Healthy Cookies - Know of any?

I am searching for healthy, but yummy cookie and other dessert recipes. They don't have to be perfectly healthy, but close. Know of any? Thanks!

white bean soup

I love beans!  In particular, I love my dad's bean soup, but since he's not giving up his recipe any time soon I needed to come up with one of my own. 

8 oz vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 can canallini beans (rinsed)
1 can navy beans (rinsed)
1 can crushed tomatoes (basil & garlic flavored)
2 cloves garlic (cooked lightly in olive oil)
1/4 cup vidalia onion (diced, cooked lightly in olive oil with garlic)
2 cups small red potatoes (1 inch chunks, microwaved with olive oil, oregano, salt/pepper to taste, )
2 cups baby carrots (microwaved with potatos and olive oil mixture)

Put all ingredients in kettle and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.  Delicious.

10 Foods That Sound Healthy (but Aren't)

10 Foods That Sound Healthy (but Aren't) from Cooking Light...eating healthy just got a little more challenging! Always good to know this kind of thing, though...

Crazy Cycling and Roasted Veggies!

Still detoxing...  eating plenty of all that stuff that is supposed to help - including more veggies and grains plus things like garlic, etc.


Saturday, I went crazy on the bicycle.  Normally, I ride 12-14 miles or so at a fairly decent pace - some hills, but not much to speak of (sorta).  LOL.   Yesterday, I upped the ride to 20 miles and it turns out that extra 8 miles was all hills. What was I thinking???   To top it off,  at mile 14, Gary challenged me to a race and we sprinted for 3 miles at about 35-40mph.  The last 3 miles were a bit less crazy but I was totally beat and famished afterward.  So, fixed a yummy meal of steamed veggies with chicken and rice and then did nothing for the rest of afternoon. 

Sunday, we did a recovery ride for 50 minutes - just gentle riding to work out the kinks.  For a reward, I cooked some roasted veggies with a 7 grain concoction.  It turned out pretty good.

Marinade Mix

• 5 tablespoons (more or less) of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves mashed garlic (more or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds  (or, get fennel bulbs, slice and put in veggie combo in you prefer)
  
• salt/pepper to taste
  

Veggie Combo

• 2 Zuchini - sliced lengthwise
• 2 Yellow squash - sliced lengthwise
• 3 bell peppers (I used orange, yellow, and red) - seeded and sliced in nice thick chunks
• 5 baby red potatoes (dice into 1 inch pieces and microwave for 5 minutes)
• 3 shallots - whole
  
• 3 tomatoes - halve and scoop out seeds 

(also as options - eggplant!!  sweet potato!)

Marinate veggies in marinade for 15-30 minutes.  Put all veggies EXCEPT tomatoes and yellow squash in a roaster pan (spread out).  Roast for 25 minutes and flip the veggies.  Add the tomatoes and yellow squash and roast 15 more minutes.  Eat and enjoy.    Serves 3-4. I plan to use my leftovers in a nice roasted veggie soup mix I'll be doing later this week.

starting 4-week detox program (sorta)

I ran across a detox book on sale and it looked helpful so I picked it up. One thing I really liked about it was that it provided practical tips as well as general information about detoxing / de-stressing.  In particular, I was happy to see a four-week menu plan with recipes.  I'll be amending some of the menu items and recipes to fit my needs and food preferences (hence the "sorta" note in the subject line), but it was very helpful overall to at least start my game plan.

Today, for instance, I had a fruit mueseli for breakfast:

• 1 cup diced fresh organic apples (helps eliminate heavy metals)
  
• 1/2 cup dried organic cranberries (helps cleans kidneys)
  
• 1/2 cup dried organic Turkish apricots (good mineral source plus iron)
  
• 1/2 cup oats, seeds, and some nuts (fiber and protein)
  

 For lunch, I went with flax crackers with hummus, mixed greens, and tomatos (protein, antioxidants, lycopene...)

Dinner was a tasty affair as well:

• 1 cup lightly steamed asparagus (cleanses liver/kidneys)
  
• 2 cups yellow and red tomatos (antioxidants)
  
• 2 oz of smoked salmon (omega 3s)
  
• a sprinkling of goat cheese (less cholesterol, more calcium, protein, vitamin A, phosphorus, vitamin K, thiamin, and niacin  - plus it's tasty!)
  

