Conquering negative thoughts and dinner!

I did it! I exercised yesterday! I not only exercised yesterday, but I exercised a lot yesterday and multiple times. So much so that I am sore today. With being at home with the kids I had to kind of break it up. So I took a walk with a good friend and then I jumped on the trampoline with the boys a bit later. I chased them around the yard as well. Then when baby finally took a nap I walked on my treadmill. I turned around after I got the kids to bed and did core exercises and upper body exercises. Then later...much later when my husband called I jumped back on the treadmill again. It wasn't as intense as it probably should have been but the goal for the day was just to start and move and do something. Hopefully today and each day will become a little more intense.
So today I woke up and wanted a juice. I made one and it was delicious. I love this because I can get tons of nutrients packed into a simple glass of juice. It's not as time consuming when I'm just making it for me.
I had these great intentions while my husband is gone of learning all these new recipes and being this gourmet raw chef by the time he comes home. But this is really hard to do when you have no one to eat it with you really. I mean my older two will but the younger two have a harder time. Which means fixing multiple things for dinner. Which I know I was partially doing before he left, but it felt worth it then.  So laziness in this department has set in early in this husband being gone situation. Survival mode with the kiddos has set in and it is only day 2.
This has led to the common husband is gone syndrome of , "I don't want to fix anything for dinner itis ". So I'm not sure that you'll hear much from me on the recipe end of things for a while. I'll probably keep things simple....juice, smoothie, raw fruit, raw veggie, 1/4 cup nuts and so forth. Last night, I was like what am I gonna feed the kids? Especially baby...he doesn't always tolerate my recipes. So I think meals for them may be similar. Hungry? have a cheese stick, have a piece of fruit, grab some carrots...how bout a sandwich or a burrito? cereal for dinner? sure! I don't know why this happens when daddies leave for a while but it just does. I know I am not the only one this happens to. Oh well, it is what it is and simplicity can be good.
I'm doing what I need to be eating wise and exercise wise. But because my scale is stuck and my tape measure hasn't changed in a week and a half,  I've been having thoughts like, " Will I really be able to achieve these goals?  and "What if I do all this stuff and yeah I feel better but my body stays this way forever and doesn't look better and slimmer?!? So with all this fear I think I need to ramp up my positive self talk and my prayers and scripture study so these negative thoughts don't get the better of me before I have really had a chance to try! My mom told me it is like paying off a debt. If you keep paying extra on it, then you know it WILL get paid off. It's just frustrating when you've paid some but it hasn't showed up in the account yet that you have. I guess it is taking this body a bit longer to process my payment.
So here you have it, another day in my thoughts and journey towards health and wellness. Go do something amazing for your body today!

Thoughts and Plans

I didn't post over the weekend because I was spending as much time with my hubby before he headed out. I made a lot of good recipes this weekend. I made a raw lasagna that had zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, walnuts, macadamias and a bunch of herbs and spices. It should have been fantastic BUT the miso paste that was in it was way too salty along with salting the zucchini and spinach to make it soft. I will be making this recipe again because it had GREAT flavor except for the salt. Hubby made a raw strawberry rhubarb pie which was very good. We also had a kelp salad. I had never had kelp noodles before. I expected a slimy sea taste, but was pleasantly surprised to find they are crunchy and don't have a taste at all. Last night though I made the MOST AMAZING thing.......Portobello "Steaks" with spinach salad. The flavor was outstanding! I decided to have this recipe because my husband wasn't home and he doesn't like mushrooms. I kind of wish I had made it when he was here though because maybe he would have tried it and liked it. So recipe wise things are going great. Somewhat time consuming but I have some time right now. I may simplify though and just eat the fruit or veggie as is most days, we will see.
OK so it is Monday and I said I would start working out today so I will. Now that my hubby is gone for 4 months this is my goal. I've been at a standstill on my weight and inches for about a week now. I think part of this is due to my lack of exercise. I also wonder if some of these high in nuts recipes are causing me some issues. It's just kinda frustrating though because there isn't much more I can take out of my diet!!! I'm down to fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds. I try and limit the nuts, seeds and avocados to once or twice a day. The goal is to be one hot mama and drop at least half of the weight I have left to lose before he comes back in August. So we will see...how this goes. Hopefully my body will cooperate with my brain. And hopefully the kids will cooperate as well. Well I'll keep it short...I need to be moving.

