A New Day Shines!

Well, here I am again..seems it has been a few days.Why have I been gone?? I recently had someone die who was very close to me. Rather like a Step-Father. I have been pretty depressed about it and just not very inspired to write.

His name was George Washington Bragg and was the founding/director of the Texas Boy Choir. he has a Library especially dedicated to him and his teachings. Please go here to the George Bragg Boy Choir Music Library to read more about it. Please also donate a bit of something if you appreciate good music and would like to keep works like this going. (I have no financial affiliation to this library)

So, this is where I have been.. moping around, being depressed. I have still been doing the smoothies but not as strict on myself with other foods.. had a hamburger here and a taco there. Weight is slow coming off due to this.. Over all I have been doing great during the day it is the night when I get home and with my husband (a SAD eater) that I give in. Trying so hard to fight the cravings and addictions.

I saw on Valerie Winters site a link to a lady who wrote a book about what to eat for certain cravings.. I have considered getting this. Would love to see what it says. I have the Green for Life book of the Boutenko Family. This is also very very informative. I also love the book from David Wolfe called The Sunfood diet Success System. Actually I love anything by David Wolf..

!!!!Some news!!!!

I am a new Grandmother!

Hahaha... not of a human, but of four fuzzy baby raccoons!

We live in the big city of Dallas, TX.. in an apartment on the second floor. We face a creek that is green with trees and bushes.see other posts for some pics. I have written before of how I have raccoons come visit at night so I feed them now as if they are my friends and my own animals. Well, one night my husband hollars "WE HAVE BABIES!!! And I go running into the living room and sure as there is a nose on your face.. There they were... four little balls of fur munching away on my cat food that I had put out for their elders. Here they are coming out of hiding and across the yard to my building to climb up the wall. So CUTE!


I feel so Blessed to have the mother feel comfortable enough to bring them to me. Some are even courageous enough to venture inside or eat from our hands. David wants to cuddle them so badly. But we have not as yet been able to get that close. I'll post pics when I can get some good ones.


As for my smoothies.. it has been two quarts greens and one fruits.

I am going to close for now... Thanks for visiting.

Mr. Blue Bird on my shoulder.......

It is a bright and sunny day...now .... after we had a major storm. Blew a transformer at work so we had no electricity. They sent everyone home. So I feel great.. Rested. Came home to do chores I put off everyday. Drank my green juice and my fruit smoothie. Played with my cats and some exercise.

Looks like I have lost 2-3 lbs since I started. Slow but good. Should have been more if I had been doing the exercises like I should have. But I will be happy with this for now. A healthy pace.

Trying to stay upbeat, but we are having some sad stuff going on here. My brother's roommate is on his death bed. They do not expect him to live. Unfortunately they have drugged him out so much to be more "comfortable" as he is in alot of pain. He has Parkinson's and is about 65 years old. I feel bad for my brother also because he will have no one now since our parents are gone. Well, he has me but we are 30 miles from each other. I offered to come be with him during this time, but he said no. This man is kind of like a Dad to both of us.. Heavy sigh....

Anyway, I have been feeling great overall. I am finding that I do need a bit more calories then I thought. I seem to feel less weak. I seem to be having fitfull sleep lately. But this will pass soon.

So here is what I had yesterday and today:

3 Quarts almost 4 Green Juice with Blended Red Bell Peppers
I juiced the greens and carrots and blended the
rest.

Lettuce, green leaf, raw 3 × 1/2 cup,... 13kcal
8/60/32%

Pineapple, raw, all varie... 1.5 × 1 cup,... 112kcal
2/94/4%

Bananas, raw 1 medium (7"... 105kcal
3/92/5%

Carrots, raw (Includes US... 4 × 1 medium... 100kcal
5/87/8%

Spinach, raw 2 × 1 cup [30g] 14kcal


Kale, raw 2 × 1 cup, c... 67kcal
10/68/22%

Peppers, sweet, red, raw 1 medium (ap... 31kcal
10/77/13%


Nutrition Facts
Total amounts per meal
Calories 441
Calories From Fat 23
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g
Saturated Fat 0g 13%
4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 303mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 105g
Dietary Fiber 21g
Sugars 53g 26%
90%
Protein 13g 27%
Vitamin A 1315% Vitamin C 880%

Calcium 40% Iron 38%

For my Blended fruit:
Bananas, raw 1 medium (7"... 105kcal
3/92/5%

Pineapple, raw, tradition... 1.5 × 1 cup,... 105kcal
2/93/5%

Lettuce, green leaf, raw 2 × 1/2 cup,... 8kcal
12/52/36%

Spinach, raw 1 cup [30g] 7kcal

Strawberries, raw 1 cup, whole... 46kcal
7/86/7%

Bananas, raw 2 × 1 medium... 210kcal
3/93/4%

Nutrition Facts
Total amounts per meal
Calories 513
Calories From Fat 19
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g 11%
4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 48mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 130g
Dietary Fiber 15g
Sugars 75g 32%
67%
Protein 8g 17%
Vitamin A 147% Vitamin C 387%

Calcium 14% Iron 21%

I have been snacking on something I made up for sweet in between the juices.

Consists of soaked dates, soaked almonds, sunflower seeds, flax, and pumkin seeds with a dash of cinnamon all thrown in a food processor then patted out flat and dehydrated overnight at 80 degrees. It made a chew sweet legal raw food. I do not eat much.. maybe 5 bites then I put it aside. I have them in baggies for keeping.

Taking Time to Rest

Hi Everyone,

I have been feeling kind of dragged down lately and I feel it could be my caloric intake. But trying to keep it low to make my body use my fat for energy levels.