FitSugar

As many of my friends know, I'm a big fan of not only the content but the concept of the Sugar network. Of course they have a fitness and health site and I wanted to share because I was rediscovering it today. Hope you enjoy Sugar (the online kind not that awful white stuff ;)

http://www.fitsugar.com/

Health & Happiness, Love & Light!
:)
~julz

mad scientist in the kitchen

Some days, I just feel like playing the mad scientist.  Today's crazy experiment was my smoothie. I make smoothies every day, but usually I go for more 'traditional blends.'   Not so, today.  Today was one of those  "hmmm, I wonder what happens when I mix x, y, and z together?"  days.    It turned out pretty good - loved it actually.   So, here's what I can piece together from the recipe:

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup apple juice
juice of one lime
2 bananas
1 cup strawberries
1.5 cups blueberries
1 cup raspberries

YUMMY.   I encourage all of you to go be mad scientists!

playing with my food

A mid-day snack of flax crackers, baba ghannouj, yellow & orange bell peppers, broccoli, and purple cabbage with a hint of a smile of tomotoes!  It's a great pick-me-up, healthy, and low in calories!

Plus, it makes me smile.  :)

On a side note, yesterday I had the most delicious artichoke, tomato, broccoli, and carrot salad with just a spritz of olive oil & vinegar. YUM. Sorry - no pictures!  I wolfed it down too quickly. LOL

adding more exercise

Earlier this summer, after a discussion with Julia about the benefits raw foods, I began changing my diet. Now, 3 months later, I can say that I have definitely increased my fruit and veggie intake while also decreasing process and cooked foods. I also began focusing on eating more seasonal and local foods in order to 'green' my diet. The experiment is going well and I am noticing some positive changes. I like the changes so much - healthier skin, more normal (for me) sleep cycles, a more positive attitude - that I decided to embark on a new exercise routine.

I've always like bicycling, so doing more of that seemed like a natural option. I even began adding photos to my flickr account to help encourage me to do more. Plus, I've been walking twice a day, every day: short walks (about 3/4 mile) on the weekdays before work and before bed and longer walks (2.5 miles) on the weekends. Aside from the obvious health benefits, the bonus of all this exercise is more quality time spent with my husband!

I expect that, between diet and exercise, I'll not only feel better but also have better quality of life! Much thanks to my dear friend Julia for setting me on this path - it has been a blessing.

Green Smoothies and More

I've been a bit remiss in posting but I've been working very hard on diet and exercise. Here's the downlow.

I've been semi-vegetarian now for about 4 months meaning no meat except fish every now and then. I also eat eggs, cheese, goat milk kefir, and I'm probably missing something here.
I've been drinking my green smoothies at least 5 days a week; I'll post some of my recent recipes below.

I started watching my calories again yesterday at my favorite calorie watching site - livestrong (I'm desertjul there if you are a livestrong user).

Since May I've been taking a fun boot camp class on Monday and Wednesday, 6:30-7:30pm and Saturday 10:30 - 11:30am, and a fun Zumba class on Thursdays, 7:30-8:30pm.

About 6 weeks ago I started having a peeling issue with my lips which I thought I had sunburn but then I started cracking in the corner of my mouth. A friend, who is a vegetarian, has had this problem for a long time so I did some research. One name for this condition is cheilitis, and I found that it could be a vitamin B deficiency [B-2 (riboflavin), vitamin B-3 (niacin), vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), or vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin)]. Sooo, I've been taking a coenzyme B-complex vitamin, and voila, after a week, my lips are almost completely healed! Whew, that was NOT fun.

Something that I learned as I was researching vegetarianism and vitamin/mineral deficiency is that to make sure I'm absorbing all the iron I can, I need to not drink tea (tannins), caffeinated drinks, or calcium rich foods with non-heme iron rich meals like the following bean and rice recipe.

A favorite quick recipe of mine at this time is 4 servings of brown rice, a can of organic black beans, can of organic pinto beans, a can of diced tomatoes without salt added, some chopped up chipotle peppers, sea salt, and because I like it HOT, I add some Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce. I throw this into a bowl and three containers for several quick, high iron, high protein, yummy meals.

