Clean Protein Hot Chocolate

There are times in my life that I have a nostalgic craving for Hot Chocolate. Unfortunately, traditional Hot Chocolate Mixes are crammed full of sugar, fat, artificial flavors, fillers, and preservatives. To indulge my craving, I came up with the recipe for a yummy hot chocolate recipe that can be enjoyed guilt free.

Clean Protein Hot Chocolate

1/2 C Almond Milk (can substitute Skim or Unsweetened Soy Milk)

1/2 C Water

1 tsp Vanilla

1 scoop Protein Powder (vanilla or chocolate works)

2 TB unsweetened, dark Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Organic Zero sweetener (can substitute any CE approved sweetener)

Mix Milk and Water together in a microwave safe dish and microwave until hot. Add the vanilla and set aside.

Mix Protein Powder, Cocoa Powder, and Organic Zero together in a Magic Bullet cup. Add Milk mixture. Blend in Magic Bullet until frothy. Pour into a mug and enjoy!

If you do not have a Magic Bullet, you can use your blender, a shaker cup, or a spoon.

Cooler 1 Substitutions:

• Substitute Water for the Milk
• Use Chocolate Protein Powder instead of Vanilla
• Use less Cocoa Powder
• Portion: 1 serving Protein Powder

"Pumpkin Pie" Yogurt

I have been spending my days this week at my parent's house with my mom who had neck surgery last week. Today I brought 1 c plain, fat-free yogurt for my afternoon snack, but forgot to bring a packet of Organic Zero. So, as I was scouring the cupboards I saw the Pumpkin Pie spice. I added 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice to my yogurt and it was amazing! I had to share!

This would be so good with sweet potato or pumpkin whisked into it. I will have to try this again some time soon.

LOL Cats Return

This LOL Cat is very appropriate because it is back to being cold again here in Minnesota - with the wind chill it feels like 3˚ F!!! I thought that we were passed this already - apparently not!

I am still feeling a bit under the weather and have not worked out since Monday. I plan on making today my last rest day, as I am starting to feel better. Tomorrow I will do NROL4W Workout A tomorrow morning in addition to 20 minutes of interval training on the treadmill.

Today's eats have been Cooler 2 clean:

Meal 1 - 1/2 C egg whites, 1 chicken sausage, 1 slice Ezekiel Bread

Meal 2 - 1 protein muffin and 1/2 Vita-Mix Juice: spinach, strawberries, orange, hemp protein powder, flax, what germ, bee pollen, vanilla, ice and water

Meal 3 - Tortilla Soup, 1 protein muffin

Meal 4 - 1 C yogurt and apple

Meal 5 - Marinara Sauce, Ground Chicken Breast, WW Noodles

I am going to start reading my new copy of the Eat-Clean Diet Expanded Edition. I read the first edition last Fall and recently purchased the Expanded Edition after giving the first edition to my Mom. I feel like I need a little refresher course to re-motivate myself... I will hopefully be able to start that in 15 minutes or so.

Have a magnificent day today!!!

Bisphenol-A

I found the following article on the Whole Foods website and thought that you have the right to know what exactly you might be consuming!

WHAT IS BISPHENOL-A?

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical compound used to create polycarbonate plastic, a hard, clear plastic used widely in consumer products, including food and beverage containers. Recent research suggests that small amounts of BPA may leach into foods or beverages stored in polycarbonate containers, especially when the contents are acidic, high in fat, or heated. Research also suggests that, at certain levels, BPA acts as an endocrine disruptor, a substance which mimics natural human hormones.

ARE #7 BOTTLES SAFE?

Note that #7 stands for a number of different materials; Polycarbonate plastic is generally marked with the #7 recycling symbol, but not all plastics marked #7 are polycarbonate. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates food contact substances, says polycarbonate is safe as a food contact surface. While research suggests certain plastics contain estrogenic materials, it has not shown conclusively that these substances are harmful to humans via exposure from food packaging. Much more work is necessary, and we are pursuing the answers, working with leading experts and our suppliers to understand this complex issue.

WHAT IS WHOLE FOODS MARKET'S POLICY ON BPA?

We are committed to helping our customers protect themselves and their families and as such are concerned about the growing body of research which connects BPA and other estrogenic compounds, including phthalates, to certain negative health effects. The FDA says that such materials are safe as a food contact surface. However, we are currently evaluating certain products and packaging materials on a variety of criteria, including endocrine activity, toxicity, recyclability and functionality. Our goal is to help our shoppers avoid endocrine-active materials in products and packaging where functional alternatives exist.

WHAT ACTIONS HAS WHOLE FOODS MARKET TAKEN WITH REGARD TO BPA?

We actively follow academic research regarding the endocrine activity of substances present in plastics, including BPA. When appropriate, we have stopped the sale of certain products and/or provided information to our customers about the products. For example, as of January 2006 we were the first national U.S. retailer to stop selling baby bottles and child drinking cups made from polycarbonate plastic or other plastics with added phthalates because of the emerging scientific evidence on their risk.

We are also actively supporting our suppliers' transition to non-BPA materials where functional alternatives exist. For example, the majority of the refillable individual water bottles in our stores were once made from polycarbonate plastic. Currently, nearly all of those bottles are made from other materials. Polycarbonate plastic is still used in certain large plastic bottles and aluminum can linings in our stores; we are working with manufacturers to strongly encourage the development of alternative products.

We continue to closely examine the packaging materials used in our stores, and we will continue to search for the safest and most functional packaging materials for our stores.

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL TOXICOLOGY PROGRAM, AND WHAT DID THEIR RECENT REPORT ON BPA SAY?

The purpose of the NTP — and its Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, which issued the report — is to provide scientific evaluations of the potential for harm to humans from substances in the environment. The NTP issued a draft report on BPA on April 14, 2008. In this report, the NTP evaluated relevant scientific research on BPA and its health effects, and made the following preliminary conclusions:

People are exposed to BPA from a number of sources, primarily the diet, as BPA can migrate into foods and beverages from polycarbonate plastic. Food temperature appears to be one major factor in determining the rate of leaching.

BPA can possibly affect human development or reproduction. There is not sufficient data on the effects of low doses of BPA such as those caused by food contact to make a definite conclusion. NTP writes that "the results of 'low' dose studies on BPA provide limited evidence for adverse effects on development in laboratory animals."

