We are getting geared up for our second year of juicing through New Years. It occurred to me that lots of people juice through New Years - just a different kind of juicing.
Ours involves fresh made juices made from organic fruits and veggies. We will do a 3 day juice "detox" which consists of 5-6 juices a day for the three days. It can add up to around 20 -40 pounds of produce in the 3 days.
We will follow that with eating "plant based" through January. That isn't a big change for us as we eat very little animal protein right now anyway. What will change is the popcorn will have coconut oil on it, we will only drink wine on weekends, and no dairy at all.
We originally had thought about no wine at all, but I was over-ruled by Pam. It's not like I fought her really hard on this, and if I elect not to drink any I can and still allow her hers.
Last year we did the detox and then raw food only for 4 weeks which will make this easy. The raw food is tough because January is soup and chili month around here.
We start Saturday morning with the juice and finish that Monday evening. We'll provide stats on any weight loss we experience and any side effects. Last year we lost 10 or 12 pounds each and kept it off all year. That would be great, but I'll settle for feeling great.
I haven't had a cold or flu since I started eating clean and exercising. This time of year in the past my lower legs looked like a reptile because of dry skin and I have no such issue now.
Here's a recipe.
Bean Burgers
1 can organic beans drained and rinsed- Black or Kidney (If you soak dried beans just cook them 30 minutes)
1/2 onion sauteed
6 mushrooms sauteed
Salt and Pepper
Whatever you want it to taste like. For a hamburger taste add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. For more of an Italian flavor use Balsamic vinegar with some basil, etc.
Mash the beans by hand so there are some larger chunks. Chop about 2/3s of the onions and mushrooms and add to the beans. Add the other part of the onions and mushrooms in the blender with the Worcestershire or Balsamic and puree. Add to the beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Make into patties. Cook in a little Olive oil for a couple minutes per side - I like to cover them so they warm better in the middle. If the mix seems a little dry add a little olive oil and it it's wet add a little bread crumbs or flour.
Enjoy.
More soon....
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Map To The Minefield
Does demanding to know what is in what you eat and drink mean you are scared? Does avoiding things that are known to be bad for you make you a chicken? Does avoiding iffy things until some actual testing can be done make you undaring?
Is it possible that the most blissful person is not the ignorant one?
When the ignorantly blissful person runs across the mine field and loses a leg is he still blissful?
It seems that the one person with NO reason to be afraid is the person well armed with information on how to avoid the potential pitfalls of life. The guy who knows where all of the mines are can easily navigate the minefield - right?
I would say that the people who are armed with necessary information are the ones that can be the most at ease - the most empowered of people. Where the disconnect seems to come for those looking at the people with the information is when they choose to share it with those they know and those they love.
Labels then tagged on those that share their information include "Health Nut" , "Tree Hugger", "Anti Job Knucklehead", "Liberal" , etc. I am well aware of these because I have used all of them and more.
When people first began warning us about the deforestation in the Amazon rain forests they were tree huggers. We joked about spotted owls tasting just like chicken. The polar ice melt was an overreaction by more of those environmentalists.
You have every right to choose NOT to listen to someone who chooses to share their information and you also can feel free to label them as whatever you need to to maintain your own sense of personal security. Understand, though, that they are not the frightened ones. They are the ones with the map to the minefield.
More soon.....
Is it possible that the most blissful person is not the ignorant one?
When the ignorantly blissful person runs across the mine field and loses a leg is he still blissful?
It seems that the one person with NO reason to be afraid is the person well armed with information on how to avoid the potential pitfalls of life. The guy who knows where all of the mines are can easily navigate the minefield - right?
I would say that the people who are armed with necessary information are the ones that can be the most at ease - the most empowered of people. Where the disconnect seems to come for those looking at the people with the information is when they choose to share it with those they know and those they love.
Labels then tagged on those that share their information include "Health Nut" , "Tree Hugger", "Anti Job Knucklehead", "Liberal" , etc. I am well aware of these because I have used all of them and more.
When people first began warning us about the deforestation in the Amazon rain forests they were tree huggers. We joked about spotted owls tasting just like chicken. The polar ice melt was an overreaction by more of those environmentalists.
You have every right to choose NOT to listen to someone who chooses to share their information and you also can feel free to label them as whatever you need to to maintain your own sense of personal security. Understand, though, that they are not the frightened ones. They are the ones with the map to the minefield.
More soon.....
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A Taste of Well Cooked Crow
As I get close to 2 years since my healthy light went on I have been reminded often of my old ways. I remember starting many sauces with bacon and fearing running out of bacon. Now I don't eat it at all and consider it poison.
I was no stranger to french fries either and now I am forced to agree with the likes of Jillian Michaels and say that they too are poison.
I drank too much and exercised too little and was sometimes even comforted with statistics that told of average yearly weight gain for men in the US.
I would sometimes Jones for Arby's Roast Beef sandwiches with Arby's sauce - 4 at a time.
I didn't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables. My main vegetable was canned tomatoes in my meat sauces,
I ate my share and then some of cured meats laden with nitrates and nitrites as well as fat and scoffed at those who warned of the downside of that saying things like "We're all gonna die from something. I'm going to enjoy mt life."
Here is the result of that.
