Blended Salads

Did you know that blending raw vegetables with fruit is an efficient way to increase your nutrient absorption? Normally, when we eat a salad, the majority of the micronutrients do not get absorbed because the cell walls are not adequately crushed. In contrast, when you make creamy-tasting, high-nutrient fruit and vegetable smoothies, or blended salads, the absorption of beneficial phytochemicals is increased over 500 percent! That is so amazing, and they supply you with a dynamite nutrient punch that is incredibly satisfying. 

These pictures show a few diffenent kinds of my blended salads. 

   

Food For My Tomatoes

I have a sliding glass door that goes out onto a patio in my backyard from my bedroom. My computer is in my bedroom, so I do a lot of work from this room, and I often keep the sliding glass door open.

Recently, I decided that I wanted to start composting. I love to grow dirt…it’s almost more fun than growing vegetables! This is the first time that I have tried composting in an enclosed structure…a round black plastic garbage can with a fitted lid. My husband drilled holes in it so the organic matter could “breathe”.  The can sits outside on the patio.

This where the word “breathe” takes on new meaning. I am sitting here breathing right now, and I feel like I am out on the farm! Wow…I didn’t know that compost could take on such an aroma! If I didn’t know better, I would say we had cows living out on the patio!

But the truth is, this smell reminds me of my childhood….milking cows and bottle feeding calves.

So while I am working, I am breathing, and while I am breathing I am taken back to fond memories that comfort my soul. And soon, my tomato plants will be comforted as well, with the rich aromatic compost that is almost ready :)

 

Pita Party!! :)

Arent these beautiful? It's so much fun and so easy to make them! It reminds me of when we were in Israel, shopping in the open market where this one bakery had a pita shoot that was spitting out pita's faster than the guys at the other end could bag them up! The smells were amazing.....but I have to say, as far as taste goes..well, everyone knows that homemade always tastes better!! :)

This time I used 100% whole wheat flour entirely, and the taste is far superior to my first batch. I was following the recipe the first time and it called for 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 unbleached. I may experiment by adding sprouted wheat berries the next time.

This morning I felt a bit lethargic after being up a little while, and I was so tempted to have a cup of coffee....which is not part of my usual routine right now. So I was considering, should I give in and have coffee, or should I resist and drink a glass of water? My conclusion was this: as long as it is a controled decision, either way is ok. If I decide that today it is ok to have coffee, and tomorrow it is not ok...no matter how I feel....then it's fine. When we are being controled by this, that, or the other, then we are left without any choices, and the decision making process is taken away. Then we are in trouble. So, today, I chose to drink .....a glass of water :) I will save the coffee for Saturday!

Green, green, green!!

What is your favorite color? Green? Well, if it isn't green, it should be! Why? Because green is the healthiest color on the planet. Of course, unless you compare it with deep rich dark smooth chocolate brown. In that case, brown is the healthiest color. But for now, we are talking green.

This morning, I made our ritual morning smoothie. I am enjoying the variety and combinations of fruits and flavors I can come up with. Take a look at today's health drink. This is enough to get anybody up and running...including you, mom!!

In this amazing concoction, I have blended together 1 mango, 1 cup fresh pineapple, 2 cups mixed greens (collard, mustard, turnip and spinach) 1/4 cup almonds, 2 T sunflower seeds, 4 dates and a few drops of stevia. It is so delicious and a refreshing way to begin the day!

Productivity

Weeellllll....let me think for a minute. Wheather we realize it or not, I think we can salvage something from every day, even if we think it has been in vain, and dont feel much was accomplished. I woke up with a head-ache this morning, but thought that I could out last it. In the end, around 3 pm I had to take some excedriene and lie down for an hour. My emotional status is a little fragile as well for some reason. Nevertheless, Jesse the trainer...Mr. Hardcore, insisted that I go out and jump for 13 minutes and then come in and do crunches. 

So, I was able to overcome the head-ache, I exercised, and I ate healthy. Sometimes our accomplishments are simply the basic things, and sometimes the most basic things are the ones that, in the long run, really make the difference.

