Natalia Rose book and what I ate yesterday

I just read a book called Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. I highly recommend her book. It teaches about food combination and goes into many facets about detoxification like fasting, colonics, and quick exit foods.

I like that she helps people transition into whole foods through easy steps. She has a scale from 1 to 5 that says where you are and where you want to be. The number 5 is basically the standard American diet, and 1 is someone who only eats raw. I am a number 2, which means I eat raw most of the day with some cooked foods with my dinner.

So, being a number 2, here is what I ate yesterday. Oh, and it is this style of eating that has me within 9 pounds of where I was when I was a fit 17 year old!

Water until noon.

Noon- Green Lemonade

2:00 pm    big bowl of watermelon
(I would have had more fruit but my day got busy at this time)

4 pm   I had a cookie and a yogurt ice cream on my date with my 10 year old boy.

7pm   Guacamole salad   and a cooked bok choy with cashews side dish      

I lost almost a pound today after that day of eating. I love it and I don't feel deprived or hungry!

Happy Healthy,
Elisa

Kids 'Eat Any Time' LIst

I like to have my ingredients handy when I make dinner. Sometimes a kid will eat something, not tell me, then when I make dinner I am missing a key ingredient! Argh! 

I am a big fan of lists, so of course I have a list that solves this problem. At the top of this list is a header that reads, "Eat Any Time". That is just what it is. If a kid, or whoever, is hungry between meals then they can have something from the list. I do not snack, but I let the kids choose that for themselves. I love giving the kids choices that aren't huge but make them feel like they have some control over themselves.

First I make sure that breakfast, lunch, and dinner are packed full of fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. Then I don't have to feel bad about what they might have between meals. Everything on my list is not high end nutrition but moderation in all things is one of my motto's.

So, here it is.

Eat Any Time 

Lettuce

Potatoes (I keep baked ones in the fridge, individually wrapped in tin foil)

Carrots

Celery

Frozen Burritos

Canned Chili

Oatmeal 

Leftovers

1/4 cup nuts a day

Bread (My 14 year old son bakes this)

Bananas

1/4 cup raisins a day 

1 smoothie a day

Garden veggies

Apples

Canned Beans

Frozen Peas

Smoothie Ingredients available any time:

Strawberries

Frozen Mixed Fruit

Tablespoon flax

Almond milk (kid has to make it)

Tablespoon a day of honey

Apples

Protein Powder

Greens

Vanilla

Cinnamon

Sometimes I will have a tray of veggies on the counter with hummus to dip them in. Usually that is the first thing they go for when they get hungry. I like to have mushrooms, celery, green beans, snow peas, carrots, sliced peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, radishes, avocados, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. 

Happy Healthy,

Elisa

7 layer dip

This is a family favorite. I have healthified it over the years and I am proud to chalk this one down as a healthy hit!  It is fast, easy, and yummy.

7 Layer Dip

2 large cans non-fat re-fried beans
16 oz. jar low sodium salsa
10 oz. bag spinach
quinoa cooked in broth or other low sodium, low fat flavoring
10 chopped roma tomatoes
3 chopped bell peppers
6 chopped green onions
3-4 cubed avocados

Chop the spinach very fine and stir into the re-fried beans.
Layer everything into 2 9x13 pans.
Eat on tortillas, with chips, or dip sliced green peppers.
I eat mine with a fork and no chips or tortillas but whatever floats your boat!

Fit Choices

It has got to be the combination of fit choices that has my belly transforming! It is tight and has muscle definition! I am so tickled! Here is what I have been doing.

Walking 3 miles 3x a week with jogging at varying intervals

T-Tapping 2x a week(the 15 minute basic version)

Trying to eat mostly veggies, legumes, and a few nuts (sweets have made it in there on occasion)

Taking 1/4 t. cayenne in water and 1T. apple cider vinegar 2 to 3 times a day

Running up or lunging up the stairs when I have to use them (the stairs in my home)

Drinking lots of distilled water

 On pondering the question of whether it is one certain thing or a combination that is making the difference, I would have to say that it has got to be the combination. Every day and all day we are faced with choices that define who we are. If we want to be fit, then we'll have to make the fit choices. If we only make 1 fit choice and the rest are anti-fit :)  then how fit will we be? Just sayin'.

Happy Healthy,

Elisa

Hummus

We have been enjoying  a lot of hummus lately. Cucumbers dipped in hummus, hummus slathered on bread with tomatoes and cucumbers, chips dipped in hummus, and green peppers filled with hummus.
Sometimes I buy it, but I like to have it home made best. The flavor is best when homemade in my opinion and I can have quality control. Here is my recipe.

First I soak the beans overnight for increased nutrition and easier digestion.
Then, I let them simmer on the stove for a couple of hours until they are soft. I have tried making hummus with raw sprouted garbanzo beans but it turned out really grainy. I am going to try sprouting them for longer next time and low heat them and see how that goes.

When they are soft I add a couple cups of the sprouted beans and water to cover them into the blender. I blend them thoroughly and add about a Tablespoon of lemon juice, a Tablespoon of tahini, and a couple teaspoons of  Vegesal . I then add garbanzo beans until it blends into the right consistency. Voila! Hummus!

There are all kinds of things you can add to the hummus for different flavors like roasted red peppers or garlic. That's the beauty of home made. You tailor it to what you like!

Happy Healthy, Elisa

Netflix recommendations

Here are some documentaries on health, food, and eating that I have really enjoyed. They are not in any sort of order. Prepare to be inspired! Enjoy!  Happy Healthy,  Elisa

Food Matters
Ingredients
Forks Over Knives
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
The Gerson Miracle
The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue
Food, INC.

Lunch on Wednesday

My 12 year old son made lunch today. He sauteed onions and carrots in olive oil and added them to a pot of boiling soup stock that we had saved and frozen. He also put in diced potatoes.  On the table he put raw veggies and a dish of hummus to dip them in. I'm going to go read Island of the Blue Dolphins to the boys while they eat and then have some for myself.