tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47100105879276602502024-03-04T22:55:24.840-08:00Dream Joyfully!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-69206834812468563792011-08-18T10:18:00.000-07:002011-08-18T10:23:46.029-07:00VacationI found myself today dreaming of getting away to some remote mountain hideaway, fishing in a beautiful lake, hiking to my heart's content, and just sitting among trees, grass, rocks, and dirt. Life HAS been pretty hectic lately, and I've been too busy for my own good. Not having the option to go on a "real" vacation, I found myself wondering what I could do instead to get the same peace, as I realized that is what I'm seeking...along with some sunshine & fresh air. :)
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<br />I'm going to go on my own mini-vacation at home. This coming week, I am going to spend time with my son, visit with friends, and spend time in the sunshine.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-72050968380218183922011-03-23T18:40:00.000-07:002011-03-23T18:48:38.193-07:00Clam Chowder10 oz. can baby clams (I like the Crown Prince brand because it's very low in salt, and I can use sea salt, which doesn't make me puff up with water retention like "other" salt does)<br />1 cup cream (preferably grass-fed)<br />1/2 cup whole milk (non-homogenized, preferably grass-fed)<br />2 - 3 small red potatoes, chopped)<br />garlic or diced red onions (optional)<br />2 Tbsp. grease from uncured bacon<br />(2 - 3 tsp. sea salt, only if using low sodium clams)<br /><br />Put bacon grease in pan & heat. Add chopped potatoes and sautee for 3 - 5 minutes. Pour in clams, including the liquid. Add sea salt if using low sodium clams. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add milk and cream and heat to desired temperature. Enjoy!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-86594138905014899962011-03-07T15:42:00.001-08:002011-03-07T15:43:46.125-08:00GratefulYou know, the nice thing about being so sick you hardly have energy to move is that when I get well, I feel AWESOME just having energy to walk around & work. :)Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-91947547266729014472011-03-03T13:44:00.000-08:002011-03-03T13:53:46.626-08:00SickI am sick. It serves me right, I guess. I was just last week telling people how great this year is because I used to be the one getting sick, missing work, etc. and this winter my friends, neighbors & coworkers have been sick and I get a little bit of something and then get over it right away. Not this time. :( I've now been sick for three days: sore throat, tight lungs, red watery eyes (my eyes are actually better today!), headache, getting worn out VERY easily...I've been steaming up the house and taking all kinds of stuff: stuff for immune support, stuff to kill germs, stuff to grow more good bacteria, stuff to balance my energy, stuff to support my immune system, blah blah blah...and even though I'm doing all kinds of "stuff" to get well, it is still hanging on. This monster is a toughie. My family is having a girls' weekend starting tomorrow, and I'm super lucky they love me, because when my wonderful sister-in-law found out I am sick & might not come, she called & said she'll bring me over some more "stuff" to help kick this cold's hiney outta here. Here's hoping it works!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-53764846794557370452011-02-04T19:07:00.000-08:002011-02-05T06:14:05.204-08:00Hungry At NightLast night, I was so tired that I fell asleep without eating dinner. I had been craving a sandwich made with the uncured ham and sprouted grain bread I bought at Real Foods on Wednesday. About 2:00 am, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. At 3:20, I remembered I hadn't eaten and decided that having food in my tummy might help me sleep better. I made a grilled ham & cheese sandwich with artichoke hearts & a little salad dressing on it, with a Bubbies pickle on the side. Yum! I went to sleep easily after eating.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-70559040842712429822011-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:002011-02-01T17:38:56.987-08:00My ExperimentI have been making some changes in my lifestyle (constantly) to try to improve my health, happiness, mothering ability, and just about everything else. I have tried many different "diets" (which really just means I've tried using different combinations and/or types of foods as my daily fuel). Anyhow, I have recently had reason to ponder and ask "what next?" regarding food/health/nutrition.<br /><br />After a lot of thought, observation, intuition, experimentation, and some other "tion" words, I have decided to do a 13-week experiment. Are you ready? Okay.