Change is Coming...

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
                                                           ―Mahatma Gandhi

This was today's "quote of the day" and I really felt like it expressed the way that I am feeling this morning. I want to strive to emulate the vision that I have for the world around me - faith, health, values, etc. 

I had a great choir rehearsal last night, including an hour long rehearsal of songs that I am singing on Sunday. What a beautiful way to spend an evening... meditating in praise and worship to God!!!

"The LORD your God is with you,
        he is mighty to save.
        He will take great delight in you,
        he will quiet you with his love,
        he will rejoice over you with singing."
                                           - Zephaniah 3:17

For the last two weeks, I have hit a plateau in my weight loss - this happens every few months. Whenever it does happen, I keep my chin up and switch things up from Cooler 2 to Cooler 1. Usually, I stay on Cooler 1 for 4 or 5 days, which shakes up my metabolism a bit, and regular weight loss follows. I plan on starting Cooler 1 on Monday.

Does anyone want to join me? If you will join me, I will commit to posting my eats every day next week.

To prepare for next week's Cooler 1 challenge, I will print out my Cooler 1 Checklist and Food Journal to plan every meal that I eat next week. Then, from my Food Journal I will make a Grocery List for tomorrow's trip to Valley Natural Foods and a list of the items that I need to prep this weekend (like Cooler 1 Protein Bars, which I plan on making into muffins). I may also make an egg bake with the veggies that I pick up at the Farmer's Market on Saturday.

On to some exciting news! I just received an email from Amazon that my pre-ordered copy of The Eat-Clean Diet for Men shipped last night!!! I am super excited to read this with Allan. I love reading any new information that I can find on eating Clean, Healthy, Real Foods.

I have been promising to post pictures of the new bike and here they are! The other day, Allan and I took a long bike ride from our house to Fort Snelling and biked along the Mississippi River. Half way through our bike ride, we stopped at this cute fishing dock in the backwaters. How beautiful!!! After the ride, my legs were sore - riding up and down the bluffs of the Mississippi was an excellent workout!

Allan and his bike along with my bike (on the right)

Me biking along the parkway on our way home

Sporting my new Twin Six Jersey

We also went and test drove one of these:

We are seriously considering picking one up, but are not sure if we should take advantage of the great deals they are offering on the 2009 models or if we should wait and check out the new 2010 model. 

Or just switch it up completely and get one of these:

(hybrid, of course)

RELAX!!!

Good Afternoon, bloggers.

We had a nice relaxing weekend. I felt productive, but had a lot of time to sit and read and hang out with Allan. What did you do this weekend? Did you keep it clean?

Friday night we tried the only raw restaurant in the city, The Ecopolitan. We were extremely let down by the food, service and presentation. The veggies were like rubber and the food was overspiced. Boo!!! I was really excited to try this restaurant because it has received rave reviews, but unfortunately, will never go back!

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon doing some light cleaning and planted the pansies that I purchased on Friday afternoon with my Mom, while Allan participated in Portfolio One On One (reviewing senior design student portfolios). My aunt and uncle were in town from Albert Lea and we went to one of our favorite local spots, the French Meadow Cafe. The French Meadow Cafe serves fresh, local, and organic food that is delicious and I can always find something clean. They also have a wonderful bakery where they sell fabulous baked goods including some gluten-free and vegan options. I ordered a rachel sandwich with mixed greens, a nonfat latte, and we all split a piece of carrot cake. Allan and I picked up a muffin a piece to enjoy with breakfast on Sunday morning.

Sunday was a lazy rainy day. We went to church in the morning for the last contemporary service (we have a band that joins us from a "sister" church) until next Fall and then spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the living room reading and hanging out. It was a delightfully uneventful way to end the weekend!

The following are my planned eats for today. As always, I am following a strict Cooler 2 Meal Plan. I plan on doing NROL4W, Stage 5, Workout B today. Have a fabulously clean day!!!

M1 - 1/2 c egg whites + chicken sausage + 1/4 c dry oats cooked with cinnamon + vanilla + 2 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp wheat germ + 1/4 c bluberries 

M2 - 1 c low fat plain yogurt + strawberries + 1/2 c cereal

M3 - 4 hard boiled egg whites + 1/2 c dry rolled oats cooked with 1/4 c blueberries + cinnamon + vanilla

M4 - 1 tbsp natural peanut butter + 1 tbsp raw almond butter + apple + 1 slice Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread

M5 - grilled chicken + zucchini

M6 - 1/2 VitaMix Smoothie: banana + strawberries + maca powder + spinach + date + protein powder

MyWayCereal Review

This week's product review is MyWayCereal. At MyWayCereal, you can create your own custom organic cereal mix. They have a very easy to use website that walks you through the process effortlessly. You can choose from 5 different cereal bases, several different kinds of dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and sweet treats to really customize your cereal to your specific tastes.

