Questions answered

I wanted to make a post for other people out there who are wondering about Advocare Spark Energy Drink. A friend of mine gave me a sample of it to try out. She knew I had been tired and run down. I was leery in the beginning because it contains artificial sweeteners which I do not use. It has high amounts of caffeine which I was sort of ok with. 120 mg which is more than a cup of coffee. I wasn't sure if it was gluten free. She had told me that it was not made in a gluten free facility. A day later I wanted to try it so I did. WOW!!! I felt more alive than I had in three years or more. It was amazing stuff. I got what all of the fuss was about. The more I loved it the more I wanted to know if it was gluten free. I searched high and low with no answers. None. I found that really odd. You can usually find something online where someone wrote about their experiences. I held off on buying any of the Spark until I could call them. Today I called and they informed me that they are in fact NOT gluten free. They are made with the same equipment as the other wheat products and wheat/gluten can make it's way into the Spark. Would not give me a straight answer if gluten was even used in the product. I found it all very fishy. I will not be using Spark. I would rather know that my gluten free journey in untainted and find my source of energy elsewhere. I hope this helps someone searching for the same answer.

Hemp Hearts and Maca

I have been exploring a web site of products I love called Nevitas Naturals. During my browsing on their web site I noticed Nevitas Naturals sells Maca, a superfood I had once read about and the more I read up on it I thought it may be something I would benefit from. I could easily add it to my smoothies.

Maca is an herbaceous plant native to the high Andean Mountains of Bolivia and Peru. It is one of the only food plants in the world able to thrive at such a high altitude. Maca, and more specifically the root of the plant, has a long history as a superfood. The maca root was prized throughout the Incan empire for its adaptogenic-like qualities that enable it to nourish and balance the body's delicate endocrine system, and to help cope with stress. It also energizes naturally, without the jitters and crashes of caffeine, and it can aid in reproductive function, helping to balance hormones and increase fertility. Navitas Naturals Maca Powder is the raw and natural form of this special root. -Nevitas Naturals

Another superfood I always wanted to incorporate into my diet was hemp hearts. I had seen several smoothie recipes that used them and they seemed like a great way to get protein and fiber into my diet.

Hemp is a well-balanced vegetarian protein source that includes all of the essential amino acids. Not only is hemp one of the best veggie sources of protein, it’s easy for the body to digest and assimilate. Hemp also features plenty of other nutrients including abundant fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins and omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids. -Nevitas Naturals

I ordered both of these items on Amazon. The hemp hearts are interesting. They are little balls that have a nutty flavor to them. The serving size is 3 T but I just put a tablespoon into my smoothie in the morning. The maca is very interesting. It has the same similarities as a cocoa. Sort of earthy.

The first day of using the maca was not good. Yikes. I really needed a banana that day. I made a smoothie of spinach, pear, blueberry, almond milk, hemp hearts, maca, and chia seeds. Yuck!!! The blueberries were not a good match.

Today on the other hand I made the most amazing smoothie I have ever had. I have named it the peanut butter and jelly smoothie. I used:

1 banana
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1 handful of frozen strawberries
1 T natural peanut butter
1 T hemp hearts
1 t maca
1/2 T chia seeds

This thing was rockin!! I am telling you. This is my new smoothie. I would like to try it with some gluten free oats too but didn't have any today.

If you want to know what chia seeds are, I started buying these last summer when I was back home and a health food expert talked to me about them at the super market. I have been using them ever since.

Chia Seeds are an excellent source of healthy essential fatty acids - containing eight times more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon! Chia seeds are also one of the most digestible plant proteins, an excellent source of dietary fiber, and a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and free-radical fighting antioxidants. -Nevitas Naturals

Updates with pictures

I have been bad about posting pictures when I actually make the food that I do and I promise I am going to get better about that. Last night I had found a couple recipes for dinner and couldn't exactly decide what to make but wound up making up my own dinner.
Last weekend I had planned on doing a juice fast so when I was at Costco I ended up buying a gigantic bag of kale and a gigantic container of spinach. When my juice fast abruptly ended on monday around four o'clock I was stuck with all kinds of greens.