So now I promote healthy eating and exercise. I research food and nutrition in an effort to avoid as many trips to the doctor as possible. I have stopped eating red meat and I don't drink hard alcohol. I rarely eat chicken or turkey and, when I do, I eat organic. I eat wild fish only and not a bunch of it either.
Am I a hypocrite for this? I would be if I wavered. If I went back and forth or justified some things without any reason.
Do I eat crow for this. Yes I do! I earned a large plate of crow through years of avoidance of the facts. In an age of information we all have a higher level of responsibility to find information that is readily available. Sure there is some crow to eat sometimes but in some cases crow is a good diet food.
More soon....
I was no stranger to french fries either and now I am forced to agree with the likes of Jillian Michaels and say that they too are poison.
I drank too much and exercised too little and was sometimes even comforted with statistics that told of average yearly weight gain for men in the US.
I would sometimes Jones for Arby's Roast Beef sandwiches with Arby's sauce - 4 at a time.
I didn't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables. My main vegetable was canned tomatoes in my meat sauces,
I ate my share and then some of cured meats laden with nitrates and nitrites as well as fat and scoffed at those who warned of the downside of that saying things like "We're all gonna die from something. I'm going to enjoy mt life."
Here is the result of that.
So now I promote healthy eating and exercise. I research food and nutrition in an effort to avoid as many trips to the doctor as possible. I have stopped eating red meat and I don't drink hard alcohol. I rarely eat chicken or turkey and, when I do, I eat organic. I eat wild fish only and not a bunch of it either.
Am I a hypocrite for this? I would be if I wavered. If I went back and forth or justified some things without any reason.
Do I eat crow for this. Yes I do! I earned a large plate of crow through years of avoidance of the facts. In an age of information we all have a higher level of responsibility to find information that is readily available. Sure there is some crow to eat sometimes but in some cases crow is a good diet food.
More soon....
Monday, December 19, 2011
Suntop Snowshoe
Something masochistic came over us so we chose to do a snowshoe trip to Suntop near Crystal Mountain yesterday. It ended up being 9.85 miles round trip with 2520 feet of elevation gain. That isn't much for us for a hike or later in the season snowshoe, but after a meager 4.75 mile snowshoe on Mt Rainier with little elevation gain it was hard.
It certainly didn't help that we were on a mucho rapido pace. We made it up - half way since it is an out and back trip - in 3 hours including a couple of 5 minute calorie stops after one and two hours. We hung out for a quick lunch - 25 minutes - and descended in under 2 hours.
After an obligatory and much deserved stop for a beer and some soup at the Naches Tavern in Greenwater we headed home. Nearly 2 hours drive each way put us home around 6 PM. We showered, ate, watched a little TV with a glass of wine and hit the sack.
When I woke up this morning I felt like I was on the losing end of a street fight - sore all over. It's not like I am so stiff I couldn't get stuff done, but it was done with more difficulty than normal. At least it was good exercise pain.
More soon...
It certainly didn't help that we were on a mucho rapido pace. We made it up - half way since it is an out and back trip - in 3 hours including a couple of 5 minute calorie stops after one and two hours. We hung out for a quick lunch - 25 minutes - and descended in under 2 hours.
After an obligatory and much deserved stop for a beer and some soup at the Naches Tavern in Greenwater we headed home. Nearly 2 hours drive each way put us home around 6 PM. We showered, ate, watched a little TV with a glass of wine and hit the sack.
When I woke up this morning I felt like I was on the losing end of a street fight - sore all over. It's not like I am so stiff I couldn't get stuff done, but it was done with more difficulty than normal. At least it was good exercise pain.
More soon...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
And Now The Beverages
Here are more easy ways to lose weight - this time with drinks. The ONLY liquid your body needs is water. Mine wants some red wine and occasionally a beer, but needs only water. We all like something different from time to time, but it is a good place to look for some easy pound savings.
Let's start with me. I like my red wine. An average bottle of wine is 750 ml or about 4 6 oz servings of 150 calories each. I generally have 2 glasses per night or 300 calories of wine. If I cut that to one glass per night I would save over 50,000 calories in a year or about 14 pounds.
Duck now my Rum and Coke drinkers. A Rum and Coke - 1 shot and 6 oz coke is 160 calories. I know you're not having one because that would leave a flat half a can of Coke. An easy switch is to wine or beer, but if it must be Rum and Coke make it diet and save 100 calories each drink. Since we know you are having 2 every night that means 200 calories or over 70,000 a year for about 20 pounds.
Margaritas used to be my favorite drink but they are 550 calories each. I was always good for 4 or so in a night, but luckily not every night. Since they are a once or twice a week drink lets count the benefits that way. If you switched to Bloody Marys you would save 475 calories each. A mojito will save you 300 calories each. If you have 2 a week and you switch to Mojitos you will save over 30,000 calories a year or 8-9 pounds.
If you are drinking Bud Light to try to save calories switch to red wine. At 120 calories per BL you are drinking tasteless crap for no apparent reason. The worse micro beer you can drink calorie wise is maybe 200. It seems hardly worth it to save calories there. Do this instead - swap every other beer with water and drink good beer. That will save you 20 calories and you'll enjoy the product better and NOT look like an advertising lemming.
The water switch every other drink is great for a ton of reasons. First, alcohol dehydrates you so the water helps there. Second, it is filling causing you to not eat or drink as much other stuff.
