Elimination Diet (Day 2 of 5)

Made it through today, but I'm sick of broth and green tea.  I feel good, so that's a plus.

I like my breakfast and lunch, but I need to pick up some good salmon.  The salmon I'm eating has been in the freezer for a while so it's a bit dry :-p

Elimination Diet (Dr. Oz Show)

Ok, so I'm trying out this "Elimination Diet" I saw on the Dr. Oz Show.  I think it aired on 11/13/13.  The purpose of this diet is to find any hidden food allergies.  Let's see what I find.

Here's the link to the diet if you want to try it:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/elimination-diet-printable-one-sheet

First, you eat a simple diet (shown at the link above and listed below) for a week and then start to introduce foods into your diet and see how it makes you feel.  If you have brain fog, fatigue, gas, rashes, etc, it may mean you are allergic to that food.

Breakfast (7-9 am):  1 cup green tea, 1 cup hot rice cereal, 1 T. almonds, 1 T. pumpkin seeds, 1 cup strawberries.  I used no sugar or sweeteners.

Morning Snack (10-11 am):  1 cup low sodium vegetable broth, 1 apple, & 1 oz. almonds

I used chicken broth before I realized it was supposed to be vegetable.  I also had no low sodium broth so I used half regular and half no sodium broth.

Lunch (12-1 pm):  4-6 oz chicken breast, 2 cups lightly sauteed green vegetables (with 1 T. olive oil), 1/2 cup brown rice (I had broccoli & brussels sprouts for my green vegetables.. Mmm)

Afternoon Snack (2-3 pm):  1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, 1 oz. almonds, 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup green tea (I got too busy and skipped this snack)

Dinner (5-7 pm):  4-6 oz. salmon, 2 cups lightly sauteed green vegetables (with 1 T. olive oil), 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

Reboot - Day 15 of 15

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Morning Green Glory (this wasn't good today)

I think the juices are good some times depending on the sweetness of the fruit and vegetables.

Morning Snack:  Coconut water

Lunch:  Un-Beet-able (this wasn't good today either)

Afternoon Snack:  Morning Glory

Dinner:  Un-Beet-able

Dessert:  Purple Passion

Before Bed:  Herbal Tea

I've been supplementing these juices with regular food.  I think tomorrow I'll start back on day one with slight changes.  I've noticed that foods I used to eat without any issues, now upset my stomach.  I guess I have to get used to eating regular food.  I'm definitely going to be juicing and eating a clean diet daily.  I'm still down 10 lbs, but I have 10 more lbs to lose.  I also need to tone up my core.

Reboot - Day 14 of 15

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Carrot Apple Ginger

I made the sunrise juice instead and my parents were visiting and we made a big home made breakfast.

We had coffee, eggs, bacon, potatoes, and home made tortillas.. Mmmmmm

Morning Snack:  Coconut water

Lunch:  Garden Variety (I didn't drink this one)

Afternoon Snack:  Carrot Apple Ginger

I put way too much ginger and by bedtime my stomach was hurting.  Not sure if it was because of all the ginger or because I had a regular breakfast.

Dinner:  Garden Variety  (I didn't have this one or the 2 below because of a stomach ache)

Dessert:  Watermelon Crush

Before Bed:  Herbal Tea

Reboot - Day 13 of 15

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Sunrise juice

Morning Snack:  Coconut water

Lunch:  Green Lemonade

Afternoon Snack:  Sunrise juice

Dinner:  Green Lemonade

Dessert:  Peach/Pear Pie Delight

Before Bed:  Herbal tea

My parents showed up at my house at about 6pm this evening.  YAY!!

Reboot - Day 12 of 15

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Carrot Apple Lemon.. Mmm

Morning Snack:  Coconut Water

Lunch:  Joe's Mean Green {gag}

I'm so unsatisfied with this one that I added zucchini and avocado w/Herbamare on the side.

