Getting my ass in gear

I joined a gym. It's scary and intimidating and exhilarating all at the same time. It's kicking my ass. I love it.

Nothin' but Fresh

I love summer and the bounty of fresh produce that comes along with it! The only frozen ingredients in today's smoothie was ICE! And I only added ice to make the smoothie cold.

• 1/2 of a fresh pineapple
• 2 big handfuls of fresh, ripe strawberries (green tops included)
• 2 bananas
• juice & pulp from one navel orange
• ICE

It's summer in a glass. YUM!

Eat to Workout or Workout to Eat?

The other day at the park I over heard a friend say, “Oh, these cookies are so good, it’s a good thing I’m working out later so I can work them off.” We all had a little chuckle and then went back to our conversations. As I was buckling my kids into the van and contemplating the fact that I, personally, hadn’t been to the pool to workout in over a week, I started thinking. Weight loss and nutrition do not always go hand in hand. Sure, weight loss, in its simplest form, is nothing more than calories in must be smaller than calories out. But let’s think about this for a moment, shall we? Does my friend work out simply so she can eat a few extra cookies? Do we workout so we can eat (anything we want)? Or do we eat so that we can workout?

Calories in/calories out is great. But you have to consider what is in those calories. I love my workouts. I get cranky when I don’t get to go to the pool as often as I’d like, but do you know what really pisses me off? When I finally do make it to the pool and I have a crappy workout because of the food I’ve eaten. Our bodies simply cannot turn junk food into quality fuel for our bodies. Junk food = junk fuel. Quality food = quality fuel. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

I always have a protein shake before my workout and I always have a green smoothie afterwards. About an hour later I’m usually starving so I’ll have a deviled egg (or some other high quality protein) with a big salad. When I workout I crave nutritious, usually high raw, quality foods. I get a high from working out and the quickest way to kill my buzz is to eat some “passes as food” processed crap that makes me feel ill.

What are some of your favorite pre & post workout foods?

Fresh from the Farmer's Market

Today's smoothie was amazing! The best part? Its main ingredient was still in the ground soaking up nutrients less than 12 hours before I threw it in my blender!! WooHoo!

• 1 whole beet (greens, beet & root) fresh from the farm
• 2 c water
• 2 bananas
• handful of frozen red grapes
• handful of frozen strawberries

It was delish! YUM!!

My very first bloggy award

Although this blog is only several months old, I've been at this blog thing for over two years now. My other blog is dedicated mostly to quilting and the randomness that is my life. I'll admit I haven't been a very active blogger over there. Oh, there are so many reasons why. Not the least of which is the mess my life has become. In other words, that blog doesn't have many readers, but that's ok. I'm not very interesting! I've never received a bloggy award before...until now!

WooHoo! My friend Maura awarded me this Bloggy this morning and I'm honored that she thought of me. I've known Maura for almost 17 years (OMG, really?!? That makes me feel so old!). We'd lost touch over the years, but through the miracle of Facebook, we've found each other again. She is also the mother of two small boys and oh the stories she tells! There is never a dull moment in that woman's life and now you can all follow along on her adventures as well, because she had a new blog going, 36x37. She wants to do 36 new to her things by her 37th birthday. See? That's just how this woman's brain works. She is the definition of cool. I heart her. I really do.

Alright, I'm done making out with Maura now, let's move on to this cool award. Pretty hip, eh?

The rules:

~ Acknowledge and link to the blogger who presented you with the award.
~ Give the award to at least 3 of your favorite mom bloggers

Drumroll, please!

Kris ~ Kris is an amazing woman blogging over at Eclipsed. Escaping the Shadow of Obesity. She is a fellow homeschooling mom and she's a Twilight Fanatic. I know, we could be twins, right? Kris has not only lost almost 55 pounds since Thanksgiving, but she's done so with so much grace and style. I find so much inspiration in her words.

Green Smoothie Queen ~ The Queen has been one of my biggest cheerleaders since day one. She's a huge source of inspiration to so many out in blogworld. I offer this award as a small token of thanks for all of the support and encouragement you've given me through this crazy adventure!

