Allegiant Airlines

I am taking a moment to write something unrelated to food or fitness to tell you about the horrible service we received while flying on Allegiant airline recently.  On June 23, 2013, we were on a flight from Las Vegas to Boise in the early afternoon.  It was extremely hot.  As we were all boarding, the plane became increasingly more uncomfortable.  Most of the passengers were mildly grumbling about the lack of air flow coming from the overhead vents.  The flight attendants were gossiping at the front of the plane, giving no attention to their uncomfortable passengers.  Boarding was finished and they were preparing for departure.  At this point, most folks are in a full on sweat. 

Besides the heat and the gossiping crew, the flight attendants were rude and unhelpful.  I witnessed one flight attendant interact with a passenger regarding his knapsack.  He was in the front row where there is nowhere to place his carry-on.  I heard the attendant say, rather sternly, “Well, you’ll just have to go find a place for that!  You can’t hold it on your lap!”; which completely surprised me, as I have never heard a flight attendant say such a thing.  Normally, they say something like “let me help you find a place for that.” 

At this point, the heat is almost unbearable.  The air is so stagnant, I felt as though I could hardly breathe.  Even if we could have some warm air circulating through the cabin, it would be better than nothing.  I asked one attendant if we would get some air movement soon and she barely responded with something about the plane moving away from the gate.

The normal announcements commence.  At the end of the safety announcement, the attendant speaking on the intercom said to please let them know if there is anything they can do to make our flight more comfortable.  The entire plane pleaded “air -- turn on the air”.  Nothing was said to address our pleas.  As the attendants were walking the aisles performing their last check, I asked her politely and in earnest, when the air flow would begin.  She barely acknowledged me, as she was walking away, telling me that soon enough I would be complaining that it’s too cold!  I couldn’t believe that response.  This is supposed to be a service industry, is it not?  That was beyond rude & completely unprofessional!

After sweating us out with the extreme heat & lack of circulation, then they served refreshments; which, much to our surprise, were not complementary.  So, most of us (undoubtedly parched) went without because we didn’t want to pay $3.00 for a soda.  The flight attendant serving drinks acted irritated that I didn’t realize it was not complementary.  Then, the lady in front of me tried to hand the attendant some trash to which she was met with a snotty response that she did not have the trash bag ; and she actually refused to take the item from the lady.  I found this surprising because she had the cart right in front of her.  Every other flight I’ve been on has had a trash on the cart.  A place for the attendants to place their empties, etc.

Well, the flight proceeded and finally air flow did start to cool things off.  And, true to her word, it became so blistery cold that everyone who had a sweater, put it on.  It was frigid in that plane by the time we landed in Boise, but not one person said a word about it.  We just took our lumps like troopers.  I have no idea if the crew has control over the temperature in the plane, but it seemed like the attendants plummeted the thermostat on purpose – froze us out to be hateful & vengeful.  They really showed us!  Don’t you dare complain!  Not one single member of that crew made us feel valued.  No one made any attempt to explain the temperature issues.  Not a single word or announcement saying, “hey, folks, we know it’s hot, we are so sorry… we are working on the issue…” or “this is what’s going on… “, etc.  Not a word of explanation.

Finally, we landed in Boise.  Horrible experience over and they have the nerve to ask us to turn around and crisscross the seat belts so that they can better prepare for the turn-around flight right back to Vegas.  After being treated like that, I am not interested in making their job any easier.  Not one of those people should be in the service/safety/airline industry.  I found them hateful, rude and condescending.  We will never, ever fly with that airline again.

Final Week of the Reset!

I am so excited!  We have entered our final week for our Ultimate Reset experience.  Whew!  I'm so ready for the food to be changed up again.  I have to say, as good as the salads are, we are getting pretty tired of salad for lunch.  I'm looking forward to this week's meals.  They look delicious.  I will definitely be keeping quite a few of the recipes and rotate them in our normal meal plans even after this is over.  We will not be staying vegetarian, but we will have vegetarian meals more often.

We ran out of the supplements last week because my husband and I were sharing them.  I definitely feel a difference not taking them.  I don't have as much energy and I do get hungry more often.  So, the supplements are key.  I don't know how much weight we've lost because we don't have a scale, but my pants are fitting looser, so I would say maybe 5 lbs or so for me.  I didn't have much to lose.  The big result will be my husband's cholesterol numbers.  I will post an update when I know.