There is some reason for concern for the effects of BPA on humans, and there is a definite need for further research in this area.

NTP's final version of the report was released in September, 2008. The center's final conclusions were consistent with their preliminary findings. Their complete findings are available on their website.

WHAT DID THE SEPTEMBER 2008 JAMA ARTICLES SAY ABOUT BPA?

A study in the September 17, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the association between blood BPA levels and certain diseases. Higher BPA levels were associated with higher incidences of cardiovascular diagnoses and diabetes as well as abnormal levels of certain liver enzymes; no correlation was found between BPA and any other diseases.

This study is an important one in the very young field of research on BPA and its relationship to human health. The authors conclude that "These findings add to the evidence suggesting adverse effects of low-dose BPA in animals. Independent replication and follow-up studies are needed to confirm these findings and to provide evidence on whether the associations are causal."

The authors highlight the "multiple potential routes of human exposure" for BPA; humans are exposed to this substance not just through diet but via medical and dental devices, airborne dust and transdermal exposure. This study does not assess the likelihood of exposure via the various potential exposure routes, and we believe this is an area of study that should be further researched. Consumers and the food industry would benefit immensely from a more sophisticated understanding of how humans are exposed to BPA.

Splenda

YIKES! Read this article about the effects of Splenda.

Stevia

Just because something comes from nature does not make it safe for human consumption... I don't foresee petroleum becoming the newest energy drink or poisonous mushrooms as the newest snack choice. I am being facetious; however, there are some studies that have been published that show that stevia has been linked to an increased rate of infertility.

I understand that many people reading this are not trying to become pregnant so infertility is not a concern - however, what concerns me more than the symptom of infertility is my concern about the chemical reactions that are occurring inside of the body after Stevia consumption that would actually cause infertility - what else is going on and what are the side effects of that?

The studies that I am referencing showed that infertility rates increased after Stevia consumption was stopped - so they are not permanent - however, very obviously linked.

If you would like to check out a zero calorie sweetener that is created from a completely organic process using an organic fermenting agent you should look at Organic Zero by Wholesome Sweeteners. It is just as sweet as sugar and can be used 1:1 and does not have an after taste.

I also have several other sweeteners in my pantry:

• 100% Pure Maple Sugar
• Maple Sugar Flakes
• Sucanat
• Agave Nectar (Regular and Amber)
• Honey
• Dates (taste like brown sugar)
• Molasses
• Organic Zero by Wholesome Sweeteners

All of the above sweeteners have low-glycemic index, a similar caloric value to sugar, and each have their own individual taste. I prefer the taste of all of the above over sugar - and I love sweets!

Bison: the other red meat

Bison (aka Buffalo) is an excellent source of lean protein that if cooked correctly tastes very similar to beef with a bit more sweetness. 

Bison is a good source of protein, iron, vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin B6, niacin, iron, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids while being low in fat. Click here for a nice nutrient comparison chart.

The main problem that most people face when trying bison for the first time is that cook it just like they cook beef. Unfortunately, that is why most people think that bison is dry and chewy. Bison contains a lot less fat than beef causing it to cook faster - so it should be cooked at a lower temperature than beef.

I was browsing my local co-op's blog and found an interesting post with tips and tricks for cooking bison. Check it out here. 

I also found a downloadable sheet that details the degrees of doneness for bison.

Toxins in Cosmetics

Lately I have been doing research on the safety of cosmetics and beauty products. Unfortunately, I found out that the items that have been a regular part of my life for years are not as safe as I had thought. I have always been a regular user of Clinique products and have now moved away from using them due to the ingredients that they choose - some of which are known carcinogens.

After doing my research I found out that there is little United States FDA regulation of Health and Beauty products. During this process I found the following PDF on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website that does a great job at outlining the "problem" with the US Cosmetics industry - including the top ingredients to avoid. You can also check out the Skin Deep website to research the various products that you use and see which chemicals and (possibly) carcinogens are in the products that you use. It is very eye opening.

In addition, if you are interested in doing your own research on the safety of the products that you use, here are a couple links:

• USDA Cosmetics Website
• Cosmetics Info - Product Safety
• Skin Deep Cosmetics Database

Toxins in Cosmetics

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Finance & Investing toxins in cosmetics

Unfortunately, simply buying products that are Labeled Organic or Natural does not mean that the products are safe. Here is an article about a suit that Dr. Bronner's has raised against some manufacturers that claim that their products are organic when they very well may not be.

Be sure that you check out all of the products that you intend to buy, not just a few from a certain manufacturer; because I have found that a line or brand of Health and Beauty products may have one or two items that are safe, but the rest of their products are junk! An example of this is Boots No. 7 - they have a few products that I would consider purchasing; however, many of their powders contain Talc - which is a carcinogen.

Here are some links to products that I have researched and found to be safe:

• Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap
• Mineral Silk Mineral Make-Up (similar to Bare Minerals)
• Coastal Classic Creations
• Miessence

Please let me know if you have additional questions about brands, ingredients, or the safety of products that you like to use.

THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to everyone for reading my blog. I really appreciate all of you! YOU are my inspiration to make posts, do research, and feel accountable to my goals. THANK YOU! 

Please feel free to post any questions or comments that you have or suggestions of things that you would like to hear about. I always like to have new material to work with.

Fitness, nutrition, wellness, and writing are all things that I have a passion for and wish that I could make my living doing these things (maybe some day!). 

Fun V-Day Pics

Allan and I had a very fun Valentine's Day this year - we went to Azia for sushi and then to a party in NE Minneapolis called VD09. The sushi was SO good!!! I started with a bowl of miso tofu soup and Allan had squid salad, then we had brown rice nigiri salmon and yellowfin tuna followed by a brown rice maki roll of BBQ yellowtail and this cool mixture of tuna, salmon, shrimp pressed on a layered bed of brown rice and snow crab. YUM!!! I was so full. 

The party was nothing like what I was expecting - there was art, beer (ick), and some crazy dressed people. The invite said that women should dress sexy and men should wear suits - so we dressed to impress. But some of the other people were ridiculous! There was even a guy in a furry bear costume! Srrr-iously! 

Click here to see our pictures on Facebook.