Just some ideas you might find useful - or not - your choice.
More soon....
Let's start with me. I like my red wine. An average bottle of wine is 750 ml or about 4 6 oz servings of 150 calories each. I generally have 2 glasses per night or 300 calories of wine. If I cut that to one glass per night I would save over 50,000 calories in a year or about 14 pounds.
Duck now my Rum and Coke drinkers. A Rum and Coke - 1 shot and 6 oz coke is 160 calories. I know you're not having one because that would leave a flat half a can of Coke. An easy switch is to wine or beer, but if it must be Rum and Coke make it diet and save 100 calories each drink. Since we know you are having 2 every night that means 200 calories or over 70,000 a year for about 20 pounds.
Margaritas used to be my favorite drink but they are 550 calories each. I was always good for 4 or so in a night, but luckily not every night. Since they are a once or twice a week drink lets count the benefits that way. If you switched to Bloody Marys you would save 475 calories each. A mojito will save you 300 calories each. If you have 2 a week and you switch to Mojitos you will save over 30,000 calories a year or 8-9 pounds.
If you are drinking Bud Light to try to save calories switch to red wine. At 120 calories per BL you are drinking tasteless crap for no apparent reason. The worse micro beer you can drink calorie wise is maybe 200. It seems hardly worth it to save calories there. Do this instead - swap every other beer with water and drink good beer. That will save you 20 calories and you'll enjoy the product better and NOT look like an advertising lemming.
The water switch every other drink is great for a ton of reasons. First, alcohol dehydrates you so the water helps there. Second, it is filling causing you to not eat or drink as much other stuff.
Just some ideas you might find useful - or not - your choice.
More soon....
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Huge Payoff Easy Changes
I realize that not everyone is going to eat mainly organic plant based food for their diet. Some of you - and you know who you are- are going to have your daily doughnut or your once a week Family Pizza Night or a trip to the fast food joint for a burger and fries.
Here is an easy way to make tiny changes that really add up.
Let's say you are the doughnut person. If you skip just one doughnut every week for a year you will save 15600 calories or about 5 POUNDS! You will also be nice to your body by not ingesting 850 grams of fat, 20,000 milligrams of sodium and 832 grams of sugar. If your favorite is the Maple Bar you save 24000 calories - 7 or 8 pounds, 1500 grams of fat, 27000 milligrams of sodium and almost 600 grams of sugar.
On Family Pizza night eat one slice less every week and you'll save another 15,600 calories - 5 pounds - 800 grams of fat, 38000 milligrams of sodium and 200 grams of sugar.
If you just skip a medium fry with your burger you will save 22,204 calories - about 7 pounds - 1200 grams of fat and 13520 milligrams of sodium.
Maybe you are all three of these guys and the maple bar is your pick. If you cut one maple bar, 1 slice of pizza and 1 medium fry a week for a year you save 61,724 calories or almost 18 POUNDS! You will also miss over 4500 grams of fat, 78000 milligrams of sodium and a bunch of sugar.
Without changing anything else or doing one jumping jack you could lose 35 pounds in 2 years! Is it worth it? Are YOU worth it?
More soon....
Here is an easy way to make tiny changes that really add up.
Let's say you are the doughnut person. If you skip just one doughnut every week for a year you will save 15600 calories or about 5 POUNDS! You will also be nice to your body by not ingesting 850 grams of fat, 20,000 milligrams of sodium and 832 grams of sugar. If your favorite is the Maple Bar you save 24000 calories - 7 or 8 pounds, 1500 grams of fat, 27000 milligrams of sodium and almost 600 grams of sugar.
On Family Pizza night eat one slice less every week and you'll save another 15,600 calories - 5 pounds - 800 grams of fat, 38000 milligrams of sodium and 200 grams of sugar.
If you just skip a medium fry with your burger you will save 22,204 calories - about 7 pounds - 1200 grams of fat and 13520 milligrams of sodium.
Maybe you are all three of these guys and the maple bar is your pick. If you cut one maple bar, 1 slice of pizza and 1 medium fry a week for a year you save 61,724 calories or almost 18 POUNDS! You will also miss over 4500 grams of fat, 78000 milligrams of sodium and a bunch of sugar.
Without changing anything else or doing one jumping jack you could lose 35 pounds in 2 years! Is it worth it? Are YOU worth it?
More soon....
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Exorcising The Frozen Paperboy Inside
I can't remember exactly how old I was when this happened, but it stuck with me since. What I do remember well is that while the Post Office didn't deliver mail that particular day - so much for rain nor sleet - the Tacoma News Tribune trucks made it to the paper boxes so we were to deliver the papers.
In Tacoma snow usually doesn't last long. This day it had snowed for a couple of days and was warming up this day. There had been about 12-18 inches which was quickly turning to slush. We delivered the papers in the afternoon during the week then. There was no way to ride a bike and driving was treacherous so we slogged through the snow on foot.
A route that would normally take me maybe a hour was closer to 2 hours that day. There was no "getting used to it." It got colder and colder as I got wetter and wetter. It didn't make it better that I had a couple of brothers out doing the same thing on their parts of our route.
When the water finally wicked all of the way up my pant legs I still had a good third of the route to go and despair was upon me. Again, I don't remember exactly how old I was but I do remember crying most of the rest of the way home. Not that crying is a warming thing, but shaking and teeth rattling doesn't seem complete without crying.
