Walking, Working and Eating!

We are having gorgeous weather here in the mid-west.... Sunny and low 70's!!
Over the weekend my hubby and I walked about 9 miles and I got in a 3 mile walk today after working hard at it for 5 hours of intense house cleaning-on the job..then when I got home I cleaned out two vehicles. One vehicle I readied to turn in because our lease is up and the other is our new used car which needed a good scrubbing and carpet cleaning. I could hardly stand up straight when I got finished, so I decided I got my workout in today :)
I think I'll sleep good tonight.

Today's eats~
a.m. smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, cacao nibs, mesquite, lucuma, maca, 1t. organic instant coffee
coconut kefir water
orange
banana
nori roll~1/2 avocado, marinated fennel, baby bella, roma tomatoes (Braggs,olive oil, agave)
1/2 cuke
2 celery sticks

Amazing Green Superfood smoothie~raw almond milk, 1 banana, 2 scoops of A.G.Superfood~chocolate, cacao nibs, mesquite, lucuma ~I drank this before cleaning the cars

My son make a veggie pizza~

Eggplant Bacon Ranch Pizza...not raw but I had to taste it!!amazing!

Thin crust~
Spread this on the crust~
Ranch Dressing~vegenaise, lemon juice, garlic clove~blended in Vita-mix (I usually add onion flakes or powder, but I didn't have any this time)`thin with water if needed
topped with~
Eggplant bacon
thin sliced tomatoes
red onion
soy crumbles
bake until brown~ or make an almost raw one with raw crackers & no soy crumbles..use walnut crumble Taco Meat recipe and warm it in the dehydrator

Little Cutie~mint chocolate chip~over the top today!
Coconut Water Kefir~

Resources, tools and trackers....

This week has flown by for me. I am sitting at the table with a bag of flax seed from the freezer on my knee. (instead of ice) I worked out a little too hard and evidently I didn't stretch adequately. Here is a reference guide to stretching and free videos to boot. This resource is from "The Spark People" a resource for all kinds of information and resources, and best of all it is free. This is not a raw food site, but the resources it provides are wonderful for anyone trying to embark upon a healthy lifestyle. It is like a cyber coach....one thing I didn't like about it was the ad's for prescription medication and for processed foods....but use discernment and do your own research.

I've been drinking lots of keifer water and using digestive enzymes lately and they have made a tremendous difference in my digestive health.
My water kefir grains have doubled already. If you are interested in water kefir, I highly recommend Marilyn the kefir lady. The grains are super healthy!!!

My diet has basically stayed the same. High Raw...more fruits than I previously posted. I've needed more carbs because of my new workout routine... and my new job is physical, so my energy expenditure has increased therefore I need more calories.

I've been enjoying the outdoors and walking more, Power 90, and doing Yoga.

My plan for today....skating with my daughter for three hours...oil change...and marriage conference with my wonderful hubby!
I hope you have a blessed day!

Benefits of Strength Training~Functional Fitness

Today my daughter and I worked out cleaning a home for 4 1/2 hours then we went for a brisk walk in the park. There were lots of people walking dogs and children were playing in the playground.
All of the trees are beginning to bud and everything is turning green and flowers are blooming. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. Everything comes back to life and shows it's beauty.
After our walk we did some shopping for fruits/veggies and some necessities and then back home.
time to go cop some zzzzzzzzzz's
good night


Yesterday's eats~
a.m. smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, chia seeds, cacao, mesquite, maca, lucuma,instant organic coffee

pineapple/blackberries/grapes/strawberries

16oz of Coconut kefir water/celery juice blend

Garlicky Italian Spaghetti Squash not raw~
1 spaghetti squash~steamed or baked until soft enough to remove
sliced black olives
diced roma tomatoes
earthbound olive oil blend
2-4 garlic cloves~I used 4 med.
Italian seasoning blend
oregano
basil
red pepper flakes
sorry no measurements~I just threw this together...it is good room temp/warm or cold

small piece of leftover RAW CHEESECAKE

40 mins. weight/strength training and 30 mins of power yoga

I have been faithful to my workouts since the beginning of March and I am beginning to see an improvement in my body composititon, tone and strength.
Prior to this I worked out, but only sporadically because of ups and downs in my health and my schedule. Things are clicking along right now and the weather is warming up. I do love to get outside and workout.
Follow this link for the Benefits of Strength Training. You will probably be amazed at the improvements this can make for your life/health.