Nutty-Maple Cinnamon Muffins

Today I made Nutty-Maple Cinnamon Bars from the Winter 2008 CE Magazine. They are one of my favorite homemade Protein Bars - because they are simple and taste good. I saw on the forum that someone had made them in muffin tins instead of making individual foil wrappers for each bar - this seemed so much easier and would cut the prep time in half - so I just had to try it... and they turned out amazing! Here is my take on the recipe for Nutty-Maple Cinnamon Protein Muffins:

Nutty-Maple Cinnamon Protein Muffins

Ingredients

Olive Oil Cooking Spray
2 cups Rolled Oats, divided
6 Tbsp raw almonds
8 scoops Vanilla Flavored Protein
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon (can substitute Pumpkin Pie Spice)
1 t sea salt
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup dried cranberries, unsweetened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (can substitute amber agave nectar or honey) 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray muffin tins with Olive Oil.

Take 1 cup oats and dry blend for 1 minute to make oat flour.

In large bowl, stir together oat flour, remaining 1 cup oats, almonds, protein powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Then add applesauce, cranberries, vanilla, and maple syrup to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Spoon equal portions of batter into prepared muffin tins.

Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 mins. Do not overcook.

The muffins will look a little under done at first, but as they cool they will thicken up. Be patient!

Store the leftovers in fridge. I usually divide the bars into serving size portions and put in sandwich bags so that I can grab them on my way out of the house.

This recipe will yield about 16 muffins. One serving is 2 regular size muffins. For the coolers one serving accounts for 1/2 Whole Grain, 1/2 Fruit, and 1 Protein.

Batter

In Muffin Tins

YUMM-O!

Protein Supplementation

I found the following article about Protein Supplementation on the Eat-Clean Diet forum and thought that I would share. It covers how much protein to eat along with the best times to have a protein supplement to ensure that you are always building and repairing your muscle - instead of letting your body use muscle to fuel itself. Enjoy!

D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E ! ! !

I have been out of my routine for a couple weeks now and am in desperate need of getting things to SLOW DOWN so that I can re-focus on myself and my goals! Today I am doing New Rule of Lifting for Women Workout B of Stage 4 for the first time. I am still sore from workout A, which I did on Saturday morning. Stage 4 is identical to Stage 2 - which I find to be kind of nice because it was really easy to get into the workout and do it all the way through without worrying too much about whether or not I was doing the exercises correctly or not - because I am already comfortable with them. I did buy a set of adjustable dumbbells last week and it was really nice to be able to up my weights significantly on each exercise - it left the sweet pain in my muscles that I still feel today! :)

Rachel Cosgrove made a very interesting blog post the other day that you should check out. In the post she talks about her workouts and the nutrition plan that she suggests to clients to drop some weight.

Ready for A New Clean Week...

Usually Sunday afternoon is my time to bake and prep work for the week ahead. Today we spent the day at my parent's house helping out. I hope to be able to spend some time tomorrow making protein bars, a couple dinner/lunch options to freeze (lentil or wild rice soup, Pizza Sauce, Marinara Sauce and some Friday Night Chili), along with some oatmeal cookies to bring over to my parent's house to feed my dad and sister. We'll see how far I get with the cooking!

Last week it was nice and warm and most of the snow that was covering my lawn has melted. I was really excited to see my flower beds emerge. I cannot wait until Spring arrives and I get to see my beautiful flowers!!! This last fall, my husband and I added two new flower beds and transplanted several flower, so I cannot wait to see how everything looks this year when it grows in on its own.

Love

Love is love. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. — Leo Tolstoy

Tonight my husband and I are going to Azia to have sushi. I am very excited. :) I love you, Allan.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I apologize that it has been a few days since I have posted. I have been at the hospital with my mom and the blogger home page was blocked by their internet access. My mom's surgery was a success and she received her discharge papers this morning. My dad will be happy to have her home.

I have been keeping it pretty clean while at the hospital. I packed a cooler both days with my Cooler 1 Protein Bars, low-fat plain yogurt, and fresh fruit. I did eat some of the hospital food - I made salads at the salad bar and brought some of the Simple Vinaigrette from the Winter '08 Clean Eating Magazine with me to put on it - as none of their dressings were even close to clean - lots of High-Fructose Corn Syrup :(. We ate at Panera last night and I had a nice little salad and a half a chicken sandwich on a whole grain bagel - it was good.

Here are my Valentine's gifts to you:

• A radio interview with Tosca Reno can be accessed here, click on the microphone half way down the right hand side of the page
• Tosca also did an interview with Micheal Ray Dresser that can be downloaded and listened to here
• Tosca has been a busy girl, and she also did this interview

I have been feeling under the weather and have not worked out since Wednesday. This morning I plan on starting Phase 4 of New Rules of Lifting for Women. Since most of my symptoms are Upper Respiratory, I will hold off on doing my interval running until after the symptoms have passed.

Cooler 1 and 2 Checklists

With the help of my forum friend, Ms. Tracey, I have been working on perfecting my Cooler 1 and Cooler 2 Checklists. Without further procrastination I present to you my Checklists! 

I would also like to Thank Laura for helping me to convert my files to .jpg's so that I could post the pics here for you!

When you click on the Link above the Preview window you will be brought to a screen that will show you a preview of the document. In the document viewer, above the preview, you will see tabs - one of those tabs is Download (3rd from the right) - if you click here you can opt to download a PDF of the Checklist and save it on your computer. Otherwise, you can Send the document to a friend (or yourself) or Share it on your Facebook or Blog. YOu can also use the iPaper drop down to complete many of the same actions.

Please let me know if you have any questions or problems downloading the documents.

Cooler 1 Checklist
Cooler 1 Checklist - 2B Landscape

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Menus Cooking & Menus clean eating

Cooler 2 Checklist
Cooler 2 Checklist - 2B

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Cooking & Menus clean eating

Cooler 1 Protein Bars

Good Morning, Bloggers!

Did anyone watch American Idol last night? Why did they do an elimination last night and then another one tonight. I am slightly confused... are the contestants performing again tonight. Aaahhh... the drama. And why did Tatiana Del Toro get moved to the next round? I really dislike the drama that she brings to the show. Also, I was very surprised to see that Leneshe was kicked off. I actually liked her. And the show goes on... oh well.