Luckily for them none of my customers complained about their papers being a little late or a little wet. I'm sure I would have had a psychotic break and killed them if they had.
I got home that day and filled the tub with hot water and soaked, but I don't think I have ever really felt completely warm since. Because of that I have always avoided the cold for more than a little sledding.
Enter Pam and her buddies going snowshoeing and inviting me along. My excuse was always that day from my childhood.
Sunday it occurred to me as we snowshoed around Reflection Lake at Mount Rainier that my little cold paperboy had made his peace with the snow. I'm not sure he will ever get fully warm, but him and snow are OK now.
More soon....
In Tacoma snow usually doesn't last long. This day it had snowed for a couple of days and was warming up this day. There had been about 12-18 inches which was quickly turning to slush. We delivered the papers in the afternoon during the week then. There was no way to ride a bike and driving was treacherous so we slogged through the snow on foot.
A route that would normally take me maybe a hour was closer to 2 hours that day. There was no "getting used to it." It got colder and colder as I got wetter and wetter. It didn't make it better that I had a couple of brothers out doing the same thing on their parts of our route.
When the water finally wicked all of the way up my pant legs I still had a good third of the route to go and despair was upon me. Again, I don't remember exactly how old I was but I do remember crying most of the rest of the way home. Not that crying is a warming thing, but shaking and teeth rattling doesn't seem complete without crying.
Luckily for them none of my customers complained about their papers being a little late or a little wet. I'm sure I would have had a psychotic break and killed them if they had.
I got home that day and filled the tub with hot water and soaked, but I don't think I have ever really felt completely warm since. Because of that I have always avoided the cold for more than a little sledding.
Enter Pam and her buddies going snowshoeing and inviting me along. My excuse was always that day from my childhood.
Sunday it occurred to me as we snowshoed around Reflection Lake at Mount Rainier that my little cold paperboy had made his peace with the snow. I'm not sure he will ever get fully warm, but him and snow are OK now.
More soon....
Monday, December 12, 2011
Don't Hate The Player - Hate The Simple Carbs
Did you know that the ONLY food your brain can use is carbohydrates? Really. In this us v them world of low fat v low carb diets some sanity need to prevail.
What you need to know about carbs is that your intake of simple carbs which are essentially sugars even though they take the shape of white rice, white bread and flour, potatoes, etc., should only make up 10% or less of your total caloric intake. It's better to limit them to less than that, but 10% is the limit.
Most processed and fast foods are full of simple carbs which is only one reason why they suck as food. The other reason is that they have had their structure altered to the point where you get no real nutrition from them. They are also regularly LOADED with sodium.
Complex carbohydrates provide most of the energy that your body needs. They should make up 55 - 60% of your total caloric intake. They include fresh vegetables and fruits, brown rice, whole grains, beans, and other foods. They provide not only fuel but fiber which is necessary for a healthy digestive system.
Healthy digestion is the key to health as most of you ability to fight diseases is controlled by the health of your digestive system. Your "gut" is the first line of defense against diseases both seasonal and chronic. The fiber in complex carbohydrates works like a plunger to flush your colon and help keep you well.
The great news is that brown rice and wild rice actually taste better than the white stuff and the same goes for whole grain breads as opposed to the white stuff. Agave nectar and honey are better tasting than sugar too.
I promise that if you cut the simple carbs and sugars and bad fats for 2 weeks you won't miss them anymore. It's like cigarettes that way. You may be cranky and irritable for 2 weeks but you'll come around and be much healthier in a real and sustainable way. No more dieting - just a way to eat that works forever. Less meds and more energy! Sounds good, doesn't it?
More soon....
What you need to know about carbs is that your intake of simple carbs which are essentially sugars even though they take the shape of white rice, white bread and flour, potatoes, etc., should only make up 10% or less of your total caloric intake. It's better to limit them to less than that, but 10% is the limit.
Most processed and fast foods are full of simple carbs which is only one reason why they suck as food. The other reason is that they have had their structure altered to the point where you get no real nutrition from them. They are also regularly LOADED with sodium.
Complex carbohydrates provide most of the energy that your body needs. They should make up 55 - 60% of your total caloric intake. They include fresh vegetables and fruits, brown rice, whole grains, beans, and other foods. They provide not only fuel but fiber which is necessary for a healthy digestive system.
Healthy digestion is the key to health as most of you ability to fight diseases is controlled by the health of your digestive system. Your "gut" is the first line of defense against diseases both seasonal and chronic. The fiber in complex carbohydrates works like a plunger to flush your colon and help keep you well.
The great news is that brown rice and wild rice actually taste better than the white stuff and the same goes for whole grain breads as opposed to the white stuff. Agave nectar and honey are better tasting than sugar too.
I promise that if you cut the simple carbs and sugars and bad fats for 2 weeks you won't miss them anymore. It's like cigarettes that way. You may be cranky and irritable for 2 weeks but you'll come around and be much healthier in a real and sustainable way. No more dieting - just a way to eat that works forever. Less meds and more energy! Sounds good, doesn't it?
More soon....
Friday, December 9, 2011
Another Adaptation
It's been cold around here lately and that means one thing - comfort food. Since I don't eat junk anymore I have to reinvent recipes. My latest is Red Beans and Rice - the southern classic. The junk I needed to cut out are bacon and sausage. So here is what I did instead.
