Mindful Mondays: R&R

I'm typing this from the "business center" of our hotel. Tonight will be our third and final night of rest and relaxation and then it will be time to go home. I hope all of you got a chance to take some down time this holiday weekend and follow your bliss, whatever that may be. I got to lay out in the sun yesterday (bad, I know, but I haven't even had the desire to do that in years). It felt so good.

It's important to get some time off from busy schedules and stress. I'm taking a slight vacay from my normal eating habits, meaning I'm eating too many carbs, but still staying away from the whites. Starting tomorrow I'm going to have a protein shake for breakfast and a nice big salad for lunch every day for 5 or 6 days to get back on track and detox a bit. Plus lots and lots of water!

What's your favorite way to get some R&R, and not necessarily just vacation? One of my favorite getaways is to go grab a tall nonfat latte at Starbucks and then go browse Goodwill for an hour.

Protein Shake Update

Just updating my previous post. I got a call back from the maker of the Zorex Chocolate Whey/Egg White Protein Powder, and there is no additional sweetener, which was so surprising to me because it tastes very sweet. He said it's just naturally occurring lactose, and the ingredients are Whey, Egg White, Cocoa Powder. That's it! He just left a message but I'm going to call back and find out where it is available to buy.

Pressed for Time?

We have had a very busy month around here, and I just wanted to share a few quick and easy meals that I sometimes turn to when I don't have much time or motivation to cook.

Bean Burritos

I prefer to make my own pinto beans, but in a pinch I use Rosarita refried beans. (I'm trying to limit the amount of canned foods that we eat because of BPA in the lining of the cans.) But this is super easy - put some beans into a Rudi's Multigrain wrap, add cheese, and some 505 Enchilada Sauce or Green Chile Sauce. Heat it up and enjoy!

Pizzadilla

Take a multigrain wrap, add mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, and either heat in the toaster oven or on a skillet on the stove. I sometimes dip it in a couple tablespoons of Organicville Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Pita Pizzas

Put sauce, mozzarella, and whatever toppings you like onto Ezekiel 4:9 pita bread. Heat in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Here is my sauce recipe:

1 jar tomato paste
About 1 C water - just add water to desired consistency
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 T Italian seasoning
1 t dried parsley
1 t agave nectar
About 1/2 - 1 t salt
(Some chopped up fresh basil if you have some on hand.)

And of course, have a serving of veggies on the side for all of these meals.

And the winner is...

First of all, just want to say thanks to everyone for entering, commenting, and sharing! I really enjoyed reading about all your summer plans. Our summer officially starts at noon today when we go pick up the big kid from school! We signed up for a free bowling program so we're going to bowl this afternoon and tonight I'm going to see Sex and the City 2 with some friends.

I used a random number generator at random.org, and the winner of the Target gift card is:

The Jakel Five!

Congrats! Please send your address via email within three days and I will pop your gift card in the mail.

Thanks again everyone for playing! Feel free to keep commenting - it's nice to know people are reading.

Happy Summer!

New Protein Shake

I saw Dr. Julie yesterday and was looking at the various supplements and nutritional products, and came across Zorex Chocolate Whey/Egg White Protein Powder. I was impressed with the nutritional profile - 3g Total Carbs and 25g Protein. It's really low fat so I mixed it with So Delicious coconut milk to add some good fats. It was really tasty. It didn't mix very well with the coconut milk so I just threw it in the Blendtec to get rid of the lumps.

The only strange thing is that there isn't an ingredient list. I left a message at the phone number provided and have tried finding it online with no success. I want to know what it's sweetened with. I suspect Xylitol or Stevia based on the taste. At any rate, I'll share once I get more info, and hopefully will have a link where you can purchase it. I think this will be a good option for getting even more protein into my diet.

Don't forget today is the last day to enter the contest! I'll announce the winner by Friday.

Me and my baby girl at my big girl's field day last week! It was really fun.