Tomorrow I will be at Methodist Hospital all day. My mom's surgery is at 7:40 AM. She should be released on Saturday and I will spend next week working from my parent's house helping to take care of her while dad is at work. I love my mom so much, she is my very best friend. She is sweet, loving and understanding - she gets me like no one else (other than my husband). Please say a prayer for her today and tomorrow morning. 

There is an overstated note of apprehension and stress associated with her surgery because my uncle passed away in December after he developed an infection post-surgery. Also, when mom had her lower back surgery 9 years ago she had a tear in her spinal cord and the surgeon had to place her nerves back into the cord and fix the tear. I know that she will be fine - some surgeons do this surgery outpatient! :)

This week on the forum, there are many women doing a Cooler 1 Challenge - I was thinking about joining, but did not because we were out of town last weekend and was not able to get to the grocery store, also with mom's surgery this week I will be away from a fridge for long periods of time. However, Tacey, one of the members of the forum posted a very delicious recipe for a Cooler 1 version of the Nutty Maple Cinnamon Protein bars that I love so much. I made a couple modifications to the recipe and made 3 Chocolate Cooler 1 Protein bars and 3 Cinnamon Cranberry Protein bars last night. Here is the recipe:

Cooler 1 Protein Bars

Protein Bar Base:
1 cup oats, divided
3 TB ground flax seeds
4 scoops protein powder 
1 TB Agave (see below for Cooler 1 substitute)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
2 TB water

Possible Flavor Variations/Mix Ins:

• Cooler 2 : 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, Vanilla Protein Powder, ¼ cup cranberries
  
• Cooler 1: 1 tsp Cinnamon, Vanilla Protein Powder, 1/2 c apple, diced
• Cooler 1: 1 ½ TB Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder, Chocolate Protein Powder
• Cooler 1: Replace the Agave Nectar with the comparable amount of Organic Zero, as I don't use Stevia due to possible side effects

Method:

Preheat oven to 350˚.

Make oat flower with 1/2 C oats by grinding in food processor or magic bullet. Choose a Flavor Variation. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together (both Protein Bar base and Flavor Variation). In another bowl mix all liquid ingredients together (both Protein Bar base and Flavor Variation). Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine.

Spray 6 tin foil trays with olive oil spray 1/6 of mixture in each one.

Bake in oven for 16-18 minutes.

Two bars count as ONE serving.

For the Cooler Plans, one serving counts as one serving of protein powder, 1 fruit serving or 1/2 apple, a flax serving and a bit under the oats serving (1/3 C instead of 1/2 C).

Tortilla Soup and Ice Cream

I have been diligently working on a user-friendly version of my Cooler 1 and Cooler 2 checklists so that I can post them for everyone to use. I finally finished them tonight and will hopefully post them in the morning. Today's eats were very clean and I am proud of myself!

Meal 1 - 1/2 c egg whites, 2 Tb red peppers, 1 chicken sausage, 1 slice of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel Bread

Meal 2 - Vita-mix of 1/2 c Kefir, 2 TB hemp protein powder, 2 cupped handfuls spinach, 1 cupped handful strawberries/mango, 1 date, water and ice

Meal 3 - leftover Turkey and Veggies from Sunday night

Meal 4 - Protein Bars inspired by Tracey's Cooler 1 Protein Bars from the forum (I will be posting my version of this recipe later tonight or tomorrow morning)

Meal 5 - My own version of Tortilla Soup (inspired by the Tortilla Soup recipe from the winter '08 issue of Clean Eating Magazine)

Here is the recipe for my Tortilla Soup:

Tortilla Soup

1 TB Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced

3 Carrots, diced

2 stalks Celery, diced

8 cups of homemade Turkey Broth (from CE Mag, using bones from Sunday night)

3 cups Turkey Breast, shredded

1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes (14.5 oz)

1 tsp Parsley

2 tsp Oregano

1 TB Cumin

1 TB Chili Powder

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

dash of Salt

dash of Pepper

Juice of 1 lime

Pre-heat olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute another 3 to 4 minutes. Add Turkey Broth, Turkey, Tomatoes, and Spices. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Top with lime juice and serve. 

Possible Toppings:

Dash of Green Tobasco

Clean Whole Grain Chips (You can make these in the oven with WW Tortillas)

Cooler 1 Substitutions:

• Substitute additional Celery for the Carrots in this recipe to make it Cooler 1 approved
• Portion: 1 Vegetable Serving and 1 Lean Meat Serving

One of my biggest downfalls is that I LOVE sweets. Every night I get cravings for yummy desserts. Some nights a cup of Tazo Passion tea will do, but other nights that is not the case. Many times I end up reaching for a small square of Endangered Species 88% cocoa chocolate. Tonight I made my own Strawberry Banana "Ice Cream" in the Vita-Mix, here is the recipe

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

2 cupped handfuls Strawberries, frozen

1 cupped handful Banana, frozen

2 Dates

1/2 C Kefir

1/4 C Almond Milk

Splash of Orange Juice

2 handfuls ice

Put all ingredients into the Vita-Mix container in the order listed and secure lid with tamper. Set the Vita-Mix to VARIABLE speed #1 and turn on the machine. Quickly increase speed to #10 and turn to HIGH. Use tamper to push ingredients into the blades until all ingredients have been mixed together. YUMM-O!

Some Interesting Tidbits...

Since I started this blog I have been receiving lots of random articles, photos, and interesting information on fitness and nutrition. I thought that you might find the following entertaining and/or interesting:

This is a very disturbing forum where people can post "Deliciously Gross Food"... I don't know why this exists - but it made me happy that I eat clean. :)

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

This is someone's take on Pepsi's new ad campaign:

And the infamous Baconnaise! A heart attack in a jar!

Portions and Calories

I know that this questions comes up a lot on Tosca's forum and when I saw it on the Eat-Clean Diet website in the Ask Tosca section I knew that I had to post it...

Question: "...why is it that some of the recipes you list the size of a serving and others you do not? As someone who has to watch every portion that goes into her mouth, it would be helpful to know say...if the Stew serving size is a 1/2 cup or a cup or more...I've gotten pretty good at "Jethro-ing" it out but, it would have been handy to have them all listed...instead of just a few."

