Commitment: Habits in the Making

 I started reading an E-book I got for free "... then just stay fat."
(That got my attention!) The author, Shannon Sorrels, has a different style of writing about weight loss, calories, health, and sticking with a program—she entertains and motivates. She's heard all kinds of excuses for not getting-with-it including:

My tree fell over.

My fridge died; I had to eat it all.

I had to go out to dinner a lot this week.

They made me a cake.

My metabolism thinks I'm starving.

The soft serve ice cream with Oreo toppings was for calcium. 

You get it . . . "OK then, just stay fat."

OK, I can relate to these. Shannon tells it like it is and I have no more excuses! Either I do or I don't!

Commitment: Habits in the Making

Improved Habits: 
Exercise  6 times/week.
Drinking my greens everyday.
Losing pounds (as opposed to gaining)

Last week I concentrated on my posture and I did some Yoga (along with exercise). 
I focused more on what I was eating and if I really wanted to eat it—before I ate it. 
I continued with an anti-inflammation diet concentrating on raw foods plus eating wheat-free. I still had cravings and I didn't do as good as I could have . . . not habits yet.

Week 3

Move
Continue to concentrate on posture and doing yoga for physical stress relief. Also, make sure to play my favorite music and dance when I feel like dancing! 

Munch
Continue with the wheat-free choices. It's hard because my husband and son aren't on the same restrictions I am. My husband does most of the shopping (a great bargain shopper which I appreciate) and comes home with breads and crackers and things that I really want but shouldn't have! My friend Lynn, a Hallelujah Health Minister, told me that if she had to look at all those no-nos in her kitchen she'd have a hard time too. So, I have to convince hubby—duh, like he doesn't already know. 

I tried a German sunflower seed bread that took a little getting used to, and a pecan bread I bought that I don't really like. I'm sure these are not low calorie but I thought to find a bread substitute I can eat and enjoy. I do like sprouted grain tortillas. I know there are gluten free recipes but I don't want a potato flour replacement.  I'll keep looking and experimenting. If you have a good recipe you like, please share!

Eating Raw : 
I eat a lot of green salads and have been juicing more, enjoying green smoothies, and I made zucchini pasta last night with a new sunflower seed dressing that was not so tasty. Sometimes that happens when you experiment. But here's a fabulous zucchini spaghetti recipe! I've made friends with pomegranates over the last several months and if you missed my previous post about my experience go here: Pink PomeGranny Juice.

"A glass of pomegranate juice packs in more antioxidants 

than almost an entire day of healthy eating."

Motivation

Have you heard of Mind Mapping? When I went to Vicki Arnold's blog and saw her mind map I decided to do one for myself. This is based on my desire for healthy habit changes for 2013. The center is the red heart: Improved Health, and it has three divisions—Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual. From there it branches out and touches on many areas of my life that are important to acknowledge and commit to. If you are a visual kind of person this is a great way to make a plan and aid you on your healthy journey. I liked how they all interconnected.

Mindset
Many of you have picked one word to represent what you want to accomplish in 2013. I have chosen—REJOICE!  That's my main focus for a year. If you'd like to take a deeper look at why I chose Rejoice for my word please visit Living & Learning @ Home. 

I will say this: you know how you feel when your favorite song is played and you dance with no inhibitions? Or . . .  those sensations that grip you when you're doing something you absolutely love? That's how I want to rejoice about living—as close to all the time as I can—even through the adversity of illness and getting healthier. 

I'm not sure how this relates to the topic of commitment. Except, that I commit to rejoicing more! Isn't it all good? All that we are learning and doing and feeling and sharing? I am happy just to be me right now (with all my snags and snarls)—however far along on the healthy pendulum I am at—and I have much to rejoice about today! That's what I'm focusing on along with my healthy habits journey.

I'd love to hear about your healthy commitments. 

Linking up with Teachers of Good Things 

Purely Pomegranates

Pink PomeGranny Juice

Are you a friend of the pomegranate? Oh what a lovely fruit this is! 

