Last week I said journal your weekly eating and activities. What did you learn about yourself? Do you workout as much as you think you do? Did you stress about a lot of things and if so, how did you handle that stress? Did you eat to deal with it?
Did you deal with upsets, hectic schedules or endless task? Did you find you don't have a lot of time to eat well (so you think)? Did you find it has been easier for you to pick something up than to prepare and cook things at home?
These are just a few of the many possibilities you gathered while journalling this week. I believe the overarching theme in most of your journals is a lack of self-care. As women, especially moms and wives, we don't always put our care as a priority. As I was writing that line I thought about the instructions you get on the airplane about putting on the air mask. You are told to put yours on first, and then assist the person next to you. It is true in the care of ourselves. We need to make it a priority, without guilt. In doing so, then we are better able to take care of our families, our jobs, ministries, even our friendships and the many other things needing our attention.
So now that you have this information what's the next step in the journey? If you remember in my earlier post I mentioned that you will have to take things step-by-step. I am not going to tell you to do a complete overhaul in one day, you won't be able to do it and it will only discourage you.
I have been noticing this trend of the "21 day" throughout many things I have been reading about health. What does the "21 day's" mean? I think many are using the 21 days because that's about how long it takes you doing something before it will become a habit. In essence, we want to try and have "healthy habits" and it will take time to develop them.
My suggestion for you for this first week of our 21 day challenge is to try working on changing your diet. For the next seven days I suggest you eliminating all meat. Don't leave me yet! What I have found is before you can lose weight or even try to get on track for better health, you need to detox your body. There are many ways to do that (last post I suggested one program from a certified instruction on the website mywellnessmylife.com). I do not state I am certified, but I have walked with a few people through doing a week long detox. If you go longer than that I would suggest someone certified or trained to deal with people because different medical conditions require adjustments in what things you eat.
My suggestion for this week is to eat mainly raw fruits and veggies. At dinner time you can saute a veggie dish (but also eat a salad with it). I have heard testimonies from women that have lost 5 to 10 pounds just doing the detox for the first week. No it's not just water they are losing. What is happening is the raw fruits and veggies are helping to draw the stored foods in their bodies and are helping them to eliminate better than they have before (trying to be delicate here).
I know we now have a different problem, what do I eat then? One suggestion is for breakfast you can make smoothies. I would include some spinach, fruit of your choice and you can either use water or coconut or almond milk. My favorite is the coconut milk at Trader Joe (I should get money for all the endorsements). For protein you can use Chia seeds or Flax seeds. I like Chia seeds because they don't change the taste, Flax seed has a nutty taste. I grind them up (or you can by them that way) and add a tablespoon to my veggie stir fry. It gives it that nutty taste and you don't have to use any other sauce with it. You can find smoothie recipes by searching the internet. I found a website that had 50 Detox Smoothies.
For lunch make you a salad with as many colors as you like. I would suggest colorless dressings. Making your own is even better and they don't always take a long time to prepare. Ask the Cleanse Expert had some salad dressing recipes. I have not made any of these, yet some really looked good. If you try any, let me know! For snacks, take some almonds, and raisins or make yourself a fresh fruit salad (like the one I shared last week). You can also look online for recipes for vegetable dishes or vegan style dishes. Remember you only have to do this for a week to allow your system to get a rest from digesting the meat as well as to help it get a kick start to healing and losing weight.
I would suggest no exercise this week. Just allow your body to detox. You may feel sleeping, you might even be a little irritable or sluggish. Your mind wants to tell you its the food and for you to go back to the way you use to eat. No, it's your bodies reaction to getting the toxins out of your body. Make sure you drink plenty of water and get your rest.
Just a few more points before we finish. I believe even when we try to eat well, we still need some additional vitamins to supplement our health. In fact, studies show that when your body has all the vitamins it needs, it works better at losing weight and staying healthy. There are many vitamins you can purchase what I have found that I like is the Isotonix vitamins. They come in powder form which you can add to water and drink. The powder form is found to enter your system quicker and you get more of the vitamins absorbed into your body. The link above is to the daily packets which are convenient to use. I'll talk more about some of the other vitamin supplements you can use to help as you get healthy. Also, each morning start your day with a glass of water with lemon. This is great for cleansing the liver and also helps with weight loss.
Some things you may need to add to your cabinet for this week of detox:
agave nectar (make sure it is the raw kind)
Coconut oil (look for organic) - use this to stir fry your veggies
Almond or coconut milk (this is a taste and see which one you like best type of trial and error)
fresh ginger
Chia & flax seed
asst. veggies and fruits (for your detox, make sure you have assorted colors)
asst. nuts (almonds, salt free cashews)
Finally, if you are feeling uncomfortable you can make some fresh ginger tea. Cut and peel some of the ginger and boil it. Once it comes to a boil, add to you cup. Add lemon, cinnamon, raw honey or some agave to taste. Great tea.