Answer: "This is a great question and one that many people have asked. The simple answer to why we didn't include this info is that portion sizes are actually different for everyone. If you are a 5' tall woman then your portion will not be the same as a 6'4" man. We included calories, etc, because the staff here at Robert Kennedy Publishing insisted that we do so, but really calorie/carb counting is not a part of Clean Eating. Portion sizes are individual. Just try to make sure that in each meal you have the amount of lean protein that would be the size of your palm, starchy carbs that would fit in one cupped hand, and fruit and vegetables that would fit in two hands cupped together. Keep eye-balling it!"

Days 5 and 6 from Alwyn Cosgrove...

Day 5

The Hierarchy of Fat Loss (cont.)

4. Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism
The next level of fat loss programming would be a similar activity. We're still looking at activities that eat up calories and increase EPOC.

EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption) is defined scientifically as the "recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels" and "can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals."

Essentially, we're looking for activities that keep us burning more calories after the exercise session. If you aren't using fat burning programs that maximize EPOC then you are:

             1. Wasting your time

             2. Using fat burning methodologies s from last century

5. Activities that burn calories but don't necessarily maintain muscle or elevate metabolism
This is the "icing on the cake" -- adding in activities that'll burn up additional calories but don't necessarily contribute to increasing metabolism. This is the least effective tool in your arsenal as it doesn't burn much outside of the primary exercise session.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 6

Today is the last day of the Afterburn Training eCourse. We are going to wrap up the course with a closer look at both resistance and interval training.

Metabolic Resistance Training
Basically we're using resistance training as the cornerstone of our fat loss programming. Our goal is to work every muscle group hard, frequently, and with an intensity that creates a massive "metabolic disturbance" or "afterburn" that leaves the metabolism elevated for several hours post-workout.

A 2002 study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology used a circuit training protocol of 12 sets in 31 minutes. EPOC was elevated significantly for 38 hours post-workout.

Thirty-eight hours is a pretty significant timeframe for metabolism to be elevated. If you trained at 9AM until 10AM on Monday morning, you're still burning more calories (without training) at midnight on Tuesday.

Can we compound this with additional training within that 38 hours? No research has been done, but I have enough case studies to believe that you can.

In my experience, full body training in a superset, tri-set, or circuit format (with non-competing exercises) in a rep range that generates lactic acid (and pushes the lactic acid threshold or LAT) seems to create the biggest metabolic demand. It makes sense: training legs, back, and chest will burn more calories and elevate metabolism more than an isolated approach training one of them.

The rep range that seems to work best is the 8-12 hypertrophy range, although going higher will work just as well with a less trained population.

High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training
The second key "ingredient" in fat loss programming is high intensity interval training (HIIT). It burns more calories than steady state and elevates metabolism significantly more than other forms of cardio. The downside is that it flat-out sucks to do it!

The landmark study in interval training was from Tremblay et al. This study pitted 20 weeks of endurance training against 15 weeks of interval training:

Energy cost of endurance training = 28661 calories.
Energy cost of interval training = 13614 calories (less than half)

The interval training group showed a nine times greater loss in subcutaneous fat than the endurance group (when corrected for energy cost).

Read that again. Calorie for calorie, the interval training group lost nine times more fat overall. Why? Maybe it's EPOC, an upregulation of fat burning enzyme activity. I don't care. I'm a real world guy.

If the interval training group had lost the same fat as the endurance group, we'd get the same results in less time. That means interval training is a better tool in your fat loss arsenal.

If you want a fat loss program that has everything we've talked about over the past 6 days (all the good parts) and you want to lose fat at the fastest possible rate then you want Afterburn Training.

Head over to www.AfterburnTraining.com and pick up your copy today.

Chocolate Protein Bars

Good Evening.

This weekend we ventured southwest to the city of Sioux Falls to celebrate the 3rd Birthday of our nephew, Jakob. We had a good time catching up with our family and playing with the kids. Happy Birthday, Jakob! 

It is very difficult to resist temptations when you are not at home. And even though I did bring a cooler full of clean food (hard boiled eggs, nonfat plain yogurt with blueberries, oatmeal, and nutty maple cinnamon protein bars) I still found myself reaching for a rice crispy bar covered in chocolate (I only ate half of Allan's) or a piece of homemade pizza that Annie made (it WAS a pizza party and it did have lots of veggies on it) or going out to eat (fajitas for supper and a denver frittata with espresso for breakfast). I am not beating myself up for having these cheats - I had planned for them with a couple extra hard workouts and that's why I know that I will still be successful this week. It's just one of those things that you need to realize and plan for in order to be successful at reaching your goals. Also, you can't let it get you off track because one cheat can turn into completely ditching your clean eating lifestyle.

On Friday I did my usual Sunday preparations for the next week (since I knew that we wouldn't be home until late-afternoon today). I started marinating two 2.5 lb turkey breasts which I roasted this evening. I used the Asian Marinade from the last issue of Clean Eating magazine and the turkey breasts were terrific! This is one of my favorite meals. The meat was especially tender and flavorful after marinating for 2.5 days. As a side dish, I roasted some leftover veggies from last week in another pan: green beans, sweet potatoes, yellow zucchini, carrots, onions, garlic (grated), rosemary, salt and pepper. I now have lunch for a few days and meat to use in tortilla soup and whatever else I feel like making.

I will need some good and easy food to bring with me for next week after my mom's surgery this Thursday. I plan on working from her house next week to help her out while my dad is at work. I will also need a few good and easy recipes to make for my mom, dad, and sister next week for supper while I am there. Any suggestions?

On Friday afternoon, I boiled 14 eggs and made Chocolate Protein Bars. Many of you have asked me for my Chocolate Protein Bar recipe... so here it is. They are very easy to mix up and do not require baking. ENJOY!

Chocolate Protein Bars

Olive Oil Spray
1 C oats
1 C oat flour (process oats in food processor to make flour)
12 scoops chocolate protein powder
4 TB ground flaxseeds
1 C non-fat dry milk
10 TB natural peanut butter (no oil, salt or sugar added)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C water
1/2 C milk
1/4 C dark chocolate chips (optional)

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with olive oil.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

Add peanut butter & mix until crumbly.

Add vanilla, water, milk and chocolate chips. Stir until all of the liquid has been absorbed. It may be difficult to mix – just keep mixing until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and the liquid has been absorbed.