Native to southwestern Asia, the pomegranate is widely cultivated for its amazing edible fruit. It's actually one of the superfoods that I've recently become acquainted with.

Following my one day hospitalization in October for a cardiac malady, my husband brought me home a dozen pomegranates. He read on the Web that they were good for thinning the blood and stabilizing blood pressure, which at that time were new concerns. 

These pretty pink fruits were 79 cents each but since then we've bought them as low as 50 cents and stocked up. I found them in several grocery stores in our area and the price varied from $1 to close to $2 each, in season. What a wonderful fruit we've been missing these many years!

"Fruit of the Underworld"

Bottled pomegranate juice tastes wonderful, but only once before had I seen a fresh one broken apart and tasted the seeds. They are marvelous all on their own—by the spoonful, but I had never used them in a recipe before October when I started juicing them. 

If you're a little intimidated or unfamiliar with pomegranates, you'll like this amusing and informative video on how to break these beautiful fruit apart and eat them: 
 How to Eat a Pomegranate, and that's pretty much what I did. (I made much less mess.)

"A glass of pomegranate juice packs in more antioxidants 

than almost an entire day of healthy eating." 

I quartered each and placed them under water in a large pot or bowl, then I separated the seeds which naturally fell to the bottom, and most of the rest along with the outer shell floated to the top for easy straining and removal. This process is a little time consuming, but hey, it's worth it!

The seeds contain B vitamins, potassium, vitamin C, folic acid and iron. Their anti-inflammatory nature may help protect you from cancer and heart disease. 

Fresh Pomegranate nutritional make-up:

• Serving Size: 1/2 cup seeds
• Calories 80
• Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 5mg
• Total Carbohydrates 18g
• Fiber 5g
• Sugars 12g
• Protein 1g

Once I got those juicy tasty seeds ready-to-go, I used them in the following recipe:

Pink PomeGranny Juice

Seeds from 3 large pomegranates
3 large Granny Smith apples
3 large celery stalks with leaves
1/8 - 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice

Put all ingredients through a juicer, then treat your tastebuds to this extraordinary drink.

 Super Delicious and Great for You!

The seeds taste good on their own, but I tried using the pomegranate seeds whole in a smoothie this past week and this is what I came up with: 

Pomegranate Smoothie

1/2 cup almond milk (or your choice milk)

Seeds from 1 large pomegranate

1 sliced banana (fresh or frozen)

3-4  large-leaf beet-top greens (or your choice of greens)

1 Tbs coconut oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Handful of ice

Stevia - sprinkle to taste 

Combine all of the above in a Vita-Mix or high-powered blender and mix until smooth. Pour and enjoy!

Go here for a pdf to print these recipes

I'd love to hear of your experience with using and eating pomegranates. 
Have any recipes to share?

Check out this interesting Pomegranate 101 at the Daily Dish plus some awesome recipes. This Pomegranate Salad (From Calculus to Cupcakes) sounds delish, and here are more raw recipes using pomegranates that you may want to peruse. 


Linking up with Wellness Wednesdays 

Habits, Health, & Hunchbacks

Habits, Health, & Hunchbacks

A week ago, this was my focus . . . 

• Exercise five times/week 
• Drink my greens daily
• I was thankful for the community and accountability provided, courtesy of the Health Habits Blog Hop at Teachers of Good Things
• Taking baby steps and building upon them = fruitful progress

How did I do?

• I exercised 20-40 minutes with a Jazzercise DVD six times last week. However, I did not practice yoga. I could feel it in my legs, and after one session my side ached pretty bad. I need to be cautious about not overdoing it, since I have not been used to exercising in recent months. My energy level was adequate though. 
• I drank my greens—everyday—a green smoothie or I juiced, or I simply added organic greens powder to my drink. 
• I dropped a few pounds. Pretty good! 

Week 2

Move

Improve posture and reduce stress: I don't want to be the poster mom for the Old Hunchbacks of North Arkansas! Someone's blog last week mentioned posture and I knew it was something I really needed to work on. My posture is important, but especially my sitting posture.