Ann ~ I've saved the best for last. Ann & I met on the internet a few years ago on a site that has absolutely nothing to do with food, smoothies, health or weightloss. We met on a board about living a frugal life. Off the board, and through our blogs, we've discovered that pinching pennies is not the only thing we have in common and I consider her to be a dear dear friend. We've never actually met in person, but we do hope to change that someday SOON (don't we, Ann?). I am so proud of everything that she has accomplished over the last few years, both in her physical health and her spiritual health. I'm honored to call her a friend. I love you girl, from the bottom of my heart!

Protein Power!

~*~*This post is linked up at "Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday" click on over to see what other Food Renegades are up to!~*~*

Whenever people find out that I’m “into health food” I inevitably get asked if I include protein powder in my smoothies. In short, the answer is no, although I do drink a protein shake daily. Protein is very important to a healthy, whole foods diet. As Sally Fallon points out, in my favorite book:

“Proteins are the building blocks of the animal kingdom. The human body assembles and utilizes about 50,000 different proteins to form organs, nerves, muscles and flesh. Enzymes- the managers and catalysts of all our biochemical processes- are specialized proteins. So are antibodies.
All proteins are combination of just 22 amino acids, eight of which are “essential” nutrients for humans, meaning that the human body cannot make them. When essential amino acids are present in the diet, the body can usually build the other “nonessential” amino acids; but if just one essential amino acid is low or missing, the body is unable to synthesize the other proteins it needs, even when overall protein intake is high. Of particular importance to the health of the brain and nervous system are the sulphur- containing amino acids- methionine, cysteine and cystine- found most plentifully in eggs and meat.

…Inadequate protein intake leads to loss of myocardial muscle and may therefore contribute to coronary heart disease. However, protein cannot be adequately utilized without dietary fats. That is why protein and fats occur together in eggs, milk, fish and meats. A high protein, lowfat diet can cause many problems including too rapid growth and depletion of vitamin A and vitamin D reserves.”


That is a very condensed, simplistic version of why quality proteins are important in our diets (that excerpt comes from a seven page chapter on the importance of proteins, alone. Get the book. Really, you should.). Did you notice I mentioned quality proteins? Aha! I do not consider synthetic protein shakes or soy based protein powder to be of a high quality. They aren’t whole foods & they are heavily processed. No thank you!! (more on soy later)

I make my own raw, whole foods version of a protein shake and its amazing! I love it and the kids love it. It's my go to drink before each and every workout. These shakes keep me satisfied and sustained during a two hour workout in the pool and they leave me feeling healthy and strong for hours afterwards.

• 2 raw egg yolks (from pastured chickens, ONLY)
• 1 big pinch of pink Himalayan Salt
• 2 T agave nectar (or equivalent of your favorite non processed sweetener)**
• 2 cups raw, whole milk
• Either a handful of frozen strawberries, 2 tsp of vanilla extract or 2 tsp of organic cacao powder

**Agave nectar is not technically a nonprocessed sweetener. I only use it in making milkshakes. I plan to experiment more with stevia, maple syrup and local, raw honey. Stay tuned.**

~*~ BREAKING NEWS ~*~

I broke a nail!!!

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Get it? "Breaking News" - a broken nail? Ba dum pum.

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Why is this news? Because in all of my life my nails have never been long enough or strong enough to break. They've never even grown long enough to think about breaking. Since starting on a more whole foods diet and specifically, since introducing raw milk into my diet my nails have been growing like gang busters!

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It's the small things that make me happy.

Can ADHD be cured with a smoothie?

Many years ago I used to coach a Jr. select volleyball team. I remember one girl being a very talented player, when she wanted to be. She would show up to practice some days with her “game face” on and yet other days it would be all I could do simply to get her to pay attention long enough for me to explain the next drill. One day while sitting and eating between games during an all day tournament her mother mentioned to me that this little girl couldn’t tolerate red food dye. Having suffered from food allergies myself I assumed she meant she had a physical reaction to an allergen. No. To quote her mother “Kristen goes all ADD on me if she even has the tiniest bit of red food dye.” I’m quite certain my confusion was plastered on my face.

At this point in my young life (I was in my early twenties) I had not heard anything about food dyes effecting behavior. I was still a firm believer in the Standard American Diet and was fad dieting with the best of ‘em. I took this mother’s word for it and began to watch Kristen a little more closely. Having been diagnosed with ADD in college and gone on Ritalin (and subsequently asked, frequently, “are you medicated today?”), I was careful not to point out to Kristen when she was not her usual focused self, but I did take note.