Yay! I just got my Green Smoothie book by Victoria Boutenko so I'll be trying some of the many recipes there, but in the meantime, I've been loving my own concoctions. Here's a few. I usually make a full blender of smoothie and drink at least half a day. Half a blender fills my Green Smoothie Queen's 32 ounce Green Jug.

The Day After Tomorrow's Smoothie
1 Cucumber
1 bag of Watercress
1/2 Cantaloupe
1/2 Lemon juice
Maybe some frozen mango or frozen blueberries

Tomorrow's Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
small banana
1/4 pineapple
pint of strawberries
a couple of squeezes of agave nectar
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

Today's Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
2 peaches
half a bag of O Organics Frozen Mangos
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

Yesterday's Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
1/4 pineapple
half a bag of O Organics Frozen Mangos
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

A Fave Green Smoothie
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
6 peeled clementines
half a bag of O Organics Frozen Mangos
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

Shawn's Fave Green Smoothie is Purple!
3 large handfuls spinach
1 handful kale
a pint of fresh or half a bag of O Organics Frozen Blueberries
half a pint of fresh or half a bag of O Organics Frozen Strawberries
1 11.2 oz container vita coco coconut water
refilled the vita coco container with water and added it

That's it for now. I hope you are all having fabulous health and nutrition adventures!

Wishing you all healthy gorgeous green glowing light and love!
I know, I'm a sap!
;)
~julz

Why is Chinese food such a pain to make????

Well, I know why - it's all the prep. I wanted Chinese and felt guilty about getting it to-go, since we all know just how unhealthy that is! So i made my own...sesame chicken with:

• carrots
• onions
• spinach
• chicken cooked in flour and sesame seeds
• sesame sauce
• chicken broth
• red paper flakes
• served over rice

Yum! Except that I managed to fling sauce all over me as I went to shake the bottle and the lid was loose. I seem to do that alot. Well, I had sesame sauce all over my face, hair and kitchen. Yuck! That makes cooking Chinese difficult. :)

More exercise

I've also been increasing my exercise to counteract all the time I spend on my butt in front of a computer. For starters, I've increased my biking trips. Sunday I went out on a 3-hour ride but kept to a nice easy pace. My legs felt fine afterward, but my "sit bones" are a bit sore.

According to a few web sites I've read, exercising can lead to:

• raises basal metabolism and increases energy levels
  
• decreases stress and increases endorphins (more 'happies' LOL)
• increases immunity and builds stronger bones

To encourage me to ride more, I got an little 2.5oz video camera to hook onto my helmet and take a few snips of video while I ride. And, bonus - it's waterproof so when I go kayaking I can use it for that. My general goal for now is to ride at least a 3-hour weekend trip (perhaps slightly picking up pace). Also looking into packing a kayak along with me (inflatable) so when I get to the Tennessee River (my turn around place) I can put in the river and kayak a while prior to heading back on the bike.

Travel and Good, Healthy Restaurants

I try to eat local, seasonal foods. But, I like to eat out, too... and it's quite challenging to find restaurants that use local produce - especially if you're traveling. Fortunately, people do post about these things. I just ran across Chef's Collaborative - an online datase that includes restaurants that serve local food!! Next time I travel, I'll be eating good.

High Cholesterol - UGGH!

Hi, Well just found out my cholesterol is high (176) and I have three months to bring it down, so I expect I'll be posting here alot!!!

Cinda

Salad and a Smoothie - A good one this time!

Salad: Spring greens, feta, tomatoes, walnuts, cranberries, onions and a tamari dressing courtesy of StirItUp in St. Augustine Beach

Now, this is a great smoothie, albeit not the healthiest, but a good starter: No Sugar Added Orange Sherbert, Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream (shhh, just one small scoop), Banana, DanActive Yogurt Drink - Strawberry, Bananas, Fresh Orange Juice.

Nutritional Data site is Awesome

Recently, I've been eating a lot of blueberries because they are in season right now (from what I've been reading, seasonal eating is more sustainable and is often healthier because the nutritional value of the food is better)... Anyway, I was curious about nutritional value of raw v. frozen blueberries and stumbled on this nutritional data site that I LOVE. It has great data displayed in an organized and beautiful way. I'm telling you - the site is addictive and fun.