Afternoon Snack:  Carrot Apple Lemon

Dinner:  Joe's Mean Green

Dessert:  Watermelon Crush

Before Bed:  Dandelion Root tea

Ok, so I had to go to the grocery store to buy food.  I sent my man a text and ask if he wants anything.  This guy says, "snag ice cream 2 buckets.. and chippies and donuts and sour cream".  Ok, so I get my groceries plus his stuff.. get home.. and yes, I had half a donut and some sour cream and onion chips.  I did not sleep as well as usual, but thankfully gained no weight :-)

Reboot - Day 11 of 15

Here are my meals from yesterday.

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Green Citrus.. Mmm

Morning Snack:  Coconut Water

Lunch:  Red, White, Blue, (& Green!) - 3 c. watermelon, 4 handfuls blueberries, 12 kale leaves

Afternoon Snack:  Green Citrus

Dinner:  Sporty Spice

Dessert:  Red, White, Blue, (& Green!).  This was not a good dessert, yuck!

Before Bed:  Dandelion Root tea

Reboot - Day 10 of 15

Slept very good last night and woke up feeling great.

Wake up:  Hot Lemon Ginger water

Breakfast:  Morning Green Glory juice (8 kale leaves, 2 large handfuls of spinach, 6 romaine leaves, 2 cucumbers, 6 celery stalks, 2 green apples, 2 peeled lemons)

This one sounds really gross, but it was very good to me :-)

Morning Snack:  16 oz. Coconut water

Lunch:  Un-Beet-able (2 apples, 2 beets, 6 carrots, 2" ginger, 3 handfuls leafy greens - kale, spinach, or swiss chard.  I used spinach)

Afternoon Snack:  Morning Green Glory

Dinner:  Un-Beet-able

Dessert:  Peach/Pear Pie Delight

Before Bed:  Herbal tea

Click here to watch Joe Cross (the man on Fat, Sick, & Nealy Dead) on Dr. Oz

Reboot - Day 9 of 15

I stepped on the scale this morning and WOW.  My total weight loss is now 10 lbs in 9 days.  That's a little bit crazy.  I definitely have to be careful when I get off this reboot so I don't gain it all back.

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water :-P

Breakfast:  Carrot Apple Lemon juice (4 apples, 4 carrots, 2 peeled lemons - makes 2 servings)

Morning Snack:  16 oz. Coconut Water

Lunch:  Green Lemonade juice

Afternoon Snack:  Carrot Apple Lemon juice

Dinner:  Garden Variety (2 green apples, 2 peeled oranges, 6 handfuls leafy greens).  I didn't juice all these.  I've been so hungry since 2:00 pm today that I ate the leafy greens and drank the juice of the fruit.  Mmm

Dessert:  Purple Passion (30 grapes, 1 pint blueberries, & 1 handful of mint).  Mmm

Before Bed:  Dandelion Root tea

Reboot - Day 8 of 15

Didn't post last night, so here it is:

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Sunrise juice (8 carrots, 4 oranges, 2 beets - makes 2 servings)

Morning Snack:  16 oz. Coconut Water

Lunch:  Green Lemonade (6 kale leaves, 2 handfuls spinach, 1 green apple, 1 cucumber, 2 celery stalks, 1 lemon)

Afternoon Snack:  Sunrise juice

Dinner:  Green Lemonade

Dessert:  Peach/Pear Pie Delight

Before Bed:  Herbal Tea

Reboot - Day 7 of 15

Wake up:  Hot lemon ginger water

Breakfast:  Green Citrus juice (green apples, oranges, leafy greens)

Morning Snack:  16 oz. Coconut Water

Lunch:  Sporty Spice juice (beets, carrots, celery, lemon, oranges, basil)  Tastes weird

Afternoon Snack:  Green Citrus juice

Dinner:  Sporty Spice juice

Dessert:  Purple Passion juice (grapes, blueberries, & mint)

Before Bed:  Herbal Tea

I think I forgot how to chew :-(

Reboot - Day 6 of 15

OK, today was just liquids and it's no fun :-(

When I woke up:  The lousy hot lemon & ginger water

Breakfast:  Carrot Apple Ginger juice

Morning Snack:  16 oz. Coconut water

Lunch:  Joe's Mean Green juice (YUCK)

Afternoon Snack:  Carrot Apple Ginger juice

Dinner:  Joe's Mean Green juice

Dessert:  Peach/Pear Pie Delight
This one is made with the juice of 1 sweet potato, 2 ripe peaches (or pears), 1 red apple, 1 handful blueberries, & a dash of cinnamon

This one is really good, although I'd rather have something that requires chewing.

