Southwestern Chopped Salad Recipe

Southwestern Chopped Salad recipe from "Change Your Health for Life" found on Facebook.
Large head of Romaine 15 oz. 
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen, thawed)
5 green onions
Optional: avocado

{Dressing}
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt or Greek yogurt)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt

{Instructions}
Making the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Making the salad: Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.Toss with desired dressing.

Down 20 Pounds and Eating Ice Cream!

I really feel that whole foods and micro-nutrient diet style is a healthy diet style.  I am very skeptical of macro-nutrient diets. 5 servings of fruit and vegetables is not enough.  A terrific way to get enough leafy greens into my body is to have a green smoothie for breakfast.  My husband agrees.  He decided to see if he could see a difference drinking a green smoothie rather than a protein shake.  He says he does not feel a lack of protein, and he has noticed that his body feels better with the green smoothie.

I have discovered young coconuts!  They are delicious.  My favorite thing to make with them is Coconut-Pineapple Ice Cream.  It is my own recipe...1/3 of the coconut water, 1/3 of the coconut meat, 1/2 lime juiced, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Blend in a high power blender like a Vita-mix to smooth coconut meat.  Then add approximately 3 cups frozen pineapple.  Blend until smooth.  Don't over blend or you will end up with a smoothie and not ice cream.  Just blend out chunks.

Delicious!

So I am down 20 pounds and somehow I still feel soft all over.  I have 20 more pounds to loose.  How did I get so big?  I was thinking about posting my before and current picture, but I am too embarrassed.  Maybe in another 20  pounds I will be more confident.  But I did take pictures yesterday, so I have a record.

Favorite Salads

Still going strong!  I am now fitting into my clothes much better.  I have lost over 3 inches each around my waist and hips.

These are two of my favorite salads. This 1st one is a toastada, which you can not see because there is a massive, yummy salad on the top of it.  I make my own corn tortillas and my own re-fried beans.  Then top with romaine, red pepper, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, salsa, and anything else you would like to add.  As always, cheese is optional.

My Salad

My daughters quesadilla and beans as she is still "working up" to eating a salad with me.

Another favorite is this Apple Walnut Salad.  Leafy green of choice, apple, walnuts, red onion, and feta cheese.  I made my own dressing too, using apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, and pepper.

Makes you want one, doesn't it!

Survived the Holidays and Still Going Strong

It has been a very long time since my last post.  I am still going strong.  I have lost about 15 lbs since I started eating healthy.  My children look healthier as well.  Sarah's eczema is gone and this time of year is when it hits her hard.  I know that this is one of the best gifts I can give my children: to learn to eat healthy while young.  I am so grateful that I have my husband's support.

I have finally emptied out my cupboards of any preservatives.  I never realized how many preservatives I was eating!  All those toxins.  Our bodies do not need them.  I have started to ask myself, "What is in my food?" and "How is my body going to benefit from eating it?"  If I do not have a good answer to these questions, then it is not a good thing to eat.

The other morning I made Apple Pecan Whole Wheat Waffles.  Yum!  I substituted unsweetened apple sauce for the milk and honey for the sugar.  They were a family favorite.  They were more sticky than unhealthy waffles.  The secret was just to cook them a little longer and then they came out of the waffle iron just fine.

Apple Pecan Whole Wheat Waffles

Five Weeks Into the Healthy Me

I am so excited about this healthy lifestyle.  It has been 5 weeks since I started to focus on eating more vegetables and I am down 10 pounds!  I feel more healthy, and the exciting thing is that I know that this is just the start.

My goal is that 60% of my calories will come from vegetables alone.  Right now I am at approximately 50% of my calories are coming from fruits and vegetables combined (25% each).  It is a pain in the neck to put all of the veggies I eat into my calorie counter and figure this out, but there is no other way to know my percentages.  It's a good thing that I am not figuring out my percentages every day.  I am getting closer to my health goals.

I have been trying to figure out an easier way to measure my success with my eating.  Counting calories is not it.  If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Black bean soup!  Yum!

To make this soup I sprouted my beans and then put them into the crock pot with carrots, celery, jalapeño (if you like spice), and a healthy amount of my homemade salsa. I let it cook until the beans are super soft and then I put it in the blender reserving about 1/3 of the soup.  I blended until smooth and then put the 1/3 in a food processor and blended until chunky.  Put it all back into the crock pot to keep warm until supper.  I added sour cream, red onion, and fresh cilantro when served.  It was yummy.  The whole meal included 3/4 cup soup and a good size salad with salsa as our dressing.