The cereal comes in these large tubes that store well in the pantry and do not take up much floor space. They hold a whopping 21oz of custom organic cereal, which is 11 servings at 54g a piece.

Here is the cereal mix that I made for myself:

I really like my cereal combination. There are a lot of dried fruit pieces, especially mango. The mango is a little tough to chew, but if you let the cereal soak in the milk or yogurt for a minute, the dried fruit softens and plumps - which is oh so yummy! Both Allan's and my mixes contain coconut and chia seeds, which tend to fall to the bottom of the canister. So, before each use, make sure that you lightly shake the canister to distribute the ingredients, that way you get a bite of yummy deliciousness in each bite.

Here is the Nutrition Info for my cereal mix:

Here are the ingredients in my cereal mix:

Here is the cereal mix that I made for Allan:

Allan really likes his cereal mix a lot. He enjoys the flavor and crunch of the honey corn flakes. He also likes all of the fruit and nuts that were in the mix. For once, Allan is actually excited when he opens the cupboards and sees this mix sitting there waiting for him - a reaction he hasn't had to cereal since I eliminated HFCS and Trans Fats from our cupboards. YAY for MyWayCereal!

Here is the Nutrition Info for Allan's cereal mix:

Here are the ingredients in Allan's cereal mix:

This is how I have been enjoying my cereal all week:

1/2 cup cereal, 3/4 cup strained plain low-fat yogurt, 1 serving unthawed frozen mango chunks

It's Going to be 80˚ in MN today!!!

Good Morning.

I hope that everyone has had a clean and productive week! Mine has been busy, as always. Work has been very demanding lately as we have gained some new clients and are taking on a few large projects, which is very exciting because the company is growing! However, sometimes I do not know if I am coming or going! In addition to my other commitments, I have had my schedule packed!!! Which is great, because I enjoy being busy; although, it has not left much spare time for blogging on a regular basis.

That being said, I love working on this blog and letting you into my life through it. If I could, I would love to do something like this full time. Unfortunately, blogging does not bring in a paycheck! ;-)

I know that you are all eager to learn more about clean eating and how I have been successful, and that energy really does keep me motivated. I do not mind answering your questions and sharing my recipes and product reviews with you. Although, this is a personal blog and is done in my spare time – time that could be spent reading, spending time with my husband, or gardening, etc. Don’t get my wrong, I love writing this blog and it is a way for me to use the creativity that I posses, that otherwise gets pent up inside of me! However, I cannot commit to blogging X times per week or sending out email updates or ensuring that I post one recipe per day. It is simply unrealistic for my life at this point.

My vision for this blog is to continue to post as I have in the past and hope that you enjoy reading what I have to say on that particular day. Please keep the questions coming in, as they make great topics for blogging. I am simply asking that you take the time to consider that my life is just as busy as yours and that I may not be able to meet some of your expectations for productivity.

Also, if you have questions that you would like me to personally answer and do not want to post them on the blog, feel free to send me an email at malcolmcreative@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening.
Maria

Fridge Organization

Several of you have asked that I post pictures of the inside of my fridge and explain how it is organized. Here you go!

The Fridge

Opening the Doors

Left Door

• Cage-Free Egg Whites
• Water Dispenser
• Frank's Red Hot
• Misc Milks (Unsweetened Vanilla Almond, Unsweetened Vanilla Soy, Chai Tea Mix)

Right Door

Butter (for making spreadable Olive Oil butter in the VitaMix for Allan)

Frequently Used Condiments (organic tamari, steak sauce, organic salsa, organic BBQ, organic ketchup)

Oils

Bee Pollen

Unsweetened Organic Jelly

Organic Unsweetened Apple Juice (for cooking)

Local Maple Sugar

Freeze Dried Spices

Left Inside

Top Shelf: 

• Leftover items to use for meals this week (black beans, organic sauerkraut, etc.)
  
