Artisana Raw Organic Goji Bliss

Day 108.

I have found the best Organic, Raw Coconut Butter I have ever had in my entire life!

They say that M&M's "melt in your mouth, not in your hand." Here is the perfectly perfect "perfectness" way of doing this in an Organic, healthy way!

This delicacy is called Artisana Raw Organic Goji Bliss. The ingredients are as follows:

• Artisana™ Organic Raw Coconut Butter

• Organic Raw Coconut Oil

• Organic Raw Goji Berries

• Organic Raw Agave Syrup

What could be better than those 4 ingredients? I have been craving something "sweet" this week. I don't have any dessert that I can have in our house. I never keep it; it would be too tempting! So, I got the great idea that I was going to get me some rice cakes and unsalted, raw cashew or pecan spread. When I got to Whole Foods, though, and was looking at their wide variety of Organic, Raw butters, I came across this one. And naturally, when the Coconut Butter was the 1st ingredient, I knew I had to have that one.

After I ate my dinner last night I decided to have just a 1/2 Tbsp of it. The jar specifically says that it's best to warm it up and spread it over fruit, bread, cake, etc. You can also add it to smoothies. Basically, you can do whatever with it. I decided to just eat it as it was; straight out of the jar, in a 1/2 Tbsp measuring spoon.

UNBELIEVABLE. When it hits your mouth, it melts. It's got a coconut flavor, with a hint of "buttery fat" meets "sweet." I decided to not even put it on my rice cake. I am so glad I didn't. I was able to take in the full flavor of it. I savored every second of it!

I am 150% endorsing this product! It's not cheap...this is not your $2.99 jar of Skippy Peanut Butter. But the nutritional benefits, full-flavor and satisfying component to it make it absolutely worth it.

You can find this at Whole Foods. You can also find it HERE from a variety of sources via the Premier Organics website. Premier Organics is located in Berkeley, CA.



I was a little more tired today. My mouth started to annoy me later afternoon. It was about a 5/6 today. I got bloated late afternoon. My stomach made a lot of funny noises. I got sick around 5pm and then the bloat/twisted began up again. My right eye still twitching a little.

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• 1/4 Fruit Fusion
• Steel Cut Oats + Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein + Stevia/Cinnamon
  

Snack

• Iced Protein Latte
  

Lunch

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with XLean Turkey + paprika
• Spinach + Sea Salt/Pepper + ACV
  

Snack

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with XLean Turkey + paprika
• Spinach + Sea Salt/Pepper
• Orange
  

Snack

• Wild Salmon Burger
  
• Organic Apple
  

Dinner

• Tuna + Romaine Lettuce + (Steamed) Spinach & Garlic
  + Balsamic/Sea Salt/Spirulina
  
• Watermelon
• Rice Cakes + Artisana Raw Organic Goji Bliss

Carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs....I'll talk more about these next time. Stay posted because Leah has me starting the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Diet. I will probably be starting on Monday. I am mentally preparing until then; making food, researching and accepting this very limited carb method to healing via eating.

Journey Along the Way

Day 106.

I learned something from the day Ryan and I spent together on Saturday about health, fitness and overall wellness.

I talk a lot about "endless possibilities" and about how great life is/how much we can take from it. But what I realized on Saturday was that if you do not take care of yourself and care even just a little about your health, fitness and overall wellness, your "endless possibilities" soon don't become so much "endless" anymore as they become "the end." And here's what I'm talking about.

The second thing we did on Saturday was take a Ferry from Pier 41 to Angel Island. Angel Island is gorgeous - you take it for what it is - beautiful. When we got to the Island, we rented bikes. We biked around the Island, for a total of about 5 miles. Keep in mind, it's not a flat loop around the island; there are definitely hills! When our bike ride was over, we returned the bikes, grabbed a little "energy fuel" and then decided we wanted to hike to the top! It took us about an hour to climb to the top. We enjoyed each and every step along the way. The views were incredible. And then we reached the top and could see every angle of the city - San Francisco is so amazing! All the little islands - the "blueness" of the sky, of the ocean - and greens/flowers/trees surrounding us. Simply beautiful!

But as we were hiking up to the top for a split second we thought, "Wow, I'm out of shape!" Now, really, my husband and I are far from being out of shape. Ryan says we're just not in "hiking shape." This all made me think, though. How much are some people forced to limit themselves because they have neglected their health, fitness and overall wellness? For many, walking up one flight of stairs is too much. If you can't walk up that one flight up stairs, then you certainly won't be able to climb to the top of Angel Island and see what we saw that day. It wasn't just the view from the top, but the journey along the way. And I pray that everyone reading this will take the time to care enough about themselves; their health, fitness and overall wellness so that they, too, can enjoy their own journey along the way.