I haven’t thought about Kristen in a long time. In my nutrition research lately, I’ve stumbled upon several articles detailing the belief that food additives, preservatives and the lack of omega 3 fats can significantly alter the behavior of our children. I found it interesting but still, never gave it much thought.

Fast forward to this weekend. My littlest guy took a tumble Saturday afternoon & ended up breaking his arm. He’s fine, but it was quite a stressful weekend for Mommy. Even as it was happening, I recognized my regression immediately. I reached for the junk food. I knew what was happening and I was still powerless over my old habits. On the way home from the ER we stopped at a major box store so my little guy could pick out a few new videos. Pulling into our driveway, we had not only new videos but a box of ice cream treats and a bag of Doritoes as well. We’d called to order pizza on the way home and the kids and I basically buried ourselves in the S.A.D for the weekend. I kept up with my smoothies, but it didn’t really help my tummy (or my cloudy brain) feel any better. I kept telling myself I was too stressed out to cook. The kitchen was a mess and I didn’t want to take any snuggle time away from the boys in order to tidy it up enough to fix a proper meal. I had all kinds of excuses, but the truth was I didn’t really need them. I didn’t even believe them. I knew what was happening. While the habits are still strong, I can happily report that they aren’t nearly as strong as they once were. I may have bought all of that junk food, but we didn’t even put a dent in most of it, at least not to the extent that we would have last year at this time. It’s the little successes that add up, ya know?

By Sunday afternoon I began to notice that my oldest son was extra fidgety, his focus was off and he was an emotional wreck. Some of this can be attributed to his sensitive nature and he was truly, from the bottom of his heart, worried about his little brother. But I know. I know it’s the S.A.D diet he ate this weekend (S.A.D is such an appropriate acronym, isn’t it?). I could see it in his eyes. I saw the look of frustration when I had to correct his behavior for the umpteenth time. I could feel the desperation in his heart when he was trying, oh so very hard, to control his emotions when he didn’t get to play the Wii game of his choice. I could see the hurt on his face when I lost my patience with him (also attributed to the SAD diet).

I remembered Kristen and how she struggled some days and how everything seemed to flow so effortlessly on others. It made me wonder, with the state of school lunches these days, how many children are walking around with inaccurate labels, misdiagnosis, & needless medications? If we offered our children whole foods instead of the processed edible (?) “food like” substances we’re trying to pass off as food, would a lot of these behavioral problems disappear?

How many children out there came out of the womb, were placed on (processed) formula, graduated to (processed) jarred baby food and then eagerly started on (processed) canned veggies & boxed pasta meals? These kids don't stand a chance. We're setting them up for failure even before they take their first bite. I'm raising one. This diet describes my oldest son. Up until several months ago he ate nearly all processed foods. I can see the difference in him. I'll fight my battles. I'll fix my child. I never want to see that look again. That look that says "I know I'm being bad Mommy, but I don't know why and I can't stop."

**tap tap** Is this thing on?!?

Oh where oh where do I begin? I did not mean to disappear on you guys. I truly didn’t. I needed a hiatus. I’ve hit rock bottom. I always thought, when reading about others hitting rock bottom, that it’s a single moment, a single event. As it turns out, rock bottom is a bit of an accumulation of things.

I’ve posted before about my history with food. The funny thing about history is that it never stops. Today’s present is tomorrow’s history. My history with food didn’t end when I discovered green smoothies. It didn’t end with the revelations brought on by my first attempt at a green smoothie cleanse. It keeps evolving. It’s adding new chapters daily.

About a month ago I looked around myself and realized that even though I had been consuming my green smoothies my body and my health were still a bit of a mess. I looked deep within and saw that my thoughts were a mess. I looked beyond myself and realized my house was a mess. It wasn’t a big leap before I finally admitted to myself that my life was a mess. I was a mess. It wasn’t a “moment”. It was a feeling that crept up on me, a little bit at a time. I finally realized I had to make some changes.

Don’t get me wrong. I have an amazing life. I’m married to my best friend and we have two wonderful, healthy children. There is food on the table every night and a roof over our heads each morning as the sun awakens us. I didn’t appreciate the blessings in my life. I was taking for granted the wonderful life in front of me. I’ve been selfish.