I wound up making three batched of kale chips yesterday afternoon. Those only took up about 1/4 of the bag. Yeah, it's real big. So for dinner I made cooked kale and spinach sauteed with bacon, onions, garlic, mushrooms and red pepper flakes. It was delicious and my husband even liked it. I served it over a bed of white rice. Jason doesn't like brown rice, but today for lunch I am eating it all over brown rice. I try and include healthy substitutions whenever possible. Brown rice is much healthier in that it hasn't been stripped of it's fiberous shell.

I would highly recommend the Mexican Coleslaw salad I posted a few days ago. It lasted me three amazing lunch days. On the third day I was craving shrimp and needed to used up my huge stash of spinach so I put the coleslaw on a bed of spinach and topped it with some cooked shrimp. It was pure bliss.

chosen

I started following a blog a long time ago called Healthful Pursuit. I absolutely love it. I follow her on facebook as well. She is a holistic nutritionist who is into yoga and living healthfully. She has inspired me in so many ways. This weekend she posted that she was going to be doing a study this year and needed some volunteers. She would choose about five people and then email them the details. I emailed her thinking, what the heck. Sure enough I was chosen and from over 100 people!!

For her study I am recording everything I eat into a template she created. I record how much water I drink. How many servings in each food group. After everything I eat I record how it made me feel. I am doing this for two weeks and then I write a short summary. We are then going to chat on the phone and she will answer any questions I may have. I am super excited about this because I really admire her and I feel like I may wind up helping someone in some small way. I will keep you posted on what I find out.

I didn't wake up today when my alarm went off which has me all flustered because I had to use some of my free time to work out. Always stinks. Did my Jackie Warner Extreme Time Saving Workout. I am beginning to find that weight training needs to come before cardio. The more muscle you have the more fat you burn. I could do cardio until I am blue in the face and my body wouldn't change much at all. That was my problem for the longest time. I couldn't lose the baby weight. Wouldn't budge. Then I started more weight training and combination moves with cardio and weight or high intensity weights and now I am more in shape than I have ever been in my life. It literally turns your body into a fat burning machine. Trust me when I tell you, weight training is key. If you only have a little bit of time, choose it.

Lately I am in deep thought about life. We try and try and try to be slim. It seems like most people are striving for that unless they already are and in that case there is something else they are wanting. I am guessing it's an American way of thinking. Thin is beautiful. For the first time in a long time I am really happy with my body. Of course there are a few things I don't like, but I am afraid I will have to live with them, unless I go under the knife of course. I am trying to be more in tune with being healthy and not thin. I am trying to eat right and exercise to be strong. If I focus on these things alone I know that my body will be healthy and I will be happy.

Let's try to shift our goals. Instead of trying to lose weight and be thin, try and be mindful of the way you are living and the choices you are making. Take time for you. Take time to fit a workout in. There is always at least 20 minutes sometime during our hectic day that we can find something physical we can do for ourselves. As busy as life can be, we owe it to ourselves to take care of this body. We are in it forever.

Fail

So the juice fast didn't go as planned. I did really well. Juiced a big batch this morning for me and Jason. One for breakfast and one for lunch. It included pineapple, orange, apple, spinach, carrot, and cucumber. It was really refreshing and good. It filled me up for the morning and then after my second juice it lasted until about 4 when I became very hungry. I probably could have gotten through it. I must not wanted it enough because I ended up grabbing the BBQ pop chips and shoving a handful in my face. I don't think now is my time.
I am having a lot of stomach pains still from the breakfast or something from the weekend. Every time I eat my stomach hurts. Like a lingering full feeling. It really sucks. I am still having all kinds of digestive issues as well. I think it all stems from the stress in my life. I am trying to get a grasp on that. Life is hard. Parenting and caring for yourself at the same time is a tricky balance. I am still working on that. Hoping to find some balance soon.
I feel like the yoga is really something I enjoy. Did my 1 hour workout this morning then abs and some stationary bike. Tomorrow is going to be a little more weight training. I need to get back on track from the weekend. Love having company but I am a real bitch when I can't work out. Yikes.
Thanks for reading and recipes to come.
I made a delicious mexican slaw for lunch tomorrow and for dinner I am doing a chop salad. Both are pinterest recipes.
Here they are. I will try and post pictures soon.