Day 7 of the Reset

OK, so I haven't taken pictures of the food as I had intended.  I'm usually so anxious to eat that I forget!  But, I did remember to take a shot of my half eaten lunch from day 2.  It was Greek Salad w/chicken breast.  It was, oh, so good!

Day 2 started out rough.  I fought a headache on day 1 and woke up on day 2 with nausea; which I'm sure was residual from the migraine.  I actually ended up having to take my nausea medicine after which, I felt much better.  Day 2 food was amazing! The Black Beans & Rice in a corn tortilla was Yum-O.  We all liked it.  We were all full and completely satisfied.

Day 3 began much better. I felt good.  Breakfast was satisfying; although I was tired of kale after the 2nd day of it with breakfast.  Dinner was a challenge.  Dinner consisted of Nori Rolls with Tempeh and Veggies, Japanese Cucumber Salad and Miso Soup.  Lots of seaweed!  None of us like the seaweed.  We all gave it the good ol' college try, but nope, no way, just can't do it!  So, we peeled the stuffing out of the seaweed wrap and it was really yummy without the seaweed.  The Miso soup was also a complete no go.  I tried the next night to make it better by adding some garlic and green onions, but it was just so beyond redemption for us that we couldn't make it happen.

The stir fry, the roasted root medley, and the zucchini cashew soup nights, along with the fruit plate breakfasts have been amazing - oh, & the oatmeal... so good.  I'd say more than half the food has been so good that I will make them even after the Reset.

Finally, we get to the baked tempeh!  The marinade is so icky... we choked it down.  The first two bites were ok, but after that... we're talking gag reflex issues.  So, I have a plan for the next night of Tempeh, which is tonight.  I'm gonna simplify the recipe and just try it with Himalayan salt.  I'll report back on how that experiment works.  Also, the salads have been amazingly good, but on day 7 we are so tired of salad for lunch we could scream.  I think we have salad every single day for lunch for the next 2 weeks.  Ugggh!  Although, in week 3 it looks like they switch it up with the types of salads, so that will be a nice respite.

The most difficult part for me, so far, has been not snacking in the evening after dinner.  I'm not hungry, but I crave something to chew.  Usually an apple or orange or gum, but since I can tell that I'm actually still full from dinner and we can't have gum, I have to stop myself.

Day 6 was the most difficult for me.  I wanted to give up.  It's not an easy thing to do... all this planning and prep work of new and unknown things.  It's a great deal of work in the evening to prep the following day's lunches and breakfasts, but I trudge on.  It does make it easier that my family is doing it together.  My son is eating breakfasts & dinners with us, but he is not taking the supplements.  He is 12 and he is noticing a difference in his mid-section and his acne.

Check back later in the week for information about the supplements!

Starting the Beachbody Ultimate Reset

This is Day 1 of my Ultimate Reset.  So far, the food has been amazing!  I'm full and I can't wait to try more recipes. If you don't know what the Ultimate Reset is, I'll explain briefly.  It is kind of a cleanse, but not in the way you would think.  You still eat food and plenty of it from what I can see so far.  The Reset is a way to slowly migrate your eating habits from processed, sugar, fat, "fake" food to real, fresh, wholesome foods.  Between the food and the supplements, my body will be eliminating all those nasty toxins. You can read more about it on Beachbody's website.  I'll keep you updated on my progress.  I wish I would've taken a picture of the food, but I didn't think to do it until just now, so I'll try to remember to do it from now on.  

During this 21 day Reset, I am looking forward to seeing any changes in my body's aches and pains.  As you may know, I have Sjogren's Syndrome (an auto-immune disorder), so I have my own set of challenges.  I take quite a few prescriptions and I have normal aches and pains.  I'm curious how resetting my body will affect how I feel.  I also struggle with severe fatigue due to Sjogren's, so that's another thing to monitor on this program.  I have recently had shoulder surgery, so I am also healing from that.  I got my doctors' blessings before ordering this program, so I'm good to go!

I feel full and satisfied - not hungry or craving anything right now.  I do have a headache and I feel really tired, but as I said, this is not unusual for me.  My shoulder aches and it is moving up my neck, so I don't think my headache or fatigue is related to the Reset.

More soon...