Oh! And I am doing much better as far as my injuries from my fall. Bruises are finally fading away. I'm still having some ankle and knee pain when I do a lot of walking, but it's gradually fading away too. I'm so glad. I'm going to jump on my Cellerciser today because I just can't stand it any more!

Mindful Mondays: Music

I've decided to make my Monday posts about mental/emotional/spiritual health, because it's an important part of becoming healthy. Coming to terms with myself "as is" was a major turning point in my journey towards health. I wrote about it back in July on my other blog. Being able to say, "I'm okay, and even beautiful, just as I am right now," allowed me the freedom to quit obsessing about my weight and to just gradually change my eating habits and make exercise a part of my life. You have to let go of self-hatred and judgment.

Music has been essential in that process. Music has the power to move me, calm me, inspire me, and to let the emotions I tend to stuff down come bubbling up so I can deal with them. Last year I made a playlist on my iPod that I titled, "Release," and I listened to it when I needed to have a good cry or to just sit with myself for awhile.

So today's challenge to all of you is to create a playlist or CD of songs that inspire you; that make you feel good in your skin and empowered (even sexy!). The second part of the challenge is to find an hour of alone time to listen to your playlist and just let it move you. Feel free to add in some spoken or thought affirmations while you listen. I'll share my songs:

Gotta Get Up From Here - Ellie Lawson
Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Sun Comes Up - John Legend
Your Body is a Wonderland - John Mayer
Video - India Arie
Closer to Fine - Indigo Girls
Have a Little Faith - Michael Franti & Spearhead
Everybody - Ingrid Michaelson
On Love - Jennifer Knapp
Love - Mestizo
Let it Be - The Beatles

Feel free to share your playlists or your experience listening to them!

Dr. Oz Agrees!

Wanted to share this article: 

5 foods Dr. Oz says to avoid

High fructose corn syrup and the whites are the top two items on his list! He does say to just use sugar as opposed to artificial sweeteners, but I prefer agave since it's low glycemic and because of my insulin resistance my body just cannot seem to tolerate sugar even in limited amounts.

I'm enjoying reading about everyone's summer plans - don't forget to get your entries in for the Target gift card giveaway by Wednesday.

Food Allergies

I've mentioned my daughter's peanut allergy before, but the food allergies plaguing my life right now are my own, and I am really frustrated trying to pinpoint what exactly I am allergic to. I know I am allergic to horseradish, cucumber, and salmon. Years ago I was watching Emeril and he made salmon burgers with cucumber relish and a horseradish sauce and I jokingly referred to it as "Death on a Platter." Perhaps I shouldn't be so flippant about what really is a life and death issue in our home, but I think approaching things with a little humor always helps.

So, for the last several months I have had increasingly worse reactions. I used to eat an occasional Greek salad or falafel with tzatziki sauce, but a few months ago when my usual itchy neck and hands was accompanied by an itchy, swollen tongue I decided it was time to cut cucumber out completely. More recently I had a mild reaction when I picked several slices of cucumber off a salad and proceeded to eat the salad. Apparently the cucumber allergy has gotten so bad I have to worry about cross contamination. So annoying! And it is such a weird allergy. 



In the last month or so I've reacted quite badly after eating out, and it was Mexican food each time. Right now I'm really wondering about corn. I ate out Thursday night (had a cheese enchilada and a tamale) and within an hour had a huge hive covering almost my entire neck. By Friday morning it was even bigger and really itchy and hot. I took half a dose of Benadryl but had to cave and take the other half for it to get reduced down to the size of a silver dollar but it still didn't go away. Then had friends over last night and was enjoying some yummy 7-layer dip with corn chips and within minutes got really congested, felt itchy all over, and started to feel like my breathing was tight. The weird thing is that I recently ate a whole ear of corn on the cob and didn't have a reaction. Well, actually I'm pretty sure I took a Zyrtec that night because I had itchy eyes and a runny nose and chalked it up to seasonal allergies. But if it is corn you would think eating that much corn would cause a much worse reaction.