Mexican Coleslaw: 1 package Slaw Mix 1 can corn {drained} 1 can black beans {drained} 1/3 cup diced green onions 1 cup diced tomatoes 1/2 cup diced black olives 1/4 cup diced cilantro 1 avocado chopped 3/4 cup Jalapeno Ranch Dressing Garnish with cilantro.

For this salad I used a Bolthouse brand salsa ranch dressing I buy at Target. It's found in the cooler by the salad mixes. Then I just added a diced jalapeno to my salad.

Chop Salad

Juice Fast

My parents were in for the weekend which is why I haven't posted in a while. After a weekend full of eating out and making a few poor decisions I am left feeling very ill tonight. Eating gluten free does not go well with dining out. Most times people have no clue what gluten free means. You get a lot of "I don't knows" and "I'm not sures". It's really pathetic. So now, I feel like my body is full of poison. I know it's a big extreme to say but I feel toxic. It has left me wondering if I should in fact be tested for Celiac or gluten intolerance. I am not sure if I believe in the term "gluten intolerant". I believe most people are. The wheat that exists now is not the wheat that once was. This is a hybrid wheat. A wheat that is fast growing, abundant, and lacking all of it's original healthy nutrients. Now our bodies are ingesting this wheat like grain which is most often over processed and put into the food we eat with a bunch of other ingredients we can't even pronounce.
Tomorrow I am starting a juice cleanse. I aim to do it for at least three days with the hopes of doing it and ending it on friday. I plan on juicing for breakfast and lunch with a healthful dinner and no snacking after dinner. As much as I love wine I am also going to be cutting out wine for the week. I need to re set my body and feel clean and healthy again. I will post my juices and progress daily to keep you posted on how I am doing. Wish me luck!

The Pinterest Salad

So a couple nights ago I posted that I was going to be making a salad from Pinterest. It comes from the food blog called Heather Christo Cooks. I must say it was amazing. Me and Jason both loved it and it made enough for two nights which was awesome. It's always nice to remember you don't have to cook and that something delicious awaits you.

From the leftovers of my amazing Bobby Flay Green Rice I made an amazing lunch. I used my leftover taco meat, cooked mushrooms and avocado to make an amazing lunch. On a different day I actually had the rice for breakfast with some roasted jalapenos I diced up and fried eggs. I was in heaven.

Pumpkin Black Chili

Me and my good friend Laura love to make lunch for each other whenever we have a play date. It's a great way to eat things our families wouldn't normally eat. This week I made a Pumpkin Black Bean Chili. Here's the recipe. It's actually from Delicious Living

1 can pumpkin

2 cans black beans

1 c vegetable or chicken stock

1 yellow onion diced

4 cloves of garlic

1 chipotle in adobo from a can seeded and minced

1 t chili powder

2 t cumin

1 t oregano

1/2 t salt

1 regular sized can of diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)

1 container plain greek yogurt

cilantro

avocado

lime

pumpkin seeds

First saute the minced onion in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. After the onions are soft and browning add the garlic for a minute or two. Add all of your spices as well as the chipotle. This will not be spicy. I was worried with the chipotle and chili powder that it would be spicy. It wasn't. Next add your stock, tomatoes with their juices, black beans rinsed and drained, and pumpkin. Stir and let it cook on low to combine flavors.

Meanwhile mix your greek yogurt with half a limes juice. Mince up some cilantro. Dice up your avocado. Use all of these with the pumpkin seeds to top your chili. Wow! Get ready for flavor town. Super good chili.

Pinterest inspires

I love Pinterest for so many reasons. It inspires me creatively, healthfully, inspirationally. All ways really. Today I found the recipe for my dinner! This comes from a blog called Heather Christo Cooks. Looks like she has some other great recipes on there as well. The one I am making is called the Asian Chicken Salad with Honey Sesame Dressing. I can't wait to try it!! I have been craving rotisserie chicken for awhile now anyhow. We use it so much in our house. It makes meals really easy and tasty.

