I am in detox mode: freezing cold hands, slightly oily skin, moody, sleeping oh so deeply. But, I also feel healthy and like I'm actually getting nutrients. Compared with the Lemonade Diet, which lasts a minimum of 10 days and makes you dream about food because you're literally starving, this is much easier. I've added a couple of small things to the routine that increase my calories a tiny bit, but I don't think they will affect my overall weight loss:
<li>I'm having coffee. Bret and I have officially made the switch from Silk vanilla creamer to unsweetened almond milk in our coffee. It is tres delicious. After Thursday, I will be adding Truvia and cinnamon to said coffee for ultimate yum factor.</li>
<li>I'm taking my greens and chia powders still. Together they add close to 100 calories, but I believe they are well worth it, as the chia gives me EFA's and the greens give me iron. I take the cacao Amazing Grass with a scoop of ground chia seeds in about 6-8oz water.</li>
<li>I snack on a LOT of carrots at night. I am starving at night and they are delicious. But seriously, who gets plump eating an extra cup or two of raw carrots?</li>
Monday I was good and went to spin class for exercise. Yesterday I took the evening off in favor of rest. I got my grocery list together for post-cleanse, as I will not have time to shop tomorrow night. Lots of good stuff. The list is pricey but I think with a little bit of smart looking I can bargain shop a lot of it.
Today, my cleanse foods taste wonderful. I prepared the eggs omelet style and they were fluffy and filling. The apple and cinnamon snack tasted super sweet. Even my greens and chia mixture tasted great, which they never have before. I think my body is beginning to crave all of the nutrients and antioxidants in my foods.
About Me
- Elizabeth
- I'm playing the working mom game: trying to balance career, cooking, hobbies, and health with the overwhelming but fantastic responsibilities of being a new mother.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Time to Detox
Running leads to lots of sweating, which is a fabulous detox. All summer long, I coasted on the down slope of running and refueling with lots of sugar and carbohydrates. Then I stopped running so much and have turned into a marshmallow. Couple that with all the processed food I've been snacking on at the office, and we have a big problem called 31 with a belly.
Time for a cleanse. Not a fast, a cleanse. Get my body off of carbs and back on yummy proteins, legumes, fruits, veggies. I grabbed my O2 Diet book from the shelf, a diet I tried but didn't really give a fair chance, and started the four-day cleanse "kick off" with a bit of apprehension. The last time Bret and I tried it, we were starving and miserable from the lack of variety. Overall, on a short diet, a lack of variety can be helpful. It keeps things simple. But when you have to have scrambled egg whites every morning, spinach salad with pecans and protein every lunch, and salad with asparagus and protein every dinner, it gets old.
I did more research and reading this time, and mid day 2 I'm doing pretty well. I can feel some of those familiar detox symptoms: fatigue, a bit of dizziness, etc., but I've already lost some water weight. Compared with how I was starting to feel: overall malaise, dark circles under the eyes, dry skin, and bloat, I'll take this. I have to say, though, I can't wait for Friday to come so I can eat a few more calories!
Everybody needs a detox now and then - what do you need to detox from?
Time for a cleanse. Not a fast, a cleanse. Get my body off of carbs and back on yummy proteins, legumes, fruits, veggies. I grabbed my O2 Diet book from the shelf, a diet I tried but didn't really give a fair chance, and started the four-day cleanse "kick off" with a bit of apprehension. The last time Bret and I tried it, we were starving and miserable from the lack of variety. Overall, on a short diet, a lack of variety can be helpful. It keeps things simple. But when you have to have scrambled egg whites every morning, spinach salad with pecans and protein every lunch, and salad with asparagus and protein every dinner, it gets old.
I did more research and reading this time, and mid day 2 I'm doing pretty well. I can feel some of those familiar detox symptoms: fatigue, a bit of dizziness, etc., but I've already lost some water weight. Compared with how I was starting to feel: overall malaise, dark circles under the eyes, dry skin, and bloat, I'll take this. I have to say, though, I can't wait for Friday to come so I can eat a few more calories!
