You Shouldn't Have

Alli over at http://www.oceantreasures.blogspot.com/ gave me this award last week. I've been a little busy and am now just getting around to joining in the fun.

First, thanks Alli for this award. I hope I can live up to your very kind words.

Here's the rules, list 10 things and 10 blogs that make you happy.

1. My family ~ the treasures in my life. As I get older, I realize how important it is to treasure each and every moment with them.

2. My friends. They hold me up, they keep me sane, they love me just for who I am.

3. Good food. As I journey down this road to a healthier lifestyle, I am rediscovering old favourites and discovering some new favourites, luscious soups, crispy stir fries, curried beans with vegetables and something as simple as a date with a dollop of fresh goat cheese and an almond slipped inside like a little treasure waiting to be found.

4. A pedicure. The luxurious hour I am fortunate enough to enjoy every month to keep my feet in beautiful walking condition.

5. The peace by the lake when I'm walking. The smell of the water as it crashes over the rocks, the gulls screaming as they swoop and swirl above the water, the wind as it whispers through the tall grasses, the little chickadees nesting in the old trees, coming across a small field where I see deer tracks in the snow.

6. Reading. I love books, how they smell, how they feel, how they look lined up in perfect order on my bookshelves. I am especially drawn lately to beautifully detailed and photographed cookbooks.

7. The sun coming in the windows in my living room first thing in the morning. Getting comfy on the sofa with a few feather cushions and a velvet throw ~ in the early dawn waiting for the sun to come up and start the dance of lights around my room.

8. My new Breville juicer. I LOVE MY JUICER!

9. A good chiropractic adjustment. After years and years of pain being told by my chiropractor that my scans are almost perfect. Is there anything better?

10. My new smaller & healthier body. To date 26 pounds down, my BMI down by 2 points, 8 inches lost (from the important spots) and 2 sizes smaller (I can shop in regular size stores now) ~ clarity of mind, a lower level of daily pain and a body that actually works with me instead of against me.

Blogs that make me happy.

Since Alli and I read many of the same blogs: I can only list a few blogs that she didn't list herself. As well, I don't read a lot of blogs, but enjoy staying with the same ones day in and day out. I feel like these are my friends even though we have never met.

1. Julie at Moments of Perfect Clarity. Julie's blog is just purely happy, colourful, homey and her thoughts on many subjects give pause for thought many a day.

2. Sebrina at Sebrina Wilson Photography. My daughter's portraits are simply stunning, artistic and creative. Maternity shots, newborns, children, families, engagement and wedding photos. She captures each moment in a soulful, calm, pure and simple way that touches my heart with each photo shoot she shares.

3. Colleen at Gradual Transition is inspiring. She is on a journey to better health and I am pleased to be able to walk this road right beside her.

4. Vickie at Frenchy Addict. Although Alli awarded her first, I just have to duplicate it and give it to her again. I love popping by her blog to see what's new in her world, knitting socks, sewing up an apron, having a girl's only glam night, sharing her gardening adventures. It's just a lovely restful moment to drop in to visit here.

5. Alli at Ocean Treasures. Here's the happy award back to you Alli ~ Your knowledge is awesome, I learn something new each time I pop by for a visit and your orchids are especially beautiful and breathtaking.

Won't you drop by and see why these "friends" of mine make me happy.

Twenty Five

Well, there it is ~ Twenty Five ~ my first goal.

This morning I got up and weighed myself and there it was for all to see.

I have lost my first twenty five pounds.
I can't believe how easy it has been, especially since I bought my juicer and decided to do a 60/40 raw food diet. The interesting thing is I don't really want much of anything else now. I am loving the juices ~ don't get hungry and besides a piece of fruit or stir fried veggies with tofu, goat cheese and a bit of rice, I really am not craving anything else.

Who ever thought that this girl ~ the original "sweet tooth" herself would actually reach this goal. My sweet treat now is a Medjool date (pit removed), filled with goat cheese and two almonds ~ delicious!

On to the next 25!

Are You Getting Your 5-9?

As I have said through past posts, I have wanted to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle for years, but just needed a push to get there. I stopped eating red meat last August, but was having trouble taking the final step. Going through a detox over the past 4 weeks, was the just the push I needed.

And now, another step in this journey to health "A New Juicer".

I am so very excited. This too is something that I have wanted to have for a long time. Years ago I picked up a very cheap one at a garage sale and although it juiced, I wasn't treated to what my new juicer treated me to this afternoon.

This new Breville Ikon Juicer is amazzzzzzzzing!