P.S. You may be thinking that I already eat pretty clean and that is true, but I do have my little addictions to sugar, dairy, breads, alcohol, etc. (i.e. candy at the movies, cheese, butter, pancakes w/syrup, carbonated flavored water).  This is a way to get back to my clean eating ways!

Hoisin-Chile Shrimp w/Green Beans & Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp orange zest
1/4 c orange juice
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp tamari
1 tsp chili-garlic paste
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3/4 lb green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp unsalted walnut pieces, toasted and chopped

Instructions:
In a small bowl, whisk orange zest, orange juice, hoisin sauce, tamari and chile-garlic paste; set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet or wok, heat oil on high. Add beans and stir-fry, stirring frequently for 4 minutes. Add 3 Tbsp of water and cook 4 more minutes. Add shrimp, green onions, and hoisin-chile mixture and stir-fry until shrimp are juicy and just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Top each serving with walnuts, divide evenly.

Beffy Lettuce Wraps

with Crisp-Roasted Fingerlings

This was surprisingly good.  I didn’t think I’d like it, but I did!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lb fingerling potatoes, scrubbed well
• 3/4 lb extra-lean ground sirloin (I just used the full pound)
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped (I always use less)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I usually use more)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 8 large leaves red leaf lettuce, rinsed in cold water and patted dry (I used lettuce from my garden – any will work fine)
• 12 oz jarred quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced

Instructions:

1.     Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and drizzle with 1 tsp oil.

2.     Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; place on sheet and rub all sides lightly in oil. Place potatoes cut side down and bake for 30 minutes or until tops are browned and skin is shriveled.

3.     Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium. Add sirloin and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, cumin, mint and salt and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until sirloin is cooked through and onion is translucent. Remove from heat and drain mixture in a fine-mesh sieve; discard drippings.

4.     Add 2 lettuce leaves to each of 4 plates. Place sirloin mixture in center of each leaf, dividing evenly (about 2 oz each). Top each with artichokes, pepper and tomatoes, dividing evenly. Fold edges of each leaf over toppings. Serve with aside of finger lings.

Honey Jalapeno Chicken Wraps

This was my absolute favorite!

Honey Jalapeno Chicken Wraps

• 2 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp of coconut oil (worth the money)
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp finely minced fresh jalapeno
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 4 6 in whole wheat tortillas
• 4 tsp grated low fat cheese

1. cut chicken breasts lengthwise into strips
2. place coconut oil in skillet over medium heat; add chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder. Thoroughly cook chicken, remove from skillet* and set aside.
3. combine honey, mustard, and jalapeno in small bowl*
4. heat fresh skillet over medium heat and place a tortilla in the pan
5. heat the tortilla for 30 secs, flip, and add 1/4 of chicken and 1 tsp of cheese
6. when the cheese is melted, remove from the pan, roll up and serve with dipping sauce on the side*.
7. Repeat for the remaining tortillas

* I actually just put the dipping sauce in the skillet with the chicken & combined.

Fiesta Chicken

Ingredients:
* Non-stick cooking spray
* 2 4-oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
* 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
* 1 lime
* 1 10-oz. can low-sodium diced tomatoes with green chilies
* 2 Tbsp. shredded low-fat Mexican blend cheese
* 1 cup cooked brown rice
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Coat a large ovenproof skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
2. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with garlic powder and 1/2 tsp. cumin.
3. Cook for 6 minutes on each side until done. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
4. Cut lime in half and squeeze evenly over chicken.
5. Add remaining 1/4 tsp. cumin and canned tomatoes to pan and cook for 1 minute.
6. Set rack 3 to 4" from heat source and preheat oven broiler.
7. Return chicken to pan. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken, sprinkle with cheese, and place under broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
8. Place 1/2 cup of rice on each play. Top each with chicken breast & garnish with fresh cilantro.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

from the P90X2 Nutrition Guide

So good!

Chicken BLT (Bean, Lettuce & Tomato)

with Smoky Tomato dressing

I didn't think I'd like this, but it was sooooo yummy!


Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 12oz Tomatoes 
• 1 C nonfat plain Greek yogurt
•  1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp natural smoked sea salt (which I didn't have -so, I used 1/4 tsp smoked paprika & 1/2 tsp sea salt.)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 C chopped chives 
• 1 large head Bibb lettuce, washed and dried well (I used the bag salad, the baby leaf stuff)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered and sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
• 1 15 oz can unsalted white beans (cannellini, great northern or navy), drained & rinsed

Instructions:

1. In a medium covered saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil (I salt the water).  Add chicken & reduce heat to low.  Poach, covered, until cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Remove chicken & set aside until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.  Cut into 1/2" cubes.
2. Prepare dressing: Quarter 1 tomato.  Add to a blender w/yogurt, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth, about 30 sec.  Stir in chives.
3. Dice remaining tomato.  Divide lettuce, cucumber, beans, chicken and tomato among 4 plates.  Toss each salad with a quarter of the dressing.

Help for Pull Ups!

I love this piece of equipment!

Chin-Up Max

Maximize every minute you spend on the chin-up bar. This tool gives you the right amount of adjustable support to help you strengthen and train muscles as you work toward unassisted moves. You can purchase this at Beachbody.com:  http://www.beachbody.com/category/fitness_gear/insanity-the-asylum-workout-equipment.do

P90X2 Breakfast Muffin Cups

1 cup cooked instant rice

1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheese

3 eggs

Nonstick cooking spray

3 Tbsp. low-fat milk

2 Tbsp. dice green chili or jalapeno

2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup browned ground chicken, turkey, or extra-lean ground beef

Preheat over to 400 F. In large bowl, combine 1 cup cooked rice, half of cheese, and 1 egg (beaten).

Lightly coat 6 cup muffin tins with cooking spray.

Press 1/6 of mixture into bottom and sides of each muffin cup.

Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 eggs and milk.

Add chilies, onion, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and remaining half of cheese to bowl and mix thoroughly; add 1/6 of mixture to each muffin cup.

Return to oven and bake 15-20 more minutes, or until set.

Simple Sunflower Seed Granola

Mighty little sunflower seeds have been shown to reduce the risk of developing asthma, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

INGREDIENTS:

·         3/4 cup sunflower seeds

·         1 1/2 cups oatmeal

·         1/4 cup ground flaxseed

·         1/2 cup dried cranberries

·         1/2 cup slivered almonds

·         1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

·         3 tbsp natural peanut butter

·         1/2 tsp fine sea salt

·         1/3 cup raw honey

·         1/2 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.    Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until evenly blended.

2.    Press mixture in a baking pan and bake for 40 minutes.  I think I used about a 9x13" pan.

Trail Mix Cookies

These cookies are soooooo good - you better make a double batch!

Ingredients:

1 cup Once Again Organic Sunflower Seed Butter

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dates, chopped

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup maple syrup

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1.       Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.

2.       Place all of the ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.

3.       Mix on medium speed until the ingredients are well incorporated.

4.       Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

5.       Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are set, but still soft.

6.       Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet.

7.       Enjoy!

*Vegetarian

*Gluten Free

*Dairy Free

Black Bean Soup

I've made many different black bean soups, but this one from Forks Over Knives is my favorite!

Ingredients:
1½ C chopped onions
1 C chopped carrots
1 C chopped celery
Six 15 oz. cans black beans
1 lb frozen corn
Four 16 oz. cans crushed tomatoes spiced with green chiles
2 banana peppers, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
3 bunches of greens (such as kale, collards or chard), chopped or torn w/stems removed - I used kale
½ to 1 C fresh cilantro - I didn't use that much - I might've used ½ that amount & I may have used dried.
Healthy corn chips - I use Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Chips at Costco


1.  Put 1 cup of the onions and the carrots, celery, black beans, corn, tomatoes and peppers into a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
2.  While the soup is cooking, saute the remaining ½ cup onions and the kale in a saucepan with a little vegetable broth or water for about 10 minutes.
3. Puree the cooked greens and fresh cilantro in a food processor.  Add blended greens to the soup and stir well.  Serve with crushed up corn chips mixed in.  (I didn't crush them - I just served them on the side).

Southwest Quinoa Salad

This is from Clean Eating Magazine

This gets better the second day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted, or 1 tsp ground cumin
• High-heat cooking oil (such as sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed oil), as needed to lightly coat grill grate
• 2 cobs fresh corn, husks and silk removed (or 1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed)
• 1 cup cooked black beans, drained
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 zucchini or yellow zucchini squash, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; add quinoa and cumin. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat an outdoor grill to medium-high and lightly oil grate with cooking oil. Add corn, close lid and grill, turning once, until tender and lightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, boil cobs in a large pot of simmering water. Cover and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes.) Let corn cool, then cut kernels from cob. 
4. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, corn kernels, beans, tomato, zucchini and onion. Pour lemon-cilantro dressing over top and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, or up to 2 days.