Everybody needs a detox now and then - what do you need to detox from?
Thursday, October 20, 2011
A night of biking
In honor of getting from point A to point B in a eco-friendly fashion, I went for a bike ride with my father tonight. We took a round-about route to Central Market and enjoyed a salad made with organic produce. The total ride was probably about 12 miles and it felt great to get out there again! This fall weather is absolutely glorious: sunny and warm during the day, cool almost chilly at night. I get to leave the windows open at night and the air conditioning system is officially off for until next Spring.
That will be my biggest challenge yet: to use central heat and air as little as possible. I'm already extremely conscious of how much energy the air conditioning system uses. We set the A/C at 78 when we're there, 75 overnight but only upstairs, and 84 during the day. In winter, the heat is set at 68 during the day, down to 65 at night. We do not deviate from those temperatures unless we have big crowds at our house.
Overall there is so much more that I could do to shrink my carbon footprint. I don't spend the time researching like I should. I could say that I don't have the time, but I really should make the time. It's really easy to justify that paper napkin or plastic straw, saying that you recycle and compost, so that makes it ok. It doesn't make it ok. I drink too many single-serve sodas at work. Yes, aluminum recycles. When it comes down to it, I would rather purchase a 12 pack of aluminum cans than a plastic 2L bottle because plastic is full of so many chemicals. Plus, you often waste soda out of a plastic bottle. Plastic is porous and bleeds carbonation.
The next challenge is a fun one: food. I am one of those Americans who wastes way too much food. I indulge in delicious condiments that often go bad before they're all used.
But - I save jars. I have so many glass jars lining the top shelves of my kitchen cabinets it's almost embarrassing. But glass jars are wonderful: you can brew single-serve bottles of iced tea, repackage grains, and vase flowers. You can can vegetables and fruit (if you're more ambitious than I am). You can safely and securely package up yogurt, soup, or other liquids that tend to leak out of tupperware containers. And glass jars remind me of Aunt Mae. She was the queen of glass jars. When we went on drives in the country, she would pour Sprite into one of those glass ReaLemon jars, you know, the green glass jar with the yellow lid. If it was really hot and I was lucky, she grabbed a fragment of paper towel and wrapped it securely around the jar to keep it just a little bit colder. Nothing tasted quite like Sprite out of that jar. It was a beautiful jar. On the top shelf of Aunt Mae's pantry sits giant-sized Mason jars perfect for storing pickles, flour, toys, or just about anything one could possibly imagine. Glass comes from the earth. It is gorgeous and meant to be kept. I don't think people value glass as much as they should.
Right now I'm looking at the top of my fridge, where we store things like drinks and bread, and I'm kind of cringing. I have a few multi-serve bottles of sports drink, a couple of single-serve glass Topo Chicos, a six pack of mini Halloween Big Reds, and what remains of a 12 pack of diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Glass, plastic, and aluminum. Meh. When it comes down to it, a trip to the grocery store really should be about what one needs, not what one wants. Stick to the list and you will not deviate. Stick to the list and a strict budget, you do even better. What is cheaper, usually uses less packaging. And, whole, natural, unprocessed foods come in their own packaging made by mother nature.
The next time I have a few hours, I think it's time to bake a loaf of bread.
That will be my biggest challenge yet: to use central heat and air as little as possible. I'm already extremely conscious of how much energy the air conditioning system uses. We set the A/C at 78 when we're there, 75 overnight but only upstairs, and 84 during the day. In winter, the heat is set at 68 during the day, down to 65 at night. We do not deviate from those temperatures unless we have big crowds at our house.