• The contents of my cooler for the next day are moved to this shelf every night

Second Shelf:

• Quick "Grab and Go" Items 
• Pictured Items: chocolate protein bars, chocolate banana muffins, donut holes, leftover stir fry portioned into lunch sizes, pumpkin pudding

Deli Drawer

• Hummus
• Ground Flax
• Oat Bran
• Wheat Germ
• Tortillas
• Wraps
• Yeast

Bottom Left Shelf and Fruit Drawer

• Bottom Shelf: currently holding overflow from the fruit drawer and unthawing sun dried tomato chicken sausages for supper
• Some infrequently used condiments like Miso and horseradish sit behind these items in the back of the fridge
• Fruit Drawer: oranges, cut-up pineapple, grated coconut, young coconut flesh

Top Right Shelf

• Applesauce
• Unsweetened Apple Butter
• Unopened Organic Low-Fat Plain Yogurt 
• Coconut water (in container also)
• Wheat Grass to be blended into juice using the VitaMix and then frozen

Second Right Shelf

• Organic Eggs in can holder
• Iced Tea
• Allan's beer
• Individually Packaged Yogurt Cheese
• Whipped Butter
• POM

Bottom Right Shelf

• Cottage Cheese
• Nut Butters
• Vegan "Butter"
• Organic Pickles
• Marinades

Veggie Drawer

• Romaine, Spinach, Minced Organic Garlic, Zucchini, Celery

Freezer Drawer

• Top: Meat, Cheese, Frozen Whey (strained from yogurt and frozen in ice cube trays then placed in a freezer bag
• Bottom: Fruit, Veggies, Flours, Nuts

Freezer, Pull-Out Shelf

• Breads, Chicken Sausages, Wraps and Buns

More Fruit on the Counter

• Bananas
• Avocados
• Kiwi

Yummy Donuts

Here is a picture of the cute donut holes that I made from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen cookbook:




They are so tasty!!! But very dangerous to have around the house. I am sending the last few with Allan to work tomorrow. I can't control myself around them. :)

Q&A

Sorry that I didn't take pics last night. I will try to do it after work and before my workout tonight. We were up late in the garage adding some final parts and accessories to Allan's bike before its inaugural commute this morning. :)

I have been meaning to answer some questions for a couple days, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you!

#1 Q:
"what is organic zero? Is it a sweetener of some sort?"

Answer:
Organic Zero is a product of Wholesome Sweeteners, and is a USDA certified organic zero calorie sweetener that is made using organic cane sugar and an organically approved fermenting agent. The result is a sugar alcohol called Erythritol. It is 70% as sweet as sugar and can be used 1:1.  In general, erythritol is considered a “good” sugar alcohol, because it is absorbed into the blood stream in the small intestine rather than the large intestine, so it does not usually cause the gastrointestinal problems of most sugar alcohols. It is also shown to have little to no effect on blood glucose levels, making it low on the glycemic index. To read more about erythritol, click here.

#2 C:
"I love my Excalubur dehydrator. I have the 9 tray one. Although it's bulky I get a lot of use out of it and I'm happy that I got the 9 tray. When I have it on I try to dehydrate as much as possible. So if I'm making cereal then I'll make some cookies too. I usually have about 7 trays going at one time.

Most of Ani's recipes don't call for a dehydrator. There are many resources online (blogs, websites, etc). You should check out Brendan Brazier's site."

All the best.

Comment:
Thanks so much for the info! I actually did change my mind and I think that I will be ordering the 9 tray model with timer. I will definitely check out Brenda Brazier's site.

#3 Q:
"this looks nice. what kind of cooler do you use? do you have ice packs to go inside it? do you eat your food cold then (such as spaghetti squash, bison) or heat it up?"

Answer:
Unfortunately, I do not know the type of cooler that I have. My mom and aunt, who is a dietician, picked up two coolers for me while at an ADA Conference in Chicago this last Fall. I have a larger black soft sided cooler and a smaller pink/orange/yellow smaller soft-sided cooler that I use depending on how much I am carrying with me that day. 

I do use ice packs and have a few different sizes of those that I always keep in my freezer so that they are ready to go. 

Fortunately, I work at an office where I have access to a full kitchen (including a stove), so I usually eat my food heated. Although, if I am going to be away from the office or in a meeting, I bring food that I enjoy eating cold (e.g. whole wheat pita with chicken meatballs, chocolate banana protein bars, chocolate protein bars, chicken black bean quesadillas, yogurt + fruit, almonds, etc.)

#4 C:
"This would be at least $11.71 where I come from..(our neighbour country Sweden is HALF the price! Can you imagine..!)

Better stick my lousy box of tuna - haha ;)"

Answer:
Kristin (aka ninni), I cannot believe how much things cost! You always astound me with your stories!!!