Yesterday I had a smoothie with organic green tea (1 c), lime juice (1/4 c) and organic raw blueberries (1.5 c). The nutritional value of my smoothie is pretty good, all things considered. I got many of my necessary minerals (notably potassium, magnesium, and manganese), all of my vitamin C reqs, some significant vitamin K, decent fiber, some omega 3s, quite a few antioxidants, no fat. :) Overall, I'm feeling pretty happy about it.

I can definitely say that in the past month of dietary changes, I'm feeling better physically and mentally. I still need to add more exercise to my overall regimen - but I'm quite happy about my progress...

My First HG Smoothie

It takes a whole holiday weekend for me to manage to have time to prepare for and fix a smoothie! This is the essence of the issue at hand wehen it comes to being healthy...takes time and $$$...but I am determined to get better at it. :) This weekend I visited Earth Fare supermarket in Boone, NC and stocked up on fruit and got some Energy Drink shake/smoothie mix. I used bananas, blueberries, cherries, mango and strawberries. Well, I think I'll do without the drink mix next time - was a little like how I imagine wallpaper paste must "feel" like if you actually ate some.

From Healthy_Goddess_Blog

Overflowing with interesting info

These past few days have been quite educational.
-- First, I watched a live interview with Michael Pollan and got a nice blast of info regarding food and food politics.
-- Then, I picked up The Big Picture: Reflections on Science, Humanit, and a Quickly Changing Planet and read some interesting thoughts on sustainable foods for the future.
-- Finally, this morning, I ran across Finding Happiness the Natural Way. The article is densely packed with information and really gives a great overview of all the myriad ways you can improve your mental and physical well-being.

Enjoy.

lovin' lime

I have decided that lime goes with just about anything - especially in the summer. Earlier today, I made a green tea, lime, and raspberry smoothie (with a hint of coconut water). Very, very refreshing in the mildly hot/sticky day that we were experiencing here in Huntsville. According to Dr. Decuypere's nutrition chart, limes have the following healthy benefits so not only can I feel refreshed, but I can feel healthier too!

Lime

One lime without peel contains .4 grams of protein and 1.8 grams of dietary fiber.

Potassium - 68 mg Calcium - 22 mg Phosphorus - 12 mg Magnesium - 4 mg Iron - .4 mg Also contains trace amounts of selenium, zinc,manganese and copper.

Vitamin A - 6.7 IU Vitamin C - 19 mg Folate (important during pregnancy) - 5.5 mcg

My First Post - Cinda

I am very excited to join this adventure...must eat good stuff to keep up with my posting! It's been a very long day, week, and month, and it's times like these when you really need the healthy stuff. Tonight I managed a Publix salad with field greens, walnuts, raisins, blueberries and strawberries. Publix is a Florida supermarket, and they've gotten really creative with their salads, thankfully!

Anyways, headed to the mountains this weekend (Banner Elk, NC) and I am actually taking my blender to try some of the Healthy Goddesses' recipes. Off to pack the blender!!!

From Blogger Pictures

A fruity snack

B, I just got back from Mountain View where I picked up some organic greens like kale and Swiss chard for my smoothies and Albertsons where I get organic frozen fruit also for smoothies. But I was really drawn to all the great fruit that Albertsons had and I bought more fresh fruit than ever before. So I sat at the computer with my fruity meal and smiled when I saw your post about fresh fruit.


-- Post From My iPhone

Eating Seasonally

Both for health reasons and for "green" reasons, I would like to try to eat more fruits and vegetables that are in season. I'm not that savvy when it comes to crops and such but I ran across Fresh Tools for Eating Seasonally at The Green Life which gave me some tools to help.

I immediately downloaded the iPhone app and WOW. Very cool. I was able to select my region and get nice pics with descriptions of some great fruits and vegetables in season. My shopping is going to be helped by this.

the bell pepper

I love bell peppers and, lately, I've been eating a lot of them. So, I decided to do a little research. As it turns out, they are quite good for your health! But, first, a little background:

Bell peppers are in same family as chile pepper, potato, tomato, and eggplant - all in the nightshade family. They come in a variety of colors including green, red, orange, yellow, white, blue, purple, brown, and black. Green is the unripened color while the other colors are the ripe versions of different cultivars of the pepper.