At any rate, I'm going to cut corn out completely for two weeks and then eat a large portion of it and see what happens. If it's not that I'll try eliminating something else. The other common ingredients have been tomato, lettuce, cheese, beans, chilies (but I don't know what different types). Anyone else deal with food allergies, particularly adult onset ones?

Summer, Summer, Summertime! (Giveaway!!)

I have big plans for the summer, and I wanted to share some of them here because, seriously, this is the first time in YEARS that I have been excited about summer. I used to hate it. HATE. I wouldn't wear anything shorter than capris, rarely wore tank tops, and certainly loathed wearing a swimsuit and rarely did (and then felt like a horrible mom because I let my self-esteem and vanity issues get in the way of having a fun time with my kids).

So I am excited about wearing some of the cute clothes I've found and not dying from heat because I'm overweight and overdressed. Also looking forward to swimming - found a great swimsuit at Target - it's a tankini! From an exercise standpoint I am planning on getting into cycling and hiking, and taking lots of day trips with the kids. I love living in Colorado, where we can just hop in the car and be in the mountains in an hour or two.

So I just had some inspiration and I think I'll make this my first giveaway post! That's how excited I am about summer...let's see, what should I give away? How about a Target gift card so you can go get something cute for summer, or some summer toys for your kids, maybe a sun hat, or even some (healthy) groceries. Okay, that is the plan. Up for grabs is a $25 Target gift card. 

How to enter (each of the following will earn you one entry, so you can enter a total of four times):

1. Become a follower of this blog.

2. Become a fan of The B.E.T.H. Approach on Facebook.

3. Share this on Facebook.

4. Post a comment below and tell me at least one of your plans for the summer.

Be sure to tell me in your comment how many of these things you did. I'll take your word for it, as far as the sharing on Facebook. If you already follow the blog and/or are a Facebook fan, just say so in your comment.

The fine print: Open to U.S. residents only. Will take comments until midnight MST on 5/26/10. Random drawing will occur on 5/27/10 and I will post the winner that day. Winner must provide their mailing address via email within 3 days or an alternate winner will be chosen. Drawing will either occur by random generator or old fashioned method of 5-year-old pulling from a hat, probably the latter as she will really enjoy it.

Apparently the Supplements are Working

I'm down another pound for a total of two this week, which is really surprising to me since I haven't been able to exercise. I'm guessing the supplements my chiropractor put me on are working to balance my hormones even further. I'm really excited to see what happens when I can start exercising again!

The two supplements are called DIM and Methyl Defend. I'm not finding much info online about the latter, but the bottle says:

Methyl Defend is a comprehensive formula designed to support optimal methylation and help to maintain healthy homocysteine levels. It features five key nutrients involved in homocysteine metabolism: Folate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2, and Trimethylglycine.

Definitely worth checking out if you have PCOS or symptoms of estrogen dominance. 

Why Natural and Organic?

I know there tends to be a lot of arguments over whether going organic is really that much better for you. Just wanted to share a couple of recent MSNBC articles.

Processed meat a real health risk

Eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb appeared not to raise risks of heart attacks and diabetes, they said, suggesting that salt and chemical preservatives may be the real cause of these two health problems associated with eating meat.

Pesticides in kids linked to ADHD 

Kids with higher-than-average levels of one pesticide marker were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children who showed no traces of the poison.

I posted the second article on Facebook and my friend Colleen replied, "...because we need studies to tell us that pesticides - chemicals designed to kill bugs - ingested in our bodies are detrimental to our health. When we humans can't rely on our common sense, thank goodness there's science!"

From a personal standpoint, I can obviously say that eating a mostly organic diet has made a huge difference in my health. In the six or so months before I got my PCOS diagnosis I was having this increasingly worse pain right under my rib cage on the right side. I had a few "attacks" that were excruciatingly painful (and occurred after high fat meat filled meals), and my doctor thought my symptoms lined up with gallstones or possibly something going on with my liver. She ordered blood tests and an ultrasound, and nothing came up.

