Taryn's Yummy and Delicious Salad

The salad is simple and full of beautiful colors and flavors...

1-2 bags Romaine lettuce

 3-4 Roma Tomatoes

3-4 stalks Celery

1 cup Diced or shredded carrots 

1- 15 oz can black beans

1-2 Avocado

1 can Hearts of Palm (or Artichoke Hearts)

1 cup pecans

Figs (I did not use these when I made the salad because I am watching sugar intake, but I am sure they would add another wonderful flavor.)

1 can white shoepeg corn (Again, I did not use when I made the salad as I am not currently eating corn)

1-2 Pears

1-2 Crisp apples

1 bag of Crasins 

Dressing: Balsalmic vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix together and pour over salad. That’s it! Bon appetite!

Health Benefits of Far-infrared Saunas

Lyn and I went to a spa here in Denver that has a far-infrared sauna. Not really knowing the difference between a traditional sauna and a far-infrared sauna, I did some research and the results were definitely worth sharing. I have been back once since Lyn and I went last Sunday and I am going again tomorrow. I am not sure if this is contributing to my weight releasing, but I am down 8 pounds as of yesterday! WOOOHOOOO!!!!! Might want to check it out!

Health Benefits of Far-Infrared Saunas

Detoxification:

*Rids the body of toxins thereby helping to relieve current symptoms and preventing future illnesses

*Increases overall health and vitality

*The heat generated by far-infared saunas produces sweat that carries nearly 20% toxins compared with a traditional sauna where you can only expect 3% toxins in the sweat generated. This is due to the fact that far-infrared saunas raise the core body temperature 2-3 degrees versus simply heating the air around the body in a traditional sauna.

Relaxation and Stress Reduction

According to New York Times best-selling author and fitness expert Jorge Cruise – as well as many other health professionals – the more stressed you are, the more cortisol your body produces. Cortisol is a “fight or flight” hormone made in the adrenal glands that raises heart rate and blood pressure and leads to the deposit of excess calories in the midsection.

Scientific evidence also shows that infrared sauna therapy helps the body maintain healthy levels of cortisol. While cortisol levels stay the same or rise slightly during a sauna therapy session, they drop immediately afterward.

Weight Loss

*Far-infrared saunas burn between 600-900 calories in a 30-45 min session.

*While using an infrared sauna, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate, causing the body to burn more calories.

Pain Relief

*Far-infrared saunas help to relieve tension and relax muscles by penetrating joints, muscles and tissues, increasing circulation and speeding oxygen flow.

Improved Circulation

*Far-infrared saunas heat your muscles with infrared rays and produces an increase in blood flow similar to regular exercise. In fact, blood flow during infrared sauna use has been reported to rise from a normal rate of 5-7 quarts per minute to as much as 13 quarts per minute.

The elevation in body temperature from far-infrared sauna use also produces an increase in blood flow that mirrors the benefits of a passive cardiovascular workout. The increased peripheral circulation from our infrared heat reduces inflammation, decreases pain and speeds healing, all important steps in helping the body recover from strenuous activity.

Frozen Peanut butter & banana balls

Here is something easy to make, healthy & sweet!

3 to 4 large bananas - not too ripe
16 oz smart balance peanut butter - gluten free:)
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1 serving protein powder

Smash the bananas with a fork, mixed the peanut butter and rest of ingredients. Put in the freezer for 1 and 1/2 hour. Take it out and using an ice-cream scooper scoop mixture into balls, put them back in the freezer overnight and enjoy!!

Yummy stuff!!!

Love,

Bi

Finally feeling better

Hi Ladies!

My apologies I've been MIA this week! I was sick for days and so busy at work! Finally feeling better! I've been doing pretty well with all, no coffee, no refined carbs, no dairy, zero animal product and lots of fruits and vegetables! I do eat my cookies but they are pretty healthy and I will send you girls some so if you do crave something sweet really bad you can have some of my cookies and not feel guilty about it!
I weight myself again this morning, still only 4 pounds, but I am ok with this since I haven't exercised in a while due to lack of energy (sick) and busy. Now tomorrow I get back to my workout routine, 5:30am Master Swim, whooohooo!!!
 Be on the look out for my "what is in it for me" post soon....

Love, hugs

Bia

Fell off the wagon

Haven't written in a while - not doing well at all on my eating.  Think the stress of not working and waiting for the next shoe to drop plus Judith passing away has affected me in ways that have made me really think about my relastionship with food.  All I have wanted for the last 2 day is sugar - cupcakes and cookies to be exact.  So, after giving in to my craving after a confront with Lani yesterday I have eaten 4 cupcakes and a pack of cookies!  So I guess I was waiting for the perfect excuse to give in and pig out.  It all started with reading that we really were moving out,  no mention of a future for me with them, and then Judith.  Oh this is really a pity party after all!  I am afraid I can't do all my new part-time job wants from me and for the first time in years, don't know where the money to live is coming from.  So, thanks for listening and being there for me.  Lyn

What's in it for me

Thank you so much Kelly for getting this for us.  I have been pondering your question and it is pretty simply for me that as long as I carry this padding around with me I don't have to face up to who I am.  Our entire journey of "I AM" I really didn't think about the real truth which was I AM hiding behind this weight.  So the whats in it for me is taking my head out of the sand (or snow today) and standing in my power and truth and shinning like a beacon for myself.