While many cultures around the world use peppers in their cuisines, the bell pepper originated in the Americas. Apparently in a stroke of marketing genius, good 'ole C. Columbus decided to call them peppers to capitalize on the then very popular black peppercorn. Regardless of the veracity of that story, the bell pepper became quite popular throughout the world.

The beautiful bell pepper has some great health benefits for us. The red, yellow, and orange versions have more vitamin C than citrus and the red peppers contain Lycopene (thought to aid in fight against cancer). They also, of course, have Vitamin A, beta carotene, and fiber.

I love the taste of the yellow and orange peppers, but also enjoy the red and green. I put all of them on my salads several times a week. The crunchy sweetness of the yellow and orange is especially enticing. Plus, they make my salads look positively festive! My most recent salad was red-leaf lettuce and arugula with purple cabbage, and red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. It was beatiful and tasty.

I can haz green smoothie!

And it's the smoothest smoothie ever now that I have my Vita-Mix!


-- Post From My iPhone

multigrain goodness w/ fruit

On my quest to determine what "healthy" means, I'll be experimenting with quite a few things. Most recently checked out an organic multigrain pasta. Of course, whole grains are supported by Dietary Guidelines and since I don't know much about this, I feel I need to pay attention to what these experts have to say. Anyway, the pasta was YUMMY and had such whole grain goodness in spelt, oats, barley, flaxseed, lentil, and chickpeas. I made a sauce of organic tomatoes and the usual Italian seasonings. The salad and wine (a smooth, not-to-dry shiraz) were nice additions. Afterward, I had an excellent fruit salad with pineapple, blueberries, and bananas. The blueberry/pineapple combo was actually quite tasty.

Darn... after writing down the wine it occurs to me that I need to go research into the health benefits/drawbacks of wine in moderation. :)

Smoothie Report

Today, I had a bit of leftover smoothie from yesterday so started with that. Then I added:

Another banana
a cup of water
a couple of handfuls of frozen strawberries
1 apple (reddish color, jeez, I have no idea what kind...)
a big handful of baby carrots
spinach stuffed to the top of the blender

Just finished it and a little trick I figured out is to add some water and swish to get all the last drops of yummy green goodness.

Yesterday I ordered some coconut water yesterday from Amazon:

Vita Coco Coconut Water Variety Pack, 11.1 Ounce Tetra Packs (Pack of 12)

Many recipes have coconut water and Kimberly Snyder had good things to say about the VitaCoco folks. I like that it's considered a cool replacement for energy drinks.

Healthy Healing Thoughts from Me to You!
:)
~julz

fruits and greens

Golden kiwis, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, apples, oranges, nectarines, bananas... Those are the fruits I've been eating recently (about 4 cups a day). My most exotic combo has been golden kiwi with blueberries and apples (liked it a lot) but, I think my favorite combination so far is raspberries with apples. Ok... Let me be honest - if it is fruit, I'm gonna love pretty much any combination.

I've been eating more greens too. One recent delectable concoction:

• red-leaf lettuce
• spinach
• arugula
• chard
• radicchio
• frisee
• raspberries
• apples
• pinon nuts
  
• very light raspberry vinaigrette

Who knew salads could be so fun! A handful of this, a sprinkle of that... and no cooking! LOL

Can you believe it?

I sure can't. I am totally craving my green smoothies and even salads! If you knew me, you'd know how crazy it is that my grocery buying tonight included:
Celery
Romaine
Spinach
Parsley
Mushrooms
Carrots
Tomatoes
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Frozen strawberries
Kiwis
Limes
Lemons
Jalapenos
Avocados
Cucumber

Seriously, this much fruit and veggies is UNHEARD of for me.

Today for my smoothie, it's old news, I had the rest of yesterday's yummy goodness which I forgot to note that I added carrots to it.

Here's my salad:



I have to admit that I am snacking on Kettle chips. I did go to boot camp so I don't feel terrible about the chips.