<br /><br />Here's the experiment: I am going to shop for my food at Real Foods Market, and I am going to eat whatever I want to eat from there. <br /><br />It may sound silly. In fact, it sounds that way when I hear myself say it out loud. Silly, or just so simple it can't really be an experiment, right? Here's the thing: They really do their homework, and they only sell the foods they believe will contribute to optimal health. At Real Foods Market, the butter is not just free of growth hormones, it is organic and cultured, and there is a grass-fed option available. There are no hormones, pesticides, refined flours, hydrogenated oils, or harmful chemicals in anything they sell. Real Foods Market sells foods that are naturally high in vitamins & minerals because of the way they are grown & produced. Every time I eat food from there, it feels really nourishing when compared to cheaper/lower-quality versions of the "same" foods bought elsewhere. (This is part of the experimentation & observation I've been doing for a while.)<br /><br />I'll be putting away my scale until the end of the 13 weeks. I'll be checking my blood sugar more regularly than I have been lately. I'll be making really delicious food. And I'll see what 13 weeks brings. :)Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-30094536634094347522011-01-16T08:14:00.000-08:002011-01-16T08:47:34.413-08:00A Question of Calories?I'm amazed at something I've discovered about how my body works: If/when I eat what my body needs, my weight is stable. If I don't, it's not.<br /><br />I know that for me, for now, my ideal diet is extremely high in fat, mainly from animal sources, with vegetables & greens, and no carbohydrates except the lactose in my goat milk or raw milk (I'm even feeling like the lactose is a compromise so that my body can get the nutrients from the milk, because cream and raw milk cheese appeal to me much more than the milk, but goat's milk or raw cow's milk are good when I don't have cream or cheese available).<br /><br />My breakfast this morning consisted of a quart of grass-fed cream, 2 pieces of coconut cake (basically coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut oil and eggs), and 8 slices of uncured bacon. Total calories? 3,923 according to www.nutritiondata.com<br /><br />I have no idea how many calories I will have consumed by the end of the day. I have not been running like I planned to, so I am not burning off big amounts of calories through exercise. In contrast, I gained 10 pounds in 10 days when I added occasional grain and fruit to my diet last month, and I didn't have any significant increase in the total amount of food I was eating during that time. As soon as I stopped eating carbohydrates, I stopped gaining weight. My one "cheat" has been having some beans in soup or chili at a couple of family parties, which has added about three more pounds.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-65194056199636369262011-01-15T05:10:00.000-08:002011-01-16T08:14:24.444-08:00Stress & Staying WellI have a friend whose whole family is sick. Yesterday, a coworker told me she can feel herself aching all over, getting sick. I have had a LOT going on lately, and I've gotten pretty stressed & overwhelmed. Yesterday I had two more things added to my plate for the coming week. With people getting sick around me and my history of gettting sick easily, I knew I had to take care of myself if I am going to keep functioning. I always try to eat really nutritious foods, and here's what else I do: Last night I took a hot bath with essential oils of lemon & wild orange. I took a couple of drops of each one internally, too. After my bath, I put on an essential oil blend to relax my tight shoulder & neck muscles, and I dropped some other oils on my sheet so I could breathe them through the night. I've upped my vitamin D3 dosage in order to help my immune system, and a bonus is that vitamin D3 also helps mental function & mood. I say it can't hurt! :)<br /><br />p.s. I forgot to mention the B vitamins I take to help me handle stress better. Yay!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-9490393770261322322011-01-01T18:03:00.001-08:002011-01-01T18:23:46.730-08:00The Rainbow Train of HappinessSanta bought my son all kinds of great coloring stuff. He brought me scrapbook paper. After we had opened gifts, my son was looking around at his gifts, trying to decide what to do first. That's when I realized/remembered just how boring scrapbook paper is and how awesome it is to color. I was wishing I had asked Santa for a coloring book. My sweet son took pity on me and offered to share. This is what I did on Christmas day:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzTSU-8kvXPO2HOJZlrHE5q5FU51Snx1waqii_bOomyybvZW23W4CipqXRdz0zrhcD3lfiETEEqpEPcO9lNvz-63hjf6CFTQSxtyfn8GpIVFbvY9uzrmbybr7Ht4XXVeRrvhMzzO8zURh/s1600/rainbow+train.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzTSU-8kvXPO2HOJZlrHE5q5FU51Snx1waqii_bOomyybvZW23W4CipqXRdz0zrhcD3lfiETEEqpEPcO9lNvz-63hjf6CFTQSxtyfn8GpIVFbvY9uzrmbybr7Ht4XXVeRrvhMzzO8zURh/s400/rainbow+train.