#5 C:
"They sell the pull up bar at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and you can use your 20% off coupon on it.... ;)"

Answer:
I was eying it on Sunday when I was there. I did not have enough 20% off coupons for it this trip - maybe next time.

#6 Q:
"How about the new one that biggest loser/kim lyons are promoting protein freeze?"

Answer:
Here are the ingredients for the protein freeze powder:

Whey protein concentrate, Cocoa, Modified food starch, Natural and artificial flavors, Maltodextrin, Tetrasodium pyrophosphate, Disodium phosphate, Salt, Xanthan gum, Sucralose, Acesulfame potassium

Definitely NOT clean...

#7 C:
"The weather in Norway and MN are much the same climate!

Did you know we don't have cupons in Norway..? Along with everything else we dont have!? Applesauce, pumpkin..you name it!"

Answer:
Kristin, you're killing me here!!! No coupons???

#8 Q:
"tosca takes salba (chia seeds). Have you looked into the stats of the chia seeds you bought, the ones abbey uses and the ones tosca (sourcesalba.com) uses to see if there is any difference? Since you plan on posting pics today of your new "toys" could you please take and post pics of inside your frig so we can VISUALLY see how you keep it organized as discussed in a previous post. Have a great day."

Answer:
I did look up the difference between the Salba seeds and the RenewLife Ultimate Chialife Seeds that I purchased. Here are the two labels. Both are for the same serving size of 12g (even though one says that 12g = 2 tbsp and the other says that 12g = 1 tbsp). As you can see both products are very similar. I did not order the Salba because I was able to find the Ultimate Chialife at my local Whole Foods which is much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than having the Salba shipped to me.

Also, yes I do plan on taking pictures of the inside of my fridge so that you can visually see my organization. Unfortunately, I have not had time to do so.

#9 Q:
"Check out hacres.com Hallelujah Acres Lifestyle is an 80% raw and 100% clean eating combined w/Christianity. They actually discuss the Excalibur and the vitamix along w/a lot of other topics you've mentioned in past blogs. Their weekly ehealth tip is always informative. Would also like to ask if you could please post pictures of each shelf in your refrig so I can get a visual of how you and your dh keep it organized. Have a great day"

Answer:
Thanks for letting me know about this resource. Also, see #8 about the fridge pics.

#10 Q

"Can you explain the equivalents to cane sugar for baking? I'd like to start substituting but not sure if it is a 1:1. Thank you!"

Answer:

Please keep in mind that if you replace table sugar with a liquid sweetener, then you will need to increase the dry ingredients or decrease the liquid ingredients in order to compensate for the extra moisture. So, I usually use sucanat or organic zero 1:1 to replace regular table sugar.

100% Pure Maple Sugar - replace 1:1 and read this article about compensating for extra liquid
Maple Sugar Flakes - 100% sweeter than sugar (use 50% less than sugar)
Sucanat - substitute 1:1 (I usually process it in my Magic Bullet first to create a more refined powder for baking)
Agave Nectar - 25% sweeter than sugar (use 25% less than sugar)
Honey - 25% to 50% sweeter than sugar (use 25% to 50% less than sugar), depending on the sweetness of the batch that you have
Dates (taste like brown sugar) - I wouldn't suggest baking with dates as they do not mix well into liquid ingredients, I add them to VitaMix smoothies and raw desserts
Molasses - 65% as sweet as sugar (use 35% more than sugar)
Organic Zero by Wholesome Sweeteners -  70% as sweet as sugar and can be used 1:1

Happy Monday!

It is a dreary, cold Monday here in MN. What is it like where you are? 

Allan and I had a fantastic weekend filled with clean food, the outdoors, and some much needed relaxation.

I spent Friday afternoon grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I picked up some much needed essentials and some fun and new items to try, including Maca and Chia Seeds.

On Friday night we sat outside and ate shrimp cocktail. I made the cocktail sauce recipe from Tosca's Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook. It was really easy to throw together and was very tasty. Next time I make it, I will ensure that have Tobasco sauce on hand (instead of using Frank's) and will probably add a bit more horseradish for a little more zip.

Then we made clean pizzas. We used some leftover pizza sauce that I had frozen and Allan tried the Trader Joe's pizza crust that I picked up and I had my pizza on an english muffin - I just love eating pizza this way! Allan liked the Trader Joe's pizza crust and thought that it was a great change of pace. I tried a slice and thought that it tasted really good. Overall, the Trader Joe's crust is a good value, at a little over $1.00 per 12-inch crust; but it was a little bit of a struggle to roll out to fit the pizza pan. Next time I will let it sit out for a bit longer and let it get to room temperature.

