The Best Breakfast in the World...

When I embarked on this detox journey, I was a little concerned. For six weeks, no grains, no fruit (except berries and bananas), no starchy veggies, no dairy and very limited red meats. What's left?

It helped to know this little guide:  on your lunch and dinner plate limit it to 1/4 protein and fill it with at least 3/4 non-starchy vegetables. Good starting point, but seriously - what else was I going to do.

Thankfully, there was a companion cookbook and I'm in LOVE with the following breakfast. Not only that, but he emphasizes the need for a protein powder made from rice, hemp, or peas. Have I mentioned, lately, that Arbonne's protein powder is from rice, peas and cranberries. But for those of us who love a good mush for breakfast (grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat), this is a LIFESAVER. Or thin it down for a superb shake and a great way to start the day.

I found that the "full recipe" was way more than I could eat. Below is my pared down version.

In a coffee grinder or other blender:
1 TBSP Flaxseeds
1 TBSP Sesame Seeds
1 TBSP Sunflower Seeds
1 TBSP Pumpkin Seeds

Be careful not to get it more than "sand" consistency as it will quickly turn to butter right after this point.

Add to the blender mix:
3 Walnuts
5 Almonds
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Cacao powder (or an extra dark cocoa powder)
1 TBSP Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder


Blend. Add 1/2 cup Almond Milk or Coconut Milk. Add one of the following: 8 strawberries, 1 banana and/or 1/2 cup blueberries or cherries. As an added boost, add a TBSP coconut oil. Blend some more. Detox or not, I'm never giving this up! Even my kids LOVE it and it's a really quick and easy fix for busy mornings. Sadly it's not a make-ahead mix.

To your good health!

Time & Money...

Mathematically speaking, if "Time is Money" we could say that Time = Money and change the name of this post to either 'Time & Time' or 'Money & Money.' Either works.

Yep - I know that this is not Wednesday, but yesterday I had the pleasure of a root canal. Since I have been resolved to be more frugal, I decided to have this procedure done at the dental school. The exchange? Four loooong visits instead of 2 shorter ones, but for $500 (before insurance) instead of $1800. And that is what life really is, right? A host of exchanges that we make along the time and money spectrum.

We are bombarded by messages every day that claim to be on the lookout for our health and well-being, and while many want to do better, we are sometimes deterred from doing the right thing in favor of cheaper or less time-consuming activities that aren't good for us; let alone those bad habits that are a time and money waster.

Take smoking for example. Hopefully by now everyone knows that there is nothing redeemable about that addiction. It's a time hog because with nation-wide designated areas for smoking, you must stop what you are doing to go enjoy a drag. It's costly both in the moment you buy them and the long-term effects on your health. It's as viable a solution for appetite suppression as the tapeworm was.

At my last job, smokers were allowed to take two 15-minute smoke breaks per day, then a half hour lunch (non-smokers had the option of an hour lunch instead). Most in our office used part of lunch as their third smoke break for the day. Assuming they ONLY took three smoke breaks per work day, that adds up to 195 hours that you could have been doing or enjoying something else (3 x 15min x 5 days x 52 weeks/60 min). And let's be honest. The average smoker smokes one pack per day. 20 cigarettes. The average time to smoke is just 5 minutes. That equals 608+ hours (or 25+ days) that you could have been doing something more productive, healthier, or more soul-satisfying. What would you do if you had an extra month each year?

Even though most of us reading this blog are probably not smokers, the concept about time and money exchanging still applies. Let's start adding up other "bad habits" in time and money. How much TV do you watch (the national average is between 4-6 hours). How about soda drunk? I knew of a family of five that visited the local filling station at least twice a day for a 32-oz soda that cost $1.49 in the soda alone (not to mention the gas and time spent getting there). Just in upfront costs they were spending about $3,874 per year (a conservative estimate at five days per week) to drink something that has zero health benefit - and in fact is proving to be detrimental to your health. 

So, before you think you don't have enough time or money to make some much needed changes in your life, consider the following quotes from Dr. Mark Hyman, MD:

"...ask yourself if your time and money are best spent as you are spending them now. Think of money as your life energy. It represents your time in a monetary way. How do you want to spend this life energy? Do you want to spend more of it creating health and vitality? We are so overworked, overstressed, and overtaxed. Even so, there are ways of making choices that give us more resources."

What do you want your life to be in five years? If you keep doing what you are doing, will you reach your goals and achieve your dreams?

You may be right... I may be crazy...

I've decided that in order to make it in this world, you need to be a little bit crazy. I don't mean in the "Bates Motel" sense, but more of the "with everything that can go wrong, I am still gonna smile" sense. By nature I'm a happy person. But, I'm not naturally satisfied with things as they are. I don't like to be bored. I find everything interesting (which is why I like to dabble) and I find beauty in the strangest of places. I love art.

But there is one place in my life that I have so much trouble with that learning to smile anyway with regards to it is something I've only begun to do in the more recent past. It's my body.

I'm not talking massive bouts of self-loathing at all, but I'm definitely not satisfied. I never have been. I was a ballet dancer from ages 4-18. Believe me when I say that the 35-year-old me has wanted a time machine many times to go back and slap the 120-lb 18-year-old me a few times for not being satisfied then.

It's not just a weight issue. It's my issues with not ever losing a pound - even when I was on the UNL cycling team. Not a dang-blasted pound. I started the season at 165 and ended at 165. And was 4th fastest adult female in the state of Nebraska in 2002. I was hot. And the scale didn't budge.

What I'm really not satisfied with are a lifelong battle with mysteriously dropping blood sugars. Normally low blood pressure (90/48) - causing me to get woozy and blackout if I stand up too fast. Heart flutters. Fatigue. Have I mentioned infertility? Who knows what else? And I've had more inconclusive medical tests than I care to remember I paid for...

If willpower were all it took to lose weight or be active, I'd be the most amazing superwoman EVER. So, because of all of this, I have been on a never-ending quest to understand my physical body. Enter "The Blood Sugar Solution." I know I have talked about this before, but here's this week's wisdom that I have to pass on to you, today:

Revelation #1: PROCESSED FOOD IS ADDICTIVE. And I don't want anything to control me. Especially anything as insignificant as a candy bar.

And that brings me full circle to my insanity. I took all of the quizzes (I'll post one of them below) and found that not surprisingly I was lacking in several areas of nutrition. I'm on a journey to get all reset and become balanced physically. Monday (yes, the day after Easter), I began my detox journey. Things got a little bumpy as I approached the 4pm hour. I pushed through (and picked a really rotten time to consolidate the kids' candy while going sugar- and flour-free!). Tuesday was worse. If I was blogging about this yesterday, I would not be so full of smiles as I am, now.

Revelation #2: I HAVE SOME REALLY BAD HABITS. But that is changing this week as I am becoming aware of them by detoxing my addiction to sugar.

Today, by comparison, has been remarkably easy. THANK GOODNESS! I don't think I could have handled another day like yesterday. What helped get through? All of that willpower I have? Ummmm... maybe a little - but it was more accurately 'determination.' The biggest difference was all of Arbonne's sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan certified, naturally-energy-boosting helpers. Protein powders to ensure proper nutrition. Fizz sticks for a vitamin-filled energy boost (without the crash you get from sugar & caffeine). Fit chews to get over the need to binge. And a nice, relaxing tea to help in my efforts to detox and remove my addiction to sugar. So, as day 3 comes to a close, I am very happy to report that, unlike yesterday, I am all smiles, again. :)