Next week we will begin incorporating exercise and making those small steps into creating a healthy kitchen. Let's go, you are on your way, we will W.I.N. in health.
Did you deal with upsets, hectic schedules or endless task? Did you find you don't have a lot of time to eat well (so you think)? Did you find it has been easier for you to pick something up than to prepare and cook things at home?
These are just a few of the many possibilities you gathered while journalling this week. I believe the overarching theme in most of your journals is a lack of self-care. As women, especially moms and wives, we don't always put our care as a priority. As I was writing that line I thought about the instructions you get on the airplane about putting on the air mask. You are told to put yours on first, and then assist the person next to you. It is true in the care of ourselves. We need to make it a priority, without guilt. In doing so, then we are better able to take care of our families, our jobs, ministries, even our friendships and the many other things needing our attention.
So now that you have this information what's the next step in the journey? If you remember in my earlier post I mentioned that you will have to take things step-by-step. I am not going to tell you to do a complete overhaul in one day, you won't be able to do it and it will only discourage you.
I have been noticing this trend of the "21 day" throughout many things I have been reading about health. What does the "21 day's" mean? I think many are using the 21 days because that's about how long it takes you doing something before it will become a habit. In essence, we want to try and have "healthy habits" and it will take time to develop them.
My suggestion for you for this first week of our 21 day challenge is to try working on changing your diet. For the next seven days I suggest you eliminating all meat. Don't leave me yet! What I have found is before you can lose weight or even try to get on track for better health, you need to detox your body. There are many ways to do that (last post I suggested one program from a certified instruction on the website mywellnessmylife.com). I do not state I am certified, but I have walked with a few people through doing a week long detox. If you go longer than that I would suggest someone certified or trained to deal with people because different medical conditions require adjustments in what things you eat.
My suggestion for this week is to eat mainly raw fruits and veggies. At dinner time you can saute a veggie dish (but also eat a salad with it). I have heard testimonies from women that have lost 5 to 10 pounds just doing the detox for the first week. No it's not just water they are losing. What is happening is the raw fruits and veggies are helping to draw the stored foods in their bodies and are helping them to eliminate better than they have before (trying to be delicate here).
I know we now have a different problem, what do I eat then? One suggestion is for breakfast you can make smoothies. I would include some spinach, fruit of your choice and you can either use water or coconut or almond milk. My favorite is the coconut milk at Trader Joe (I should get money for all the endorsements). For protein you can use Chia seeds or Flax seeds. I like Chia seeds because they don't change the taste, Flax seed has a nutty taste. I grind them up (or you can by them that way) and add a tablespoon to my veggie stir fry. It gives it that nutty taste and you don't have to use any other sauce with it. You can find smoothie recipes by searching the internet. I found a website that had 50 Detox Smoothies.
For lunch make you a salad with as many colors as you like. I would suggest colorless dressings. Making your own is even better and they don't always take a long time to prepare. Ask the Cleanse Expert had some salad dressing recipes. I have not made any of these, yet some really looked good. If you try any, let me know! For snacks, take some almonds, and raisins or make yourself a fresh fruit salad (like the one I shared last week). You can also look online for recipes for vegetable dishes or vegan style dishes. Remember you only have to do this for a week to allow your system to get a rest from digesting the meat as well as to help it get a kick start to healing and losing weight.
I would suggest no exercise this week. Just allow your body to detox. You may feel sleeping, you might even be a little irritable or sluggish. Your mind wants to tell you its the food and for you to go back to the way you use to eat. No, it's your bodies reaction to getting the toxins out of your body. Make sure you drink plenty of water and get your rest.
Just a few more points before we finish. I believe even when we try to eat well, we still need some additional vitamins to supplement our health. In fact, studies show that when your body has all the vitamins it needs, it works better at losing weight and staying healthy. There are many vitamins you can purchase what I have found that I like is the Isotonix vitamins. They come in powder form which you can add to water and drink. The powder form is found to enter your system quicker and you get more of the vitamins absorbed into your body. The link above is to the daily packets which are convenient to use. I'll talk more about some of the other vitamin supplements you can use to help as you get healthy. Also, each morning start your day with a glass of water with lemon. This is great for cleansing the liver and also helps with weight loss.
Some things you may need to add to your cabinet for this week of detox:
agave nectar (make sure it is the raw kind)
Coconut oil (look for organic) - use this to stir fry your veggies
Almond or coconut milk (this is a taste and see which one you like best type of trial and error)
fresh ginger
Chia & flax seed
asst. veggies and fruits (for your detox, make sure you have assorted colors)
asst. nuts (almonds, salt free cashews)
Finally, if you are feeling uncomfortable you can make some fresh ginger tea. Cut and peel some of the ginger and boil it. Once it comes to a boil, add to you cup. Add lemon, cinnamon, raw honey or some agave to taste. Great tea.
