One breath at a time

Today started out really rough for me.  I had a doctor appt at 6:30am in South Bend.  I needed to leave my house by 5:30am.  This is early but not a big deal for me as I'm up early daily- my alarm usually goes off at 4:30am every morning.  I slept through my alarm only to wake up at 6am.  It's weird because I had no idea when I opened my eyes that it was that late because it is still dark out.  I hopped out of bed, put my contacts in and got quickly dressed as I knew my dogs would be needing to go for their morning walk.  As I came downstairs my eyes were not focusing correctly.  I received new contacts yesterday.  I could tell they were not going to work as nothing was in focus.  We did our morning walk and I fed all the animals.  I tried to call the doctor but they weren't open.  How is that possible when I am supposed to be there right now?!  I felt like just crawling right back into bed!  On top of all that, I went to bed with a stomach ache and it was STILL upset!  I ate pizza for dinner and it did not agree with me.

I start to head back upstairs. We have gates in a couple doorways to keep the dogs contained in a certain are of the house.  These gates are not always compliant with opening and closing easily so I decided to step over the gate.  Did I mention that I just had hip surgery a week ago and I should NOT be lifting my leg up over that gate?  I get one leg over and my other foot catches on the top of the gate. Down I go straight on the ceramic tiles (no it couldn't be carpet).  My knees mostly take the impact.  I swear when I hit the floor the whole house shook.  I laid there accessing my injuries and hoping for someone to come to my rescue...I started to tear up then just started laughing. Really?!  This is how my morning is going to be?!  The dog started barking but no rescuers.  I wanted to grumble and complain so I texted my friend Berta.  Told her I overslept- missed my appointment. Her reply was that I must've gotten a good nights sleep!  I have not been sleeping well AT ALL!  She was right!  I slept good!  I starting thinking about how awful my morning was but then realized how lucky I am to be alive.  I am allowed a crummy start to my day but how I react to it is what matters.  I know there are a lot of funerals in Connecticut this week and my bad morning is nothing compared to the grief they are going through.

I took some long deep breaths.  Took a hot shower and an anti-inflammatory (thanks for the reminder berta).  Called doc to reschedule.  I was able to reschedule for later today.  Yay!   Called the eye doc and took care of the contact issue.  I was able to enjoy my morning without rushing around like a mad woman. 

One breath at a time.  One day at a time. 

Remember if you are having a horrible day...step back....take a moment.  We are allowed to be upset, to feel cranky.  But don't let it ruin the rest of the day.  Life is just too short.

In light and love,
j

Foodies Pen Pals AND We are not failures unless we stop trying.....

Hello friends,
 
It's been about five months since I have been on here.  A LOT has happened in five months.  As you can prolly see, I didn't finish my 42 day challenge.  Looks like I made it to day 3!  Big Woop!!  Actually, I think I made it a little farther than that but stopped blogging.  Things got kinda crazy in my life and I let the challenge go.  I felt like a failure for it for quite a while.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized- we only fail once we stop trying.  I am going to try again.  I want to make sure it is the right time and that I can completely focus my time on it.  The time will be soon. 
 
There is another reason I stopped blogging.  I'm embarrassed to admit it.  I started reading so many other blogs and I realized my blog sucked.  It's true.  I felt like mine really wasn't good enough.  There are some really awesome blogs out there!!  Then I started thinking how unfair I was being to myself.  If one of my friends or clients were telling me something like that, I would be appalled.  We have to stop comparing our worst with everyone's best!  I know people benefited from my blog but I started telling myself otherwise.  Why do we do that to ourselves?  Why is it OK to trash ourselves but lift those up around us?!  I am going to do my best to be better to myself.  I am going to stop trash talking myself.  I do it more than I would care to admit.
 
Long story short....I'm back.  My blog may be boring and not nearly as fancy as others but it's me.  And I am fabulous :)
 
I always read my friend Erin's blog.  Check it out here.  She has written about Foodie Pen Pals.  I have often thought of doing it but never did.  Finally last month I signed up!  I am so happy I did!!



                Laurel check out her blog here was my foodie pen pal.  She sent me this wonderful array of items!

I told her I am a vegetarian and she sent me this  Becoming Vegan cook book.  I have always stood at the line of becoming vegan but I have a hard time crossing that line mostly because

 I. LOVE. CHEESE!  There I said it. I am a cheese nut.  I am sure I will be able to use many of the recipes until I decide if that line is worth crossing. 