There are many types of exercise out there. Find something you will do.

Here is a link to free Functional Fitness video's.
What is functional fitness? It's about teaching all the muscles to work together rather than isolating them to work independently.
This is for the purpose of strengthening and improving all muscles to function well in everyday activities, it improves athletic ability and core strength among many other benefits.

Resurrection Sunday!

Today many people are celebrating Resurrection Sunday or Easter. I am celebrating Jesus Christ Resurrection and how this has changed my life.
My husband got called in to work today and we were laughing about how he was going to make a name for himself in his new position at work by working on a holiday. He is known as one of the hardest workers at his company.
Well this was not so 11 years ago.
He said, "It is going to be funny when I die. The guys I used to work with 11 years ago are going to meet the men I work with today. They will say, I used to work with Jerry and he was one of the laziest, foulest guys at work and one of the men he works with today will say, he was one of the hardest working, decent guys we know."
This is just one of the ways Jesus Christ has worked in my husband's life.
My life has been radically transformed, too.
I will not discuss the details of my previous ways of living... just to say...they were unrighteous and an offence to God.
But God...
He gives me hope for the future and peace that literally passes all understanding. I've been through many hardships and trials... All three of my children had neurological disorders at a very young age, I've been through a difficult marriage and divorce and my own physical illnesses and failures. But God.
His death paid the cost of my sinful lifestyle against a Holy God...and then He changed my life and I have Hope for all eternity and blessings in this life too...more than I can count.
Nothing in this life compares to the greatness of knowing the Lord!
I hope you know Him today...and that He calls you His own.

If you want to know what it means to accept Christ as your Savior, check out this site

Raw Taco's & Coconut Kefir Celery Juice

It's rainy here, so I've been in my kitchen this morning. My kefir water just keeps on producing abundantly. I am so happy with my kefir grains from Marilyn the kefir lady. It is easy to make and delicious.
While making my Green celery juice this a.m. I decided to add some kefir water to it. Shaazam! Delicious!

Celery Juice~
celery
lime
ginger
liquid stevia

Then I added my pre-made Coconut Kefir water

Prior to juicing I soaked all my nuts and seeds to make Veggie Taco's

Taco Meat (original recipe idea from "How we all went Raw"~

3 c. soaked walnut , drained
1 1/2 T. cumin powder
1 1/2 T. coriander powder
3 T. Bragg's Liquid Amino's
1 T. dried cilantro (you can use fresh)

In food processor blend for about 15 seconds...it's ready when it looks like ground beef


Mock Sour Cream~this idea came from different recipes I found on the internet and I made my own version

1 1/2 c. Cashews soaked for 30 mins
1/2 c. water to thin..more if needed
3 T. lemon juice
1.2 t. salt
1 garlic clove
1T. dried basil
1T. dried dill

blend until creamy. store in a sealed container


Today~
a.m. smoothie~raw almond milk, banana, chia seeds, cacao nibs, 1t. instant organic coffee, mesquite

fresh pineapple and strawberries

16oz. coconut kefir/celery juice blend

Raw Tacos~
Romaine lettuce leaf as the shell, taco meat, Macho Nacho Sauce, diced tomatoes...yum, yum, yummy

Cheesecake pudding leftover from yesterday

Raw Cheesecake..and victory for my Husband! 31 lbs. weight loss!