Reboot - Day 5 of 15

Stepped on the scale this morning and I've lost 5 lbs since last Monday morning!

YAY!

Only 10 more lbs. to go :-)

This morning was the same hot water w/lemon & ginger root when I woke up.

Breakfast was the Shamrock Smoothie again.  Mmm

Morning Snack was Joe's Mean Green juice.  All I can say about this one is..... GAG ME!

It's made with 6 kale leaves, 2 cucumbers, 2 celery stalks, 1 green apple, 1/2 lemon and a small piece of ginger root.  Did NOT like this one.  I had to drink the other half after lunch {gag} {gag}.

Lunch was the Squash & Apple soup which I like.

Dinner was the Detox Soup.  I put sauteed mushrooms in it because I had some in the frig that would've gone bad if I didn't eat them.  I don't think that was breaking my meal plan because it's vegetables.

Tonight is my Dandelion Root tea again.

Reboot - Day 4 of 15

Yesterday was my day 4 and I didn't have time to post anything so here it is:

Wake Up: hot lemon water w/ginger root... yuck

 Breakfast: Island Green Smoothie.  Mmm.  This was the best one yet!

It's made with 1 mango, 1 banana, 1/2 avocado, 1 handful spinach, 4 oz. coconut water, & ice.

Snack:  Carrot Apple Lemon juice.  This was good.

Lunch: Green Detox Soup & Reboot Green Salad.  Mmm good

Afternoon Snack:  Carrot Apple Lemon juice

Dinner:  Squash & Apple Soup.  Mmm

Then I didn't have my herbal tea because my juicer broke and I had to run out and get a new one.  I found the juicer that Joe uses on his movie.  Macy's was having a 30% off sale on all juicers.  I called to see if they had it in stock and they did.  The guy told me that it was regular $250, but now on sale for $167.  I thought it was a good deal until I shopped around.  Found it at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $149.  Then subtract the 20% off coupon I had and it was $119!  Stinkin Macy's :-p

I brought the juicer home and unpacked it.  It's beautiful.  It's a Breville JE98XL.

Reboot - Day 3 of 15

I couldn't finish all of my lemon/ginger water this morning... yuck.

Breakfast: Shamrock Smoothie.  This was very good.  It's made with 1/2 banana, 1/2 cucumber, 6 romaine leaves, 1/2 avocado, juice of 1 lemon, 4 oz coconut water, & ice.  Put it all in your blender or Nutribullet.

Morning Snack: Green Lemonade Juice.  Yuck!

Lunch: Squash & Apple Soup with Sauteed Greens w/garlic.  This was good.

Afternoon Snack was another serving of the green lemonade juice.  Not good :-P

Dinner was the same Acorn Squash from yesterday and the Raw Carrot Ginger soup.

Before bed is the same herbal tea.

I thought I'd feel weak by day 3, but I don't.  Maybe because I'm used to eating lots of fruits and vegetables already.  I'm just not used to no sweets and no meat and I usually have dark chocolate everyday and I haven't had any, so I miss that.  I don't drink milk because that makes me gain weight, but I love milk.  I do drink Almond Milk and I've gotten used to it.  I also put goat milk kefir in my normal smoothie, but I haven't had that either.

Reboot - Day 2 of 15

I want meat!!!  I usually have chicken and/or fish every day so this food plan is killing me.  The lemon ginger tea this morning was very unsatisfying and not good at all because I wanted my egg.  My breakfast was the same as yesterday and it was not good to me.  The kale, cucumber, celery, pear juice was nasty.

Lunch was a kale salad with the raw carrot soup.  I had to force myself to eat it without throwing up.  When I buy kale, I usually roast it in the oven with oil and salt and it's good that way, but to eat it raw is so gross.  I prefer romaine, green or red leaf lettuce in salad.

Afternoon snack was another serving of the Celery Pear Cucumber Green Juice.  Yuck!