Overall there is so much more that I could do to shrink my carbon footprint. I don't spend the time researching like I should. I could say that I don't have the time, but I really should make the time. It's really easy to justify that paper napkin or plastic straw, saying that you recycle and compost, so that makes it ok. It doesn't make it ok. I drink too many single-serve sodas at work. Yes, aluminum recycles. When it comes down to it, I would rather purchase a 12 pack of aluminum cans than a plastic 2L bottle because plastic is full of so many chemicals. Plus, you often waste soda out of a plastic bottle. Plastic is porous and bleeds carbonation.
The next challenge is a fun one: food. I am one of those Americans who wastes way too much food. I indulge in delicious condiments that often go bad before they're all used.
But - I save jars. I have so many glass jars lining the top shelves of my kitchen cabinets it's almost embarrassing. But glass jars are wonderful: you can brew single-serve bottles of iced tea, repackage grains, and vase flowers. You can can vegetables and fruit (if you're more ambitious than I am). You can safely and securely package up yogurt, soup, or other liquids that tend to leak out of tupperware containers. And glass jars remind me of Aunt Mae. She was the queen of glass jars. When we went on drives in the country, she would pour Sprite into one of those glass ReaLemon jars, you know, the green glass jar with the yellow lid. If it was really hot and I was lucky, she grabbed a fragment of paper towel and wrapped it securely around the jar to keep it just a little bit colder. Nothing tasted quite like Sprite out of that jar. It was a beautiful jar. On the top shelf of Aunt Mae's pantry sits giant-sized Mason jars perfect for storing pickles, flour, toys, or just about anything one could possibly imagine. Glass comes from the earth. It is gorgeous and meant to be kept. I don't think people value glass as much as they should.
Right now I'm looking at the top of my fridge, where we store things like drinks and bread, and I'm kind of cringing. I have a few multi-serve bottles of sports drink, a couple of single-serve glass Topo Chicos, a six pack of mini Halloween Big Reds, and what remains of a 12 pack of diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Glass, plastic, and aluminum. Meh. When it comes down to it, a trip to the grocery store really should be about what one needs, not what one wants. Stick to the list and you will not deviate. Stick to the list and a strict budget, you do even better. What is cheaper, usually uses less packaging. And, whole, natural, unprocessed foods come in their own packaging made by mother nature.
The next time I have a few hours, I think it's time to bake a loaf of bread.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sustainable Heights No-Impact Week
This is nothing out of the ordinary, but my sister-in-law Shannon is a shining star this week. She is shining even brighter than usual, because she is a featured blogger this week during the Cleveland area's Sustainable Heights No-Impact Week. She has this ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, the frugal into the extravagant, and the drab into loveliness. What is truly wonderful about Shannon's talents are that they are reflected both in the physical world around her and in the soul of herself and her family. You walk into her house and it smells all at once clean, delicious, and like fresh plants. While I spend a lot of time sleeping, eating, and running, she is crafting beautiful things, working part-time, making fresh foods, and mothering two lovely little boys. Needless to say, she's an inspiration.
I've been reading her blog this week and am being mindful of each day's no-impact challenge. Monday it was to Shop Your Home. I'm actually pretty good at this, especially since I inherited a lot of random stuff from my mom. A lot of it has been sold in garage sales or donated to Goodwill, but I've found some great uses for everyday things. Coffee cans make fabulous containers for things like paint brushes. Since we got a bin to collect plastic bags, my husband and I never buy trash bags anymore. I've found several good buys on Craig's List, and am not at all opposed to taking hand-me-downs from friends and family. Very few things need to be bought new to work in my opinion. Scraps of fabric make great cloth napkins, a tip I learned from my great aunt who made napkins out of anything from old sheets to pajamas to curtains! I never throw out old towels or wash cloths; they make fabulous cleaning rags. When they finally reach the point of no reuse, they go into the compost bin.
Tuesday was Use No Trash. I did well! Using no trash is generally pretty easy for me, the one exception being that I tend to grab paper napkins at work without thinking. I brought a few cloth napkins to work and they're in my desk drawer. I usually always brown-bag it to work and bring my own water bottle. The office has a kitchen with all the dishes and utensils I could possibly need, which is fabulous. We can use, rinse, and reuse as much as we want.