It’s Not Only What You Put Into Your Body That Makes A Difference- Part II

I bet you are wondering how I am doing with my healthy diet style.  Well, I am doing well.  I am not consuming preservatives or buying them!  That is a success.  However, this re-learning how to cook has been a challenge.  I panic every time I think of what I am going to fix next.  I know I should just do a meal plan, but I have no idea what to plan.  I constantly have beans sprouting on my counter top and it is sooooo annoying.  I need to find a place out of my way for them. 

I sat down one night to read some of my cookbooks, and I came up with three ideas that I will try over the next week.  They are 1) No-crust spinach-mushroom quiche, 2) Pumpkin soup, and 3) Black bean soup.  I made the black bean soup last night and it is OK, I guess.  Let’s just say I am counting on my palate adjusting to this new diet style as well.  Everything I have read says it will.

Anyway, I want to share my third prong to “the healthy me”.  It is MEDITATION and VISUALIZATION.  This is how Jon Gabriel changed his life from 409 pounds to 183 pounds¹.  But my inspiration did not come from him.  I have really aligned with Bob Proctor’s The Goal Achiever.  I started my journey to the healthy me with Bob Proctor’s program.  I do not follow his daily program exactly, but I have tailored it to me. I will share what I do and not Bob Proctor’s program.  Every morning I wake up early, before anyone else in the house so that I can be alone.  (Remember we are 4 people in 800 square feet.)  I read the scriptures to bring my spirit in line with my thoughts.  I then meditate.  I have lots to learn about this, but I just focus on feeling my body and cleansing it from the inside.  I even commune with it because I want to know how it feels eating what I have been eating. Am I missing any nutrients that it needs?  Am I eating anything that I should not be?  (This morning I felt that my body did not like that I put salt in my beans last night.) 

Lastly I visualize the healthy me.  I know exactly what I want to look like and how I will feel looking great.  I visualize how much I enjoy my healthy diet style and how it effects my family.  I allow myself to get emotionally involved in this image.  I believe that everything is created spiritually before it is created physically.  I am simply creating the body I want spiritually.  I will hold firmly to my image until it is realized.   I challenge you to do the same with any goal, and you will achieve it.

“When you work with the subconscious, the rate of success and the ability to get to the deeper levels is just a lot faster.”²(Paula Robbins)

“When your understanding grasps the power to visualize your heart’s desire, and hold it with your will, it attracts to you all that is required to the fulfillment of that picture and it does it by the harmonious vibration of the Law of Attraction.”³(Genevieve Behrend)

This is a spinach, pineapple, strawberry, banana, and chia seed smoothie.  I am loving my morning smoothies!

1.     The Gabriel Method.  http://www.thegabrielmethod.com/about-jon-gabriel.  Accessed 11/18/14.

2.     Discover the Transformative Power of Cellular Release Therapy. YouTube Video found on website: The Gabriel Method. http://www.thegabrielmethod.com/emotional-release-therapy-2. Accessed 11/18/14.

3.     Proctor, Bob. The Goal Achiever.  LifeSuccess Productions , 2002. Audio CD.

It’s Not Only What You Put into Your Body That Makes the Difference - Part 1

I had my 1st green smoothie this morning!  Spinach, banana, blueberries and almond milk.  Yum!  It was good.  I was going to take a picture, but the blueberries made the green look more like brown.  I am not showing that off.

I am sure you wonder what caused me to want to make this healthy change.  For the last 12 months or so I would randomly get fatigued and mental fogginess; two things that I have never felt before.  I was concerned for my health.  Reality was, like so many other people, I thought that I was eating healthy.  I was sure to eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, avoided sugars and bought whole wheat bread and pasta.  When I shopped I stayed out of the middle isles except for pasta, juice, and breakfast cereal.  We were eating healthy according to the general guidelines I had heard from the most common sources.  But that is not good enough.

I decided that the cause of my problems had to be what I was, or rather was not doing.  I had not really exercised on a regular basis since my 1^st child was born, 6 years ago.  So, I started to walk 3-5 miles, 4-5 times a week. It helped. An important part of the "healthy me" is movement. 

Recently, my friend invited me to join in a health challenge.  It came at the most critical time, as I was willing to do what it takes to feel completely healthy again.  My workout routine now includes my brisk walk 3-5 miles and light weights to isolate and tone muscles.  I want to share that it is OK to start small.  If you are not taking time for movement, I challenge you to start!  I strongly believe that the body is made of hinges because it is meant to move.

If you love your body, you must include movement in your daily routine.

Here is the proof that it does not take a dedicated room or fancy gym membership; just a little space in your living room.

My workout nook