Dinner was delicious!  It was Green Detox Soup which is made with leeks, garlic, broccoli, zucchini, celery, kale, and broth.  Then a Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed w/Mushrooms & Sage.. Mmm.  It reminded me of thanksgiving food because of the sage in the squash.

Tonight before bed will be the same Dandelion Root Tea.

Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead

I'm not sure if you've heard of the movie "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead", but it's pretty cool.  You can watch the full movie at http://www.movieweb.com/movie/fat-sick-nearly-dead/HUpBMVd0dy2wsv.

It's a documentary about an Australian guy who, because of his excessive lifestyle, has become fat, has a disease called chronic urticaria (hives), and takes several medications for his disease.  His plan is to drink only fruit and vegetable juice for 60 days.  As he does this, he travels across the U.S. talking to people about what he's doing.

On his website www.rebootwithjoe.com he has several different plan lengths you can choose from (3, 5, 10, or 15 days).  I've chosen his 15 day plan.  You can view the .pdf for this plan at:  http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/rbwj_15dayplan-FULLR_2.pdf

Today was my first day and I took photos of each thing I ate so you can get an idea of what the first day of this plan looks like.

Right when you wake up, you'll drink hot water with lemon and fresh ginger root.

(I also took my usual spoonful of cod liver oil plus a multivitamin, milk thistle, CoQ10, and 5HTP)

Breakfast is "Berry Apple Cinnamon Bake" which is berries, apples, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, & coconut oil baked for 45 minutes.  I usually have one egg scrambled w/broccoli, zucchini, tomato, mushrooms, & feta cheese for breakfast, so this was a struggle.  I wanted my egg!

Morning snack is "Carrot Apple Ginger" juice.  This is delicious!

Lunch is "Reboot Green Salad" which is leafy greens, 4 vegetables of your choice, olive oil, vinegar, & salt & pepper.  You get a side of "Carrot & Sweet Potato Fries".  This meal was very good.  Mmm

Afternoon snack is another 8 oz of the Carrot apple Ginger juice.

Dinner is "Kale Avocado Salad w/Vinaigrette" which is kale, red cabbage, tomato, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, basil, garlic, salt & pepper.  I think this one had too much garlic.

You also get a side of the same fries from lunch and "Sauteed Greens w/Garlic" which is collards, kale, or chard sauteed with garlic, oil, salt & pepper.  This tasted good too, but mouth was very garlicky afterwards.

Before bed you can have herbal tea.  I always have a cup of Dandelion Root tea before bed so that's what I had.

Cruise to Ensenada Video

Here is the video I made of our cruise to Ensenada.

It's 14 minutes in length so it's kind of long.

Burned Myself

On June 17th, I accidentally poured boiling hot coconut oil on my arm!

I was heating up a pan on the stove to cook my breakfast when the doorbell rang.  I went to answer the door and when I got back the pan was smoking.  I took it off the stove and went to open the window.  The pan tipped and spilled on my right forearm.  I felt a slight stinging.  I said calmly, "Oh, I burned myself".  I walked to the sink and ran cool water over it.  I began to wipe the oil off and realized the oil was thick and light brown... I thought it was slightly brown because it burned on the stove.  As I continued to wipe, my skin turned WHITE where the oil had been.  What I thought was oil was really my SKIN melting off!

Anyways, it's been 10 days and now it's a thick ugly scab.  Not pretty.  I've been putting Neosporin and Sovereign Silver (homeopathic first aid gel for bug bites and serious burns) on it three times a day.  Below is a photo of it on the day it happened and the other is how it looks today.  I think it's a 2nd degree burn.

Super Excited

I'm getting super excited and anxious about the 4th of July!  My mom will be arriving at my house on July 2nd to watch the kids while Carlos and I go on a cruise.  We are so excited because we've never been on a cruise and we also didn't have a honeymoon when we got married over 11 years ago.  We really need the break.  I will post photos when we get back.

Awesome Stir Fry

Oh man.. I skipped a whole month.

Well, here's a dish I've been eating for the last few weeks for lunch and now I'm wearing size 4!  You might be saying, "So, I wear a size zero".  Well whoop dee frickin' doo... good for you.  For me, this is small.  My goal is size 2, so I have more work to do.