Getting better all the time!

Thursday was a much better day for me! I woke up and I had tons of energy.  I have heard several army wives say, "you take a day to mope and then you get on with what all needs to be done. So that is exactly what I did. Even though I'm sure all the emotions will hit me again when he really walks out the door and steps on the plane. The boys and I cruised through their school day and got our cleaning chores done. I made some amazing recipes yesterday. I have a tendency to eat more fruit then vegetables so I decided to make it a veggie day and so I made a tomato bisque soup. It was very good, BUT if you are expecting it to taste like Campbell's Tomato Soup it doesn't. It was really easy to make and that was nice because some of my recipes lately have been pretty in depth. Then for dinner I made a wilted kale salad with an avocado dressing. It was delicious. I think next time I will not put as much jalapeno though.
We had a hail and farewell to go to last night for hubby's unit. It was an eating event at a BBQ place. I ate before hand, knowing that I was not going to be eating the fare at the restaurant. I was glad I planned ahead for two reasons:
1: The BBQ smelled REALLY good! I told myself though, "Now self, you know that is covered in sugar! Not a good choice."
2. The only vegetable served was coleslaw which I think is gross anyway and I'm sure it is very unhealthy the way they make it.
The amazing thing is that yes it felt kind of funny to have people ask why I wasn't eating, BUT I was content and perfectly happy with the salad I had before I left and I didn't feel deprived at all. It amazes me how much I've changed. Something like this would have driven me crazy before and I would have definitely felt deprived and upset that I was missing out.
Now as far as the exercise....I haven't really started yet. I know I am horrible. I did a few the other day for like 5 -10 min but that really doesn't count. So seriously...I am starting that hard core MONDAY! Seriously! No Excuses!

It's not always Sunshine and Roses

I try to make sure my posts are up beat and positive but real because no one wants to read negative cranky posts all the time. We want to read stuff that uplifts us and makes us want to be a better person. I however do not want you to think that it is always so easy for me and then you get disheartened thinking...Why can't I do that?...because you can. Also I want you to know that today.....
I AM IN A BAD MOOD! I am CRANKY and IRRITABLE and down right SAD. The kids are driving me CRAZY and I am having a feel sorry for myself cause my husband is leaving for 4 months kind of day!!! In fact I have been feeling this way for awhile now and have just tried to mask it in indulging myself in nutrition so much so as to not feel the lose that I am about to experience. Can I just say in my defense that I have been through a year deployment and I am going to go through another one in a year from now so this is all just coming down on me at the moment.
I am an emotional eater. Normally I would just sit down with some good chocolate and junk food and sulk. It's important to realize these things about yourself. BUT I am trying to be different. I am still eating healthy today as I have been up to this point. What has been suffering though is my workouts. I've just been laying around with the kids instead...trying to get baby to take a nap so maybe I could get something done around this house....only to fall asleep with him. I keep making excuses in this department saying to myself, "When he actually leaves I will have more time and I will do these amazing workouts." Let's hope it is true. Hold me to it, will you?
So I guess I need to have a better plan on the exercise front. Exercise is suppose to help your mood. So maybe I should try that today!?! So I guess I need to make sure I do an hour a day.
On a more positive note (My Sunshine and Roses) I lost another pound this morning and a few inches. Also we had another amazing dinner last night. Avocado stuffed peppers and Nori Salad(It was suppose to be Nori rolls BUT I couldn't get the sheets to stay closed and not tear!) So it became a salad. The kids really didn't like this dish but the older two were good sports.
I also want to thank everyone who reads my posts and a special thanks to all my military friends who have all went through deployments and TDY and all those fun contracting jobs were our guys are away. I hope you know you are amazing and I will try and suck it up and not complain so much because I know you know exactly what I am feeling but yet you all have handled it so much better than I do. Love you ladies!
So get out there and move today! I'm going to!

