End of the Veggie Run!

Welcome to the end of the work week! (For most, that is.)

I am here to give you the update on how our final Fruit and Veggie Run went!

Wednesday I was feeling great - still loving the abundance of fruits, though admittedly a little tired of salad with no dressing ;-) But I just kept at it - last day, right?? And we had dinner plans with the dad, meeting at Applebee's.

Uh-oh. That sounds tantalizingly dangerous!

So, what's a good little nutritionist do? She plans ahead! I scour their website and hunt down the menu to see what would be acceptable for me. Lo and behold, a beautiful salad is part of their menu! The Asian Crunch Salad - romaine lettuce, cucumber, red onions, roasted red peppers, and sweet peas! I decide to just order it without the chicken and almonds, and dressing on the side.

I don't need no steenking dressing! I has my lemon!

(Mine came without the chicken though!!)

So, with that plan in mind - off we go! The only splurge I make is to keep the almonds - I am hungry and the salad just doesn't sound filling enough without some extra protein. So there it is! A lovely salad - and I devoured that sucker!

....and then we sat there for another hour conversing and laughing and having good times, and Dave had half of his burger sitting there, taunting me.

Evil burger.

A chink in the armor - I ate that half of that acid-forming burger.

Then a damaging blow to the armor!

The men wanted dessert - and oh what a dessert it was! A Maple Butter Blondie and a Chocolate Chip Cookies Sundae staring me in the face.

My rational mind began telling me all the reasons that I didn't want those resplendent foods: they're not really food, they're just "edible foodlike substances," I have worked too hard to bomb that heavily; processed food junks up the system, dairy can cause mucus formation for me... ok, well maybe one little bite....

And those men and their small stomachs! They couldn't finish their desserts! So I did. Ah well, it was enjoyable and tasty - though quickly past the pleasure of the taste buds and then just sat like a brick in the stomach. And that dairy and/or burger sure did affect my mucus production. I felt more congested and drainy that night than I have in a long time!

My body began working to digest all of that, and I don't know if it was just coincidence, but I was so tired! I couldn't even stay awake on the drive home! Thankfully Dave drove!

And the next morning, I woke with a lethargy like none other, and still some mucus buildup in my throat. And no appetite. By the time lunch rolled around, I felt somewhat hungry again, so I enjoyed a fresh veggie salad - but something was still undigested. That salad felt like it just sat there, blocked, and I felt all bloated and cramped. Yuck!

So it's back to my lighter fair again! Yesterday I went back to fruits and veggies and a few nuts. And this morning - so much better! I went to the gym, did my 3.1 miles on the treadmill - and didn't want to get off! So I just kept a'truckin'! Then for the last few minutes, I even cranked up the pace a bit! My 3.1 miles turned into 4.85!! Ahhhh, the body just seems to function better on lighter, colorful foods!

I have a luscious alkalizing green smoothie with me today (my happy desk companion as I type!) and some soaked wild rice to wrap with spinach and sprouts for lunch.

To quote my dad's old-time computer game hero, Duke Nukem: "Ahhhh, much better!"

Happy Friday! Lots of love :)

~Katie

Immunity Boosting Tea

Good morning!! How's your day going? It was a little nippy out this morning on my way to work! I actually had to grab a light jacket for the walk! But I didn't mind - the sun was still out, and the air was crisp and clean :)

While we usually think of winter as flu season, summer colds are pretty common, too. So protect your health! I had a cold coming on the other day, so I did my little ritual: gargle salt water. I don't know if that's just an old wives tale, or there's scientific research behind it, but it helps! Then I topped it off this morning with...

Immunity Boosting Tea:

12 oz warmed water (not too hot!)
juice of 1 lemon (or lime if you prefer)
a pinch of cayenne powder
a dash of ginger powder (I'm all out of fresh ginger root... sad...)

Mix and sip, and feel the body heal! ;-)

Lemon is a potent vitamin C package, which is a powerful antioxidant. Those little buggers just swim through the water in your body, and *WHAM!* neutralize any free radicals they find on the way!