Next week we will begin incorporating exercise and making those small steps into creating a healthy kitchen. Let's go, you are on your way, we will W.I.N. in health.
Back to school healthy meals (part 3)
We continue with some tips for healthy eating during the school year. The first dish is some pre-packed ravioli (spinach) that I cooked and made my own sauce. My girls loved it.
Spinach Ravioli:
Ravioli (spinach pre-packaged. Note read the package, I made sure the ingredients where what I wanted to feed my family)
Ricotta cheese
spinach
asparagus
red or yellow peppers
mushrooms
Cheese for topping (I like to shred mine from the blocks, you get a better taste, I think)
olive oil
Preparation: While the ravioli is cooking, saute your spinach, asparagus and your other veggies in some olive oil (about a tablespoon). In a separate bowl mix your ricotta and your cheese (I shredded Parmesan). Once your veggies are cooked add the cheese. You will only lightly turn it into the veggies because you don't want the cheese to burn. Add a little of the veggie sauce over your drained ravioli and add some shredded cheese. Serve with a salad. I did not put the exact amount of cheese, because it depends on the amount you want. I would start with a few tablespoons of ricotta cheese and then as you mix it into your veggies, you may want more. It's easier to add than to take away.
Spinach Ravioli:
Ravioli (spinach pre-packaged. Note read the package, I made sure the ingredients where what I wanted to feed my family)
Ricotta cheese
spinach
asparagus
red or yellow peppers
mushrooms
Cheese for topping (I like to shred mine from the blocks, you get a better taste, I think)
olive oil
Preparation: While the ravioli is cooking, saute your spinach, asparagus and your other veggies in some olive oil (about a tablespoon). In a separate bowl mix your ricotta and your cheese (I shredded Parmesan). Once your veggies are cooked add the cheese. You will only lightly turn it into the veggies because you don't want the cheese to burn. Add a little of the veggie sauce over your drained ravioli and add some shredded cheese. Serve with a salad. I did not put the exact amount of cheese, because it depends on the amount you want. I would start with a few tablespoons of ricotta cheese and then as you mix it into your veggies, you may want more. It's easier to add than to take away.
Spinach Ravioli with spinach & ricotta sauce
This is a salad for an event, but you can make it smaller for serving your family.
Salad Mix-up:
Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Butter lettuce or another kind you like
strawberries
cutie oranges (or small seedless oranges)
mushrooms
cucumber
peppers
apple
tomatoes
Preparation: Prep all your veggies, cut them up in bite sizes. You can put in the ones I suggested, or pick your own, that's why it's called Salad mix up. Add all your ingredients together. One of my children can't eat nuts or seeds so I don't put any in the salad, but if you don't have nut allergies, put in some sunflower seeds for a little crunch. Use whatever dressing you like. For alternatives I bake some chicken or fish and serve over the salad, great as a dinner.
Salad Mix-up:
Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Butter lettuce or another kind you like
strawberries
cutie oranges (or small seedless oranges)
mushrooms
cucumber
peppers
apple
tomatoes
Preparation: Prep all your veggies, cut them up in bite sizes. You can put in the ones I suggested, or pick your own, that's why it's called Salad mix up. Add all your ingredients together. One of my children can't eat nuts or seeds so I don't put any in the salad, but if you don't have nut allergies, put in some sunflower seeds for a little crunch. Use whatever dressing you like. For alternatives I bake some chicken or fish and serve over the salad, great as a dinner.
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Zucchini Brownies w/chocolate chips Zucchini Brownies
This is an easy recipe, I used the recipe on the back of the Baker's Chocolate. You can use your favorite homemade brownie recipe. The only addition is to add to the mix one finely diced zucchini. (NOTE: I substitute all ingredients with organic or raw ingredients). Bake and enjoy knowing you got some veggies in your kids belly. They love them! I added chocolate chips to my recipe. The recipe above has nuts, but I don't use them because of allergies. For easy backing, line your pan with some parchment paper. Makes for easy clean up!
This is an easy recipe, I used the recipe on the back of the Baker's Chocolate. You can use your favorite homemade brownie recipe. The only addition is to add to the mix one finely diced zucchini. (NOTE: I substitute all ingredients with organic or raw ingredients). Bake and enjoy knowing you got some veggies in your kids belly. They love them! I added chocolate chips to my recipe. The recipe above has nuts, but I don't use them because of allergies. For easy backing, line your pan with some parchment paper. Makes for easy clean up!