Becoming a Raw foodie

As I have stated previously, I have tried almost every diet and lifestyle change under the sun. I have counted calories, I have eaten low carb, I have eaten high protein, I hate starved myself and countless other things. I have even tried some healthier plans along the way. My point is I am starting to believe that our bodies are all different and what works for one person may not work for another. I also believe that as I begin to learn how to listen to my body, I am starting to figure out what my body wants and needs.
Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have a code of health that we live by. Most people focus on the points of it that talk about abstaining from alcohol,tobacco, coffee, tea and other drugs. It actually talks about nutrition too. Just like other scriptures, people can interpret different parts of it differently from the next person. In all my previous confusion on nutrition, I decided that I better stick closely to these words of wisdom when determining the path I would follow. I believe it supports a high fruit and vegetable diet with occasional and sparingly used meats and grains. This has been what is working for my body. Sadly I didn't follow this as well as I should of in the past. Partly because I haven't been a big fan of vegetables. Nor did I have the income to eat such a high fruit and veggie diet. This cleanse has reset my body. I like vegetables that I didn't before, like beets!
It is amazing how I can eat when I want to eat. I don't have to count calories. The only thing that I try and be careful about is limiting my nuts and seeds and avocados to 1x/day. I feel amazing and I can see the changes occurring in my body. So this is the lifestyle I am going to choose. Am I saying that occasionally I won't have a bowl of grapenuts or a steak? No way, but for the next four months, I am going to be strictly 100% in my raw efforts. This feels good. It feels right and I can't wait to continue to see the changes occur.
So yesterday I ate several pieces of fruit and juiced some greens. For dinner I made Russel James Tomato and Macadamia Linguine. It was wonderful! The linguine is sliced up carrots and parsnip with tomato and a macadamia and red pepper "cheese" sauce. We also had Paul Risse's apple crisp for dessert. It had apples, dates, cashews and pecans and was very very good. The boys have been gobbling up their food and loving it. Today I am going to make two of Paul's recipes for dinner, Nori Rolls and Stuffed Peppers. I'm sure it will be divine like everything else I have tried so far.
I think it is important to note that I don't feel deprived. My taste buds are changing and when I see the other processed food or we go out and I look at the menu, I think...that is what made me fat and unhealthy...I don't want that.
I hope you all have a healthy eating day and make wise choices. As I start to discover and make up my own recipes I will post them. If you are interested in Paul's recipe ebook or in Russel James recipes you can go to www.paulrisse.com and www.therawchef.com . These guys inspire me and I love their recipes. Also if you are interested in doing a cleanse you can check out www.cleanseamerica.com or go to www.rawfoodrehab.com and order Penni Shelton's book on Raw food cleansing. Penni is amazing as well and meeting her and Paul in person has showed me how much they truly care and believe in our health. Ok, I am starting to sound like an advertisement but this is what has helped me and several of you have asked me for information on this stuff...so there you go.
Here's to health.