 She also sent me a smoothie book.  I love the idea of different smoothies so this will help me get out of the rut of always having the same thing.  I am a lover of cook books too so these books will go lovely in my collection!

Besides being a cheese nut, I just love NUTS!  As we all know, nuts are calorie dense but we don't want to skip this healthy option of total yumminess.  I am thankful for the 100 calorie pack of nuts so I don't go overboard.  I keep a pack of these in my purse at all times because you just never know when you will need them.  The other box is strawberry mango fruit twists.  Can you believe these are CLEAN?! Yeah I didn't either until I read the box!!  They are by simply balanced, archer farms.  I've never had them but they are delicious!!  Each pouch is only 80 calories and they are perfect for stashing in my purse for times when I just need a little something.  She also sent me some Strawberry Spread that is made with ingredients you would use to make in your own kitchen.  I am a strawberry freak too so this is Perfect!!  (they used to call me strawberry shortcake when I was a tot...not only because of my red hair but my love for strawberries).  Laurel must have known my hands were extremely dry (stalker) jk-because she knew I needed some lotion.  She said it was her favorite and I agree- LoVe iT!  

 

Next month instead of foodie pen pals, we are donating to those victims of Hurricane Sandy.  I encourage you to donate!

 

That's it for tonight friends.  It's good to be back!  Did you miss me?!

 

The mind is a powerful tool!

Hi Friends,


This is day 3 on my 42 day challenge.  Check out my previous post if you are wondering what the challenge is, or you can check HERE!


This is what I have to do-

During this 40 day period for The 40 Day Miracle I , __Janet_ , pledge the following:

Number One: I pledge to read this statement aloud each morning and night (This statement is much longer but I cut out a lot for you to get the shorter version.  For the entire Daily proclamation click HERE!

Number Two: I pledge that I will compliment someone each day and will say nothing negative about anyone.  

Number Three: I pledge that I will stop eating BEFORE I am full.  

Number Four: If I am doing this, I pledge that I will stop flirting, having affairs, committing fornication, looking at pornography, or communicating with a person who is not my spouse or who is an ex.

This helps to control the lust within me.

Number Five: I pledge that I will not get angry, curse or complain. I will NOT complain about ANYTHING!

Number Six:  I pledge that I will give someone something material each day.

Number Seven: I will pray and read scripture for my age in minutes daily.

Each morning I will pray for 11 minutes and read scripture for 11 minutes.

Before bed I will pray for 11 minutes and read scripture for 11 minutes.

1.  I honestly think the hardest part is reading that proclamation every morning and night.  That is  a mouth full!!  

2.  Complimenting someone is easy.  I am around a lot of people every day but I am specifically trying to complement people that I do not know too.  I went to Jimmy Johns to get my dad lunch on Sunday and complimented the cashier.  I told him I loved his curly hair!  

3.  I have been eating small meals of fruits and veggies so not getting full is easy.  Last night though, I did fail a little.  I had friends come in from out of town and we went to Albanos.  I ordered a salad and it was loaded with cheese (supposed to eat vegan).  If I didn't have the cheese on it, it would have been a pretty boring salad.  Since it was only day two, I didn't feel so bad about messing up.  But then again, day 1 and day 42 are as important and all the days in between.  Ok, ok, don't make me feel any worse! 

I am also supposed to drink about 70 ounces of water a day which is not a problem.  

The picture below has been my daily lunch.  I adore this salad.  It has spinach, romaine hearts, strawberries, pecans, tomatoes, avocados and sun dried tomatoes.  I am not allowed any dressing. Oh boo!

4.  I am not doing any part of number 4 so I'm good there.

5.  Saying nothing negative and no complaining goes easy for a while but then when you feel the need to vent...ummm not so much.  Sometimes I do state things without it coming out as a complaint but other times, I just bite my tongue.  I very rarely get angry and curse, so that part is easy for me. 

6.  Took my dad lunch with fresh cherries on Sunday.  He was inside by himself all day watching TV and I know he doesn't eat well.  I took him a veggie sub from Jimmy Johns.  I had a bad migraine Sunday (just stating a fact) and did not feel like running out to get his sandwich and taking it to him.  I just wanted to lay down.  However, I left his house feeling like I made a difference in his day!  I could see how happy it made him.  Yesterday, I gave a friend a basil plant.  I have one of my own and I know how awesome it is to be able to have access to fresh basil.  My friend is struggling with her weight and I thought this might help her enjoy some fresh summer salads with no guilt.  Today, I brought another friend two clementines and a banana.  I made a smiley face out of them.  I also wrote an note on the banana.  She inspires me to be a better person and I wanted her to know it.  I think this one of my favorite parts of the challenge.  It makes me think more about everyone around me and how I can find something small to brighten their day.