Here is my recipe:

AWESOME STIR FRY

Ingredients:

1 T. Sesame Seed Oil

1 T. Flax Oil

¼ Red Onion, chopped

¼ c. Bell Pepper (all colors), chopped

3 Garlic cloves, crushed

½ c. Broccoli, chopped

½ c. Cauliflower, chopped

¼ c. Carrots, chopped

¼ c. Asparagus, chopped

1 Celery stalk, sliced

¼ Zucchini, chopped

2 Mushrooms, chopped

2 T. Fresh Ginger, diced

½ c. Chicken, cooked & chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 T. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Sesame Seeds, toasted

¼ c. Almonds, sliced & toasted

¼ c. Feta Cheese

Instructions:

• Heat wok over medium heat & add the oils.  Add all ingredients except last 4.
• Stir occasionally until vegetables are slightly tender, but still crunchy, about 3 minutes.
• Add soy sauce and stir.
• Spoon onto plate and sprinkle with seeds, almonds, and feta.

You can add or leave out any vegetable.  Another thing I like to do is add crushed chili peppers, Tabasco sauce, ground cayenne pepper, or Frank's Buffalo Sauce if I want it spicy which is most of the time.

Nut and Seed Squares - Recipe

CHOCOLATE NUT AND SEED SQUARES

Ingredients:

½ c. Almonds, raw & toasted

½ c. Walnuts or Pecans, raw

¼ c. Sunflower Seeds, raw
¼ c. Pepitas, raw

½ c. Sun Maid Raisins or Dried Cranberries

½ Mexican Cinnamon Stick

5 Dates (optional)

¼ c. Almond butter

¼ c. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, expeller pressed

1 tsp. Honey, raw

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Sea Salt

¼ c. Extra Dark Chocolate Chips

¼ c. Coconut, shredded & unsweetened

¼ c. Sesame Seeds, ground

2 T. Flax Seeds, ground

1 T. Spirulina (optional)

Instructions:

1.            Process first 7 ingredients in a food processor until coarse consistency.

2.            Over low heat, melt almond butter, oil, honey, vanilla, salt, and chocolate in a medium pot for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir.

3.            Add all ingredients to the pot and mix well.

4.            Press into a lightly greased 8x8 inch pan.

5.            Chill in refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.

6.            Cut into 16 squares.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Half Way Home

I've been eating clean for 2 months now and have lost 14 lbs!  I have to lose 13 more lbs to reach my goal.  Pants that used to be very tight are now loose... I Love it when that happens!

Here is what I typically eat Monday through Friday:

Breakfast:  Hard boiled egg, cutie mandarin or 1/2 grapefruit, 1 homemade nut and seed square (I'll post my recipe later)

Morning Snack:  Green smoothie (Spinach, home made goat milk Kefir, Spirulina, frozen berries, almonds, raw honey, flax seeds, protein powder, avocado, ice, and water).

Sometimes I also have one of the following:

   Nut and seed square

   Celery w/almond butter

   Picante inka corn (from Sprouts)

   One of the snacks from the YouTube video below.

Lunch:  Lentil vegetable soup w/nut and seed square or Marys Gone crackers and/or salad

Afternoon Snack:  same as morning snacks (I only have the smoothie as my morning snack)

Dinner:  Lentil vegetable soup w/mixed salad (greens, tomato, olives, cucumber, seeds and nuts, fresh lime juice, and a light drizzle of Annie's Light Honey Mustard dressing)

I also drink 3 things during the day:  My home made Kombucha w/fresh lime juice, ice water w/lemon and stevia, and one cup of hot Roasted Dandelion Root tea before bed.

I don't eat any food after 6 pm.

I allow myself 1 “cheat” meal on Saturday or Sunday.

Looking for a few more great snacks?  Check out Brenda Leigh Turner's YouTube video featuring her 10 Best Fat Loss Snacks:  http://youtu.be/mN3DGdwQuWs

I've watched a lot of her YouTube videos.  Great info for what to eat and how to workout.  Check out the woman's abs!  She must be doing something right.

