfortunately, it has added sugar. So much for cheap and natural.

Next up was this guy from Target (French pronunciation)

Meh.   I also tried Crazy Richard’s…no thanks.  Blah

Moving on with my vegan ventures

I love love love BBQ and I saw that Mama Pea (awesome blogger, coolest mom ever) made BBQ tofu in a slow-cooker!

I gave it a whirl with this sauce

I wanted to like this sauce but it was too acidic and not sweet enough for my taste.

I did love the idea of tofu in the slow cooker though

Thanks Mama Pea!

Next I tried this sauce

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

I kind of want to eat it for every meal.  It’s spicey and sweet.  It’s everything I hoped for

So, why did I decide to go back to veganism instead of simply cutting out dairy?

When I became pescatarian, I thought that organic dairy and poultry products coincided with my animal-friendly beliefs.  After more research, I’ve found that to be far from the truth.  I was so upset.  Cage free chickens are still crowded together most of the time. 

CAGE FREE CHICKENS ARE STILL DE-BEAKED.  This means there beaks are seared off with a hot knife. 

[source]

Organic dairy cows still live lives of nothing but pregnancy.  There offspring are taken away after birth.  They still get nipple infections.  They are still “disposed of” after there production declines.

[source]

The only truly humane dairy farm I have found is Stonyfield.  They seem to be the best at what they do and how they treat their livestock.  So, Snuffy’s beloved Yo Baby is safe

Like I said, the first time I was vegan I relied too heavily on processed foods…when I was able to afford them.

I ate beans, lentils and rice for a week and soy cheese and veggie dogs the weeks that I recieved my paychecks.

This time is different

This is like a vegan bible.  I wish I had this years ago!

First up, Black Beans In Adobo Sauce.

I used my immersion blender to make the sauce.

I served the beans and sauce over raw zuchinni noodles…made with a peeler because I don’t have a spiralizer

Of course I mixed it up and uglified it. 

It was a tad spicy.

As in:   my nose was running from the spiciness while I ate it…nice.

Another recent delicia

I used an Ezekiel tortilla and nooch with this sauce

I ended up throwing some sauteed portabella on top too.  But, I didn’t take a pic bc I am a bad blogger

Have no fear, Mallard still gets to enjoy his carnivorous loves.

Low-Carb Beef-Loaf cooked on the Grill

Low-Carb Italian Chicken Fingers

Oh the life of the carnivore…

If I had not already decided to go back to veganism, this book would have done the trick

I am the last person in the health blog world to read this book so I was pretty much already aware of it’s contents. 

I liked it a lot. 

The recipes are not my fave though.  They rely waaaaayy to heavily on processed foods like soy cheese and fake meats. 

There was one thing in the book that I never realized.  I didn’t realize that decaf coffee was not so great for my body.  Apparently, it makes the body acidic. 

Bummer.

I have successfully broken my caffeine addiction. But, I have been making my own coffee slushes

I used Vanilla flavored Stevia drops

Alyson suggested these and they are well worth the $.

I have used them in everything from plain yogurt to coffee drinks and I love them every step of the way.

What else is new?

I took Snuffy to the biggest farmer’s market in the Cincinnati area

She tried gelato for the first time

That was her first and last bite….and a waste of my $3.95

We also met the coolest man ever.

Snuffy was amazed that he knew her two favorite songs without even asking her!

It was the best rendition of  “ Wheels On The Bus” and “ Itsy Bitsy Spider” I have ever heard.

So,

Anyone have any good vegan recipes?

How has your diet evolved over the years?

I forgot how good I feel when I eat vegan

Snuffy’s regular baby-sitter has been on vacae (vacay?)  and so I took the whole week off work.  This was something that Ihad to do way in advance. 

We have no family close to help out with childcare

I passionately dislike corporate daycare.

  Although, Snuffy had to go there three times this week while I took some exams…

Exams that I did not do well on because my oppurtunities to study were so few and far between

So, I have been playing Stay At Home Mom this week. 

I must say it is hard work but lots of fun too.  My job is easier than being a mom for sure

Kudos to those of you who do it 24/7/365!

I also realized how much I miss while Snuffy is at the ‘sitter’s all day

She’s been putting her own shoes on for a while now

Since it was 95 degrees out (literally!) today, I took Snuffy on her first ice cream outing!

I know it sounds sad that she has never been out for ice cream. 

But, you must remember :

We rarely eat out. As in once in the past 6 months.   I buy her organic ice cream.  Non-organic dairy makes me cringe. 

However, there is no organic Ice Creamery.  So, I took Snuffy to Graeter’s because they list their ingredients online.

They also state that their ice cream is made from cows that have not been shot up with ‘roids. 