7.   I am having a hard time getting the prayer time in the morning.  I doubled up last night and I know that isn't acceptable so I will do my best to improve on that.  I am excited about the prayer time because normally my prayers are short.  I'm not proud of that but this does open my mind more to praying and being thankful for more things in my life and those around me.

My boyfriend Tommy is doing this challenge with me.  His hardest thing is the eating.  We can only steam our food and are not allowed any other form of cooking.  So far, we have only eaten our fruits and veggies raw.  I am going to get the new steamer out of the box tonight and make a portablella sandwich with it.  We are allowed one veggie patty a day as long as it is less than 280 mg sodium.  I will use some of my fresh basil, tomatoes and portabella mushroom caps.  We can do this!!  I am thankful Tommy is doing this with me.  It makes it much more bearable.  

Annette, Shelly and B are doing it too!  A big shout out to them as well.  Keep up the good work!!!

When we were going to Kroger on Sunday, Tommy was being tailgated by another car.  He said, "Yes, please drive a little closer to me, then maybe we can bump and have some friendly conversation."  Way to go Tommy.  Keepin it positive!!

Do you want to join us in this transformation?  Can't do all of it?  What if you just picked one or two things and tried that for 42 days?  I know you have it in you!  We just have to make up our minds and the mind is a powerful tool!!

This is only day three and I already feel a hundred miles away from how negative I was feeling!

In peace and love,

j 

Fall down seven times- get up eight.

It's been one month since I last posted.  What has happened you ask?  I hurt my back and couldn't work out for part of the month.  Instead of dealing with it sensibly, I did what anyone would do.  I couldn't work out so instead, I ate. And ate.  I was depressed and in pain so I ate. And ate.  


You know the ole saying, you eat like crap, you feel like crap?  Uh huh, I feel like crap, which only makes me more depressed and want to eat more!!  Huh?!  Why do we do this to ourselves?  


I get REALLY nervous when I am injured.  It's hard because I NEED my ENTIRE body to be functional in order to do my day to day classes.  I have a lot of women depending on me to be open so they can get their workout in.  In a perfect world, I would have another certified instructor to teach my classes and extra money to pay them!  NO worries right?!  Of course, all the "what if's" start running through my mind.  What if I have to cancel my classes and my customers started canceling?!  What if I let my clients down?  What if they are disappointed?  What if I go back to teaching too soon and re- injure myself?  We can play the "what if" game all day and get more depressed right?!  


I started making excuses for not "having time" to head to the grocery store, started eating out more and thus my journey began.  No I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TIME- because I was watching Lie to Me reruns on Netflix.  True story.


I was TOO busy feeling sorry for myself to care about what I ate!  But I am here to tell you, I have fallen but I am getting back up.  I went to the grocery (because I watched all the seasons of Lie to Me and there are no more to see- true story) and I got a ton of VEGGIES!!!  Yahoo!!  Yippee!!!  I made delicious salads and some juices too!  I miss my juices!! 


So I am letting you all know-  I am only human.  I crave sugar. I eat sugar.  When I eat sugar, I crave sugar.  I hate myself for it.  I eat crap, I feel like crap.  


Enough of this pity party.   I'm declaring war against this funk I'm in!  




I.  Will.  Win.


Peace and Love,
j


    

Fresh Dressings.

Tis the season for fresh veggies and crispy salads.  I recently made some delicious dressings that I wanted to share!

Sundried Tomato Dressing

serves 4

1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes

1 Clove Garlic

1 Bunch of Basil

1 Tbsp Lemon juice (I always use real lemons)

1/4 cup olive oil

sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

In blender, combine first four ingredients.  With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is DELICIOUS!!!!  This recipe is more like a pesto than a dressing but it works for SO many things.  I have used it as a salad dressing, as a pizza sauce, in pasta and mixed in cottage cheese.  It is simply amazing!!!

Here is another of my favorites-

Mustard Vinaigrette

serves 8

1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 1/2 TBSP Grain mustard

2/3 Cup Cold Pressed Olive Oil

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Puree the vinegar and mustard in blender.  With the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  If you would like you can add 3/4 TBSP of Raw Honey to make it Honey Mustard Vinaigrette.  Both of these dressing run about 150 calories per serving.  A little goes a long way!

Both of these dressing keep up to a week in the refrigerator. 