Allan has decided to start commuting downtown to work... heck it's only 5.3 miles! So, on Saturday we took the Fuji in to Penn Cycle for some new tires. While there, Allan and I decided to check out some new bikes. We really weren't looking for anything new, Allan is refurbishing a Fuji bike that his dad gave him and when I feel like riding, I can use Allan's sister's old bike. Low and behold I walked away with a new bike! It is a Trek Lime Light that was used as a demo bike. I am so excited to have a bike of my very own!!! Tomorrow I will have Allan take a pic of me on my new bike and post it here.

On Saturday afternoon, I was really excited to try making Kale Chips from Dani Spies. Unfortunately, they did not turn out as well as I had liked. The "chips" burnt easily and they smelled a bit funny. Oh well. Sometimes things just don't turn out the way that you would like. I always like Dani's recipes and was sad that I did not like this one. Oh well, if you check out her site, there are few new items, like the Peanut Butter Performance Pancakes, that look amazing!

We decided to brake in our new bikes and took a nice ride down to Minnehaha Falls... about an 8 mile ride roundtrip. What fun! For supper we tried a new type of Amy's Veggie Burger, Texas, which has a BBQ flavor. Both Allan and I really liked them and would have them again.

On Sunday, we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to use our 20% off coupons before they expired. I picked up a new Simple Human paper towel holder, 2 new Calphalon hard anodized omelet pans (a great deal at $49.99 for the 10" and 12" set), and a Kitchen Aid Food Processor. I will post a pic of the new Food Processor tomorrow with the bike pic. I know that I originally said that I wanted the Cuisinart model, but when I saw both models in the store next to one another, I changed my mind. Also, I was able to snag a never been used, straight out of the box "display" model for a deep discount. The Food Processor is very cool and I will give you more specifics when I post the pic.

While at Bed Bath and Beyond I peeped a very cool new stainless steel dishrack by Simply Human that I know have my eye on. If I would've had one more 20% off coupon, it would be sitting on my counter right now!

Being that I had a brand new toy to use I decided to make the Donut Holes from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen Cookbook. 

They are VERY good!!! I will take a pic and post it tonight! They kind of remind me of Lara bars.

While my batch of Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins were cooking, I made Raw Pumpkin Pudding from Gone Raw. I did not have any raw pumpkin or squash, so I used canned pumpkin - I know that it is not raw. But it was very tasty. I had a bowl after supper with chia seeds soaked in it. VERY GOOD!!! Thanks, Abbie at Foods That Fit for the suggestion. 

For supper I made meatballs from Tosca's Eat-Clean Diet Family and Kids Book with Muir Glenn Cabernet Marinara sauce and Ancient Harvest Quinoa Noodles. This was a great combination!!! I really liked the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Noodles - these noodles really reminded me of white starchy noodles that I haven't had in years. The texture was spot on and they tasted so good! Also, the meatballs were super easy to make. I baked a double batch and froze the remaining meatballs to use sometime in the future when I am pressed for time. Just pop them in the sauce to thaw and you are ready to go! What an easy and delicious meal!

Protein Factory Review

I recently placed a custom Protein Powder order from Protein Factory.

We received two different products in the mail about a week ago. Being that this was a custom order it took about a week for the package to arrive at our house with standard processing and shipping. I was very pleased with the ordering and service received. 

The website was very informative and helpful in explaining the different ingredients. However, some of the information seemed to be buried. I think that it would be helpful if the ingredient explanations were included in the custom protein powder tool. I also found it to be a little awkward ordering ingredients by percentage of whole. I would have preferred a "one of this, two of that" approach to customization.

I ordered two different protein powders, a vanilla weight loss formula and a chocolate lean gain formula. Overall, both protein powders taste good and met my expectations. The came in the pictured bags and did not include scoops. I wish that they would have included pre-measured scoops to correspond with the serving size listed on the Nutrition Label. I also wish that they would have came in nicely designed canisters as opposed to bags. I don't really like the bags.  The bags do not have the ingredients or nutrition info on them, this information came printed on 8.5X11 sheets of paper that accompanied the bags.