Place mixture in the prepared pan and freeze or refrigerate until the bars are solid and cut easily with knife. Cut into 18 bars. Store in the fridge or freezer.

For nutrition information go here.

12 Weeks, 12 Pounds, 12 Inches

Today was measurement day, I try to take my measurements every 4 weeks. I find that I don't see as big of a difference if I measure more often. I am happy to say that in the last 12 weeks I have lost 12 pounds and 12 inches! I feel that this is a complete success and am VERY proud of myself because in the last 12 weeks there were many temptations and stressors: Thanksgiving, a week long vacation in Mexico, a long hospital stay of a close family member, his death, 3 Christmas Celebrations, New Year's, and my Dad, Mom, and Husband's birthdays. 

I am now 25.75 inches and 21 pounds away from my goal. Which is completely achievable by the end of June.

RSS Feeds

I have received some inquiries about how to use an RSS feed to keep track of this blog. Today while I was browsing through the blogger gadgets I stumbled upon a tool that will make subscribing to Simply Clean easy to do. If you look at the right hand bar you will see that there is a new Gadget that will allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds from the Simply Clean blog. That way you can always stay updated on what's going on here. Also, if you would prefer to receive an email every time that there is a new post, I can set that up for you. Just send me your email address and I will take care of it. 

Another way to keep track of Simply Clean posts is through Facebook. I set it up so that the RSS feed of Simply Clean is automatically imported into my Facebook Notes application. So, if you friend me on Facebook you will also be able to see when there are new posts on the blog. 

Isn't technology amazing!  

Hierarchy of Fat Loss

It is very nice to get a validation of the Clean Eating way of life from someone who is independent of Clean Eating. The key messages of today's eCourse from Alwyn Cosgrove is that proper Nutrition is invaluable and combining that with building lean muscle to increase your RMR will produce fat loss.

Today we starting looking at what you need to do to burn fat. But before we get started I want you to know that this is not fat burning theory. I get people lean everyday. Simply put, I can get 20 pounds of fat off a client faster than my competition.

Today and tomorrow we are going to look at my hierachy of fat loss. If you want to get lean these are the things you need to pay attention to (in order!)

The Hierarchy of Fat Loss

1. Correct Nutrition
There's pretty much nothing that can be done to out-train a crappy diet. You quite simply have to create a caloric deficit while eating enough protein and essential fats. There's no way around this.


2. See #1
Yep. It really is that important. Several trainers have espoused that the only difference between training for muscle gain and training for fat loss is your diet. I think that's a massive oversimplification, but it does reinforce how important and effective correct nutrition is toward your ultimate goal.


3. Activities that burn calories, maintain/promote muscle mass, and elevate metabolism
I think it's fairly obvious that the bulk of calories burned are determined by our resting metabolic rate or RMR. The amount of calories burned outside of our resting metabolism (through exercise, thermic effect of feeding, etc.) is a smaller contributor to overall calories burned per day.


We can also accept that RMR is largely a function of how much muscle you have on your body -- and how hard it works. Therefore, adding activities that promote or maintain muscle mass will make that muscle mass work harder and elevate the metabolic rate. This will become our number one training priority when developing fat loss programs.

Supplements...

Here is the leftover Spaghetti Squash with Bison Vita-Mix Marinara sauce that I had today for Meal 3. It was very tasty. It was the first time that my husband and I had spaghetti squash and I was pleasantly surprised. I cooked the squash the way that Dani Spies demonstrates in her Spaghetti Squash 101 video. Although, I think that it was a little over cooked.

Supplements

I am planning a trip to GNC tomorrow to pick up some Multi-Vitamins for myself and my husband along with an omega, vitamin C, vitamin B complex and a cal/mag supplement for myself. I am wondering what other supplements that people are taking. I am very active and eat well, but I would like to make sure that I am taking good care of my muscles and enhancing my weight loss.

Shazam!!!

Did anyone see American Idol last night? I felt that this was a fitting photo to post as a follow up to last night's show... jeeze! 

I watch America Idol because I love to sing and the thought of having an opportunity like the one that the contestants have makes my heart beat a little bit faster. NOT because I enjoy watching girl drama. I hope that as the season progresses that we have less of the character development and more performances. I would love it if during Hollywood week we would actually see everyone perform. Oh well. There is always next week

Today's eats have been very clean so far... I have decided to post a few pics of my food today. 

Meal 1 - 1/2 C egg whites, 1 chicken sausage, 1 slice Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread

Meal 2 - 1 Nutty Maple Cinnamon bar that I made on Sunday and 1/2 of Vita-Mix: 1 handful mixed strawberries and mango, 2 cupped handful mixed spinach and celery, 4 TB hemp protein powder, 1 TB each flax, wheat germ, bee pollen, 1/2 kefir, water, ice

Meal 3 - Spaghetti squash topped with Bison Vita-Mix Marinara sauce and 1 TB skim-mozzarella cheese leftovers from earlier this week - this is in the oven right now and I will post a picture of it later on today

Meal 4 - Egg Bake leftovers from yesterday and the other half of the Vita-Mix smoothie from Meal 2

Before

After

Last day of Big FAT Mistakes

I am guessing that this will be the last of the extremely sarcastic (and funny) tips to gain fat. I am really looking forward to what tomorrow's eCourse will entail. For today, please enjoy Alwyn Cosgrove's Big Fat Mistake 5...

Today is the last day of Big FAT Mistakes. Tomorrow we'll get into what you need to do to burn fat.

Big Fat Mistake 5: Perform the exact same workout over and over without ever increasing the intensity.

Doing the same workout each time will confirm that you haven't become any stronger or more fit, but instead have stayed exactly the same or become worse.

Fat Gaining Recommendation: Go to the gym every day and do the exact same thing. Get on the same cardio machine, in front of the same television, and walk the same speed everyday.

Why this works to store fat: This will ensure that you don't gain any lean body mass and that your workout won't limit your fat storing capabilities. You don't ever want to push yourself harder than you're used to.