Good enough today.

First, we needed appropriate attire

Graeter’s is an awesome confectionary and ice creamery. 

 The had donuts, cakes, fudge, brownies , rock candy, pastries, cookies….Snuffy was in awe!

If I didn’t have to watch my two-year old I would have taken some mouth-watering pics!

The staff is great too.  They didn’t have unsweet iced tea so the manager on duty brewed me a cup of hot tea and gave me a cup of ice.

She also opened the door when I walked in with a toddler on my hip.

Anyway, Snuffy got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with Rainbow Sprinkles

She fed herself and didn’t get any on her clothes!! Seriously, that was impressive!

Next, we went home so that Snuffy could play with her baby. 

First the baby had to have a bib on. 

She used an emptied jar of baby food and her old baby spoon to feed her baby “num nums”

Then she got hungry…

So, I made her some fluffy pancakes …

Baby Pancakes ! 

No I am not trying to tell you something.  Trust me, I couldn’t handle school, work and 2 kids. 

Moving on…

Snuffy’s pancakes looked and smelled so incredibly delectable.

but I didn’t have time to make my protein pancakes.  So, I made a protein cake

…and drizzled this

on top! It was just as yummy as I had hoped

Have a gorgeous day!

Sometimes I realize that I need to take a step back and think of all the things that make me happy.

Here are a few…

Watching Mallard do what he does best. 

 I have never seen anyone be a better father than he has been.

Playing outside with Snuffy on hot summer days …

My collection of hippy mama dresses…

Sobe Life Water in fuji apple pear…yum

UPDATE!  I just realized this has no calories or artificial sweetener.  But, it has 6 grams of carbs per serving.  That means 15 grams of carbs per bottle!!

….cross that off my favorites…I am now angry with Sobe lol

My handheld blender from cookware.com. 

 I love this thing almost as much as my pink KitchenAid stand mixer

Best. Gift. Ever.

My Dyson..best. vacuem. ever.  All the attachments are on the vacuem.  It’s so easy to use.  Trust me.  I use it at least 4 times a day.

T-shirts that say it so I don’t have to    So nice I bought it twice.

Barnes and Noble.  I love the atmosphere, the people …ahem…

the Starbucks

I have been there (BN) a few times recently…thanks Lindsay    …

for introducing me to my new favorite author

I finished these two books in a week!  That’s saying a lot for someone who reads hours worth of nursing literature for school

I was sad to be finished with them, so I picked up two more of Jen’s books

I have been using my reciepts for bookmarks…reduce, re-use, recycle and repurpose?? Anyone ??

However, I found  a bookmark with my new favorite quote.

 ”It is never too late to be what you might have been.”   -George Elliot

Naturally…

my favorite nut butter.

This is my favorite pic of Snuffy and Pedro

My favorite picture of my little sister and I.  We’re at my “Nan’s” house.  She always makes me feel good when I visit.

MGN Cake Batter flavored isolate…yum.  Unfortunately, I made a mistake and ordered “protein blend”  the last time. 

It’s not the same.  It does not mix well and it does not taste as good

 Another thing that makes me feel good is blogging.  I receive so much support from bloggers and readers. 

I have “met” so many incredible women.  So many of your blogs make me smile everyday. 

 So, what makes you happy?  What are a few of your favorite things?

The definition of insanity is

 ” doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

(not this type of insanity)

I have been counting calories for a very, very long time.  I have lowered my caloric intake. I have cycled calories.  I have cycled carbs.  I have not lost weight. 

The last time I was trying to lose weight was after I had my daughter.  I counted calories roughly and worked out with cardio only ( I’ve come a long way with my workouts   ) 

I lost weight until I got to my happy weight and then stopped worrying so much about it.  When I stopped worrying about it, I actually lost more weight due to stress at school

I’m not trying to go that low again.

  But, something occured to me while reading Intuitive Eating:

I tend to ignor my body’s signals and do what I think I should be doing to lose this weight.  Sometimes I eat when I’m not really hungry because I know I have “that many calories left” and I don’t want to wake up starving.  Sometimes, I don’t eat when I am hungry because I don’t want to go over my alotted calories.

I didn’t realize that putting on this weight has really messed with my head.  I really have to squash the fat talk

So, maybe, after all of this counting and calculating, cycling and refeeding…what I really need to do is listen to my body. 

It’s hard at first.  I asked myself what I wanted to eat today and I realized that I have no idea what I really want most of the time!  I am so used to eating according to health guidelines.  But I have noticed that I tend to crave healthy foods.  My body doesn’t want junk all the time but it doesn’t want to live on the same 10 foods either. 

What do you think? Are you a calorie counter?