In the last year, those symptoms have almost completely disappeared. I still get occasional pain, but almost always after eating out and having non-organic meat, or sometimes after drinking alcohol. I really think my toxic load was just too high and my liver couldn't process it. So I've decided to quit eating meat when I'm out, with the exception of the hormone and antibiotic free meat at Chipotle. Eventually I may give up alcohol, but I've greatly cut back and now reserve it for an occasional treat.

My hope is that more and more people will make the switch to organic, so that as consumer demand goes up prices will go down. That is my only complaint. It is really expensive to eat healthily. But, since natural and organic meat is so much more expensive, we eat it less often.

As a matter of fact we had a yummy vegetarian dinner last night - sauteed some onion, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach and basil, and ate it over scrambled eggs and put some goat cheese on top. Had half of a sprouted grain English muffin on the side, and some grilled corn on the cob that our neighbors brought over.

Shopping Lists

I had already been transitioning my family over to organics before I started on this weight loss journey, but over the last year I have made a full transition, with the exception of some cheeses. I do all of our shopping through these three resources:

Natural Grocers at Vitamin Cottage

Natural Grocers is a local company, but I think they are in several states nowadays. I'm sure that any local health food store would have a similar feel and selection of products. The thing I love most is that they only carry organic produce. I don't have to look at the little tags to know if something is conventional or organic, like at some other stores.

I buy the bulk of my produce here, and try to just get a good variety every week, and generally go with what's on sale. This week I got zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, avocados, tomato, carrots, peaches, and bananas. I often get apples there too, but Costco had organic gala apples so I got them there this week. In the summer I try to frequent our local farmer's market.

Here's a list of other products that I buy at Natural Grocers:

Applegate Farms roasted turkey, herb turkey, pepperoni, salami, and uncured hot dogs.
Rudi's Organic wheat hot dog buns and multigrain wraps
Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain english muffins and pita pockets
Wild Thyme Naturals roasted red pepper hummus
Organicville salad dressings
Spectrum organic mayo and apple cider and white vinegars
Organic Valley milk, buttermilk, and sour cream
Nancy's cultured cream cheese
Roberto's Green Chile Salsa
Chocolove Dark Chocolate Bars
So Delicious coconut milk, popsicles, and ice cream sandwiches
Coconut Bliss coconut milk ice cream
Organic Prairie breakfast sausage
Farmer's Hen House organic eggs
Lundberg organic brown rice
Bubbie's sauerkraut
Bob's Red Mill oats, oat flour, and whole wheat flour
Sunbutter sunflower seed spread
Oogavé agave sweetened soda
Izze soda (fruit juice and sparkling water)
Green & Black's organic dark chocolate
Enjoy Life chocolate bars, chocolate chips, cookies (for my allergic daughter)

From the bulk section I get raw, organic almonds, sunflower seeds, and occasionally walnuts or pecans. I would love to be able to purchase more items in bulk, but everything has a peanut cross-contamination statement and is therefore not safe for my daughter. I go ahead and get my almonds and sunflower seeds there since she doesn't eat them.

Costco

Over the last several years Costco has started to carry a ton of organics. It's great!

Earthbound Farm organic mixed greens and baby spinach
Rudi's Organic honey whole wheat bread
Frozen fruits for smoothies - blueberries, strawberries, cherries, tropical mix, peaches, and mangoes
Alpine Valley Omega-3 organic bread
Organic butter (I'll double check on the brand.)
Tillamook sliced cheddar cheese and block cheese
The Pampered Goat goat cheese
Feta cheese
Organic apples
Maranatha almond butter
Kirkland Signature organic instant oatmeal
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Baking Soda
Coleman organic chicken breasts and whole chickens
Fage strained Greek yogurt
Kalamata olives
Crunchmaster gluten free crackers
Organic dried apples
Treetop organic applesauce
Rice Dream rice milk
Pacific Natural Foods organic chicken broth
Whole wheat spaghetti
Classico spaghetti sauce
Dried pinto beans

Frontier Natural Products Co-op

Frontier is an awesome company. I run co-ops for a group of family and friends that allows us to purchase at wholesale prices. From them I get our coconut oil, spices, herbs, tea, essential oils, several of our vitamins and supplements, household cleaning products, and body care products.