My husband nags me about it when he sees me working at the computer. He's right! My back should be touching the back of my chair and I should not be hunched forward, straining my neck and shoulder muscles. Does my computer screen need to be moved closer? Do I need to change my reading glasses? Do I want to see the chiropractor more often? 

If I can squeeze in yoga 2 times/week that will help posture as well as relieve stress (physical and mental). Specific exercises, stretching my muscles, and working out the kinks at intervals makes sense too. Plus, tomorrow I plan to walk in the mall at noon after work with a lady I work with. Perhaps I can do that at least once a week and meditate on "good posture".

Munch

Take steps to continue with the anti-inflammation diet: Inflammation is part of a healthy immune system, but when it goes into over-drive on a consistent basis from long term exposure to irritants like a high-fat and calorie-laden processed diet (Standard American Diet), lack of exercise, or perhaps smoking—disease is the result. 

I've been working on this diet change for months but I haven't arrived with the whole caboodle just yet. Munching more raw veggies is a given, but there are other factors involved like making a *wheat-free lifestyle change—all part of reducing inflammation.  *Small amounts of spelt flour is allowed.


I'd recommend that everyone read Wheat Belly by cardiologist, William Davis, to get the whole-grain gutsy facts. For help with my diet lifestyle change I'm using Jessica Black's The Anti-inflammation Diet & Recipe Book. Though it's not a raw breakfast, here's a post on my Living & Learning @ Home blog with the yummy recipe for Grain-free Banana Blueberry Pancakes which I made last week.

Colorful Rainbow Chard

 

Motivation

God's design for us. The study of the human body and healthy living fascinates me. We were designed to heal ourselves. I watched a DVD a friend loaned me this past week . . .

Double Blind What Science Can’t See, a DVD by Lorraine Day M.D. 

Her main focus was how science has become the god of our civilization, and how we've turned away from God and His answers for us. It's worth a look if not only for a glimpse of her amazing personal testimony of healing from breast cancer. She refused many of her doctors recommendations, and ate a natural vegan diet as only part of the healing journey that she claims can assist us also, to reverse and prevent most diseases. 

I was compelled to rethink all the supplements I take (which are many) and to question the quality of what I buy and consume, avoiding synthetics. (They may contain heavy metals and/or artificial chemicals.) Organic fruits, grains, and vegetables should provide the significant amount of vitamins and minerals our body needs. I don't believe that's entirely possible for most people in our society, so I supplement. In the book More Anti-Inflammation Diet Tips and Recipes by Jessica Black ND, she recommends that we rotate our pills, not just pop the same stuff every day. She used this example: Take calcium for two weeks and then vitamin C and E for two weeks. Hmmm. 

Who do we trust—science and doctors or God? Who should we trust? Who is the healer? Are we in control of our health or do we relinquish it in blind faith to others? If interested in more about Dr. Day check out her website and 10 Natural Laws for Health.

Mindset

Moot Eating: Deliberate about what I put into my mouth before I eat it! 

Emotional eating and cravings are problems for me. I've read books before that expound on this, but I did not stick with a plan very long and I have not found a solution that works all the time (and I probably won't). Rather than go through a several minute ritual before eating a bite, I can consciously take 15-30 seconds to reflect on the nature of the food I have chosen to devour and decide on its health (or unhealthy) benefits. Whatever I then decide, I will enjoy whatever it is I am eating and thank the Lord for His bounty! 

Concerning cravings, I've experienced that when I'm eating healthiest (less sugar, less carbs) the cravings are less as well.

How are you doing with improving your health habits? What are you learning? What motivates you?

Linking up with Teachers of Good Things

Inflammation & Drinking My Greens: Apple-Spinach Delight

Apple-Spinach Delight

I've had a good week as far as feeling good—until last night and this morning. Another headache . . . but it wasn't a migraine and it's just about gone now. Some days I can just feel the inflammation in my body and I feel sick like I'm getting the flu, but it fluctuates. So I downed an extra CuraMed (potent antioxidant) and made sure I was well hydrated, and decided to do some juicing after I did my Jazzercise, (that I'm sure got my lymphatics flowing). 

