Fruitful Living

21 Days of Fasting.. check! I enjoyed the time of fellowship with the ladies and extended quite time with the Lord. I decided to stay off the coffee, I have been feeling more alert, sleeping better and not having energy highs and lows throughout the day. So coffee, good bye, you have been a big part of my life for a long time :( I now enjoy some ginger tea in the mornings, just chop up some ginger and boil for about 5 minutes. Great for digestion and cleansing. I think too that from here on out that wine will be the occasional treat, not the norm 3-4 nights a week. So some big changes here and I think that overall a lot of the ladies made some big changes throughout this fast that they will incorporate into their regular diets. Which is great, making lifestyle changes and not diets for a temporary weight loss is a much better program to be on. So good job ladies! We are all cleansed and glowing from the inside out!

A full week of no coffee, and now that the headaches have gone, i am able to enjoy the benefits of a clearer head and more energy throughout the entire day! Can't say i dont miss the ritual in the mornings! I had surgery a week ago and have not been able to work out (which for me is really on the verge of devestating!) but For me personally on this fast, I also cut out all flours, breads, all carbs but vegetables, and with no wine either, I have luckily not put on a pound during this downtime! I hope that during this time, that all the ladies will enjoy the benefits of cutting out certain unhealthy foods from their diets and want to continue this way after the fast has ended!

I am embarking on a mission with some ladies from my church to participate in a 21 day period of prayer and fasting. This fast includes cutting out meats, dairy, refined sugars, processed flours, well any flours with levening, no alcohol, no caffeine...so this is kind of my diet already, but cutting caffeine and alcohol will be a pretty big deal for me!
i'm already on day 4 with no coffee and so far i haven't noticed too much of a difference, slight headaches, but i also just had surgery, so that is probably my arm screaming at me! This time is to be a time to focus on prayer anyways, and the food cleanse will be a side benefit!
When I cut back to only eating fruits and veggies I see it in my skin almost instantly! I can almost guarantee to lose a few lbs, even if i'm eating ALL DAY! but I'm eating calories that are used properly in my body. So I dont feel starved, which i suppose is not my idea of a fast..but thats why I say we're focusing on the prayer and a time of hearing from the Holy Spirit! For the next few weeks and hopefully thereafter Christ will be my pickmeupper in the mornings! I'll keep you posted..

After much anticipation and a lot of tension around Truckee, I think that summer is finally here! One of my favorite summer activities (besides Mtn biking of course!) is packing up the jeep and heading to some remote lake or river, pitching the tent, hanging out in nature and of course the great camp foods. Doesn't everything always taste better when camping?! Why is that, well I think because I have some great camping recipes! I wanted to share just a few with you here.
HoboPies: chop all of these ingredients beforehand and put into Tupperware, and don't forget your tinfoil!
chop mushrooms, garlic, onion, half a yam or red potato, half a zucchini, a tomato (to keep everything moist) and one gardenburger.
sprinkle with some garlic powder, cumin, and an all purposes spice like ms. dash or Tony Chacheres (my fav!) than when your sitting by your fire, put your mix into the middle of a 8 -10 inch strip of foil, wrap and than continue to wrap with layers of foil until its in about 4 layers, than put on the fire, preferably in the hot coals and let cook, rotating every 5 min for about 20 min. open up and enjoy!
Banana Pancakes:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can use 1/2 white flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar or agave
1 banana
1 1/2 cup milk alternative (soy, rice, almond)
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix all flour ingredients, mash banana separately than mix all ingredients together. Add more milk if you prefer thinner pancakes. spoon 1/3 cup into skillet over medium heat, until lightly brown. Top with fruit or maple syrup. makes 8.
other great ideas: canned beans, corn on the cob, premade veggie skewers

Its trying in Truckee, and I'm probably more anxious for it to come than I ever have in the past! Perhaps because I got a little taste of summer in Hawaii and came back to snow, maybe its looking at the jeep and the camping gear in the garage, or my bikes that are just waiting for dirt! either way, its warming up and i got inspired to make my own ice cream today. This was so simple and came out so amazing I shocked myself!
one frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup of soy milk
put everything in food processor and mix until the consistancy of ice cream! can add more or less milk. i also threw in about 1 tblsp of fresh chopped ginger, and added such a yummy kick!

Eat Smart-ER!
Most of us know we should be eating more produce each day, but it also seems that we are creatures of habit and tend to stick to the same produce day in and day out. According to a recent study based on government nutritional data, we're coming up short in terms of eating a variety of fruit and vegetable colors. here's the stats

69% of Americans don't eat enough green (Kiwi, avocado, broccoli, asparagus, foods that contain cancer fighting phytochemicals)

78% don't get enough red (berries, cherries, helps protect individual cells from free radical, fight heart disease, maintain cognitive function and slow down aging)

86% don't get enough white (onions, shallots, garlic, cauliflower, foods associated with reduced heart disease risk and increased immune function.)

88% don't get enough purple/blue (Grapes, purple cabbage, protect cells from oxidative stress and slows signs of aging)

79% don't get enough yellow/orange (oranges, papayas, lemons, pineapples, pears, nutrients that help boost immune, protect against free radical damage and help heal and protect skin from sun damage)

this skew toward bland means we're missing out on a lot more than just good tasting food. There are unique phytochemical (plant nutrients) that vary from color to color. These various compounds all do different things to protect your health. If you're eating only bananas and apples, your going to be limited as far as health benefits because your not getting all these other colors. We don't just need "an apple a day" to keep the doc away, but "we need the full spectrum" I love this poster, that shows all the different colors of the rainbow that we should be getting. And I'm so grateful for my juice plus, because I know that i am getting a huge variety (17 in fact, plus the purple 7 more = 24!) of fruits and veggies everyday! I know I'm taking action now to protect my health in the future, have a lower risk of (78% in fact!) cancers and diseases, plus I'm slowing down aging, right, who doesn't want that!!