Oh, and can anyone say iPhone 3GS?

Love and Light,
~julz
-- Post From My iPhone

Fridge make-over

In preparation for move to more raw foods and green smoothies, my fridge needed a bit of a make-over. In other words, I needed to go grocery shopping. I think one thing in my favor for this switch is that we're into the summer months and I love eating lighter (salads, fresh fruit) meals. I missed the farmer's market on Saturday so I went to the local fresh foods market and stocked up. All organic yummy goodness.

I'm starting slowly - I know that if I try to do too much at once my body and my mind will get very cranky. So step one is to just start eating salads and fresh fruit every day and to throw in an occasional green smoothie. Then, after a few weeks of that, more green smoothies! By the end of the summer, I should have transitioned enough that at least 50% of my diet is raw. That's my goal anyway.

Saturday Blueberry Purple Passion and Sunday Mango Strawberry

On Saturday I modified Friday's recipe as follows:

1 cup water
1 cup crushed ice
2 leaves kale
2 big handfuls spinach
1 small handful parsley
2 bananas
Half bag frozen dark red cherries
The rest of the frozen blueberries (bag of frozen blueberries minus one handful)

Another yummy smoothie!

I must report that I did not ride my bike on Friday, but on Saturday Boot Camp was a killer.

I'm six days in with green smoothies and I know I have lots to learn. On Saturday, I felt kinda yucky. I had a sore throat but it's like a glandular sore throat if that makes sense. I did have a couple of drinks with friends Friday night, maybe that did it.

It's Sunday and I still have this sore throat but it's a bit better. Today's smoothie is really awesome:

1 cup water
2 bananas
half small bag thawed mangos
1 cupish frozen strawberries
4 big handfuls of spinach
1 handful of parsley
a bit of ginger

This is an awesome smoothie!

Happy Green Smoothie Goodness!

:)
~julz

Purple passion smoothie

I really taxed the blender on this one! But this is my best smoothie yet.

1 cup water
2 leaves kale
2 big handfuls spinach
1 small handful parsley
3 bananas
1 peach
Half bag frozen dark red cherries
Handful frozen blueberries
Handful frozen mango
Big handful frozen strawberries
Juice of one lemon


-- Post From My iPhone

A Green Goodness Day :)

Today, I had my weigh in (I joined a weight loss challenge with some friends) and I actually met my goal of losing 1.5 lbs this week (153.5 lbs), even after I had eaten several big restaurant meals with mi amiga, Bethany, who visited from Alabama. I miss you already B! I had my Herbalife aloe, tea, and shake for breakfast today and took my green smoothie to work with me.

So yesterday, I made a whole blenderful of green smoothie and drank half. I put the rest in the fridge in the blender container. Today, I added a handful of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes that I didn't want to go bad and two handfuls of frozen peaches and pineapple. This filled a 32 ounce container I had and I sipped on my green smoothie from mid-morning until early afternoon. It was so refreshing and yummy.

My dinner for the last few days has been over-medium eggs, mashed black beans, red chile, and either a few potatoes or a tortilla. Yum! I told you I'm a "Foodie."

Today's exercise was a fun Zumba class with a bunch of the girls who go to The Spot and do Boot Camp. I also convinced one of my friends that she should try green smoothies, so I'm taking her one in the morning. I had to go to the store and restock a bit. I picked up some parsley, bananas, yellow peaches, frozen mangoes, frozen blueberries, and frozen cherries. It's kinda odd, but I am really excited to make and enjoy a new concoction tomorrow.

I also ordered my Vitamix today!

I called and ordered a refurbished machine on the 3-payment plan. The customer service lady was pretty cool and she noted that I was the second person who had read Kristen's post and called this week.

I also ordered Green Smoothie Jugs from Green Smoothie Queen's site.


Obviously, when I'm in, I'm in and I'm totally in on green smoothie goodness.

My goal tomorrow, is to ride my bike to my appointments in town tomorrow. I'm a bit scared of the drivers in this town but since I've written about it, now I have to do it!

I expect a fabulous healthy goddess day tomorrow for me and for you.

A virtual hug to you all,
~julz

My first Green Smoothie - Thanks to Julia!