My challenges are with packaging. I find the single serve yogurts to be so convenient for my hubby's snacks, so I buy them when they're on sale. I know I could buy bulk vanilla yogurt and throw in frozen berries for less money - time to start doing that again. I also really enjoy the convenience of string cheese, when it would be much cheaper to buy blocks of cheese and portion out to throw in a tupperware with apple slices and crackers. Single-serve snack packaging is ridiculous, so I generally avoid those purchases. I like to buy in bulk more which is much less expensive for premium stuff, and you can use your own packaging. I like using and reusing Ziplock bags because they store easy in a special basket I have in my pantry. Beverages and produce waste more packaging than just about any other category. I like to make my own iced tea, it's so cheap and I can compost the tea bags. I try to avoid plastic bottles as much as possible. It's tricky but easier than one would think if you don't mind tetra pack. For produce, I'm going to start using Greenling on a bi-weekly basis. I got my first bin from them yesterday. Absolutely no packaging on the produce except rubber bands to hold the green onions together. They used shredded paper on the bottom of the bin to protect everything, and that can go right into the compost bin.
Today the challenge is "Getting from Point A to Point B." Ugg. My commute is 25 miles, so I am not a good example of green transportation. We do have pretty fuel-efficient cars that we keep maintained. We consolidate errands. Austin is not the most pedestrian-friendly city, but I do the best I can to walk whenever possible. One of my co-workers is moving very close to my neighborhood, so we will probably carpool at least a couple of times a week. I do love to bike and want to get a basket so I can go shopping by bike. I will say, my exercise is about as green as it gets: running and biking. See the world by foot or pedal. Love it!
I've been reading her blog this week and am being mindful of each day's no-impact challenge. Monday it was to Shop Your Home. I'm actually pretty good at this, especially since I inherited a lot of random stuff from my mom. A lot of it has been sold in garage sales or donated to Goodwill, but I've found some great uses for everyday things. Coffee cans make fabulous containers for things like paint brushes. Since we got a bin to collect plastic bags, my husband and I never buy trash bags anymore. I've found several good buys on Craig's List, and am not at all opposed to taking hand-me-downs from friends and family. Very few things need to be bought new to work in my opinion. Scraps of fabric make great cloth napkins, a tip I learned from my great aunt who made napkins out of anything from old sheets to pajamas to curtains! I never throw out old towels or wash cloths; they make fabulous cleaning rags. When they finally reach the point of no reuse, they go into the compost bin.
Tuesday was Use No Trash. I did well! Using no trash is generally pretty easy for me, the one exception being that I tend to grab paper napkins at work without thinking. I brought a few cloth napkins to work and they're in my desk drawer. I usually always brown-bag it to work and bring my own water bottle. The office has a kitchen with all the dishes and utensils I could possibly need, which is fabulous. We can use, rinse, and reuse as much as we want.
My challenges are with packaging. I find the single serve yogurts to be so convenient for my hubby's snacks, so I buy them when they're on sale. I know I could buy bulk vanilla yogurt and throw in frozen berries for less money - time to start doing that again. I also really enjoy the convenience of string cheese, when it would be much cheaper to buy blocks of cheese and portion out to throw in a tupperware with apple slices and crackers. Single-serve snack packaging is ridiculous, so I generally avoid those purchases. I like to buy in bulk more which is much less expensive for premium stuff, and you can use your own packaging. I like using and reusing Ziplock bags because they store easy in a special basket I have in my pantry. Beverages and produce waste more packaging than just about any other category. I like to make my own iced tea, it's so cheap and I can compost the tea bags. I try to avoid plastic bottles as much as possible. It's tricky but easier than one would think if you don't mind tetra pack. For produce, I'm going to start using Greenling on a bi-weekly basis. I got my first bin from them yesterday. Absolutely no packaging on the produce except rubber bands to hold the green onions together. They used shredded paper on the bottom of the bin to protect everything, and that can go right into the compost bin.