One final thing for today - I "invented" an Iced Protein Latte. It was so good and simple. Here is how I made it:

• 1.5 scoops Nutribiotic Vanilla Protein
  
• 1 c. unsweetened Rice Milk
• A few ice cubes
• Stevia
• ~ 1/4 c. Coffee

I had plenty of great energy today. My mouth started to annoy me later afternoon. It was about a 5/6 today. I got bloated late afternoon. And then I got sick around 8pm. I felt better after that. My right eye still twitching a little.

Here was my day:

Breakfast (pre-4 mile run)

• 1/4 Fruit Fusion

Breakfast (post workout)

• Small Barista Cafe Au Lait + Soy/Stevia
  
• Steel Cut Oats + Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein + Stevia/Cinnamon
  

Snack

• Iced Protein Latte
  

Lunch

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with XLean Turkey + paprika
• Spinach + Sea Salt/Pepper
  

Snack

• Orange
• Lean Turkey

Snack

• XLean Turkey + paprika
• Organic Baby Carrots
• Spinach
  

Dinner

• Tuna + Romaine Lettuce + (Steamed) Spinach & Garlic
  + Balsamic/Sea Salt/Spirulina/Fish Oil
  
• Watermelon

Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad

Day 105.

It was a wonderful weekend! Ryan's birthday is on Tuesday, so we spent the whole day yesterday celebrating!

I will post tomorrow with all the places we went and the things we did.

Tonight I want to tell you about the dinner I made for us tonight. I made a Salmon salad, with Quinoa and homemade dressing. I highly recommend it. Here is how I did it (served enough for Ryan and I):

• Chopped Romaine Lettuce
• ~ 1 c. Quinoa with fresh squeezed lemon/sea salt/pepper
• Grilled Salmon
• Dressing: 2 Tbsp Olive Oil + 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice + sea salt + pepper

Mix it all together. Unbelievable! A clean eat, with a citrus twist.

Yesterday I felt ok for most of the day. I did not feel good, at all, at night. I felt achy and flu-like. However, no mouth problems. Today my fatigue finally lifted. The spell since Tuesday has hopefully been broken (well, at least until last night's dinner catches up with me). The fatigue this past week was so awful. That may be almost worse sometimes than the rest of the reactions I get. I felt great today - worked out a ton. I got the red dots in my cheeks last night after dinner, which makes sense because we ate out and because my mouth is annoying me just a tad bit more than yesterday. I would say it was about a 3/4 today vs a 1/2 yesterday. I was great until about 3pm today, then I got bloated. My left side hurt (bloat) from there on out.

Here was my day:

Breakfast (pre-6 mile run)

• Fruit Fusion

Snack (post workout)

• Peets medium soy latte + stevia
  
• Banana

Breakfast

• Protein Pancake
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Lean turkey
  

Lunch (pre-workout)

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with Lean Turkey + paprika
  

Snack (post-workout)

• Apple
• Organic baby carrots
• Watermelon
  

Dinner

• Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad
• Small glass red wine
• Watermelon

And we're off to another week......

Green Fridge

Day 101.

A big, fat Green fridge.



No, I'm not talking about an actual green fridge, although I think I'd really love one!

I'm talking about making the foods that go into this fridge be "green." I was reading an article today from Food and Wine Magazine called, "Eco Checklist: Stock a Green Fridge." The article was fabulous! It was all about the ultimate eco-friendly refrigerated products.

Directly from the article, these were my favorite sites:

• Citizenbean.com You had to know that a Coffee one would be one of my favorites! You can learn more about them at their site. However, what I really appreciate from this site is their blog - Coffee with a Conscience. I love coffee so much, but what you must know about Coffee is that it is not all created equal! The reason Leah didn't want me to have coffee in the first place wasn't because I reacted to it. It was because of the chemicals that get put into it and the way that it's processed. Not always is my cup of Joe in the morning good for me, even when it kicks me into high gear! I believe that Citizenbean.com works to resolve this problem. It specifically says on their site, "brings a new meaning to having a fresh cup of coffee."
• Lacensebeef.com I like a good burger every now and then. I believe that, unless processed, chemical-filled or dangerous, there isn't a single food group anyone should avoid. I don't eat a ton of meat, but I know that I eat enough. The problem is, I don't eat the good quality as I need to. Welcome to Lacensebeef.com! They pride themselves on their 100% grass-fed beef. Their beef also contains no pesticides, antibiotics or hormones. It's because of places like this that I am happy to be, as Leah would say, a "Flexitarian."
• Wildedibles.com Where would I be without seafood? I love seafood! Don't be fooled, though. You cannot just go to the store and buy farm-raised fish. Make sure it's Wild! It's so important; farm-raised fish contains PCB's. You can learn all about these dangerous mixtures here.