Not to mention how sleek and beautiful it looks on my counter.

And then of course, there are all the benefits that juicing provides my body. It is recommended that we consume 5 vegetables and another 3 fruits in our daily diet and yet the average person today only consumes 1 1/2 servings of veggies and generally no fruit on any given day.

Although consuming whole fruits and veggies is important, juicing gives us the minerals, vitamins, enzymes, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein and more in a form that is much easier to digest. Much of the goodness is locked in the fibre of the fruit and veggies which goes through the body and is expelled. By juicing, all of this life giving goodness is released from the fibre and is in your bloodstream in less than 30 minutes.

Now, enough about the nutritional side and on to the juicing.

So, I got my beautiful new juicer home, opened it up, read the instructions fully as instructed, then washed all the removable parts in warm soapy water, dried them, reassembled the juice and got ready to juice. I then proceeded to wash a beet, 2 carrots, 3 stocks of celery, a handful of parsley, 1/3 of a cucumber, one apple and a 1" piece of ginger.

I learned something very important today as I turned on the machine and got ready to drop in the beet. That lesson was to make sure that I push down immediately on the inserted fruit/vegetable with the food pusher. I dropped in a beet and then reached for the pusher. Well before I got the pusher in the chute, beet bits started to fly up out of the chute and onto everything.
Lesson learned! Veggy in one hand ~ pusher in the other ~ now GO!

After this wee bit of fun, I got back to my first juiced, healthy drink. It was a delectable, slightly sweet, frothy, beautiful shade of garnet red, gastronomic delight. The ginger added just a little nip to the flavour.

One really nice feature of this juicer, is a specialized spout that allows me to juice directly into my glass, or for larger amounts I can take off the spout and juice into the jug.

As well, I am continuing to pursue my walking and this weekend I accomplished my furthest walk yet. On Sunday I walked 8.3km followed up by 5km on Monday. Although I really feel it today (probably pushed a little too far), I am very proud of myself and the distance that I covered.

Guess the "ugly" shoes are really working.

Great Day Today

What an amazing day I had today with my food choices.

For breakfast I had steel cut oats, at lunch a homemade asparagus soup with a spoonful of organic miso. Mid afternoon I enjoyed a banana/pineapple/raspberry smoothie with a tbsp of hemp protein powder.

Then for dinner the piece de resistance ~ a delicious curried lentil dish.

In a saucepan I browned 1 chopped onion and 6-7 chopped garlic cloves in a little olive oil. I generously sprinkled it with cumin, curry powder, cayenne pepper and sea salt to taste.

When it was browned I added 2 chopped sweet potatoes, approximately 1 1/2 cups Puy lentils and covered with homemade vegetable broth. When the liquid was absorbed (about 3o minutes), I added 4-5 handfuls of organic baby spinach.

Then I made up one avocado into guacamole and spooned it on top of the lentil dish. YUMMY!!!

I am not missing animal products at all in this new diet. Besides with a delicious day of food like I had today, who needs it.

I Am An Athlete

The temperature was minus 22 celcius on Saturday morning, crisp, cold, sunny and the kind of day that the snow squeaks when you step on it. But I needed to get outside for a walk, as I have only walked on the treadmill over the past few weeks.

So I got on my walking clothes and headed outside to walk. Well, let me tell you, it was freakin' cold out there. I had on my sports bra, a base layer shirt, a cool max shirt and then I put on a heavy sweater, over which I wore a fake fur coat, with a tube scarf wrapped around my mouth and ears. I wore a pair of cashmere lined leather gloves and covered them with a pair of hot paws mitts. And of course my Uggs to keep my tootsies warm. Do you know that I ended up taking off the hot paws and undoing my coat and just wearing it over my shoulders, my body got so hot. However, my face burnt from the wind chill and my thighs were numb and red as tomatoes by the time I got back. (Unfortunately I neglected to put anything on my legs underneath my Lululemon pants).

That was probably the fastest I have ever walked, I was so anxious to get back into the warmth of my home. I didn't even notice if my feet were hurting because I was soooooooooo cold.

I left before Don got up, so when I got back he was sitting reading with a cup of coffee and pronounced me a true athlete to go out walking in such frigid temperatures.

Then yesterday, I walked 4.8km in my new "ugly" shoes. BTW, that is what I named my new running shoes ~ ugly.

What a difference in my walking ability to have a proper pair of technical shoes, my feet hurt very minimally, the plantar fasciitis didn't start to burn until I had walked about 4km.

So, take a look at me ~ I'm an athlete!