Sprouts and more sprouts

Today is short and sweet. A picture of my last bunch of alfalfa sprouts and of the bread I baked this morning, which contains sprouted wheatberries. This bread also contains rye and spelt flours, as well as whole wheat, and about 3/4 cup of gluten flour. 

I am exhausted today. I started a new exercise regime and today was day 4. It rained yesterday, so there was no jumping on the trampoline, however today, in spite of the rain, the trainer said out to trampoline for 13 minutes! Jess has suddenly become a tight disciplined and hard driver. Where did that come from? I think the power has gone to his head. Not really. I need to be pushed right now, and he is taking the job very seriously. Planking and crunches included. Za ohh.

Power-packed wheatberry sprouts!

Benefits
There is an amazing increase in nutrients in sprouted foods when compared to their dried embryo. In the process of sprouting, the vitamins, minerals and protein increase substantially with corresponding decrease in calories and carbohydrate content. These comparisons are based on an equivalent water content in the foods measured. Analysis of dried seeds, grains and legumes shows a very low water content. But this increases upto tenfold when the same food is converted into sprouts. 

I sprouted wheatberries and alpha over the last few days. Here is a picture of my wheatberries, and tomorrow you will see the alfalfa sprouts. These berries are going into my bread, fresh baked for tomorrow morning.

Homemade and Healthy

In addition to Jess being my personal trainer, he is also now my personal assistant in the kitchen J Today we made: kidney bean humus and flaxseed mayonnaise. Both turned out to be the yummiest ever. Yesterday I made whole wheat pita bread. That was my first time to make pita, and it was actually fun. We had a 5 year old visitor over, and he ate two whole pitas on the spot…of course with honey and peanut butter. I am not sure if that says how good they were or how hungry he was, but either way, we had a blast in the kitchen. They are cooked on top of the stove, instead of baking in the oven. 

E-x-e-r-c-i-s-e...yikes!!!

So, I have a new personal trainer. His name is Jesse Janzen; he is 26 years old and in great shape, and as it turns out, a physical fitness guru. We started out yesterday with 13 minutes straight of solid jumping on the trampoline. I don’t know if you have ever done that before, but it is HARD!!! I felt like a biggest loser contestant pleading for mercy and crying that I wasn’t going to be able to make it. I did make it though. And today, again 13 minutes of straight jumping, but this time in 78 degree temp and with a long sleeve hooded sweatshirt! I somehow managed to get through it again. Today also included a series of crunches and a few minutes of planking. Tomorrow we will begin push-ups and stability ball exercises, and of course, what is now becoming the dreaded trampoline. I thought trampolining was supposed to be fun!!

Maintaining the Vision

I am going to be sharing with you all my progress on a new exercise program I started yesterday. I have a new "live in" personal trainer (my son Jesse), who has joyfully accepted the job of helping me with my continued efforts to be healthy and in good physical shape. 

Yesterday we started out the day with a blended salad made with: broccoli, celery, romaine, carrots, apple and strawberries. We added a tsp of cocoa powder and a little stevia. Also a small amount of flaxseed oil.

Lunch was homemade humus: 1 can white kidney beans, 1 clove garlic, juice from 1 lime, 1 large T. of tahini, all blended together until smooth. This was used for dipping veggies...carrots, celery and red peppers. So yummy!

Dinner was brown rice and barley mixed with gr. turkey and spices with broccoli and celery. 

Interspersed though out the day with healthy chocolate (3 pieces) and lots of water. It was a good beginning. I have another blog to tell you about the exercising :)

On your mark, get set...Go!!

 My daughter Kate is so busy…as usual. Today she wanted to go for a bike ride on her new and improved bicycle, in her new and improved biking clothes/gear. Her shorts have a special “pad” in them so you can accommodate the tiniest seat ever made to sit on while peddling 100 mph! She had a great ride and she looked darling in her “biking costume”….tee, shorts, cleated shoes, and helmet! I wish I had taken her picture to post here!

Here comes the bride.....