I was up at 4:50 am and did a new workout. This was another Bob Harper one since I have been having good luck with his lately. This was Total Body Transformation. I must say it was a good workout. It was hard enough and an hour long. I won't do it again only because there were a good amount of moves that hurt my shoulders in not a good way. I also didn't like that there wasn't ab work at the end. I have another one to try tomorrow. That one is Ultimate Cardio Body. I am digging trying new workouts and let me just tell you that your public library is the best way to try new workouts. I always wind up buying the ones that I like off Amazon. Working out at home is a great way to get it done. It has always worked best for me because my kids don't like going to the gym with me and I don't have time to get there otherwise.

What's for dinner at your house tonight?

What did you do that was healthy today?

Today was a good day. Went to a spinning class with a friend Monica. Kicked my ass. I love a hard workout. Makes me feel tough. I ate well. Today I snacked on Nevitas Naturals Superfood Snack Cacao Goji Berry. Yum!! These are an easy healthy snack to have when you are on the go. Took a zip lock bag of them to have at the gym after my workout. I was exploring their web site today and they have a ton of awesome recipes on there I am thinking of making.
Today I went to get a 50 minute massage. I really needed it. I have been feeling really stressed out and sore from my new workouts. It felt great. I also had my first facial today. Interesting experience. I learned something sad today. I don't have dirty pores, they are just big. Yuck. Oh well. Tell me, what did you do today that is healthy? Do you have healthy plans tomorrow?

Favorite rice and seasoning sauces

You know that feeling you used to get on Christmas morning as a kid? That's how I feel when I open my rice cooker to this amazing creation. I have been making this rice for probably 6 years now. I remember making this rice when my daughter Lucy was born and she's almost 6! I am so happy it makes such a huge batch. The possibilities are endless when it comes to this rice. Have it for breakfast with some fried eggs on top and crumbled tortilla chips. Serve it with some taco meat over the top. How did I eat it? I had it with some beef and chips. It was amazing and I totally stuffed myself.

Here's the link.
Bobby Flays Green Rice

There are some great products that I am always pushing on my friends and family from Chef Rick Bayless and Frontera. You can buy these meal starters at Jewel, Target, Woodmans and maybe Wal Mart. I can't remember if I saw them there. All I know is that you can make some pretty darn good meals with these and they are super easy. Get out and try one today.

Rick Bayless Seasoning Sauces

Great Resources

I wanted to share with you some of my very favorite resources to get your started and inspired. I follow all of these on facebook and am filled with very helpful, informative, inspiring bits every day. Maybe you will see something in one of these that you enjoy as well.

Healthful Pursuits

Nevitas Naturals

Food Matters

Hungry For Change

Choosing Raw

My first entry on my new blog

Here I go again. Trying out blogging. This time I am taking a different approach. I will be sharing not only recipes, but healthy tips, workouts, my journey to wellness and more.

Over a year ago I decided to eat gluten free. I was suffering depression, anxiety, anger, weight loss and digestion issues. I wanted to see if making this change would help me in any way. Within the first two weeks I dropped five pounds that I had struggled to lose after I had my second child. I felt myself feeling better after I ate. I wasn't feeling that gross, full feeling I felt so often. After more time passed I felt more in control with my emotions and less depressed. I was feeling better about myself and that made me happy.

In the beginning it seemed hard to live this way. After doing it for awhile I started to realize I was already eating very healthfully and that eating gluten free was easy. Eat whole foods and cook with real ingredients without a bunch of junk in it. Reading labels became very important. Google became my best friend. Whenever I didn't know what an ingredient was I would look it up. Through this all I learned so much about the food I was eating and feeding my family.

I have never been a big "gluten free" food eater. Some of the snacks I buy are gluten free naturally but I never buy foods that are full of a bunch of stuff that makes it gluten free. I must say that recently I did purchase a Bobs Red Mill gluten free chocolate chip cookie mix to bake with my daughter Lucy. She's always begging me to have a cookie with her and so I did! They were surprisingly good. They tasted almost like the real thing and the kids even liked them.

I have been trying to drink more tea for caffeine, trying to do more yoga, working more on building muscle instead of so much cardio and eating less sugar. Through my blog I will share with you my journey. I will share with you recipes and snacks and workouts I love. Hopefully through my blog you will become inspired to make healthy changes in your life. I have been on this journey for a long time now and it doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes it isn't all that easy. In the end you will feel better on the inside and because of that it will reflect on the outside. So please come on this journey with me to living healthfully.