Rice and Four Beans
1 Medium Red Onion
1 Bell Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp Chili Powder - mine is a little hotter than most. If your sauce is too mild add cayenne
1 Tsp Cumin
30 oz Diced Organic Tomatoes
1 can Organic Black beans
1 cup Truroots Sprouted Bean Trio cooked per instructions
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 Tbsp Basil
Worcestershire Sauce to taste - optional
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Steamed Organic Brown Rice - I use the Short grain organic brown rice from Costco.
Saute Onions and pepper in Olive oil for 3 minutes on high and then add garlic for one minute. Add Tomatoes and spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add beans and herbs and season to taste. Use Louisiana hot sauce for final heat adjustment. It should be spicy. Serve over steamed brown rice and warm up!
More soon....
Rice and Four Beans
1 Medium Red Onion
1 Bell Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp Chili Powder - mine is a little hotter than most. If your sauce is too mild add cayenne
1 Tsp Cumin
30 oz Diced Organic Tomatoes
1 can Organic Black beans
1 cup Truroots Sprouted Bean Trio cooked per instructions
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 Tbsp Basil
Worcestershire Sauce to taste - optional
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Steamed Organic Brown Rice - I use the Short grain organic brown rice from Costco.
Saute Onions and pepper in Olive oil for 3 minutes on high and then add garlic for one minute. Add Tomatoes and spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add beans and herbs and season to taste. Use Louisiana hot sauce for final heat adjustment. It should be spicy. Serve over steamed brown rice and warm up!
More soon....
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Her Regal Highness
Athena was able to add fans this morning while dragging me 6.7 miles in 1:24. She has fans all over and peeps as well. The difference is that a fan is someone who has looked upon her regalness (regality?) and smiled. They become peeps when she has licked them and clowned on them.
She is convinced that cars that are slowing to stop at a corner are actually slowing down to gaze upon her and smile. She doesn't know - nor will I ever tell her - that the smiles are for her but the slowing is a function of driving.
This new system I have for walking with her has actually helped my posture and my core strength. As we blaze along at close to - and sometimes over- 5 MPH I actually have to resist her from going faster. With my leash belt set just above my waist I am forced to walk nicely erect and use my core to resist her.
I realize of course that this approach is no way to train a dog to walk on lead. I also realize that Athena is never going to be a dog that you would walk like that anyway. She overreacts to every dog, cat and squirrel she encounters along the way. There is no dog park in her future. She doesn't want to play with other dogs as much as she wants to take them on.
Our exercise program may not work for many people and their dogs, but people who run with their dogs would enjoy the freedom of having both hands free. Others who want to get exercise but have a relatively incorrigible dog should try this out.
Dogs walking at their own pace are blissful and appreciative. They relax after their workout and cut you some slack as well. Walking at a dogs pace takes some working into. You can't expect to jump right in and walk 5 MPH. I remember being so proud of myself when I was walking at 4 MPH regularly thinking I was fast and near the upper end of what's possible. I now think that 5.3 or 5.4 is possible without running.
I think I have some sort of sickness. Oh that's right, I'm obsessive.
More soon....
She is convinced that cars that are slowing to stop at a corner are actually slowing down to gaze upon her and smile. She doesn't know - nor will I ever tell her - that the smiles are for her but the slowing is a function of driving.
This new system I have for walking with her has actually helped my posture and my core strength. As we blaze along at close to - and sometimes over- 5 MPH I actually have to resist her from going faster. With my leash belt set just above my waist I am forced to walk nicely erect and use my core to resist her.
I realize of course that this approach is no way to train a dog to walk on lead. I also realize that Athena is never going to be a dog that you would walk like that anyway. She overreacts to every dog, cat and squirrel she encounters along the way. There is no dog park in her future. She doesn't want to play with other dogs as much as she wants to take them on.
Our exercise program may not work for many people and their dogs, but people who run with their dogs would enjoy the freedom of having both hands free. Others who want to get exercise but have a relatively incorrigible dog should try this out.
Dogs walking at their own pace are blissful and appreciative. They relax after their workout and cut you some slack as well. Walking at a dogs pace takes some working into. You can't expect to jump right in and walk 5 MPH. I remember being so proud of myself when I was walking at 4 MPH regularly thinking I was fast and near the upper end of what's possible. I now think that 5.3 or 5.4 is possible without running.
I think I have some sort of sickness. Oh that's right, I'm obsessive.
More soon....
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Soup Weather
We're nearing the shortest day of the year, and it's just cold outside. That means soup to me. I decided on making a soup I hadn't made before. Like all of my "test" recipes I made a huge pot full of soup. I might be a touch braver in the kitchen than most. Here's what I made.
Spicy Vegetable Soup
1 good sized Organic leek
6 stalks of Organic celery
6 Organic carrots
10 Organic Mushrooms
2 quarts Organic Vegetable Stock
16 oz water
1 can Organic Garbanzo Beans
1 Can Organic Diced Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Organic Turmeric
1 pinch Red Chili Flakes
1 Batch of Truroots Organic Bean Trio (1 cup beans cooked per instructions)
1 Batch of Truroots Organic Quinoa and Sprouted Rice Blend (1 cup mix cooked per instructions)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Chop and saute the leek, carrots and celery in olive oil in a large pot for 2 - 3 minutes on high heat. add tomatoes and cook for a minute or 2 more. Add the stock, water, garbanzos and sliced mushrooms. Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to medium low. salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare the Bean Trio and Quinoa/Rice blend per instructions. This will take about 1/2 hour to complete. When the beans and rice are done add the turmeric and red pepper flakes to the soup and then add the beans and the quinoa.rice blend and stir in. Allow to cook for at least 5 minutes before serving to allow the last ingredients to incorporate into the soup.