Starting a Great New Life

Saturday turned out to be a great day! Like I said previously, I am continuing my cleanse with some juice and some raw food to better fit into my budget for the remainder of the month. My husband and I went on a date to see a movie and go out to dinner. I was a little nervous about how this was going to workout with being raw. We went to Cheddars. Now normally, I would order spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer and then for my meal I would have the Monte Cristo Sandwich with fries. Then the hubby and I would share a big chocolate chip cookie freshly out of the oven with ice cream and hot chocolate on it. I know...I know...that is A LOT of food!!! Did it sound good??? It used to....to me! So I had the plan of going in and ordering a salad without the dressing. Well....they didn't even have a salad that didn't have tons of stuff on it that I couldn't have for this cleanse. So I did what I have never done before EVER...I made up my own salad and told the waitress that's what I wanted. She was so nice and easy to work with! I was glad it went that way this time....making it easy on me. It was one of the best salads I've had. We then went and got groceries while we were without the kiddos. The whole cart was full of fruit and vegetables. The cashier said, "Wow, I wish I could do that!" She asked us tons of questions. It felt so good!
Sunday has been a day of rest and recipes. Church was amazing as usual. Then for a snack for the boys I made Paul Risse's Apple boat Crunch. It has apples, pecans, coconut oil, dates, hemp seeds and goji berries. We all loved it! It tasted so good I felt guilty for eating it! Then for dinner I made Napa Tacos. They are completely raw. They use cabbage leaves for the "shell" and a sunflower mixture for the "meat" then guacamole, salsa and a cashew mixture for the "sour cream". Can I just say that I wouldn't call them tacos but they were FANTASTIC, AMAZING, FULL OF FLAVOR, MOUTH WATERING!!! I told my husband that I ate so good I was worried about gaining weight the food was so good! The boys even ate it and liked it! My husband is making living basil crackers in the dehydrator as we speak. So here is to a new week. A week for health, fitness and new recipes.
I've been thinking today about this AMAZING stuff I said you would see from me in 4 months and I am curious to know what all of you would find to be considered AMAZING as my accomplishments in 4 months? I look forward to hearing from you on the matter. Blessed day.

Rest and Rest and More Rest

So Thursday night ended badly. My little headache turned into a full blown migraine. I was miserable!!! I was in bed by 8:10pm. Friday (Day 12) I was still exhausted and worried about my head because I could tell the migraine was trying to decide if it wanted to come back or not. The boys and I worked very hard though to get the house into tip top shape......until......I sliced through part of my thumb and thumb nail cutting an apple for my morning juice. Ouch...Ouch...Ouch!!! I don't do well with stuff like this! I had to have a neighbor friend of mine come over and help me. She said I looked green. I'm not surprised. The rest of the day was a wash because it is amazing what you can't do cleaning wise with a bandaged up thumb and a head that is trying to decide how it wants to feel today. Friday night was good though. I traveled back up to Stephenville to watch, "Average Joe on the Raw" with Penni and Paul and all the other amazing people that were there....LIKE Seth Hayhurst (the main man in the film) Daniel Hayhurst (his brother who filmed the movie). I also got to meet Linda Heflin an MD who eats raw and has helped me make sure my vegetarian son is getting all the nutrition he needs. In talking to Paul and Penni I am realizing that you don't have to be perfect with this you just need to listen to your body. I am still kinda confused on how to do that but I am trying.
I haven't felt as GREAT this week as last. I think part of that is because it is that normal female time of the month. Which Penni said could have an affect on things. So take note and don't do a cleanse during that time ladies. I also got some disheartening news Thursday which could be part of the cause for me going into a second detox mode. I didn't get home till 12:30am so I am exhausted again today. One neat thing I am learning that I want to share though is this...If you make a yucky tasting juice (like I did this morning) you can always remedy it by turning it into a smoothie by adding some extra fruit!
So my husband and I recognized the hard cold fact this morning that our produce supply has dwindled down to hardly anything and we are only through half of the month and we still need to feed the kids! So I am going to slow down on my juicing and transition to a raw food cleanse for the remainder of my cleanse period that I had earlier stated. I think it is important to make sure the kiddos have enough to eat. I think 12.5 days on just juice is and was amazing! I feel better over all and I am skinnier. I am excited to continue this journey. In fact, I'm not sure why I said this, BUT I told Paul Risse last night that "He could expect Amazing things from me over the next 4 months.".......Geez....What was I thinking??????? Well I guess it is this blog and saying stuff like that, that will keep me moving in the right direction! So I guess I better buck up and stop being lazy on my workouts and get a moving! So I guess the rest of you can expect GREAT and AMAZING things from me too! So here I go, Putting my game face on!
P.s. Remind me of this great attitude and drive I have today when the hubby is gone and I am pulling my hair out wondering what I was thinking!