I'll mention more about what I've learned about inflammation and its relationship to disease in a later posting, but it was neat that I picked up the Sam's Club Healthy Living Made Simple magazine that came in the mail and saw this article: How does inflammation affect cardiovascular health? 

Here's a quote: 

Many scientists now believe that inflammation, not cholesterol or saturated fat, may be the critical underlying cause of heart disease, which kills nearly 600,000 Americans each year.

 Exchanging an inflammatory lifestyle (that keeps the immune system on high alert) for an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, seems to make sense for everyone! The main causes of chronic inflammation listed in the article are: 

Cigarette smoking. 

Periodontal disease. 

A diet high in sugars. 

Lack of exercise. 

Stress. 

Obesity.

I don't smoke, but to a certain extent the rest do apply to me. That's additional motivation for me to "drink my greens"!

My efforts so far this week at drinking my greens have been fruitful! Here's what I made in the juicer this morning since I had an abundance of spinach:

Juice the following ingredients:

Big bunch of spinach

4 large Fuji apples 

4 large stalks of celery with leaves

1 lb organic carrots

Squirt of lime juice 

It's delicious! I don't bother to filter the foam off the top—as far as I can tell it's all good!

Goals for a Healthy & Happy 2013

For breakfast this morning I’m sipping a thick, icy, delicious, “green” apricot-peach smoothie topped with a dollop of whip cream as I write out my Health and Happiness goals for the coming New Year. I have an emotional attachment to food—healthy or otherwise—and that’s just one of many concerns I’m dealing with. But for now, I’m simply going to enjoy the pleasure of this marvelous treat! Ummmm.

We all have our individual bents and devices. Whatever yours are—they are unique to you, and you owe it to yourself to pay close attention. Our bodies are God’s temples and they deserve respect. Migraines, fatigue, insomnia, and thick fungal toenails do not make life enjoyable! I got myself to where I am today and there’s hope to living a better life, if I treat myself well and feed my body what it needs and craves. (No, it’s not Junior Mints, chocolate éclairs, or beef jerky.)

What will make you healthier?

As you know, or can guess, eating raw, enzyme and nutrient rich foods is a priority that I believe can help heal what ails me. Do some reading at Hallelujah Acres or the Gerson Institute and you’ll glimpse some of the amazing benefits of adding more alkalizing fruits and vegetables to your diet and their relationship to the disease process. But that’s just part of my plan, and no, I don’t aim to eat all raw foods , but I am desiring a healthy lifestyle change and mostly raw is a part of it (and I’ve been at it for awhile).

Three months ago I fit into my clothes better than I do now, and eight years ago, I was 30 lbs. smaller and had kept it off for several years, but the weight slowly crept back up. I need more balance. Losing 30 pounds again is one of my goals, and I’m giving myself a whole year in which to do it, BUT, weight loss is not my main goal—Health is! Physical, mental, and spiritual.

I had an excellent Christmas 2012 with my family. 

I'm 5'10" though I look like a midget next to my very tall sons and husband.

 

I’ve outlined my goals, with extensive plans to implement them for the coming year, and part of my new plan here at Kathy’s Kitchen blog is to break them down, concentrating one week at a time on just a few individual things to put into practice. I’ve selected four category titles to concentrate on each week to share: Move, Munch, Motivation, and Mindset. You can follow me here and on Facebook to see what I’m up to and if you are joining in on the Healthy Habits Linkup fun and community accountability, I’ll be following you and gaining inspiration from you all as well.