This makes a bunch of soup. Soup freezes well. If you choose to freeze some allow it to cool to room temperature, get as much air as you can from the container - ziplock- you are freezing it in and freeze away.
This soup has no animal product in it so it qualifies as vegan. You could switch the stock for chicken stock if you are offended by eating vegan soup. If you do reduce the salt you add. You could add green beans, corn, peas, etc as well. Only you know what your pallet wants.
The turmeric and red chili flakes give it a nice spicy - maybe light curry - flavor. It has a nice rich medium yellow color. You could also go more southwest and switch the turmeric for curry. If you wanted to go more Italian skip the turmeric and add lots of basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley.
That is about 6 soup recipes now.
The sprouted beans and the Quinoa sprouted rice blend are available at Costco - at least they are at my Costco. The brand is Truroots Organic. They can be found online as well at Amazon.com and others.
Stay warm and remember we are only a couple of weeks away from when the days will begin to get longer for a while.
More soon....
Spicy Vegetable Soup
1 good sized Organic leek
6 stalks of Organic celery
6 Organic carrots
10 Organic Mushrooms
2 quarts Organic Vegetable Stock
16 oz water
1 can Organic Garbanzo Beans
1 Can Organic Diced Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Organic Turmeric
1 pinch Red Chili Flakes
1 Batch of Truroots Organic Bean Trio (1 cup beans cooked per instructions)
1 Batch of Truroots Organic Quinoa and Sprouted Rice Blend (1 cup mix cooked per instructions)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Chop and saute the leek, carrots and celery in olive oil in a large pot for 2 - 3 minutes on high heat. add tomatoes and cook for a minute or 2 more. Add the stock, water, garbanzos and sliced mushrooms. Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to medium low. salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare the Bean Trio and Quinoa/Rice blend per instructions. This will take about 1/2 hour to complete. When the beans and rice are done add the turmeric and red pepper flakes to the soup and then add the beans and the quinoa.rice blend and stir in. Allow to cook for at least 5 minutes before serving to allow the last ingredients to incorporate into the soup.
This makes a bunch of soup. Soup freezes well. If you choose to freeze some allow it to cool to room temperature, get as much air as you can from the container - ziplock- you are freezing it in and freeze away.
This soup has no animal product in it so it qualifies as vegan. You could switch the stock for chicken stock if you are offended by eating vegan soup. If you do reduce the salt you add. You could add green beans, corn, peas, etc as well. Only you know what your pallet wants.
The turmeric and red chili flakes give it a nice spicy - maybe light curry - flavor. It has a nice rich medium yellow color. You could also go more southwest and switch the turmeric for curry. If you wanted to go more Italian skip the turmeric and add lots of basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley.
That is about 6 soup recipes now.
The sprouted beans and the Quinoa sprouted rice blend are available at Costco - at least they are at my Costco. The brand is Truroots Organic. They can be found online as well at Amazon.com and others.
Stay warm and remember we are only a couple of weeks away from when the days will begin to get longer for a while.
More soon....
Monday, December 5, 2011
We're Not Worthy
Scientists have found a new planet in another universe that appears to be habitable. http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/05/first-planet-in-habitable-zone-discovered/?hpt=hp_t2
Even if we could make our way there I don't think we should. WE"RE NOT WORTHY. I hate to quote Wayne's World, but seriously we can't be trusted with another planet. Just look at what we've done to ours.
Do you know that the Colorado River quit flowing into the Sea of Cortez in 1998. It just stops now. This isn't some little creek that quit making it to a river or something. This the the Colorado!
We all know that the fossil fuel age is ending and we do NOTHING but look for new ways to squeeze a little more from sources we all know are too dirty and destructive to use - oil sands for instance. Once we squeeze this crap from the sands - which is an environmental nightmare - we pipe it through virgin forests to the coast where tankers 10 times as large as the Exxon Valdez pull up to ship it off to the highest bidder - China. They won't crash and cause a spill - will they?
We are less than 50 years from running out of clean drinking water and yet we don't protect and rehabilitate the one basic necessity of life we license it to Coke, Pepsi and Nestle so they can package it in toxic bottles and sell it back to us at 1000% more than it costs from the tap. That way we can add another 25 billion empty water bottles to our already full land fills. We do recycle almost 20% of them - aren't we special?
Some of you are saying "what do you mean the one basic human necessity Paul?" I'll concede that we need food and shelter as well, but without water you cannot digest the food that you couldn't grow anyway so you won't need shelter either. Get it?
So, we should do the right thing if we ever get an opportunity to colonize another planet and leave it for a race of beings that has a little more respect and a little less sense of entitlement.
More soon....
Even if we could make our way there I don't think we should. WE"RE NOT WORTHY. I hate to quote Wayne's World, but seriously we can't be trusted with another planet. Just look at what we've done to ours.