Nutty Chickpea Snack

Nutty Chickpea Snack
Yields 4-6 Servings
Gluten Free/Dairy Free

Ingredients:

* 1 teaspoon curry powder                                                 * 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 3/4 teaspoon chili powder                                               * 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin                                                         * 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, well drained,
*1/2 teaspoon garlic powder                                               rinsed, and patted dry
*1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper                                           * 1 tablespoon coconut oil, warmed to liquid
*1/4 teaspoon ground ginger


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine all the spices and toss with a fork to mix. Add the chickpeas, drizzle the oil over all and toss gently to evenly coat the beans. Spread chickpeas out on a shallow roasting pan or edged baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 min, turning twice, until just browned and slightly shrunken-watch carefully at the end of cook time to prevent scorching.

Cool then in the pan for 15 minutes and then store in the fridge.

Note: I used olive oil rather than the coconut oil the first time I made these and they turned out great!

"My" What's in it for me...

What’s in it for Me?

I have struggled with my weight off and on since I stopped playing competitive tennis in high school. Yes, that was many year ago…For me, it has always been about “losing” weight, only to gain it all back again after succeeding at whatever diet I was on at the time. Like most people, I have tried every fad diet out there from shakes, packaged foods and diet pills to purchasing home exercise equipment or pricey gym memberships. I have fasted and gone sugar-free. I have been both vegan and vegetarian. I have juiced and exercised and even gone as far as coffee enemas as part of my weight loss efforts. Seriously! But to no avail, at least not long term. It has taken me years, literally to figure out what was missing in my weight loss endeavors. The truth? Spirituality. Yes, I have always considered myself a spiritual person, more religious in my early years, but I grew up hearing that my body was God’s temple. While I knew this on an intellectual level it never connected with me on a deep spiritual level until now. I don’t know why it has taken me this long to have this epiphany and for me, right now, the "why" is not important. What’s important is that suddenly, the concept of "conscious eating" is intriguing to me. I am beginning to question how I mask and numb with food and even more importantly, why. I am beginning to explore how certain foods make me feel and how I feel when I reach for certain foods. I am beginning to notice that my food choices affect me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and that I can block or expand my spiritual connection based on the foods I consume and/or don’t consume. I have used food because I have been afraid. I have been afraid of myself, my identity as a powerful, spiritual being, and fully living the life that I came to this planet to experience. In essence, I have been using food to hide from the goddess I am.

Today is day 5 of our 90 day Weight Release Journey. When I started on this path I agreed to no coffee, no sugar, no starches, no dairy and no alcohol with a focus on protein and vegetables and an allowance of one fruit (low glycemic) per day. It was not my intention to give up animal protein, but I am exploring this option. So much has been presented to me since Monday when we began our journey on the benefits of a plant based/raw diet. People are coming out of the wood work to tell me about a two documentaries that I must see: “Forks over Knives” and “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”. In addition, this week I met Kathleen Bowman, raw food chef, professional harpist and hypnotherapist who suggested I read, Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. I purchased the book and have been devouring every page. I will end today with this quote by Cousens, “One cannot eat one’s way to God, by a vegetarian diet-and particularly a high-percentage live-food diet-is a powerful aid in the process of spiritual evolution.”

Process of Change

2/3/12

I attended a workshop yesterday on the process of change/transition. The presenter was fantastic and very engaging. She talked a lot about our responses to change and how we often (or always) are shocked and frightened by change, how we deny and resist change when in fact, change is the norm, truly the only constant. Change by definition she said means something has ended but we don’t always know what is next. We fear taking a risk, making a mistake and often become frozen in time. She had us explore how we typically respond to change and discussed that self-awareness is the key. She questioned the audience at the possibility adopting an attitude of curiosity and adventure as it relates to change.

She went on to discuss that we resist and fear “the transition” prompted by change, but encouraged us to look at change as a “journey of becoming”. She described change as a one way bridge to a new beginning…I loved that, found it very profound and applicable to what we are all doing on our Weight Release Journey. Even more profound was when she said, “When you don’t “mask” (refuse to feel, hide) you have an opportunity for self-discovery. I will take that a step further and say to us, when we don’t “mask” with sugar, food, alcohol, shopping, men, sex, we have a huge opportunity for self-discovery.

Transitions begin with an ending and end with a new beginning. We are in our transition ladies and together we will end with a new beginning.

Here is a quote she shared today that I thought was simply amazing…

“Everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. It is this spiritual freedom-which cannot be taken away-that makes life meaningful and purposeful.”-Victor Frankl, 1984

(FYI….Victor Frankl wrote Man’s Search for Meaning. He was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist during the time of Hitler. He had a successful private practice until he was captured and put into a concentration camp. He is a Holocaust survivor and wrote his book during his time in the concentration camp. Incredible!!!!)

A prayer for our journey…You both may have heard this but it such a good reminder I wanted to share.

Today, may there be peace within.

May I trust that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

Let me not forget the infinite possibilities born of my faith in you.

May I use the gifts you’ve given me.

May I share the love I receive.

May I be content knowing I am your child. 

I ask that your presence settle into my bones allowing my soul the freedom to sing and dance and praise and love. The opportunity awaits…may I embrace the day! –St. Therese of Lisieux

With love and blessings,

Kelly Anne