The vanilla weight loss formula is all whey protein powder. This is the formula that I ordered:

This is the nutrition info:

I do not mind the taste of the vanilla protein powder in shakes, but because it is unsweetened, it does not taste very good on its own. The vanilla flavor is not strong and almost tastes like an "original" flavor rather than vanilla. It also froths up a lot when blended, especially when I add it to the Vita-Mix. This was a little strange at first, but am now getting used to it. Amazingly, when I bring a smoothie with me to work, it is still frothy hours later.

The chocolate lean gain formula is a combination of a few different proteins. This is the formula:

This is the nutrition info:

The chocolate protein powder can easily be drank on its own with a little added sucanat. I also used it to make Chocolate Protein Bars. They are very good. For some reason the chocolate protein powder does not froth up like the vanilla. 

I have not baked with either protein powders yet, but do plan to do so sometime in the near future.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Review Fridays

I have decided that I will start doing Review Fridays, where I will choose a product and use it intermittently throughout the week and then on Fridays I will give you my opinion on the product. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions of products that you would like me to review?

Today I will be reviewing the vanilla protein powder that I mixed for myself at Protein Factory. 

Next week's review will be of the cereal that I mixed up at MyWayCereal that just shipped today.

MixMyGranola

The very cool site, MixMyGranola, is celebrating their 6 month birthday by offering a special 20% discount until tomorrow (4/18) using the promo code BDAY. At MixMyGranola, you can create your own granola or muesli mixture using several very original ingredients, some of which are 100% organic. They also have pre-mixed varieties available for sale.

I have been wanting to try their products and do a review for you some time in the near future. I have read on many other people's blogs that they have great products. Please let me know if you order anything and how you enjoy it.

Measurements!

As some of you know, I am involved in a 12-week competition on the Clean Eating forum. This week marks the end of week 4 of the competition and our first set of weight and measurements are due on Sunday. Since I am not sure if I will be in town this weekend, I decided to take my measurements and official weight this morning. 

Since the beginning of the competition, 4 weeks ago, I have lost 3.5 pounds and 8 total inches! 

I felt that this was a great accomplishment because I even took 1 week off of working out due to a knee injury and have not done any hard core cardio intervals since I injured my knee. I am looking forward to the back third of the competition, as my knee is feeling better and I am able to train the way that I normally do. I am back to doing NROL4W and running intervals and feel like I can accomplish a lot in the next 8 weeks!

My New Clean Eating Gadget Wish List

Recently, we splurged our tax dollars on a bunch of new items for the house (i.e. fridge, dinning room chairs, TV, dinning room table, sideboard, etc.), so I am not sure when I will be able to get the new kitchen gadgets that I would like, but today I thought that I would share my new wish list. :)

An Excalibur Dehydrator. I am not sure if I want the 9 tray or the 5 tray, but really want the timer model vs. the regular model. I would really like to start making my own dried fruit, tortillas, etc.

A Couple Tools to aid in Dehydrating Prep:

Excalibur ParaFlexx Sheets. For making tortillas and fruit leathers.

A Benriner Spiral Veggie Slicer. For slicing apples, pears, etc.

An Offset Spatula. For spreading mixtures onto the ParaFlexx sheets.

A Brita Classic Pitcher. Our current pitcher does not fit into our new fridge - the handle gets in the way. :(

A Garmin Forerunner 305 with foot pod and cadence sensor. For tracking my runs and bike rides this summer. You know me, I love to track and organize everything!

An Iron Gym with Ab Straps. I just re-started NROL4W this week, after taking a 2 week hiatus from it while my knee recovered. Now that I am back into it, I know that pull ups and chin ups are awaiting me in the stages ahead and I will definitely need one of these then.

A Cuisinart PowerPrep Plus 14-Cup Food Processor. I love my Vita-Mix, but it just does not do some of the cool things that a food processor can do. Also, when making nut butter or fruit leathers, it is extremely difficult to clean the Vita-Mix. A food processor would be much better!

A Couple Composters from Gaiam. I would love to start composting this year and want an outdoor unit for my driveway and kitchen unit to keep under the sink.

There you go! Let's see if I can start acquiring a few of these items some time soon.

Here are my eats for today:

m1 - 1/2 c egg whites + chick sausage + 1/3 c dry oatmeal+2 tbsp wheat germ+2 tbsp ground flax+1/3 c blueberries

m2 - vita-mix: protein powder + spinach + mango/straw

m3 - black bean chicken quesadilla leftover from last night's supper + pear

m4 - yogurt + pineapple + nectarine

m5 - flank steak + broccoli

m6 - tbd

Tonight I am going to try out my new running shoes outside! YAY!!!