I took this past week off to be with my dear friend/sister/daughter J She is getting married, so we went shopping for her wedding dress. How amazing that on our first day out, the first shop we went to, the first dress she saw, fit her perfectly, was exactly what she had in mind from the beginning, and looked so beautiful on her. Anddddd…it was marked down: 75% off. We left the shop so happy and thankful. Then we went to a shoe store, and again found the perfect shoes to go with the dress! It was such a profitable day to accomplish the biggest tasks, and it all went so smoothly. 

New Face Book Page

Today I added a page to my facebook account. It’s an experiment to expand my business efforts. I posted all kinds of links about chocolate and networking….two things which I am studying right now. I enjoy both. 

What is quality of life?

Our society has developed the mindset of “Eat, drink and be merry….for tomorrow we die”. Actually we don’t emphasize or really even consider the “for tomorrow we die” part.  And of course that’s because none of us wants to die. We all want to live. And while we are living, we want to have a good quality of life. And good quality of life means: BEING HEALTHY!!

 

What is your realization of a good quality of life? Living in a beautiful home, driving comfortable cars, and passing through Star Bucks on your way to work?  Then half a day at the office and out to the golf course for 9 holes with your buddies. Then dinner with your spouse at the restaurant of choice. Well, maybe….it sounds good. But, but, but…..

 

But, if you don’t have good health, life begins to fade. Without your good health, your quality of life deteriorates quickly. This is the bottom line.  I am sure I don’t need to convince you. But we still lack vision. 

The Heart Attack Grill

 I listened to a news clip yesterday about a restaurant that advertises that after you eat there, you become a heart attack waiting to happen. The servers are all females dressed in provocative nurse looking uniforms and wearing a stethoscope around their necks. The menu gives you the choice of 4 different "bi-pass burgers", and the fries, cooked in 100% lard are in a self serve all-you-can-eat tray, available with cheese sauce on the side. All the drinks are full sugared...no diet drinks on the premises. 

The quadruple bi-pass burger is so big that you have to eat it in sections....not cut into 4 quarter sections, but rather layer by layer, because it's about 6 inches high, with 4, one half pound burgers, divided by 8 slices of cheese. One whole tomato and a half an onion are sliced and sandwiched in between the burgers. Total calories: 8000. They listen to your heart rate before leaving and roll you out in a wheel chair.

I was amused by the flat out truth of promising people that the food would put them in the  ground much sooner than later. I was also amazed that people don’t seem to care. If it tastes good and fills you up...actually stuffs you to the brim and then some...well, who cares about the heart attack waiting to happen? Who cares if you get heartburn and indigestion that won’t quit? Who cares if you gain 2 + lbs while sitting there eating 8000 calories? 

Well, I guess if the truth be known, I myself would have gone into that restaurant  a year ago and have thought…mmmm…interesting, lets try it. However, not so today. Being an RN who has worked in the ER and ICU and has seen many a heart attack victim, would not have prevented me from entering an eat-at-your-own-risk establishment. I had the knowledge of the "how bad it is for you and will eventually kill you" cuisine, but in the end, knowledge doesn’t govern us. We need something more subjective than just knowledge, than just mere information. 

We need a vision. Vision changes us. Vision governs us. Vision propells us to the desired goal.

Learning How to Copywrite

 

Definition of copywriting: learning and developing writing skills to get a message out; to communicate, to be empowered and to empower others, to establish and build mutually beneficial relationships with people based on solving problems and providing solutions.

There is a lot involved in being a good writer, but it doesnt necessarily have to be innate. If it does come naturally, then that is a great gift...that could be developed into a very serious income. I read that people who are copy writers for campaign ads can make bou-kou money for only a few words.  

Something I read this morning might provide an example: 

"From cocoa beans to chocolate dreams"

I like it. I wonder how much the person who wrote that made on those few, but appealing and rhyming words? What is the message you get from those few words? You could be thinking: New chocolate receipes, or maybe new methods for using chocolate, or even the discription of a new book about Mr. Hershey.

But for me, it means re-educating everyone on the outstanding benefits of raw and unprocessed chocolate. 

Stay tuned. I am on a mission. Of course all idealists are usually on some kind of mission. But in truth, if you want to really help others, you have to be passionate and true to a vision. Nothing is over-night, but learning how and being willing to stay the course is absolutely necessary.