Cayenne can get your circulation moving! Nice and warming on this cooler morning! But did you know it also has some good Vitamin A in it - essential for healthy epithelial tissues including the mucous membranes that line the nasal passages and lungs? Important for a healthy respiratory system! Sadly, with just a small dash, I probably didn't get too much of that wonderful vitamin, but maybe over time I can work up to a larger, spicier dose! The compound capsaicin is what makes peppers hot - and it's also a good pain reducer! So, sore throat no more! Ok, not a guarantee cure, but capsaicin HAS been studied as a pain and inflammation reducer in arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. This lovely spice has also been shown to help open up clogged sinuses and nasal passageways. Thankfully, I caught my cold before it progressed that far, but good to know if that cold does persist!

And ginger. Ahh, ginger. That zesty, surprising bite of heat! I usually like to soak fresh ginger root in my teas, but I ran out and had to go with some powdered ginger this morning. Ginger is another antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent. Ginger also contains dermicidin which German researchers are studying as a strong germ-fighting agent that enters your sweat glands after consuming ginger! Woo! Go Ginger Ninja! (Hmmm... I wonder if you have enough, if you'll smell like ginger after a good workout....)

So that was my health goal for today - kick the cold! And I am feeling much better! No sore throat, no congestion!

Stay healthy, stay warm, stay rooted in peace! (I need that one today...) ;-)

Love,
~Katie

Tuesday Smoozie!

So, after enjoying yesterday's prurple-green smoothie/Smoozie, Dave and I enjoyed another one for breakfast today! Sadly, this one didn't seem quite as filling though - perhaps because I did a pretty good workout at the gym before breakfast. (Which is why I always keep a supply of healthy snacks at work!)

After the gym, I enjoyed a glass of water with half a lemon squeezed in. And why is that lemon so good? Vitamin C, alkaline, and healthy enzymes, that's why! Then, after getting cleaned up, I whipped up this bad boy:

Today still had the same green base:

2-3 c spinach

4 kale leaves

Then I added some fruits:

1 apple

1 pear

1/2 lemon

1 orange

1 c blueberries

Quite the antioxidant kick yet again! And all those wonderful detoxing enzymes from the kale. Plus loads of Vitamin C to help the immune system this blustery winter day. Brrr!

Tonight, I just may curl up and study with some warmed vegan hot chocolate - free from all the high acidity and inflamming properties of processed sugars and chocolates, and acidic, mucus-forming dairy. It's a simple recipe if you have the ingredients on hand:

1 c unsweetened almond milk

1 Tbs agave nectar (or to taste)

1 Tbs cacao powder (or to taste)

Warm and enjoy!

~Katie

Oh, and in case you were curious - those 4 cookies from my coworker yesterday ARE STILL SITTING there! Go will power! I'll enjoy them later this week. But honestly, for now, I'm okay as long as I don't see them!

Super Radish!

Happy Monday, my friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and are ready to continue the fight for good health! Huzzah!

Today I have a lovely little salad for lunch. But I wanted to encourage you to rethink your idea of a salad. Typically, we think of salad as a bed of green, and the some toppings, and a dressing. And that's healthy, too! And, actually, the word "salad" comes from the Latin "salare" meaning "to salt" since salt was often used in the dressing. And a little natural salt is good - let's just not go overboard!

But I guess I tend to think of a salad as any dish of cold fruits and/or vegetables all mixed together.

So, today, my salad was a simple radish-cucumber salad. Radish has a somewhat spicy peppery flavor, so the cucumber is a wonderful cooling balance.

Dice a bundle of radishes, cube up some cuke, and season as desired! That's it!

I like to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on it, maybe a little pepper or sea salt. If you have a favorite herb, I hear cilantro is a good mix with radish.

Yay radish! It's an awesome mucus dissolver, rich in many wonderful minerals. It's combination vitamin C, sulfur, and silica help with healthy skin tissue formation, which can help make the face glow! Go radish, go!

(photo courtesy of Jeff Bucchino, http://www.zazzle.com/wizardofdraws)