Sore Throat, Cough, Congestion

I've had a severe sore throat, cough, and congestion/runny nose for about 9 days now.  It does feel like I'm getting over it though.  Did I go to the doctor? Nope.  I gave my sister a call (she's a doctor) and seems like I probably have strep throat, but I'd have to get a strep test to find out for sure.  Whatever it is, they'd just prescribe some drug that wouldn't really help and my body can fight it off on it's own anyways so what's the point of going to the doctor?

A New Beginning

The evening of my last post I felt the worst I've ever felt in my entire life (except one other time that I felt even worse).  It took a few days to get a little better and my husband has been so good to me during this whole thing.  Today is good and even though I still feel not completely whole, I am hoping after church tonight with my husband and our 2 children, the Lord will do a healing that has been needed for a while.

Been Sick

I've been sick for about 6 days now.  Feeling nauseous, congested, coughing, and irritated eyes.  I haven't been eating very much so I've lost a few more pounds which I'm happy about.  I've been eating about 500 calories a day which is not good and unhealthy.  I'm hungry, but don't want food... if that makes any sense.  Not sure how today will be, but food just makes me more sick when I'm feeling so terrible. 

Walked to KFC

We wanted KFC today and so instead of driving 1 mile there and 1 mile back, I walked there with my 2 kids.  We made it there in 21 minutes, walking of course.  We just got a bucket of 10 pieces of chicken and side of cole slaw for Carlos.  Geez, that tiny little cole slaw is $2.15 and it is tiny... such a rip off.  We usually get the bucket of chicken with the cole slaw, potatoes, and biscuits.  The coupon includes a chocolate cake, but it's so good that I eat most of it, so I didn't want that thing in the house.  Plus the biscuits and potatoes are too many carbs, so we didn't get that stuff either.

Nutribullet

Yay!  My Nutribullet arrived today :-)

I had to babysit 4 kids today (Saturday).  The father of one of the children told me his 2 kids would be here from 6:30 am until noon.. so I set my alarm for 6:15 am.  Unfortunately they were 15 minutes early so my doorbell rang while I was still in bed and I didn't get to bed until after midnight last night.. poop.  On ly one of the girls came because the other was sick.  It seems like a lot of kids have been sick this week.  One of my daycare children was sick Monday, 2 were sick Tuesday and Wednesday, and another was sick Thursday and Friday.  I guess something is going around because of the weather being warm one day and then cold and rainy the next.  The other 3 kids showed up at 1:20 pm and left at about 7:15 pm.

My son and I did the Plyometrics DVD from P90x.  Ariel usually joins us, but this time she laid on the couch and watched.  I hope she's not coming down with something too.  Then, Eliseo and I made smoothies with spinach, strawberries, blueberries, almonds, agave, goat milk kefir, avocado, flax seeds, ice and water.  They were very good and the Nutribullet seemed to really blend all the ingredients well.  I usually use the Jack Lalane juicer to make the spinach into juice and a coffee grinder to grind the flax seeds then put all the ingredients in a blender, but now I just put all the ingredients in the Nutribullet and it blends everything together.  So, I went from 3 machines to 1 :-).

My Chicken Lentil Vegetable Soup Recipe

So, last night I did the Cardio DVD from P90X and it was awesome.  My kids did it with me and we had a great time.

About a week ago I promised to post my awesome Chicken Lentil Vegetable soup recipe.  One kid in my daycare can't get enough of this.  Here it is:

CHICKEN LENTIL VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:
8 c. Water
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
3 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base
¾ c. Lentils
¾ c. Pearled Barley
1 Tbsp. Coconut or Olive Oil
½ Red Onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 Zucchini, chopped
5 Mushrooms, chopped
1 c. Asparagus, chopped
3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
8 oz. frozen Peas & diced Carrots
3 Chicken Breasts, cooked & chopped
½ tsp. Oregano
¼ tsp. Chili Powder
½ tsp. Garlic Salt
¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Instructions:
1. Add first 6 ingredients to a large pot and simmer.
2. While simmering, place onion and garlic in a pan with some of the oil until tender (about 3-5 minutes).  Add to the pot.
3. Cook the zucchini, mushrooms, and asparagus in the same pan until tender.  Add to the pot.
4. Add the last ingredients to the pot.
5. Allow to simmer until total simmer time is 45 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat.
6. Serve warm with grated Manchego cheese and fresh squeezed lime juice if desired.