It’s time to change this pattern. I got off my bum and started cleaning and purging. Oh it feels good to purge! My house is (ever so slowly) looking less like a hazardous waste dump and more like a home. Carrying tangible items out of my house and blessing others with them (or, in some instances, just letting it go and carrying it off to the dump) has such a cleansing effect on the soul. However, it’s not enough. Purging the physical is one thing, but purging the emotional and psychological is a whole ‘nother ball game. I’m a work in progress.

There is one other place that I need to purge, something that scares me. It terrifies me to the core of my soul, but it’s time. I’m in a different place now and I know I’m strong enough. I need to purge some pounds. I’ve sworn off diets for life and I’m not going back on that, but it’s time. I’m ready.

I will not count calories, or fat grams, or points or anything else. I will eat when I’m hungry and what I eat will nourish my body and satisfy my soul. Nothing is off limits, but before every bite, before every food decision I will ask myself a few simple questions “How will I feel (physically) after eating this?” “Does this food provide nutritional value to my body?” There will be no right or wrong answers. If I want to eat something that will make me feel like crap and not add a single nutrient to my body, that is ok. I will not feel guilt. Asking these questions, however, will help me recognize my motivations. Am I eating this because I’m hungry and my body needs fuel? Am I eating this because I’m bored or upset? Am I eating this simply because its in front of me?

For anyone questioning exactly how I plan to eat, I will tell you this: in about six month's time I've switched from a fairly typical Standard American Diet (S.A.D) to a more Weston A. Price type of diet. I've made some big changes, but I still have a lot of work to do. I'll be talking about this more over time.

I’m not even sure if anyone still reads this blog, but I will post my progress, my thoughts, my recipes & maybe even some pictures (oiy!) here. I know this isn’t exactly green smoothie related, but what started as a simple challenge to myself has taken me down an emotional path to a healthier lifestyle. This blog will be my journal. I’m humbled if you chose to follow along with me. I’m elated if you should want to cheer me on and I’m honored if you’d like to join me.

Also, don’t’ forget to become a fan on Facebook, as I plan to start posting quite a bit more frequently there and not everything will make it onto the blog.

A new smoothie and a new fan

KIDS!! How do you get your kids to eat their veggies? Me? I have them drink them! Since the weather has been starting to turn, we've been making it out to more park days with our local Moms group. I've gotten into the habit of taking pitchers of green smoothies with me. All of my friends are curious about them, but a little hesitant to try them at home. Who can blame them? I'm sure they are thinking, "am I going to even like this?" "will my kids even look at it, much less drink it?" "will I be out all of the money for the ingredients and just end up pouring it down the drain?"
By taking smoothies with me I can show the Moms that drinking them isn't so bad and I can also introduce them to the other kids. Afterall, kids don't always trust their moms when it comes to "something you'll like, just try it" but when they see my kids eagerly drinking it, they want to find out what this amazing treat is!
So this weekend, when I was participating in a multi family yard sale with some friends I decided to take some smoothie with us. Our hostess politely asked if I could make it not so "brownish green" in color (the last one she tried I had used lots of spinach and strawberries which does, unfortunately, produce a less than appealing color!). I set out to make a beautiful pink smoothie. I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand for my Neon Pink Smoothie and I wanted to include some spinach as her middle child, like my oldest, has not voluntarily eaten a vegetable in years. I grabbed what I had on hand and off I went to the yard sale.

• 1.5 cups Viovi Blood Orange Juice
• 1/4 of a beet, frozen
• handful of spinach
• 2 bananas
• handful of frozen peaches
• handful of frozen strawberries

Can I just tell you the reaction from this little boy? He's my new best friend!! At least 15 times he showed up under my elbow and said "Miss Jessica can I have more smoothie?" All. Day. He was so cute about it and I was so excited for him. I left the remainder of the smoothie at his house and the next morning his mother told me that he finished it off for breakfast! I had asked him if I brought a "funky green ~ green like your grass ~ smoothie" would he try it for me? He got a huge smile and YES!! So the next day (it was a two day sale) I made my kids' favorite standby. I pulled into his driveway at 8am and he rode his little firetruck right over to my van and said "did you bring more smoothie?!" I did and this little boy drank nearly all of this one, too! I have a new fan. He's a four year old little boy and those are the best ones!