Today the challenge is "Getting from Point A to Point B." Ugg. My commute is 25 miles, so I am not a good example of green transportation. We do have pretty fuel-efficient cars that we keep maintained. We consolidate errands. Austin is not the most pedestrian-friendly city, but I do the best I can to walk whenever possible. One of my co-workers is moving very close to my neighborhood, so we will probably carpool at least a couple of times a week. I do love to bike and want to get a basket so I can go shopping by bike. I will say, my exercise is about as green as it gets: running and biking. See the world by foot or pedal. Love it!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
10 good things (another idea taken from my sis-in-love's blog)
1. Frankenberry. Loaded with trans fats, dyes, hydrogenated oils, a recipe for delicious disaster. I can't believe parents allow their kids to have it for breakfast, but it does make a fun midnight snack.
2. Honeycrisp apples: sweet, almost overwhelmingly tart, and perfect with a little maple syrup.
3. Going to Denver to run a half marathon and see the gorgeous Aspen trees.
4. Working on a fury costume for Halloween.
5. Running in cool weather.
6. Coconut curry: don't tell Bret, but that's our dinner tonight.
7. "The nook": the place on Bret's shoulder where I fall asleep almost every night.
8. Seamus on my pillow.
9. Apple butter - I must buy some!
10. The 360 bridge at sunset.
2. Honeycrisp apples: sweet, almost overwhelmingly tart, and perfect with a little maple syrup.
3. Going to Denver to run a half marathon and see the gorgeous Aspen trees.
4. Working on a fury costume for Halloween.
5. Running in cool weather.
6. Coconut curry: don't tell Bret, but that's our dinner tonight.
7. "The nook": the place on Bret's shoulder where I fall asleep almost every night.
8. Seamus on my pillow.
9. Apple butter - I must buy some!
10. The 360 bridge at sunset.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Update
:: enjoying cool, almost chilly nights, and planning Halloween shenanigans. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.
:: ecstatic that there is finally an end in sight to Bret's video game and all the long days. Right now he has to work every stinking Saturday. Meh.
:: feeling tired of competitive running, ready for the zen-like, cool breeze runs sans-watch in my neighborhood with the dog, as we watch sunsets start to paint the sky.
:: harvesting basil (yay, a baby plant resurrected the giant plants that hit the ground with a resounding gasp sometime in early September), sage, thyme, rosemary, and mint. Soon: tomatoes. Fall tomatoes? Believe it or not, I have probably a dozen tomato blossoms on the plant that somehow, with the dedication of a true trooper, made it through the summer. While some are eating root vegetables and collard greens, we will be having tomato and basil in November. Weird.
:: wanting a road bike, starting to hunt Craig's List for the perfect used and only slightly abused.
:: enjoying quinoa! Delicious with refried black beans, soyrizo, and a little srinkling of goat cheese.
:: riding not too much right now, but am dying for a sunrise push up and down the sloping hills of hwy 360.
:: holding onto my hubby during the short times he's at home.
:: thinking Frankenberry treats would be awfully corn syrup laden but tasty.
:: grateful for a lot, I'm a lucky lady. But especially right now, my cousins, and siblings, siblings-in-love, and the beautiful babies they have all had.
:: anticipating Halloweeeeeeeen! I am going to make a fury costume and be horrible to look at.
:: itching to cook and bake and have the house constantly smelling delectable.
:: wishing that the Bastrop fires would quit already.
:: wondering if we will ever recover from the rainfall losses.
:: hoping for a nice long stay in Hot Springs over Christmas! I haven't had Christmas with my mom in a few years.
:: remembering when I was little and Aunt Mae was younger, the way she pampered us with amazing food and still does with love powerful enough to move mountains.
::Imagining what life will be like when Bret is able to leave work at a reasonable hour.
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