In addition to Frontier, I've been able to run or take part in additional co-ops to purchase local, organic grass-fed beef from a farm here in Colorado, Fox Fire Farms. We've gotten eggs from them (so yummy), and chicken. I ran out of chicken though, so I now get Coleman organic from Costco until we do another co-op. I get my agave nectar from a co-op as well.

And the one thing I have to go to a regular old grocery store for: lentils. Natural Grocers only has them in bulk, and I haven't seen them at Costco.

I'll come back and add other things that I think of, or new products that we try and like. I didn't include some of the items that I buy for my husband and kids but I don't eat, like Annie's Mac & Cheese.

Just a Quick Note

I'm going to post shopping lists later today, but wanted to note that I'm down another pound. Woohoo! I lost the first 45lbs in 6 months, and the rest is coming off really slowly, but that's okay. I plateaued throughout the holiday months, and rather than being totally disappointed I gave myself a pat on the back that I maintained my weight during a stressful, food filled season. Slow and steady is okay. My average weight loss per month over the last year is 4.8lbs, even though some months I lost double that and others I didn't lose any.

I also want to make a post about chiropractic and other alternative healthcare, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow. My chiropractor, Dr. Julie, is going to help me get rid of the last 12-17lbs I'd like to lose. I saw her Tuesday for my fall and she put me on a couple of supplements that should help the estrogen dominance of my PCOS. Even though my periods have regulated in the last year, I am still having acne. It's the one PCOS symptom I just can't seem to beat. She also recommended that I up my protein even more, so I'm going to start making my snacks each day protein only. Yesterday I had a couple slices of Applegate Farms natural pepperoni for a snack. I know, I know. Sounds gross, but it was yummy to me.

Okay, I'll be working on shopping lists and tips and it will be up soon!

Random picture for interest and color:

My silly kids. Aren't they cute?

Tips for Getting Started

Plan Ahead

- Get temptation out of your house. You can't eat the bad for you food if it isn't there.
- Fill your home with good for you food. Shopping lists coming soon - I promise!
- Have high protein snacks with you at all times - I kept a small Tupperware of raw almonds in my purse, as well as individual packets of Justin's almond butter that I found at Natural Grocers at Vitamin Cottage. I'm sure I looked crazy but sometimes I just sucked it right out of the package if I didn't have an apple or some celery to put it on.
- Figure out ahead of time where you can eat out. I ate a lot of chicken salads at Chipotle and Qdoba when I first started out because I knew they were safe (minus the dressing - I just had salsa and sour cream.) 

Pick a Day and Go! 

- Going off the whites cold turkey was easiest for me, but you know yourself best and if a slow weaning process will work better for you then do that.
- Track your progress in whatever way is comfortable and least stressful for you. I kept a food diary to track my carbs until eating this way became second nature for me.
- Weigh yourself but not obsessively. Don't be disappointed if you don't see immediate results. I did see immediate results but the weight really started melting off when I added in exercise.
- Don't forget that weight loss isn't the only goal. Once I got through the initial 3-5 days of headaches and fatigue (withdrawal symptoms), I noticed a definite increase in energy levels and not so many physical and emotional ups and downs throughout each day.

Focus on One Thing at a Time

- Give yourself 4-6 weeks to get off the whites and get used to your new way of eating before adding exercise in, unless you have already made exercise a habit. I find that when I try to change too many things at once I get overwhelmed and give up.

Chicken Spinach Curry

1 C dried lentils
1 32oz box Pacific Natural Foods Organic Chicken Broth
2 T mild curry powder
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
2 organic skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2lb Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and sort lentils to remove any rocks or debris. Place in crockpot. Pour about 2/3 of the chicken broth over the lentils. Add spices and stir until well mixed. Cook on high for 2hrs. After 2hrs place chicken breasts in the crockpot and push down into the lentils, then add the remaining chicken broth. Continue to cook on high for another 4hrs. Shred chicken and then add spinach to the crockpot, pushing it down into the liquid. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 30 minutes to 1hr. If at any point the mixture is too thick you can add 1/4 C of water at a time and stir in well. Salt and pepper to taste when served. (I used to add salt to the recipe but it never tasted salty enough so I've found it's better to just sprinkle with salt right before eating.)