Sweet Potato Chips

I didn't think this would turn out, but they did and they are really good and super easy!


I used sweet potatoes, not yams.


Slice potatoes very thin.
Arrange in a single layer on a flat microwave-safe plate.
Microwave on high for approx. 7 minutes.


They suggest dressing them with balsamic vinegar, rice syrup & mustard, but I just sprinkled sea salt on them and they were delish! I tried to put a bunch layered in a glass pyrex, but they didn't get done as well as the single layer.

Sensational Herbed Bread

This recipe is from Forks Over Knives.  I would make it plain without any herbs next time.  It is delicious!

Ingredients:


3 cups whole wheat flour
½ tablespoon sage
½ tablespoon thyme
½ tablespoon basil
½ tablespoon oregano
1½ teaspoons dry yeast
2 teaspoon molasses
1¾ cups lukewarm water




Preparation:


1. Line a 9 × 5-inch bread pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine the flour, sage, thyme, basil, and oregano in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the molasses and water. Mix by hand to make a soft, slightly wet dough. Knead until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl clean and feels elastic. 

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the dough in the pan, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and leave in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake for about 35 minutes. Test to see if the bread is ready by tapping the top with your knuckles: the bread is done when it sounds hollow. 

VARIATION: Fresh herbs can also be used in this recipe, and for a slightly different taste, rosemary and chives can be substituted for the thyme and basil.

Time Flies

Wow!  I can't believe 2012 is half over and I haven't written since November!  Time flies.  I have been busy with family and friends and food and fitness.  I had a big birthday and I got to go to Hawaii with my family for Spring Break!

I'm still cooking and enjoying food and fitness.  We received our copy of P90X2 in December and began shortly after that.  I've done two rounds and I plan to start a hybrid combination of regular P90X and Plus with X2 Yoga and X2 Recovery mixed in.  The X2 program came with a really great nutrition guide with some great recipes in it.  I will try to share my favorites soon.  

I love X2 - phase one and three are my favorites.  I have; however, lost some of my ripped arms and abs.  It made me more elongated and streamlined, less chisel.  My legs have much more definition now.  My body seems more like a body that practices mostly yoga.  It will be fun to see how my body responds to switching back over to regular P90X - how it will evolve again.

I may have mentioned this before, but I watched a documentary, some time ago now, called Forks Over Knives.  It is on Netflix.  Check it out.  There is also a book of the same name.  I will share some of my favorite recipes from that as well.

I have been off the hormone replacement therapy now for a while.  They were giving me migraines.  On a kind of second thought, one of my doctors suggested I try Cymbalta for my anxiety.  I am now taking that along with my normal Mirtazapine and that combination seems to be what keeps the anxiety away.  It is amazing; however, I have gained about 5-10 lbs just since starting the combination.  I'm not too alarmed just yet, but it is definitely on my radar.  I'm feeling so good though, I hate to mess with it.

Hopefully, more soon.

Dealing with Loss & Comfort Food

 Well, I've had one crazy, busy, but still fun summer.  We traveled; which was awesome and I spent some time going to different doctors trying to find the right answers for my anxiety issues.  Luckily, my search led me to a wonderful doctor who has put me on some hormone replacement therapy and that seems to be the ticket.  We are still trying to get the right mix for me, but I know I'm feeling much better.  Yay!

My family and I were wrapping up our summer travels, just back from Boston (in September) when my dad unexpectedly ended up in the hospital.  He'd had a heart attack and within 10 days... he was gone.  This has been difficult and I'm dealing with it the best I can.  I'm so blessed to have brothers that I can lean on - not to mention all my wonderful family and friends that are always there for me - my aunts and uncles, my in-laws and my husband and son - just amazing!  Thank God for them all.

Through all of this grief and dealing with the loss (as well as the Fall weather), I've noticed that I'm craving comfort food.  You know what I mean.  We all have our own versions of it.  Mine has been stuff like mashed potatoes, meatloaf, roast, stew, fried chicken, mac and cheese, monte cristos... the list goes on...