And another one bites the dust... (Egg Bake Recipe)

This has to be one of my favorite LOL cats that I received from my aunt... how impossibly funny is that cat? The heft of the Macy's Day balloon cat reminds me of Piggie, my cat... however, Piggie is orange with orange spot/stripes. I love him to pieces. As a matter of fact, right now he is laying on the couch using my leg to prop himself up. I love cats - let me rephrase that - I love Mr. Piggie. :)

I did Interval Training today on my treadmill. I found that when I first started doing interval training I was pushing myself too hard. It was getting to the point that after completing 30 minutes on the treadmill (only 20 minutes of that consist of intervals) I was completely exhausted and did not have energy for the rest of the day. I have decided to back off and only do 10 minutes of speed intervals (1 minute running, 2 minutes recovery) and then doing incline intervals at a fast walk for 10 minutes (1 minute high incline and 2 minutes lower incline recovery). This seems to help with the exhaustion, but still give me an intense workout. By the time I am finished I am dripping in sweat. :)

My eats were pretty clean today, other than my two cheats: a POM-Champagne drink with dinner and a small square of very dark chocolate (88%) for dessert. I don't know why I wanted them - probably had to do with my husband coming home and opening a beer. It just sounded good.

The rest of my meals were as follows:

Meal 1 - 1/2 C scrambled egg whites, chicken sausage, 1 slice Ezekiel bread

Meal 2 - Vita-Mix: 1/2 handful strawberries, 1/2 handful mango, 2 cupped handfuls spinach, 4 TB hemp protein, 1 TB each flax, wheat germ, and bee pollen, 1/2 C kefir, water, ice

Meal 3 - 4 hard boiled egg whites and 1/4 C Steel Cut Oats with 1 TB each flax and wheat germ, 6 dried cranberries, cinnamon, vanilla cooked in 3/4 C water, and a banana

Meal 4 - 1/2 Egg Bake recipe from Dr. Karin  - it was a little bit of a modified version - and 1 apple (this was split up apple before workout, egg bake after workout), 4 slices of organic dried mango

Meal 5 - 1 palm sized portion of Roasted Buffalo Chicken breast (with Frank's Hot Sauce),  2 cupped handfuls lightly steamed green beans, 1 handful of sweet potatoes with pumpkin pie seasoning and 1/4 tsp olive oil butter (which I made myself in the Vita-Mix with 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil and drizzle of honey), POM-Champagne cocktail

Meal 6 - 1 square organic dark chocolate (88%)

This is a recipe that I found on Tosca Reno's Eat Clean forum. If you have not checked it out, you should! It is a fantastic resource where you can get tips, recipes, and advice from fellow clean eaters and fitness minded women (and a couple men). You can access the Forum from Tosca's Site.

Egg Bake, Inspired by Dr. Karin's Egg Bake Recipe

10 egg whites (or 3/4 C + 2 TB pre-packaged egg whites)

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 cupped handfuls of finely diced yellow zucchini
1 cupped handful broccoli

1 cupped handful spinach

1 scant handful onion

1 scant handful red pepper

Other ideas from Karin's and other members of the forum of other fillings:

- Diced tomatoes, drained

- Mushrooms

- Celery

- Cucumbers
- 1/2 cup cooked ground bison, turkey, or tofu

- CLEAN low-fat Chicken sausages
- top with 1/2 cup seasoned homemade Ez. bread crumbs

Whisk the egg whites and soy milk to make them fluffy.

Spray a medium sized glass baking dish or casserole with olive oil and pour in the egg whites. 

Gently stir in your vegetables.

If using, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. 

Bake at 400˚ F for 25 - 30 minutes. The baking time will depend on the width/depth of your baking dish. Check how the egg bake is progressing after 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown on top.

Here is a picture that "Traweaver" posted on the forum of her finished masterpiece:

Another Fun Fat Storing Tip from Mr. Cosgrove...

This is the second in the series of six emails that I am receiving from Alwyn Cosgrove's Afterburn eCourse.

Today we'll look at some nutrition mistakes people make with their fat burning.

Big FAT Mistake 2 - Follow a low fat, low calorie diet...and don't drink any water

You want to lose weight so you should eat a lot less right? I've got some news for you...The less you eat, the lower your metabolism will go, which is optimal for storing body fat.

Fat Gaining Recommendation: Keep your calories very low and deprive your body. Keep your calories around 1000-1200 per day (which is starving) and don't eat more than 15 to 20 grams of fat per day. You want your body to think it's starving so it'll hold on to body fat at all costs.

Also, don't drink any water. Drink juice instead; it'll work wonders for expanding your waistline. Why it works to store body fat: Every time you eat, your metabolism goes up. This isn't good when you're trying to store fat. Eating enough food will fuel fat burning, the opposite of what we want. You want your body to be in fat storing mode, which is best accomplished by depriving it.

Also, count your fat grams and keep your dietary fat levels low. This will teach your body to hold on to fat, another excellent method for putting on that extra adipose tissue (body fat)! And drinking water will only cause you to drop any excess water you're holding, therefore keep the water consumption low to keep you fat and bloated!

Big FAT Mistake 3 - Avoid Weight Training At All Costs

Increasing your lean body mass is the best way to increase your metabolism to burn fat. So stay away from any weight training!

Fat Gaining Recommendation: Don't touch the weights in the gym. Or, if you do, only lift ones that are small enough not to build any muscle (you know the ones - the little pink dumbbells in the ladies-only room).

Why it works to store fat: The goal is to keep your metabolism as low as possible to turn your body into a fat storing machine. Any lean muscle would be bad news when you're trying to gain fat because it would increase your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories!

Also, weight training (especially Afterburn Training) will raise your metabolism for the next 24 to 48 hours, which will never work to get that body fat up!

What Am I Going to Eat Today?

I ended up having to work late yesterday and was not able to get a workout in. I will work out twice as hard today when I get home. :) I plan on doing Workout A of NROL4W Stage 3 and will do the 8-minute Tae Bo video.

Here are my eats for today:

Meal 1 - 1/2 C egg whites, 1 chicken sausage, 1 slice cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread

Meal 2 - Vita-Mix: 1 cupped hand full strawberries, 2 cupped hands full of spinach, 1/2 C kefir, 4 TB Living Harvest hemp protein powder, 1 TB each Flax, Wheat Germ, and Bee Pollen, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 date, water and ice

Meal 3 - 4 hard boiled egg whites, 1 C cooked oatmeal with 1TB each flax & wheat germ, vanilla, cinnamon, honey, 1 apple

Meal 4 - 1 Nutty Maple Cinnamon bar, 2 cupped hands full of red peppers, 1 TB hummus

For dinner I am making the following:

Meal 5 - Spaghetti Squash topped with my Vita-Mix Marinara sauce and ground bison

Big FAT Mistake 1 - Do Aerobics Everyday

I signed up for Alwyn Cosgrove's six day email eCourse that support the Afterburn Training program that he designed... I plan on sharing these with you this week as I receive them. This one made me laugh.

