I've been thinking: if I'm making this diet change for my emotional health, then I better change my out look on this diet change! Sure, I messed up this weekend! But at least I caught it! And today, I didn't juice again and I was being really lazy, but around 11a, I picked myself up and cleaned the upstairs and a lot more! I'm doing so much better than I've been paying attention to, and now I'm going to pay more attention to the positivists. It's been a few days since I've weighed myself, but I had lost some weight! At Yoga class last week, I was able to move a lot better and didn't feel like my gut was in the way! As gross as this may be, my bowel movements are becoming more frequent! (Rose talks about this being the most important part of weight loss because if the garbage gets stuck, it'll just add on the pounds!) All in all, I'm doing so well--I never actually believed that I could be this emotionally stable! I'm on freaking cloud 9! (By the way, what is it about cloud 9 that's so awesome? Mr Tate never assigned that term for us in high school!) Alright folks! I'm off to bed now so that tomorrow I can juice and get my day started the way it aught to!
Here's to tomorrow!
Stats:
Weight - (a few days ago) 179-3/4!
Green Lemonades - 21
Being a mom of two young kids is crazy busy! Also, I've been traveling so things are extra hectic! I continued juicing while I was away--thanks Grandma for letting me borrow your juicer! This morning, however, was the second time I haven't juiced! I was so tired this morning I opted to not worry about it. As far as my vegetarian diet went this weekend: I did so well, until we stopped at the dreaded Micky D's to let the kids run out their wiggles. Without a second thought, I ordered chicken. *Sigh* But that's it! Well, okay, I did allow for one day for sweets because there was an fabulous ladies party! I'm quite proud of myself! Well, I'll get back on the horse and let you know how it goes!
Here's to tomorrow!
Stats:
Eh, yea, I'll let you know later!
I have a new recipe! Woot! I got it from Vive le Vegan! by Dreena Burton.
EASY PLEASIN' OAT BARS
Makes 10-14 bars (depending on how they're cut)
Brackets [] are mine
2 cups ground oats (can be made in a blender with whole oats)
1 cup quick oats
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup fruit sweetener or other thick honey alternative [I used Agave Nectar]
1/4 cup vanilla or plain non-dairy milk
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp canola oil [I used coconut oil! SOOOOO GOOD!]
[1- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract]
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
3) Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, stirring until well combined. [I think it would work better to mix all the wet ingredients separately and then mix them into the dry mixture--the dry tends to suck up the liquid really fast!]
4) Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled 8"x8" or 8"x12" baking dish and press it down until evenly distributed.
5) Using a sharp knife, cut to mark out the bars before you bake them to make it easier to fully cut and remove the bars once baked. (I usually mark out 12 rectangular bars, but you can make whatever size you like.) [I cut them into tiny little bite size squares for Juriah!]
6) Bake for 19-21 minutes, then remove and let cool in the pan.7) Once cool, use a sharp knife to fully cut the bars, then remove with a spatula.
My first batch came out really dense! But that was because I kept having to add soy milk. Juriah and I absolutely love them and Jairus really enjoyed the taste but not the dense texture. I'm sure that would be fixed by mixing the liquid ingredients on their own and then to the dry ones! Burton (I love her last name--it always makes me think of snowboarding! Which is another reason I need to get in shape! We've got a trip planned for Dec!) mentions in a side note that 1/4 cup of dried fruits or toasted nuts can be added! I told Jairus about that and (being the Coast Guard chief that he is) he mentioned that I would want to soak the fruit in water for an hour or so to keep the bars from drying out! He said that it works wonders for oatmeal cookies! I'll have to let you know what I find out when I try it! I love this recipe because I can have maple syrup and agave! So it's a nice sweet treat without adding so much to my weight issue!
As for the diet, all is well! Okay, except for the break down I had at Home Depot today. It was the third errand today that took longer than I expected it to and Juriah was cranky because we skipped his nap--I know, I know, bad idea! Anyway, I've had my green lemonade--OH! and so did Juriah! I have a picture!
He even asked me for more! Well, that's it for today! Here's to tomorrow!
Stats:
Weight - Probably the same!
Green Lemonades - 16! Woot!
I love the Farmer's Market. We watched Curt (curtshow.com) juggle--absolutely hilarious! We walked around and enjoyed the atmosphere. We bought two flowering maple trees and a little wheel of sheep cheese. A couple people are starting to recognize us--of course, today was the third week of us buying 12-14 heads of romaine and 5-6 bunches of kale. It's pretty hard to miss a young couple pushing a double stroller walking a rare breed of dog (Shiba Inu) and hauling 5 or 6 bags of greens! We didn't think through how much to buy--we're going out of town and we weren't going to take our juicer. But now it looks like I'll be packing up the juicer and produce!
