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?