Green Smoothies

OH how I love them and oh how I use to think the idea was DISGUSTING! But believe me, just close your eyes and drink and you will forget it is even green! Tastes so yummy! Makes me feel so healthY! This started back in the day while living with my favorite sisters in California! Emily and I spent many days experimenting with different green smoothie recipes. We finally found our inspiration from www.greensmoothiegirl.com. We discovered that when we put kale and spinach in our smoothies for breakfast, we would have so much energy and it would help with regulating our digestive system!

I never had a blender that would eliminate the crunch of the kale until I got my Vitamix! Now my green smoothies are back and healthier and smoother than ever! I have even discovered adding spirulina and I notice the difference in my ability to fight off a cold. Now that I have my Vitamix I have joined in the raw food lifestyle change! Stay tuned for recipes soon!

Processed Foods

My inspiration ...

"You know how much I detest processed foods. With the exception of frozen or pre-chopped veggies — which can be timesaving godsends when cooking — they’re typically just junk.

Processed foods are a major contributor to weight gain, and they can harm your health in many ways, which is why it is imperative that you know how to spot them and avoid them. The bad processed foods are those that are made with refined grains, vegetable oils, and added sugar. The thing about processed foods is that they can be harmful in many different ways. For example, you might think you're eating healthy by having a salad with bottled fat-free ranch dressing, and you'd never even think about the fact that the dressing contains chemical flavor enhancers, such as MSG. Nonorganic processed meats often contain sodium nitrate and nitrite, which may contribute to colon cancer and metabolic syndrome. But you probably don't think about that as you patiently wait for your number to be called at the deli counter. Are you starting to see the big picture?

The reality is, it’s a lot easier to talk about avoiding processed foods than to actually avoid them! Look at it positively: Eating more whole foods means eating the things we were meant to eat in the first place — things that have a real life and have a “mother.” We should be eating fresh fruits, vegetables, organic lean meats, organic dairy, and whole grains. All that other stuff is full of empty calories that will do nothing but hinder our ability to reach a state of maximum health and wellness." ~Jillian Michaels

homemade bread

SUCCESS! Papa Dimond inspired me with his weekly ritual of grinding wheat to make homemade bread. We were given a bread maker and after over 10 cups of ground wheat, 8 hours, 4 loaves and a messy kitchen all I would end up with was a rock. I gave up. I figured bread making was just not for me! But then I would see Papa Dimond making his bread and he would ask how mine was doing. We decided I better try from scratch. I took a two week break and started over, without the bread maker and WAH LAH! Beautiful, healthy homemade bread with my wonderful KitchenAid Mixer! This is now my weekly ritual as well! Grind the wheat, grind the flax and make bread for the week! I'm still experimenting with different ratios of dough enhancer, gluten, flax and millet, but when I am completely satisfied I will post my recipe for all to enjoy! I even got Devin's approval when he used my bread to make his grilled cheese sandwich this week!

Vitamix

My newest investment to help me to eliminate the preservatives in my diet ... stay tuned for my creations and recipes.

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My silent struggle

Starting this blog is my attempt to acknowledge and deal with the physical struggle that I face daily. To me the main reason I keep this as my silent struggle is because I don't have definite answers at to what is going on. I reference this as my silent struggle because that is what it has become; me and my illness, ALONE, together fighting against one another. I don't like to talk about how I feel physically because it always makes me feel like I'm complaining and looking for an excuse for why I can't do this or why I can't do that. To some extent I have been in denial, thinking that if I don't let anyone else acknowledge what is going on in my body then maybe nothing will be going on in my body. This however is not going to work now that I am married and share my life with someone nor will it work in the future when we try to start a family.

The past 6 years have been a lonely journey of trial and error and still no definite answers. At times I wonder if it is just my mind making up the pain and fatigue. I then take a moment and look back and recognize that this is not something I make up, but instead it is real and it's time to acknowledge what I have been through. A brief background about my journey thus far is not intended in any way to complain or to seek sympathy, but instead is a way for me to create positive thoughts about how far I have come.

I grew up as a healthy child and never had any indication that one day I would face a physical trial that would completely change my everyday life. In 2005 I decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On that mission I was placed under extreme stress and my physical body manifested that stress through illness. I saw several doctors and ended up at home in Seattle undergoing sinus surgery. Words cannot describe the emotions that are associated with that procedure at that time of my life and the emotions that carry through. After surgery I tried to get my life back but about every 6 months I would get sick again. After numerous doctors and 2 states later the laundry list of procedures and diagnosis stands: chronic sinusitis, epstein barr virus, hypoclycemia, anemia, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, nerve testing, mono, strep, sinus infection, auto immune disease. We are left now looking into rheumatoid arthritis.

Believe it or not, over the last 6 years I have been able to hide it, but it's time to face the facts and be honest with myself and everyone in my life about what I face, even if we don't have the answers yet. This will be a place for me to document the process and motivate me to find things that make me feel better, no matter what the doctors and specialists tell me.

I believe in listening to my body and trusting what it is telling me while acknowledging that each day is different. This is my goal to become aware of what my body is telling me TODAY and what I need to do TODAY to take care of myself. I hope I can find wellness, happiness and ME in this journey.