As for the vegetarian transition, it's really easy to not eat chicken! Of course, that comes in part because I have done the vegetarian diet before. Because of this, I have decided that I'm going to cut out chicken and turkey! I'll reserve fish for twice a month (sushi is awesome!) I got the sheep cheese today because I think I'm going to start gearing up for the transition to veganism! My logic in that is this: I LOVE cheese! even though I don't eat it much right now, if it's available, I'm all over it! If I switch to goat and sheep cheese, it will be easier on my body and, hopefully I won't miss giving it up so much. Of course this may back fire on me. I'm head-over-heels for the sheep cheese I picked up today! *Deep sigh* If nothing else, at least I'm trying!
Here's to tomorrow!
Stats:
Weight - 183, bummer for the extra 2 pounds!
Green Lemonades - 13
I've been forgetting things lately--a lot. I forgot my supplements two days in a row! The most important of which was the St John's Wart, 5-HTP, Evening Primrose and Vitamin D. All of which are for my depression. I didn't realize exactly how important those were! I'm way more tired, my passion for proper diet is waning, I'm not feeling confident--it's amazing how that can all slip away so fast! Because of all this, I started my day off with the Green Lemonade, like usual, and 5-HTP! I got the rest of my vitamins in at lunch.
Changing the subject: My milk is coming in much better! I was a little concerned about how my milk production would be if I was eating even less meat than before. I skipped ahead in the Raw Food Detox Diet to where Rose talks about nursing, kids, and teens. She shared her experience with her waning milk supply. After being told to eat stake, ice cream and other foods like those, she realized that cows make milk without eating all of that! They eat tons of grass! She started consuming 2 lbs of greens every day! And her supply came in better! I was very encouraged to read that. It has been even more encouraging to experience it for myself! I have also noticed that my daughter, Jessenya, doesn't seem so ... picky? Things had to be just so--granted, girls just seem to be that way--but she isn't so finicky. She really seems to have calmed down! I'm sure it has to do with the nutrition she's getting from the Green Lemonade! Oh, Green Lemonade; as a wise man once said, "You are loved like a fat man loves his cake!"
Stats:
Weight - Probably around the same.
Green Lemonades - 10... wait... I messed up my counting... I'm at 12! Woot!
My son drank Green Lemonade yesterday! And he liked it! Woohoo! I cannot fully express to you all how excited I am! He barely tolerates veggies and there he was yesterday, sipping on his grandma's Green Lemonade! Talk about awesome "whole food" baby vitamin!
Aside from that, the diet has been going well! Last Sunday was the only time I've had meat since the sushi incident and it was only turkey. I would have been able to make myself a veggie sandwich, but I waited too long to go make it. As for "sugar-free," I'm doing well with that also--it has been hard though! I keep forgetting what that I can't have things: soda, lattes, chai lattes, most chocolate--I'm even giving up stuff with evaporated cane juice in it! That limits things even more! Thankfully Jairus has been helping me keep an eye on things. Yesterday we went to Dutch Bros and I brought my own cup with some vanilla extract and agave nectar. Unfortunately, the gentleman making my order dumped dirty water in it and I had to have a plain iced latte instead--which it didn't taste too bad! He was incredibly sorry and gave us the drink for free and extra punches on our punch card! It could have been worse.
Overall, I'm feeling very empowered by this diet change--even if I'm only doing baby steps! I'm feeling more alive and ... functional? I feel like I'm actually interacting with my spouse and children! I'm enjoying the activities of day to day life! I'm taking a yoga class and I went out on my own to run an errand! I am healthy! There have been so many times in the last week where I could have given into the depression and I didn't! Every one of those opportunities, I have met head on with honesty and determination. I caught myself spiraling, took action and dealt with the real issue in a healthy manner. My mind may be slippery, but it's awake! Yesterday, I weighed myself and I have lost 4 pounds! I'm feeling more mobile and a tiny bit more trim! The results are fantastic and it's only the second week! I'm so excited!
Stats:
Weight - 181!
Green Lemonades - 9
Jairus and I juiced our Green Lemonade again this morning! It had been sorely missed yesterday! Last night, as we were preparing the produce for this morning, I realized how nice it was to be doing this with my husband. It has become an activity that we enjoy together! We now have something besides TV to connect on! Jairus has tried to get me interested in juicing before, but I would only humor him and try his crazy drinks so I felt less guilty about not liking the idea in the slightest. It was a blessing that I didn't expect to come from this experiment. Deep down, I can feel the effects of this diet change already and it isn't necessarily from the food itself. Jairus and I are interacting over something that had interested him at one point and has now become a common interest! I feel healthy all over!
Stats:
Weight - I don't know what my deal is--I forgot to weigh myself again!
Green Lemonades - 7
Properly Combined Meals - 11