Thanks to Julia, I had my first green smoothie - and I loved it. Of course, I had to snap a pic of Julz creating the wonderful concoction. So, I'm pretty excited about trying this at my house... but, first I have to go grocery shopping. I just checked the fridge and, while there are some greens, I definitely need to get some fruit.

Vitamix vs. Blendtec, I've Made a Decision...

I'm not sure how much healthier I really am on only my 4th day of green smoothie goodness, but psychologically, I feel awesome doing something that I truly believe is so good for me.

And so, today, I'm pondering the return of my $50 Walmart 800 watt blender and going for the new Vitamix 5200. I think I should go for it as I'm just not completely happy with my 800 watt blender.

I am choosing to go with the Vitamix after much reading and agonizing (these things are an arm and a leg!) and two things did it for me - 1) their 3-payment plan and 2) Kristen's Raw: I'm Cheating on My Blendtec...Oh My! post.

Today's green smoothie recipe:

1.5 cups water (might have been too much water)
2 full handfuls of spinach
1 leaf of kale
3 green apples
2 cups frozen grapes
1/3 banana (that's all I had, I need more bananas, I think this greatly improves smoothie texture)
1 lemon (just the juice)
1 tbsp agave nector

I loved the flavor of this smoothie but the texture could have been better. I was definitely "chewing" my smoothie a bit today.

I also had an Herbalife shake today and now I'm getting ready to head to Boot Camp with my friends from The Spot.

I hope everyone has had an opportunity to do something good for your health and nutrition today.

Love and Light,
:)
~julz

Yes, I am a "Foodie"

I should add some important initial information. I consider myself a "Foodie." I love food experiences, social eating, stress/emotional eating, etc. I am definitely overweight at this time. I could go into the excuses but bottom line, I need to change my life in this area. So, as I like to say, I'm throwing everything and the kitchen sink at my weight, health, and nutrition issues.

I recently read Betheny Frankel's book Naturally Thin and I really appreciated the concepts in this book. One concept that I have my friends using now is "cancel your membership to the clean food plate club!" Don't you love it?

Anyways, I currently weigh about 158 lbs. Something that shocked me today was Green Smoothie Girl's page about ideal weight. According to the chart on her page, I should weigh between 104 - 108 lbs. Holy weight discrepancy Batman! I'm still pondering this and wonder if this is achievable for me. I was thinking I'd be happy to get back down to the 130 lbs. I used to be at pretty consistently in my 20's. Oh yeah, I'll be 40 this year.

I sort of don't want to be a "Foodie" anymore but you know, the thought of not being a "Foodie" is weird. It's such an integral part of who I am...
:)
~julz

Green Smoothies & More

I've been seeing (Oprah & Dr. Oz) and reading about green smoothies (see side links and resources) and I'm sold! I intend to add a green smoothie to my daily diet.

I've also been reading a lot about raw food diets and it just seems so extreme, though reading about the Boutenko family's experiences, I have to wonder...

I feel that adding green smoothies is a good compromise for this time in my life.

Additional health related things I'm doing - herbalife meal replacement shakes, really thinking more about the calories and foods I put in my body, Boot Camp exercise classes, hanging out with people who are like-minded about improving health and nutrition, and starting this blog with my friend Bethany.

On Sunday (May 31, 2009), Bethany was visiting from Alabama and agreed to join me on my first green smoothie adventure.

First Green Smoothie Recipe
4-5 Kale leaves
2-3 handfuls of spinach
1 cored organic pineapple
2 handfuls strawberries
2 bananas
4 slices of ginger root

This filled the blender container which seems to hold about 2.5 quarts (10 cups). We each had a large glass of green smoothie. I felt that I should have done more fruit and less greens because it was a bit "green." However, it wasn't bad. I put the remainder in the refrigerator and drank a large glass on Monday and a smaller glass on Tuesday (today). I have gathered a bunch of recipes so I'll post each one as I make them.

B took some pics maybe we'll post those later.

That's it for now. Happy healthy and nutritional adventures to you all!
:)
~julz

We start a health adventure!

Bethany and I are starting some health and nutrition adventures! We will capture the fun here.

:)
~julz