Have you looked at the ingredients of your bottled salad dressing lately?  Salad dressings can take your salad from a healthy nutritious meal to a fat and calorie laden heart attack!  Be cautious of portion sizing. 

Your taste buds will thank you when you try these clean dressings!  **Both of these recipes were taken from jointhereboot.com website. 

With Love,

j

Potato Crust Pizza!

Clean Eating Potato-Crust Pizza!!   Now tell me that doesn't look YUMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!  Oh my gosh, this was the BEST pizza ever!  I recently went out to eat at a local pizza place.  I can't remember the last time I had eaten there and they have the BEST cheese rolls.  I'm sure they surpass my calorie count for three or four days but THEY ARE WORTH IT once in a while.  I should have however, stopped at the cheese rolls.  The pizza left little to be desired.  I have decided I am done eating take out pizza.  While I may not eat it often, I still can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed eating take out pizza.  


This recipe is from a Clean Eating email I received recently.  I did however, change the recipe slightly.  It called for eggplant which I had purchased but by the time I got to cook it, the eggplant was bad.  So I did what anyone would do, I used every other veggie in my fridge.  


Potato-Crust Pizza with roasted veggies


2 lbs white potatoes, scrubbed well
Whatever veggies you have on hand (or your choice of toppings)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano


Place veggies in oven at 475 degrees.  Brush veggies with olive oil and bake 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.  (There is something about roasting veggies that brings the best taste out of each vegetable.)  While veggies are cooking, fill a large mixing bowl halfway with cold water- grate potatoes, immediately placing potatoes in water to prevent browning.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly mist with olive oil spray.  Working with one handful at a time, squeeze excess water from potatoes and place on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.  Roll up towel, bend and wring any remaining moisture from potatoes.  Spread potatoes on baking sheet, creating about 1/8 layer thick.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Once potato crust is baked, top with your choice of toppings- add mozzarella then rosemary and oregano.  bake for 20 more minutes, until golden brown. 


I had to force myself to stop eating after two slices.  This recipe didn't call for any sauce and to be honest, I didn't miss it.  I ended up using, red, yellow and green pepper, avocado, onion and tomatoes.  I will try this recipe again using sweet potatoes, basil pesto sauce and goat cheese instead of mozzarella.  


I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Blessings,
j

Update on juice fast....

I survived my 15 day juice fast.  Sorry it took me so long to get on here and share with you.  Sometimes life just gets in the way. 


All in all, I really enjoyed the juice fast.  I love how it made me feel.  I felt energized and empowered by taking control of my health.  I loved having all the new veggies to try.  As time went on, the juice started to taste better.  I started to crave it.  I haven't had a juice now since last Friday and I am craving it now.  I have decided to continue juicing and having one juice a day.


Juicing helps the body get the maximum nutrition with the least effort on the body.  The body gets to rest during an all juice fast.  Juicing helps to detox the body and rid it of heavy metals, caffeine and toxins that hang around inside of us.  We get mucho vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and lots of water!  (Did I mention I had to pee A LOT?!)  Juicing also helps the body to heal and resets the immune system.  It is recommended to do an all juice fast every 3 months, 6 months or at least yearly.


I was very lucky that did not experience any detox symptoms except for a slight headache on day 1.  I lost 7 pounds but have regained 1 since I started chewing my food again.  The things I missed most were my morning coffee and my home made popcorn.  I haven't had any popcorn yet.  I'm afraid my digestive system is not ready.  It is important not to start eating like crazy when finishing a juice fast.  You must reintroduce food slowly or you will have major stomach upset.  I really like how I felt during the plant based diet and never lost my energy like I thought I might.  I am a vegetarian and have often entertained the idea of becoming vegan.  This 15 day fast made me realize it is doable.  I've often wondered how I could "live" without cheese.  Cheese never entered my mind during this time.  


My new favorite veggie is Kale.  I always heard a lot about it and "meant" to try it....but it never happened til I used it during my fast.  My new favorite way to have Kale is Kale Chips.  If you  have never tried it, I am insisting that you do.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and dry Kale. Pat dry or spin in salad spinner.  It is important that it is dry.  Cut the spine out of the Kale and cut leaves into bit size pieces.  I have a olive oil spritzer or you can put in bowl or gallon size bag.  Spritz kale pieces and toss so that all kale is covered.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Watch them closely so they don't get burned.  I made two of these pans and ate them ALL!!!!!  Ditch the potato chips friends and try the Kale Chips!!!  Full  of nutrition and yummy goodness!!!!!

Cheers,

j