My Simplified Health Goals for 2013

• Improved overall health (#1 priority)
• Look good / feel good
• Assert a positive outlook and attitude
• Increase knowledge of health, fitness, and nutrition
• Maintain excellent eating habits specific to my health issues (including anti-inflammatory diet + raw foods-based diet)
• Lose weight—30 lbs total for the year (2.5 lbs per month)
• Increase energy, strength, and flexibility
• Exercise routinely
• Minimize stress
• Experience less frequent migraines and untoward symptoms of disease
• Have a well-fitting, slimming, wardrobe
• Reach out and help others, sharing similar interests and needs while following the Health Habits Linkup and post my weekly response
• Experiment, update, and add new healthy recipes and information to Kathy’s Kitchen . . . blog

Let’s Start . . . Week One:

Move

Exercise! I’ve been lax with exercise recently, but I feel so much better and my energy level increases when activity and exercise are part of my routine. For me, this is crucial, so it’s a priority. I simply won’t drop an ounce if I’m lazy. I like to pop in a Jazzercise DVD and I’m just starting to do a yoga routine (Yoga for Inflexible People) which I find very relaxing. In nicer weather I need to start walking around my neighborhood again. My aim is for exercising five times per week, put my feet up and relax in the afternoons for 30 minutes, and otherwise make a conscious effort to keep moving.

Munch

Drink My Greens! I like to do fresh fruit and vegetable juicing, but it’s time consuming and I don’t do it but several times a week if it’s a good week! But I can make green smoothies kind of quick and I can put organic dried green powder into a cup of water (with lemon, and stevia) for a quick nutrition boost. The plan is to drink my greens every day—fresh juicing, added to smoothies, or just in a cup. (Scroll down this page to see my basic smoothie recipe from an older post titled Breakfast in the Raw.)

Motivation

Something new! I’m excited to be alive today—the first day of the New Year, and I’m looking forward to this opportunity to renew my promise to love and care for myself, while working on some healthy habit changes along with other ladies through a Health Habits Blog Hop. Thank you, Dollie at Teacher's of Good Things for sponsoring it!

Mindset

Baby steps! I know the right answers; it’s implementing them that are the tricky part. Taken in steps, I can accomplish much and so can you. It’s like I’m starting over . . . One thing I am good at is that if I blow it, I will start again. So, while I’ve come a long way in changing my lifestyle and eating habits . . . say in the last 10 years, there’s much more I can, and want to do and learn.

Some sweet day in the future, maybe I’ll be able to share with you some before and after pics (I love those, don’t you?) but if you want added inspiration and care to read some very encouraging stories check out this link: http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/before-and-after-photos.html Two ladies that have positively motivated me to take a closer look at the way I eat and the choices I make (included on that page) are Angela Stokes and Tonya Zavasta! Keep in mind that we are not all Angelas or Tonyas but there are lots of things we can learn from others.

Excuse me while I pop in that Jazzercise DVD!

Energizing Bieler's Broth

 Energizing Bieler's Broth

I love sauntering in the New Year—with the Christmas holiday cheer and snowflakes still kissing my cheek, and it brings a renewed spirit wherein I find the determination and energy to recommit to all those good and healthy resolutions that I aim to keep.

Bieler's Broth can help us pave the way to feeling our best, nourishing our overladen holiday-fare digestive tracts, and energizing our worn-out, depressed, vital organs.

I haven't written in awhile and there are reasons. I had a setback regarding my health mid-October which landed me in the hospital for two days. (It's insanity what they charged me, but that's another topic I'm not delving into at this moment.) Over two months later, after a fall-out of "woe is me" and stress induced adrenal fatigue, I'm kicking-in health-wise, and gearing up for some serious goal setting for 2013. 

Yes, I'm writing up my list of goals and priorities this week and I'm going to be sharing some of my overall and weekly goals here while following the Health Habit linkup and weekly Facebook Party Hop sponsored by Teachers of Good Things starting January 1st, 2013.

Will you join us? Check back after the 1st.

Today's invigorating recipe comes from the politically incorrect, real food bible: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It was created by Henry Bieler, M.D., "for fasting, for energy, and for overall health." While Nourishing Traditions is not a raw-foods-only resource, it's a treasure for anyone seeking honest, healthy living . . . like our grandparents and descendents of old perhaps prepared food, cooked, ate, and lived.

Ready for the Pot.

 Bieler's Broth restores the PH and sodium-potassium balance in our bodies. I needed to recover from stress and adrenal issues as well as musculo-skeletal injuries related to arthritis. This bright green, life-giving concoction was brought to my husband's attention from an acquaintance (though I remembered having read about it years prior). That same day, he bought the ingredients and I gladly set about cooking up our first lovely batch. I wasn't sure I'd like the taste—thinking it might be overly strong because of the raw parsley that's added—but it was actually delicious. Yummy in fact!