Do you know that the Colorado River quit flowing into the Sea of Cortez in 1998. It just stops now. This isn't some little creek that quit making it to a river or something. This the the Colorado!
We all know that the fossil fuel age is ending and we do NOTHING but look for new ways to squeeze a little more from sources we all know are too dirty and destructive to use - oil sands for instance. Once we squeeze this crap from the sands - which is an environmental nightmare - we pipe it through virgin forests to the coast where tankers 10 times as large as the Exxon Valdez pull up to ship it off to the highest bidder - China. They won't crash and cause a spill - will they?
We are less than 50 years from running out of clean drinking water and yet we don't protect and rehabilitate the one basic necessity of life we license it to Coke, Pepsi and Nestle so they can package it in toxic bottles and sell it back to us at 1000% more than it costs from the tap. That way we can add another 25 billion empty water bottles to our already full land fills. We do recycle almost 20% of them - aren't we special?
Some of you are saying "what do you mean the one basic human necessity Paul?" I'll concede that we need food and shelter as well, but without water you cannot digest the food that you couldn't grow anyway so you won't need shelter either. Get it?
So, we should do the right thing if we ever get an opportunity to colonize another planet and leave it for a race of beings that has a little more respect and a little less sense of entitlement.
More soon....
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Hmmm Pancackes!
I woke up wanting pancakes. This was a problem because I perfected pancakes over many years. The trick is to use whole milk, butter, raw sugar and to separate the eggs so you can beat the whites and fold them in to make the batter fluffy.
Since I am not eating eggs, milk or butter I had to find a new way. I was able to make really good pancakes with whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, soy milk and olive oil instead. They were fluffy and light like you want and without the animal stuff I am not eating.
The recipe:
1 cup Whole Wheat flour - organic is best
1 cup Brown Rice flour - ditto
2 cups soy creamer
1 tbsp Agave nectar - you can use honey or maple syrup as well
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp water
4 tsp baking powder.
Stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Mix the wet in with the dry and don't over mix. Lumps are OK here. They will have a little time to go away.
Heat the griddle and oil lightly. Ladle the batter. Cook until good and tan - turn and wait until the pancake pops back when you touch it.
Enjoy them! You CAN feed your Vegan friends!
Last year Pam and I did a 3 day juice cleanse over New Years and then ate Raw food only through January. This year we plan to do plant based foods only. The difference is that we will be able to cook more than last time. We will abstain from alcohol and coffee as well. I'll keep you all up to date on what we are eating, etc. like last time.
More soon....
Since I am not eating eggs, milk or butter I had to find a new way. I was able to make really good pancakes with whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, soy milk and olive oil instead. They were fluffy and light like you want and without the animal stuff I am not eating.
The recipe:
1 cup Whole Wheat flour - organic is best
1 cup Brown Rice flour - ditto
2 cups soy creamer
1 tbsp Agave nectar - you can use honey or maple syrup as well
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp water
4 tsp baking powder.
Stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Mix the wet in with the dry and don't over mix. Lumps are OK here. They will have a little time to go away.
Heat the griddle and oil lightly. Ladle the batter. Cook until good and tan - turn and wait until the pancake pops back when you touch it.
Enjoy them! You CAN feed your Vegan friends!
Last year Pam and I did a 3 day juice cleanse over New Years and then ate Raw food only through January. This year we plan to do plant based foods only. The difference is that we will be able to cook more than last time. We will abstain from alcohol and coffee as well. I'll keep you all up to date on what we are eating, etc. like last time.
More soon....
Friday, December 2, 2011
Lesser Evils - Hey I Tried
OK. Family is in for the holidays or you are there and a captive. They want to go to breakfast at IHOP. It's not like you can just say no so you go. Here's what not to eat and what to eat.
Don't eat the Bacon Eggs and Hashbrowns with 2 Toast. That bad boy weighs in at 1160 calories with 67 grams of fat and 1880 milligrams of sodium. That is roughly 9 times as much fat as you should get in a day and nearly twice the sodium. If you're tyring to lose weight you will have eaten all of your daily calories more or less.
Do eat the Buckwheat pancakes at 110 calories with 4 grams of fat and 280 milligrams of sodium for a stack of 4. You will like yourself better.
If they drag you to Denny's don't eat the Bacon Avocado Burrito with Hashbrowns at 1010 calories with 59 grams of fat and 2200 milligrams of sodium.
Do eat the Fit Slam at 390 calories with 12 grams of fat and 850 milligrams of sodium. On second thought, feign illness and don't go to Denny's. 850 milligrams of SODIUM? REALLY?
Don't eat anything at Shari's. Every lighter choice there is heavily laden with sodium.
At Marie Callendars You can have Steel cut oats but only if you skip the pecans, sugar, and milk.
This is getting hard. I really wanted to provide better choices for each place, but they load the dishes with sodium if they aren't loaded with calories and fat. Offer to cook for them. Hit the store for some Buckwheat flour and some whole wheat flour and make them some Buckwheat pancakes. Add some fresh Organic berries and Pure Maple Syrup and they'll love you.
More soon...
Don't eat the Bacon Eggs and Hashbrowns with 2 Toast. That bad boy weighs in at 1160 calories with 67 grams of fat and 1880 milligrams of sodium. That is roughly 9 times as much fat as you should get in a day and nearly twice the sodium. If you're tyring to lose weight you will have eaten all of your daily calories more or less.