Yesterday and today I have not been feeling fabulous. Yesterday and 1/2 of today I had a lot of fatigue. The 2nd part of today it was a little better. I'm still tired. My body has been a little achy, too. This morning I had every intention of hitting the gym. I felt sick when I got there. I made it through one set and that was it. I didn't feel very bloated today. My stomach has been a lot better, actually, lately. My right eye twitched just a tad today. My mouth was better than the 7/8 it was yesterday, but it was still about a 4/5 today. I was super hungry today, so I listened to my body and ate! I don't expect a miracle, especially since I made too many mistakes last weekend! I just have to be very patient right now.

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Fruit Fusion
• Protein Pancake with Coconut Oil
• Unsweetened applesauce
  
• Cafe Au Lait (Vanilla Soy + Stevia)

Lunch

• (Steamed) Spinach + sea salt
  
• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with XLean Turkey + dill

Snack

• Coconut-Hemp-Nutribiotic Vanilla Protein Smoothie
• Lean Turkey
• Apple

Snack 2

• Whole Foods Chicken
• 2 pieces each of: watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple
• Organic, Raw Carrot
  

Dinner

• Romaine Lettuce + spirulina
  
• Grilled Tuna + Spinach - cooked in Coconut Oil
  
• Maple Syrup + Balsamic Vinaigrette + Vanilla Extract
  
• Organic honeydew melon + mango
• Unsweetened applesauce

Protein Pancake

Day 99.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! And it should be, too. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I will never miss a breakfast meal.

I love pancakes. I used to love these Honey Wheat Pancakes at the Original Pancake House in Minnesota. I would eat a whole plate of them. Ryan would eat a whole plate of the Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Pancakes are like dessert for breakfast - cake in the morning - terrible sugar to get you going for the day!

Once I started working out a lot, I discovered Protein Pancakes. I made these almost every morning. They consisted of: 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 c. Oatmeal and 3 egg whites. I would cook them with Pan Spray and then use Sugar Free syrup to top them off. Better....I was surely on my way to a "healthier" pancake.

Fast forward to me finding out that Eggs are a huge no-no for me. Now what was I supposed to do?

Today I figured it out! And now, here's a great new breakfast for all of you Fitness Buffs (or non-fitness buffs) to try out:

• 1 serving Chocolate Nutribiotic Rice Protein
• 1/4 c. Bob's Rolled Oats
• 2 Tbsp Flax + 6 Tbsp Water (Yes, my egg substitute!)
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch stevia
  

I did not use any unnatural pan spray (but you need to use something, or it sticks too much - try Olive Oil Spray). I also did not use any unnatural syrups (Note: To make your own natural syrup, buy the flavor of fruit you like and freeze it. As it unthaws the leftover juice makes a great, natural syrup. ie. Blueberries). I literally just enjoyed the pancake as it was. Protein. Complex Carbs. Healthy Fats. My day started out fabulous!

Here was my day:

Breakfast (Post-Workout)

• 1/4 Fruit Fusion
• Protein Pancake
  
• Cafe Au Lait (Vanilla Soy + Stevia)

Lunch

• (Steamed) Spinach + ACV + sea salt
  
• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with XLean Turkey + dill
• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Light Milk, Flax, 4 raspberries and Stevia

Snack

• Coconut-Hemp Smoothie
• Lean Turkey
  

Dinner

• Organic, Raw Carrot
  
• Romaine Lettuce + spirulina
  
• Grilled Tuna + Spinach - cooked in Coconut Oil
  
• Maple Syrup + Balsamic Vinaigrette + Vanilla Extract
  
• Organic Apple

I'm starting to get fairly bloated. Left side pain today and bloat. My mouth is definitely annoyed again; about a 7/8 today. My right eye twitched a few times. I'm breaking out a little. Overall, the weekend has caught up with me:(

But hey, tomorrow is another day....and a glorious morning with my new Protein Pancake!