I am allowing myself these comforts (in moderation) and making them a bit more healthy where I can.  I'm keeping my workouts fun and changing them up to keep them interesting.  I've started taking Shakeology and I'm loving the quality ingredients that I'm putting in my body.  I'm anxiously awaiting my copy of P90X2 to arrive by Christmas, so I can bring it up to the next level.  I'm learning to allow myself to grieve and when I feel like crying, I cry.  That sounds pretty basic, but it's not all that easy for me.  Tears and time bring healing.  I just have to give time... time.

What are some of your favorite "comfort foods" and how can you make them less naughty?

Agave Popcorn

If you like a sweet treat, like I do, you've got to try Agave Popcorn!  Yummo!  Just pop up some popcorn and drizzle some agave over it, stir.  It is soooo yummy and seems really naughty - like caramel corn.  I'm going to sprinkle a little cinnamon on it next time I make it - haven't tried that yet, but I bet it's good!

I don't have exact measurements.  I just go off how it looks and tastes.  Test it out for yourself.  Everybody's tastes are different.

Restrictive Diets

I recently read a book by Dr. Andrew Weil called Spontaneous Healing.  It is about osteopathic medicine; which is using treatments that support the mind-body connection in health and healing.  Instead of treating each symptom and medicating to suppress the symptom, it tries to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.  It is not Eastern medicine or homeopathic... it is a combination of some Eastern type theories, but used in conjunction with Western medicine. It uses hands-on healing, cranial manipulations, nutrition and supplements, among other things.  It's very fascinating.


I have found an Osteopathic clinic here that is covered under my insurance and I have had appointments with two docs.  One that specializes in the hands-on and breathing therapies - I'm learning how to relax and breathe properly.  Something that us folks with anxiety don't do very well.  Of course, we breathe, but we breathe very shallowly.  I have learned a breathing technique that allows me to breath more full, relaxed breaths from my diaphragm.  I'm finding it very helpful so far.


The other doc specializes in the nutrition aspect of it.  Besides upping a few of my vitamin dosages, she has me on an "elimination diet".  Most of which is pretty easy to follow since I already follow my "eat clean diet", but there have been a few difficulties (for me).  One is dairy - I like my eggs and yogurt.  The other is gluten - which I don't eat alot of because I don't eat processed food, but I do love my whole grains.  Chocolate is the other thing that I can't have.  I like a few dark chocolate chips in my yogurt as a dessert sometimes.  The funny thing is that I don't eat these things every day, but all of a sudden, when I'm told that I can't have them... it's a big deal!  It's a mental thing.  I've realized that I don't like being told what I can't have.  When I read something like my eat clean diet books and make up my own mind that I want change or eliminate a food, I'm fine; but being told what not to eat has been really difficult for me!


I keep telling myself that I can do it.  It's only for 3 weeks and I have actually discovered that I really like almond milk and coconut milk, so I might keep that in my fridge after the elimination diet is over.  Mental difficulties aside, I have actually been doing pretty well on this diet.  I find the most difficult meal to keep to it is dinner.  I wonder how effective it is if I still use a few of the restricted items in cooking?


How do you cope on such diets?  Do you find yourself wanting what you can't have?  Do replacements work to satisfy you?

Eat Clean Morning Glory Muffins

This is another favorite recipe from Tosca Reno.

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup whole wheat flour or Power Flour (I used Power Flour; which is a combination  of 5 different whole grain flours.)
3/4 cup oat bran cereal (I couldn't find oat bran cereal, so I used a 10 grain cereal that I found in the bulk section of WinCo.  I imagine one could use just oat bran, but I was looking specifically for "cereal".)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple pie spice (which is made by combining 1t cinnamon, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/4t allspice, 1/4t cardamom.  I just used pumpkin pie spice.)
1/2 cup Sucanat or rapadura sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

Wet Ingredients
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup plain kefir (I had to buy this at the co-op.  It is kind of like a runny yogurt, but thicker than buttermilk.)
1 egg white and 1 whole egg, well beaten
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped natural walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Prepare muffin tins by lining with silicon or paper liners, or by greasing with cooking spray. 
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
4. Combine all wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix well.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or your muffins will come out flat and rubbery.
6. Spoon batter into muffin cups until 3/4 full. Place in hot oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire cooling rack.

Put a shallow pan of water in the oven.  It helps the muffins rise better.

Makes 12 muffins. 

Nutritional value for one muffin:
Calories 187, Protein 7g, Total Fat 5g, Fiber 4g, Sodium 168 mg