I am challenging myself to stop counting!  It’s going to be hard since I have a pretty good idea of how many calories are in almost everything.  But, it’s driving me insane.  It has not been working for me , so why do I continue to count?!  Craziness. 

Let’s start where we left off.  Shall we?

I started reading Intuitive Eating last week and I could have easily finished the book.  If you are unfamiliar with the book ,(which most of you aren’t because I have seen this book all over health blog world), it is set up in steps.  The whole idea is that once you really truly give yourself permission to have whatever you want and you don’t feel guilty, your mind and body will find balance. 

Well, I got stuck on the step called “Honor Your Hunger”. 

I though I did honor my hunger until I really paid attention.  When I am working out  5-6 days a week, I do get hungry mid-morning but I have ignored it!  I’m usually at school or work or Whole Foods (I swear I don’t live there I just tend to be there mid-morning on Sundays). 

  So, I made an effort to honor my hunger and I feel fantastic about it.  I don’t get the lethargic feeling that I sometimes had.  I always attributed it to lack of sleep but who knew?! 

The book suggests making a list of food that I like and highlighting the things I don’t eat because of their nutritional profile or ingredient list.

  Holy guacamole (mmm…guacamole) that list was long! 

Let me be clear:  it’s not that I want these things so badly that I can’t stop thinking about them.  In fact, I enjoy many of these healthy substitutions just as much as the real thing.

Although there may be some snarky comments from “anonymous” people, I have decided to share the list with all of you.

Now I’m wondering if the authors of Intiuitive Eating have got something here…  Am I 10-15 pounds over my “happy weight”  because I don’t indulge?

Am I hurting my cause by substituting with healthier alternatives?

What do you think?

Another portion of the book guides the reader in getting in touch with signals of fullness during meals and feelings and emotions before and during eating. 

I discovered that sometimes I did eat past my full point at dinner because I was afraid I would wake up in the middle of the night hungry.  Not good.  I also realized that my love of protein pancakes slathered in spray butter and smothered in sugar-free syrup (also not good, I know) is due to a need for comfort.  I have been medicating with fake comfort food…nice.

…and just maybe I have been eating so late because then my daughter is sleeping and I have me time. 

Knowing all of this takes the fun out of my me time meals….thank God.

So, I needed a new form of me time…

I saw this post (love this blog!) and I found great way to unwind.

I started the first one and I have almost finished it already.  Jen Lancaster may be the funniest woman alive.  Witty, smart….I can’t wait to buy her other books as well.

Last week was my first “meeting” with Alyson (my new health coach). 

I think she is going to be extremely helpful.

What she didn’t do was hand me a meal plan and workout routine and send my on my way.

She emphasized that we are creating a lifestyle now not just dieting down for some kind of event. 

I had been eating no carbs from grains or fruit.  The only carbs I was eating were those in my yogurt, natural PB and carrots in my bags of veggies. (Hey I was desperate to fit into my clothes!)

She told me that nixing carbs isn’t necessary.  So I have happily had some delicious carbs in small amounts during the day.

One of my goals was to eat within 2 hours of rising.  This coincided nicely with my quest to honor my hunger

UPDATE:  I received my first package from Alyson today!  It’s like Christmas in June!  So much great info.  I will post pics soon

I have come to realize that all of this is going to be a process.  My clothes aren’t going to fit next week or the week after

So, I bought a few “hippy mama dresses” (yes, I have dubbed them with that name).

This is my favorite.  I have 2 more and I am still adding to the collection

My other new purple fave:

I have seen April’s cooked cabbage meals for months now.  So I decided to give it a try! 

 I had forgotten how much I love cabbage!   I try to cook it when Mallard is out of town as he is (understandably) not fond of the smell

I also made kale chips for the first time in months.  For some reason red kale is cheaper than regular kale…?

Anyway, it tastes the same to me and the purple color is a fun change

You know your life is boring when you get excited about purple kale

I realized I never posted pics of the Mother’s Day gift that Snuffy made for me!

(You can see part of Snuffy’s real name on the pink hand.  Can you guess what it is?)

It’s a flower pot with her hand print and I love it!  However, the baby-sitter told me that she accidentally used washable crayola paints!  So, I have had to keep it away from water. 

Anyone know how I would go about sealing it with some sort of “clear coat”?

Mallard has been out of town all week and he will be gone the first half of next week too  

He was out for a few days 2 weeks ago and he really felt bad leaving Snuffy…

So he bought her the biggest inflatable pool I have ever seen in my life! 

Luckily, Mallard had  just built our huge deck a few weeks earlier…

Anyway… What is your opinion on Intuitive Eating? 

Have you ever considerding utilizing the services of a health coach?