You can also add vegetables and leave some out if you don't like them.  I sometimes add chopped leeks, bell pepper, and cabbage.

Day 14

I weighed myself yesterday morning after I ran 5 miles and no weight change, but I guess it's better than gaining weight.  So I'm still at -5 lbs which is a good start.  I didn't weigh myself this morning so I'll have to see tomorrow morning where I am.

Last night my husband took me to eat sushi which was delish.  Then he took me to the Improv to see John Pinette.  It was a great evening out with my man :-)

Not Enough Sleep

I didn't get to bed until 1am this morning.  Carlos wanted to talk so I waited up for him.  He got home at 11pm and we lost track of time.  Didn't want to get out of bed this morning.  I finally rolled out of bed at 6:30am.  My eyes were burning because I didn't get enough sleep.  I had a migraine by 10am.  At 1pm I couldn't stand it anymore so I took 2 Advil (I don't like taking medicine).  A few minutes later I felt nauseous and I had to go pick up my son from school.  It's a good thing I have an assistant because she watched the kids while they were napping while I laid down for about 45 minutes.  I think I fell asleep for about 10 minutes.  After I got up I felt better, just a little tired.  I plan to get to sleep as early as possible, but one of my daycare kids' mom doesn't get off work until 10pm tonight... Ugh.

Good news is I lost another pound :-)

Going Well This Week

I ran 5 miles yesterday morning, but took this morning off.  I was pleased to step on the scale and discover that I've lost 3 pounds in 6 days :-).  Of course some of that weight I just gained during Valentine's day.  I guess I ate too much milk chocolate, candy hearts, and cookies.

My meals now consist of Eggs sprinkled w/manchego cheese and cooked in extra virgin coconut oil for breakfast, homemade Lentil chicken vegetable soup for lunch (I'll post my recipe later), and Salad with steak, chicken or fish for dinner.  I snack mostly on berries with goat cheese or goat yogurt, celery with almond butter, picante inka corn, sunflower seeds, raw almonds, turkey bacon, kale chips, seaweed snacks, etc.

I avoid the following like the plague: white flour (bread, cookies, crackers, cake, etc.), white sugar (candy, sweets, etc), white rice, dairy from cow milk, and pork.  If I crave a sandwich, I make it with my favorite sprouted grain bread which is called Ezekiel 4:9 bread.

If I want something sweet, I eat a few squares of extra dark chocolate or berries with honey or agave.  If I want something crunchy and salty, I make kale chips, or eat sunflower seeds or picante inka corn.

I drink 8-10 glasses of water per day.  I sometimes have a cup of coffee in the morning with raw honey and organic half and half.  I also make my own Kombucha which I love, but it takes a while to get used to it.  I also make homemade Goat Milk Kefir (which I make into a smoothie with berries, flax seeds, chia seeds, avocado, agave, protein powder, spinach carrot juice, almond butter, and ice for my morning snack).

This plan is mostly from "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin.  I'm doing this diet mostly because I stuck with it over a year ago and lost 15 pounds in 2 months.  My goal is to stay on the plan as long as possible to see how much weight I can lose.  I plan to add weight training next to get some tone and strength back.

Starting To Run Again

So, I woke up at 5:30 this morning and ran 3 miles... man I'm out of shape.  I ran it in about 33 minutes and it was 31 degrees outside.  My ideal running temperature is about 60 degrees.

Back On Track

The day after my last post I was doing one of my P90X workouts and my 6 year old son got in my way... I sprained my ankle VERY BAD.  It hurt so bad I fell on the ground screaming.  My ankle swelled up like a golf ball.  I was on crutches for a while and it took a few months to completely heal.  Now that the holidays are over and my ankle is 100% I plan to get back on some type of workout/nutrition schedule.  I've gained about 5 lbs since I last blogged so I'm pretty bummed about that :-(.  Oh... but it will come off, trust me.  I want to take a before picture this week and then take another in a few months and see if there's any difference.