Welcome to the Free 6 Day Afterburn Training eCourse

Over the next 6 days I will be sending you an email everyday. The first 3 days of the course focuses on fat burning mistakes while the last 3 days of the course covers effective fat loss. Let's get started.

Big FAT Mistake 1 - Do Aerobics Everyday

Do you want to stay fat? I mean really fat? Did you know that the more aerobics you do, the more efficient your body will be at storing fat, especially if you're looking to gain some size on your thighs!  

Fat Gaining Recommendation: Go to the gym every single day and find a treadmill or Stairmaster where you can watch TV while you're working out. After all, you're going to be there for a while. Do at least an hour per day, seven days per week at a very steady state (you should be able to carry on a conversation easily the entire workout). 

Why it works to store fat: Your body will actually use fat as fuel during this workout (you should be in the "fat burning zone") which will create the perfect effect we want for the other 23 hours of the day - fat storing mode. Yes, your body will adapt to become efficient at storing fat. This workout will do nothing to increase your metabolism either. 

You'll burn off muscle, decreasing your lean muscle mass, and actually slow down your metabolism. Also, because you're using your lower body to perform this aerobic exercise, your body will adapt and will most likely store your new fat on your thighs. 

So get to the gym and start spending countless hours doing aerobics, burning off muscle, and turning your body into a fat storing machine! This is a perfect way to gain some body fat!

This is completely against most people's understanding of what they should do when trying to loose weight. But if you read the article from Alwyn Cosgrove that I posted yesterday, it soon begins to make sense. I am really excited to get the rest of the emails in this series.

Aerobic workouts and Fat Loss

I just stumbled upon a VERY interesting article written by Alwyn Cosgrove about Aerobics, Weight Traning and ultimately the best ways to effectively Burn Fat and raise your Metabolism. Please check it out here.

Monday Morning (Super Bowl Turkey Burgers)

And the kitty strikes again!!!

This one made both my husband and I laugh hysterically. I am still laughing now. :)

The Super Bowl was definitely worth watching last night - those last few minutes were intense! Congratulations, Steelers!!! 

The night was bittersweet because it was such a fun game, but on the other hand, it signals the end of Football Season - which is something that I look forward to with excitement and anticipation every year - even though I know that my beloved Vikings will always let me down. :(

Last night's Turkey Burgers were fabulous! They stayed very moist and tasted delish! Here is the recipe that I used:

Super Bowl Turkey Burgers

1 1/4 lb ground turkey breast

1/2 c whole wheat breadcrumbs

2 TB flax seed

3 TB chicken bouillon

1/2 c water

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 TB natural low-sodium tamari (soy sauce) - watch out for preservatives in some soy sauces

Dash worcestershire sauce

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with your hands until the ingredients comes together - do not over mix. Gently form into 5 patties. Spray a grill pan with olive oil and preheat to medium. Grill for 5 - 6 minutes per side, until no longer pink in the middle.

Serve with sprouted wheat buns and your favorite toppings. 

Tip: Heat tinfoil wrapped Sprouted Wheat buns in a 350° oven for 5 - 6 minutes, they will be crusty on the outside and soft in the middle.

Toping Options:

- Organic Ketchup (or homemade ketchup from the Eat-Clean Diet Family and Kids Book)

- Organic Pickles (regular ones usually have preservatives and dyes)

- Tomato slices

- Lettuce

- Hummus

- Mustard (yellow or Dijon)

Cooler 1 Substitutions:

• Substitute rolled oats for the whole wheat bread crumbs
• Eliminate the bun, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce
• Eat with a fork and enjoy!
• Portions: 1 Protein, 1/4 Grain serving

An Interesting Week Comes to an End...

I couldn't have said it better myself...

This week has been extremely interesting, to say the least. I did fabulously on my strict Cooler 2 and only took 1 rest day from my workouts. I am very proud of myself. 

On the other hand, I found out that one of my closest girlfriends is moving to Sioux Falls, SD because her husband was transferred there for work. I am very sad that the convenience of knowing that she is just on the other side of town will be gone. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that I may end up seeing her more often now because we do end up going to Sioux Falls a few times a year to see my sister-in-law & brother-in-law and their kids.

Also, my mom has scheduled her surgery for February 12th - she is planning on having her C7 disc removed, because it is severely herniated, and then having her C7, C6, and C5 discs fused together with a metal plate because the C6 and C5 discs are bulging and have osteophytes (bone spurs). She has degenerative disc disease and they are trying to prevent the bulged discs from herniating, too. She gets a second opinion tomorrow and we will see how this unravels. Please pray for my mom, Trish.

My eats have been good. Yesterday I drank a few too many Organic red wine spritzers with Allan while celebrating "Birthday Week". I feel terrible because I really didn't have a present to give him because it hasn't arrived yet. I ordered him something that he really wanted off of eBay a week and a half ago and it still isn't here - dang Postal Service. 

This morning I made Vita-Mix grapefruit juice and it was a fabulous accompaniment to our egg whites and toast. Hip-Hip-HOORAY for the Vita-Mix!!! It made my hangover go away instantaneously. 

Vita-Mix Grapefruit Juice

2 grapefruits, without skins and quartered

3 dates

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup ice

2 TB agave nectar, or to taste

Place all ingredients in the Vita-Mix container in the order listed and secure the lid. Set the Vita-Mix to VARIABLE speed #1 and turn on the machine. Quickly increase speed to #10 and turn to HIGH. Keep on HIGH for 45 to 60 seconds and turn to VARIABLE speed #10 and quickly decrease speed to #1 and turn off the machine.

The grapefruit mixture will be a frothy beautiful pink color!

For the Super Bowl tonight my parents will be joining us to watch the Big Game on the "Big TV" - as we lovingly call it. I will be making Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato fries for supper and stove top popped popcorn with almonds, cranberries and dark chocolate (for my dad's sweet tooth) to snack on during the game. Go Steelers!