I've modified the recipe just a little to my liking. I didn't want the soup overcooked and some people advise to steam the veggies instead of boiling.

Veggies Cooking

Ingredients:

• 4 medium zucchini (sliced)
• 1 pound string beans (cut ends)
• 2 stalks chopped celery (with leaves)
• 1 bunch parsley (stems removed)
• Fresh herbs such as thyme or tarragon tied together with string (optional). I used dried basil, garlic, and tarragon and left it in the soup.
• 1 quart filtered water or organic chicken stock—I like the chicken stock.
• Sea salt to taste

 Ready to Blend

Process:

• Put zucchini, string beans, celery, herbs and water/chicken broth into a large saucepan and boil about 10 minutes until the veggies are bright green.
• Remove from heat and add the parsley.
• Blend using a high powered blender, to your preferred consistency. I like it on the lumpy side and not too processed.  The original recipe says it's optional to add a tablespoon of whey to each cup of soup before serving (I did not do that), and then season with sea salt as desired.

 It Will Energize You!

 Here are two links that will provide you with more information on Bieler's Broth:

http://everything2.com/title/Bieler+broth
http://www.holistickid.com/bieler%E2%80%99s-broth-for-spring-cleansing/

No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Pudding Squares

 Pumpkin Pie Pudding Squares

There are 3 layers to this no-bake, creamy, almost-raw treat (even though you can't see the bottom crust in the photo above). It's also gluten free, vegan, and made with healthy ingredients.

It's pumpkin season, and I start to crave its taste somewhere around September. I had a pumpkin cappuccino at the Health Food Store not long ago and I longed for a slice of their gluten free pumpkin spice cake (I figured I'd make my own soon) and I remembered seeing cans of organic pumpkin in the pantry, so . . . I already had cashews and soaked them overnight (used for the topping). This is delicious—and my sons will attest to that.

This recipe is just one of the awesome desserts featured at Sweetly Raw, and I have altered it a bit. After you have made a number of raw desserts and dishes you get a feel for un-cooking and substituting ingredients. Besides, just about all I do has to be customized in some way! It's what chefs do!

Bottom Crust

Crust:

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup almonds (soaked overnight and drained)

1/3 cup date paste (or pitted dates)

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

pinch of salt

2 tsp vanilla

In a processor, grind almonds first. Add remaining ingredients and process 'till the consistency holds together well. Pat on the bottom of an 8 x 8 dish.

Middle Layer: Pumpkin Pie Pudding*

Filling:
1/2 cup date paste (or pitted dates)
1/2 cup milk (almond preferred)
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs maple syrup (or honey)
15 oz can organic pumpkin (or 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup + 1 Tbs melted coconut oil

In food processor (or high-powered blender), puree first four ingredients. Add spices. Add oil last, and blend well. Pour into your pan on top of the crust and spread as the middle layer. Refrigerate overnight or do like I did and freeze it for an hour and then refrigerate about 2 hours before putting on the top cream layer.

*This makes a tasty pudding by itself. You could use it in a pretty holiday parfait recipe, mixed with cake, fruit, and cream.

 

The Topping

Cashew Cream Topping:
1 1/2 cups of almond milk (or your choice milk)
1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked at least 6 hours and drained)
4 Tbs maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)

In a blender, blend all ingredients except the last. When mixed well, add in the coconut oil and blend again. Pour mixture into a separate shallow pan and chill in the fridge for at least one-two hours before using as your topping. Spread on top of pudding mixture when it's ready.

Ready for the Freezer/Fridge

You can freeze this for several hours first if you need it in a hurry. It will also help to keep a nice consistency to your bars when cutting them. (The middle layer is soft like pudding remember.)

Cut and Enjoy!

 Today I am linking up with Walking in Faith's 

Holiday Treats Blog Hop

Got a recipe to share? Join in the fun!