Serve over Lundberg Organic Brown Basmati Rice. (1/4 C has 34g total carbs, so only have as much as your daily allotment of carbs will allow. I often only have 1/8 C.)

Major Setback

On Tuesday my foot caught on an uneven seam in the sidewalk and I took an epic spill to the ground. Bruised my ribs (and breast - ouch!), twisted ankle, swollen knee, bruises, aches and pains pretty much everywhere...yeah. So I won't be working out for at least a couple of weeks, which I am totally bummed about, but trying to be good and give my body time to heal so I don't make anything worse than it is. Luckily rebounding is pretty low impact and I think I can give it a go once the ankle and knee settle down, and I just won't do any upper body twisting so as not to aggravate the ribs.

At any rate, just wanted to explain the lull in posting and let you all know there might be a further lull because just walking around the mall for a little bit today made me absolutely exhausted. I'm going to have to be super careful about food while I can't exercise. I have found that I can be a little lax with food or a little lax with exercise and still maintain my weight, but I can't be lax with both or I'll gain.

It's my birthday and I'm trying to decide what special treat I want to have in lieu of cake. I think I might have a So Delicious coconut milk ice cream sandwich. 100 calories and only 15g carbs! And I can stick a candle in it. This birthday feels special since it's my first in a long time where I feel healthy and confident and good in my body!

Here's a pic of me and my honey (Alex) at my birthday party last weekend:

Green Smoothies and Protein Shakes

In addition to my Cellerciser, an investment that I decided to make early on in my journey to health was a Blendtec Blender. I love it. My husband and I had gone through 4, or maybe 5, inexpensive blenders in our 11 years together, so I decided to bite the bullet and get a really good one. I bought it at Costco since they double the manufacturer's warranty.

In this post I'm just going to give a general explanation and list the things that I put in my smoothies and shakes, and then I'll post some of my favorite recipes after I figure out exact amounts of each ingredient and total carb information. I don't do smoothies on a regular basis any more, but I did them 3-4 mornings a week as breakfast for several months.

For shakes, I use Nutiva Hemp Shake in both the Berry Pomegranate and Chocolate flavors, as well as Nutiva Hemp Protein for an extra protein boost. I also use Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil (1 or 2 tablespoons). So for example, I would use half a banana, a handful of frozen berries, a full serving of both the Berry Pomegranate Hemp Shake and Hemp Protein, coconut oil and coconut milk. Or half a banana, the Chocolate Hemp Shake, some ice, coconut oil and coconut milk.

In green smoothies, it is greens that make it green. I use spinach, mixed baby greens, and occasionally kale, and put in two big handfuls. I will put a couple handfuls of frozen fruit (strawberries, peaches, mango, blueberries, cherries, papaya, pineapple are the frozen fruits I get at Costco), a full serving of Nutiva Hemp Protein, a tablespoon of powdered wheat grass, a tablespoon of aloe vera juice, and the blend of flavors that I was using would determine the liquid: coconut milk, rice milk, carrot juice or water. I also sometimes throw in some apple slices (with the peel), orange slices, or carrots.

For an occasional treat I will use a scoop of Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss ice cream in a shake. It is made with coconut milk, is agave sweetened, and low glycemic. And it is DELICIOUS. The other night I put a banana, a scoop of chocolate Coconut Bliss, a few ice cubes and about 8 oz So Delicious Coconut Milk in my Blendtec and gave it a whirl - a Banana Chocolate Vegan Milkshake. This definitely falls under the "Treats" category since it is pretty high carb with a banana in there, but at least it is a sugar free treat. If you're carb load is low for the day, I say go for it after a protein filled dinner!