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557407137174027378" /></a><br /><br />p.s. I used some of my Christmas money to buy a big coloring pad and some markers and colored pencils, and I'm pretty sure I'll soon have enough pictures to wallpaper my bedroom. :)Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-75335157542368428092010-11-30T09:54:00.000-08:002010-11-30T10:01:24.045-08:00More About RunningToday I watched a video of a running coach explaining how to get started running if you're a beginner. I'm definitely a beginner. He recommended starting with 20 minutes of slow, easy jogging every other day. Well, I've already established that I am not able to run for 20 minutes (more like four to five minutes). But I am going to start running three days per week...every week...even if I don't want to...like today. Since I can't leave my arms out of the exercise fun, after a couple of weeks I will start doing a little weightlifting on my non-running days. Excuse me, I have to go run NOW. :)Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-18287007159861255422010-11-28T08:44:00.000-08:002010-11-28T09:09:15.965-08:00Running!My health has been a challenge for a long time. I've been able to finally start feeling stronger over the past six months or so, for which I am extremely grateful. After years of not being able to run due to health problems (knees hurting/giving out and lung issues: I would start coughing really hard & couldn't breathe when I started running), I finally feel strong enough to run, although it is going to be a very gradual process to get in shape. My goal is to eventually be able to do a half-marathon. It's a big goal. I officially started running last week. I ran (okay, very slowly jogged) about 1/3 mile. I didn't die, and I didn't even have any coughing fits! It was glorious. Once this week, after watching "Biggest Loser" and realizing that even extremely overweight people who hadn't been exercising regularly could run further than I can, I started feeling a bit sheepish about my ability (or lack thereof) to run. I wondered if I am just completely insane to think I can ever even run a mile, much less a half-marathon. I thought that 1/3 mile or 1/4 mile is nothing. But this is my goal, my health, and my progress. It is good enough for me.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-61367668796022139622010-11-16T10:33:00.000-08:002010-11-16T10:39:57.124-08:00I am Grateful!Sometimes I just stop & think (& sometimes write) of the wonderful gifts in my life: my son, my life, the ability to read & write, family, friends, food, a bed, a garden, weather-appropriate clothing - heck, just having clothes! - sunsets, rain, sunshine, chickens, walnuts...there are at least a billion more. Anytime I find myself whining or complaining, a good dose of gratitude goes a long way to snap me out of self-ptiy and into joy!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-54908265963423694722010-11-14T10:08:00.000-08:002010-11-14T10:22:00.555-08:00Consolidation!I've decided to move all my blogs here & combine them into one. You see, I have blogged about various parts of my life in various places, but I am really just one person with one life and I may as well talk about it all in one place. Welcome to my world. :)<br /><br />One of the blogs I had was sort of a food journal, which I find interesting & useful to keep track of from time to time, partly because I tend to get stuck in a rut with my food choices, and it's nice to be reminded of other things I like to eat.<br /><br />This morning for breakfast, I ate about 1/4 pound of home-made sausage (natural ground beef + RealSalt + fresh garlic + herbs) and drank a pint of goat milk. Man, that goat milk is satisfying!<br /><br />Just now (11 am) I snacked on a few <a href="http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/07/28/raw-food-recipe-for-crunchy-bbq-chips/">raw barbecue chips</a> (I added about a tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar to her recipe) and then drank a can of coconut milk with vanilla flavored stevia drops mixed in.