Do eat the Buckwheat pancakes at 110 calories with 4 grams of fat and 280 milligrams of sodium for a stack of 4. You will like yourself better.
If they drag you to Denny's don't eat the Bacon Avocado Burrito with Hashbrowns at 1010 calories with 59 grams of fat and 2200 milligrams of sodium.
Do eat the Fit Slam at 390 calories with 12 grams of fat and 850 milligrams of sodium. On second thought, feign illness and don't go to Denny's. 850 milligrams of SODIUM? REALLY?
Don't eat anything at Shari's. Every lighter choice there is heavily laden with sodium.
At Marie Callendars You can have Steel cut oats but only if you skip the pecans, sugar, and milk.
This is getting hard. I really wanted to provide better choices for each place, but they load the dishes with sodium if they aren't loaded with calories and fat. Offer to cook for them. Hit the store for some Buckwheat flour and some whole wheat flour and make them some Buckwheat pancakes. Add some fresh Organic berries and Pure Maple Syrup and they'll love you.
More soon...
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Anti-inflamatory Foods
One of the things that is now being recognized as a way to improve and protect your overall health is an "anti-inflammatory diet." It's got a big word so it must be good. What the heck does it mean?
Most problems in your body are due to inflammation. Most of the inflammation is due to diet and lifestyle. That means we eat bad and don't get any exercise. We also have no ability to de-stress properly. Our need to accumulate drives us to pack too much into our days. We have forgotten how to live healthy.
An anti-inflammatory diet is one step in regaining your ability to live healthy. What is in this diet? When I use the word "diet" I mean a lifestyle change and not a temporary fix. An anti-inflammatory diet is basically a mostly plant based diet with good lean proteins. It should be as organic as possible.
The plant based part is easy. Hit the organic produce section of the grocery store and stock up. Better yet, hit the farm or farmers' market and cut out the middle man. There are no lists necessary here. Buy and use as many types of fruits and vegetables as you can. Also eat as many of them raw as you can. Try making a broccoli salad instead of steaming or sauteing it. Toss fresh green beans with a little minced garlic, Olive oil and red wine vinegar. You get the idea.
The lean protein part is more difficult. The best way to go is high Omega 3 fish products like salmon and Tuna. These NEED to be WILD FISH! No farm raised "frankenfish." The bottom line is that the food you eat should be as natural as possible. If you need to add other animal proteins then Organic poultry can be added. You will not see pork or any red meat on ANY anti-inflammatory diet.
Plant based protein is better for you. Even the worst vegetable for protein - potato - has 10% of the calories from protein which is what you need. Great plant sources for protein are quinoa, beans, and organic soy products.
Your fats should come from Olive oil, organic canola oil, and omega 3 sources. You should never eat margarine or anything with margarine in it. The less dairy you eat the better, but if you have to eat dairy eat only Organic dairy products. You don't need the hormones in the regular stuff. FYI - the more dairy consumed in a country the HIGHER the rate of osteoporosis. Really! Check it out for yourself.
Basically, an anti-inflammatory diet is "eating clean." We all know we shouldn't eat fast or processed foods and yet people feed it to their kids. I know it is fast, but nothing worth doing is really fast or really easy. It just isn't.
More soon....
Most problems in your body are due to inflammation. Most of the inflammation is due to diet and lifestyle. That means we eat bad and don't get any exercise. We also have no ability to de-stress properly. Our need to accumulate drives us to pack too much into our days. We have forgotten how to live healthy.
An anti-inflammatory diet is one step in regaining your ability to live healthy. What is in this diet? When I use the word "diet" I mean a lifestyle change and not a temporary fix. An anti-inflammatory diet is basically a mostly plant based diet with good lean proteins. It should be as organic as possible.
The plant based part is easy. Hit the organic produce section of the grocery store and stock up. Better yet, hit the farm or farmers' market and cut out the middle man. There are no lists necessary here. Buy and use as many types of fruits and vegetables as you can. Also eat as many of them raw as you can. Try making a broccoli salad instead of steaming or sauteing it. Toss fresh green beans with a little minced garlic, Olive oil and red wine vinegar. You get the idea.
The lean protein part is more difficult. The best way to go is high Omega 3 fish products like salmon and Tuna. These NEED to be WILD FISH! No farm raised "frankenfish." The bottom line is that the food you eat should be as natural as possible. If you need to add other animal proteins then Organic poultry can be added. You will not see pork or any red meat on ANY anti-inflammatory diet.
Plant based protein is better for you. Even the worst vegetable for protein - potato - has 10% of the calories from protein which is what you need. Great plant sources for protein are quinoa, beans, and organic soy products.
Your fats should come from Olive oil, organic canola oil, and omega 3 sources. You should never eat margarine or anything with margarine in it. The less dairy you eat the better, but if you have to eat dairy eat only Organic dairy products. You don't need the hormones in the regular stuff. FYI - the more dairy consumed in a country the HIGHER the rate of osteoporosis. Really! Check it out for yourself.
Basically, an anti-inflammatory diet is "eating clean." We all know we shouldn't eat fast or processed foods and yet people feed it to their kids. I know it is fast, but nothing worth doing is really fast or really easy. It just isn't.
More soon....
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