Today was my husband's weigh in at work. He weighed in at 199 lbs. for a total loss of 31 lbs. He achieved this by eating a High Raw Vegan Diet.(with just a couple of incidents of seafood and chicken at our daughter's wwedding reception) I have chonicled some of his eating choices in earlier post. He began his journey back in mid-January. He feels so much better and is committed to this way of eating. He may not stay 100% Vegan...but pretty close.
So for this victory of staying with it I wanted to surprise him with a raw version of one of his favorite desserts.

So here is where I landed~

Just Like Cheesecake
By Emily Lee Angell ("The Complete Book of Raw Food")

Makes: 24 slivers

For the Crust:
2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup dates, pitted (medjools)
1/4 cup dried coconut

For the Cheese:
3 cups chopped cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt (optional)

For the Raspberry Sauce:
1 bag frozen raspberries (or use whatever berries you prefer)
1/2 cup dates

To make the crust, process the macadamia nuts and dates in the food processor. Sprinkle dried coconut onto the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan. Press crust onto the coconut. This will prevent it from sticking.

To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, gently warmed coconut oil (do not use microwave), vanilla, sea salt (if using), and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste.

Pour the mixture onto the crust. Remove air bubbles by tapping the pan on a table.

Place in the freezer until firm. Remove the whole cake from the pan while frozen and place on a serving platter. Defrost in the refrigerator.

Serve with Raspberry Sauce.

This book is worth the price!! So many wonderful recipes! over 400 recipes and 486 pages. This is one of my favorite recipe books.

Check out Sunny's Raw Kitchen for pictures and tips on preparing this treat! This recipe is from Sunny's site.

I modified mine a bit..
I used raw almonds in the crust
and a little less coconut..just because I didn't have it available.

I used the leftover cheesecake filling to make
Cheesecake Pudding for my children and me. I also made one extra so I can enjoy it with my husband as he celebrates his weight loss and his committment to his new lifestyle of eating a High Raw Diet

I placed the filling in Sundae dishes and topped it with Cacao sauce~
cacao, agave, maple syrup, vanilla & water to thin

Today~
a.m. smoothie~raw cacao almond milk, banana, chia, cacao nibs, organic decaf coffee

pineapple and kiwi

Blended salad~romaine, celery, tomato, tahini, Bragg's liquid Aminos, Lemon, shredded dulse

after my 40 workout with Tony Horton I drank a 16oz glass of

master cleanse lemonade~instant stuff I had on hand

Cheesecake Pudding~above

Good Friday!

Today many people around the world observe "Good Friday". Good Friday is the Friday prior to Christ's crucifixion. It is a day that Christians remember the sacrifice that was made for our sins. This is not just a once a year rememberance. It should be forefront in our minds and should help to govern our lives. Follow this link, "What is Good Friday" to learn more about this day and who Jesus Christ is.
Here is a song about my Jesus~
I hope you know Him~

It doesn't end here~He rose from the grave to give us eternal life...life abundantly~peace with God...Hope for the future.

A Visit to "Goodwill" and a 80 degree Day!!

Have you ever tried speed walking and trying to keep up with a thirteen year old on rollerblades??? :) What a great workout! Whew!
My daughter and I did this for an hour at our local park. We are having a beautiful day. It is 80 degrees and sunny. Prior to our walk we worked together cleaning a house for 4 fours. So, we are feeling pretty good about our physical activity level today. Tonight we will probably chill out and finish watching "Hello Dolly".

Oh yeah, we did go to Goodwill, and I found a Danskin workout top, brand new with the tags still on it for $3, oh yeah! Click on the link above to find one near you.


today's eats~
a.m. smoothie~raw almond milk/choc.milk blend...cacao & date, banana, chia seeds, cacao nibs,
16 oz green juice
4 kiwis
bowl of pineapple

veggie sub~loaded with veggies (whole grain bread-not my usual fare...so I took extra enzymes)

1/2 of an apple

Smoothie~same as above