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-49144061742698402492010-11-13T17:33:00.000-08:002010-11-13T17:49:39.762-08:00Hi, I'm Back :)Wow, I can't believe my last post here was a year ago. Wait, yes I can. I'm a mom, and I've had a few things to do. :) It's interesting to read the last post, because my diet has changed yet again, and it's again because of continually high blood sugar and feeling not-so-good eating carbs. I'm eating what I feel drawn to, which is currently high-fat (some of which need to come from animal sources) and no carbs except the fiber in my veggies and the lactose in the goat milk I am guzzling like crazy. That's an interesting thing: I hadn't had goat milk in years, but I bought some the other day because it sounded good when a friend mentioned it. I drank some right away, and something about it felt so wonderfully nourishing that I found myself exclaiming aloud: "NO WONDER I always wanted more milk when I was a kid!" Interesting, because I had been thinking of that childhood desire for milk a lot over the past year or so. It went like this: Every day I asked my mother for more milk - I particularly remember I always wanted some in mid-afternoon - but there wasn't enough for me to just drink it whenever I wanted it. I really felt that I missed out on something I needed, and I felt there was something important I needed to learn from the memory - a reason it has kept coming up. We had goats for several years, and we got fresh cow's milk from a neighbor when we didn't have goats. I hadn't realized that it was during our goat-keeping time that I had constantly craved the milk, but when I drank it this week, it was familiar on a level beyond my conscious memory. I have embraced the cravings, the memory, the knowing this is good for me even though I'm not completely sure why...and I am drinking goat milk as often as I want it. YUM on all levels!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-9750953363454483022009-11-11T06:21:00.000-08:002009-11-11T06:22:45.914-08:00My "New" DietI am a type 1 diabetic & have been raw most of the last 4 1/2 years. I have had a lot of problems with insulin resistance (which isn't normally a type 1 issue) & other health challenges in those years (although some of the health issues existed before that, too). Not only have I had health problems, but in the last year and a half (since I was hospitalized for complications of diabetes), I have put on almost as much weight as I lost in the first three months of eating raw. Weird. Anyhow, I recently experimented with eating more cooked foods as I wasn't feeling great eating raw & thought maybe I was missing something. In August (while continuing to eat lots of cooked whole foods as they made me feel better than my raw diet had), I started using herbs, supplements and some amazing essential oils, which helped a lot in how I felt, and my insulin sensitivity has been gradually improving since then. I still hadn't lost weight, though. In fact, I was only three pounds away from my highest weight ever - which was pre-raw. I found Dave the Raw Food Trucker on Youtube, and watching him I felt like maybe I should get back to raw, but do a low-glycemic raw diet, since my body wasn't processing high-glycemic carbs well (I would eat a piece of fruit & get really irritable & crash & have to sleep for an hour). I recognized that I'd been drawn to low-glycemic cooked foods, so I wondered if maybe low-glycemic was the key I needed. I went to eating a low-glycemic raw diet, and I drank loads of fresh green vegetable juice for two or three days. I have never felt good/healthy being vegan long-term, but I felt that there was an element of truth/power for in Gabriel Cousens's eating plan, so I was planning to stick with the low-glycemic raw vegan diet for 6 months to see how I felt. Well, after six days, I felt a shift - that I didn't need to do it any more because I had reset the body-mind connection and now wanted to eat just what was best for my body, so I didn't need the rules any more. I added some grass-fed beef and a few more carbs into my diet & continued to feel better. At some point in this self-discovery process, I remembered a discussion about agave (months ago) in which I became aware that most of my crazy blood sugar issues started at the same time I started using agave. I dismissed it at the time, but it came back to me this past week. I use muscle-response testing (kinesiology) in my practice as a holistic health coach, so I decided to muscle-test myself to find out if there was/is a certain diet I need to follow, or if I can just eat intuitively, etc. I tested specifics of my ideal diet, based on the thoughts & intuition I'd had, and I discovered something amazing, which shouldn't have surprised me one bit! The diet my body wants is the exact diet I was following the first six months: when I lost weight, had more energy & experienced lots of health improvements (including better insulin sensitivity). One of the main things about this diet is NO AGAVE. I am eating plenty of carbs again, I have energy instead of crashing afterward, I get more energy every time I eat...in short, I feel better from my food than I have in the last four years since I started using agave. I have also finally started losing weight - seven pounds in the last two weeks since I got back to "my diet" - mainly raw but with no agave.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-25510489158707996592009-11-08T10:01:00.001-08:002009-11-08T10:13:39.741-08:00Whatever, WheneverI was reading a raw website recently, which talked about people eating 100% raw amd being able to eat whatever they want, whenever they want and be completely healthy. I was reminded that in the past, when I have eaten a certain way, I can eat as much of whatever I want, whenever I want (within those parameters), and I continue to get healthier & maintain a healthy weight. The diet for me has consisted almost entirely of raw plant foods, with a little cooked meat/eggs (grass-fed or wild-caught) and raw cheese. The website I read said that the "whatever, whenever" principle goes away when cooked food is part of the diet. For me, that is true EXCEPT in the case of cooked meat/eggs. Anyway, I don't know if it's because these foods are a magic combination for my body as far as how the food is digested/used, or if it's because eating this way enables me to be more in tune with what my body needs (so that what I want is what my body needs)...or maybe this is the diet I'm drawn to BECAUSE I'm wanting to eat what my body needs...However it works, there it is. Of course, I suppose that could change tomorrow & I'll be saying I feel healthiest eating cooked grains & beans &... :)Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-74090484773756209772009-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:002009-10-31T07:14:05.354-07:00Something NewI have had high blood sugars (even though I have kept taking more insulin to bring them down) for the last few months. I have used essential oils, herbs, supplements, chakra balancing, etc. etc. etc. and have had somewhat lower blood sugar levels and a LOT more energy, but my blood sugars have still been too high. After watching Dave the Raw Food Trucker on Youtube (while staying home sick), I got inspired. He talked about the success he and other diabetic people (including two friends who are type I and others who were insulin-resistant) have had with green juices and using the program in the book "There is a Cure for Diabetes" by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. I have the book. Then I saw what Dave puts in his green juice, and my mind was blown. The man makes the greenest green juices I've ever seen!<br /><br />After watching Dave make his juice, I made a new kind of green juice yesterday (actually closer to a dark reddish brown because of all the red bell peppers in it). It was nowhere near what Dave makes, but definitely a whole lot greener & more nutrient-dense than any juice I've ever made before! I drank the green juice all morning and into the afternoon, a couple of times alternating with water (to which I added ionic minerals). It was probably around 3 quarts of juice or so all together. I felt amazing! Not only did I feel energized, but my blood sugar went from 206 in the morning down to 99 at 4:00 pm - with no extra insulin!<br /><br />I ate a raw dinner which included carbs, and my blood sugar went high (200+), but then it came down a bit when I took a correction bolus of insulin.<br /><br />After the way I felt & the impact the juice had on my blood sugar, I wanted to do a juice feast. Since I don't have even close to $50 per day to buy the produce to make Dave's juice recipe, and then there's the additional cost of the blue-green algae and enzymes he adds to his juices...I got thinking of how I can afford to drink at least some green vegetable juices every day. I came up with a minimum amount of juice that I can fit into my budget.<br /><br />This morning I woke up earlier & felt more energized than normal when I got up. I felt like it might be a good idea to take this experiment further than just juicing regularly. I have tried the Dr. Cousens approach twice in the past, but both times I ended up feeling poorly after two or three weeks of only the carbs in veggies, avocados, sprouts, etc. This morning I decided I can basically follow Phase 1.5 of Dr. Cousens's plan, because it allows for small amounts of low-glycemic carb-containing foods like buckwheat & blueberries, which may be enough carbs to keep me satisfied & feeling well. I may still eat cashews & nutritional yeast sometimes, but I'll be basing my diet around his low-glycemic recommendations, and I'll be drinking as much green veggie juice as I can!<br /><br />My goal is 6 months.<br /><br />We'll see how it goes!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710010587927660250.post-44151933019958217432009-10-06T10:00:00.000-07:002009-10-06T10:06:42.432-07:00My IntentionI have created this blog to keep track of my life in whatever way I choose. I want to dream, and I want to live with joy in every moment. I can't do everything I want to do. I was sad because of what I couldn't do today, until I recognized & found joy in the unexpected wonderful things I get to experience because of the choices I made about this day.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837796908425413562noreply@blogger.com0