Problem is tho I have been feeling run down. My hubby says it is because I do not get enough sleep. During the week I go to bed around 11:30pm and get up at 5:00am. Work all day outside the home. So today being a weekend and part of my holiday I decided to rest and do nothing else.

Well, rest it was. I got up around 8:30am but after about an hour at the pc I could not keep my eyes open. Not fighting this I went back to bed. Slept for another few hours. Got up and watched some tv. Played on the PC again and again could not keep my head off the keyboard. Slept agan for 5 hours. I have noticed each time in waking that I wake up smelling of rank sweat. Like one does when one is sick. Though I do not feel sick I do feel my body is detoxing somethings.

I am drinking loads of water and while not drinking smoothies I am eating raw. Still have not been on a scale. Afraid of them..hahaha. My weight at the start of all this was about 290. So if I do get to a scale and it is lower I will be happy.

Sometimes though with me anyway, getting on a scale and seeing it drop does seem to give me mental approval to eat badly ...this is one reason I do not weigh often.

So now to question some things.. How does one gain calries without gaining weight? Add nuts? Add more bananas? Avacados are not my favorite things so I may not go that route. Any suggestions out there are welcome.

I want to do this and make it and need exercise to help this along but how can you feel you need to exercise when you are sooo drained??

Meal one:Blended Smoothie
Calories 299
Bananas, raw 1 medium (7"... 105kcal
3/92/5%

Blueberries, raw 0.5 × 1 cup ... 41kcal
5/90/5%

Pineapple, raw, tradition... 1.5 × 1 cup,... 105kcal
2/93/5%

Lettuce, green leaf, raw 2 × 1/2 cup,... 8kcal
12/52/36%

Spinach, raw 1 cup [30g] 7kcal


Peppers, sweet, red, raw 0.5 × 1 medi... 15kcal
6/81/13%

Celery, raw 1 cup, strip... 17kcal
12/71/17%


Nutrition Facts
Calories From Fat 12
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g 7%
2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 144mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 75g
Dietary Fiber 9g
Sugars 46g 19%
41%
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 192% Vitamin C 320%

Calcium 14% Iron 16%

Meal two:Blended Smoothie
Apples, raw, with skin (I... 100g 52kcal
2/96/2%

Lettuce, green leaf, raw 3 × 1/2 cup,... 13kcal
8/60/32%

Peaches, raw 1 small (2" ... 31kcal
6/84/10%

Pineapple, raw, all varie... 1.5 × 1 cup,... 112kcal
2/94/4%

Blueberries, raw 0.5 × 1 cup ... 41kcal
5/90/5%

Bananas, raw 1 medium (7"... 105kcal
3/92/5%

Nutrition Facts
Calories 353
Calories From Fat 11
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g
Saturated Fat 0g 6%
2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 29mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 91g
Dietary Fiber 13g
Sugars 61g 23%
55%
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 136% Vitamin C 211%

Calcium 8% Iron 12%

Meal three:Blended Smoothie
Bananas, raw 1 medium (7"... 105kcal
3/92/5%

Blueberries, raw 0.5 × 1 cup ... 41kcal
5/90/5%

Pineapple, raw, tradition... 1.5 × 1 cup,... 105kcal
2/93/5%

Lettuce, green leaf, raw 2 × 1/2 cup,... 8kcal
12/52/36%

Spinach, raw 1 cup [30g] 7kcal


Peppers, sweet, red, raw 0.5 × 1 medi... 15kcal
6/81/13%

Celery, raw 1 cup, strip... 17kcal
12/71/17%

Nutrition Facts
Total amounts per meal
Calories 299
Calories From Fat 12
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g 7%
2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 144mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 75g
Dietary Fiber 9g
Sugars 46g 19%
41%
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 192% Vitamin C 320%

Calcium 14% Iron 16%

Snacks: Hand ful of almonds raw- soaked

Meal Four--Salad

Dandelion greens, raw 1 cup, chopp... 25kcal
12/68/20%

Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw 2 × 1/2 cup,... 10kcal
11/68/21%

Olives, ripe, canned (sma... 3 × 1 oz [28... 98kcal
77/20/3%

Beans, snap, green, canne... 2 × 1 oz [28... 11kcal
0/82/18%

Carrots, raw (Includes US... 1 cup, grate... 45kcal
4/87/9%

Salad dressing, thousand ... 2 × 1 tbsp [... 62kcal
56/42/2%

Bread crumbs, dry, grated... 1 oz [28.35g] 109kcal
13/72/15%

Nutrition Facts
Total amounts per meal
Calories 360
Calories From Fat 132
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g
Saturated Fat 2g 70%
18%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 1765mg 126%
Total Carbohydrate 52g
Dietary Fiber 12g
Sugars 15g 13%
51%
Protein 9g 18%
Vitamin A 399% Vitamin C 72%

Calcium 30% Iron 42%


Water: 64oz

Tip toeing through the Greens

Wow, it has been a busy week.

My son wanted us to go out to eat on Tuesday to meet his new girlfriend. She was very nice. I understand that she has been in the states only nine months. She is from Africa.She was rather shy and soft spoken so I didn't feel I should grill her with a third degree... Now I did eat there and not raw but sure couldn't eat like I used to. I was good all day had two quarts of greens and one quart of fruits and greens. By the time dinner came I wasn't really hungry. I did fill up on their salad tho that could be another reason I didn't eat alot. brought the rest home and hubby ate it.

Wednesday, was a day off from work but I didn't take the day off. Let me explain. I had oodles of stuff to do around the house so I got most of the chores done. Boy was I hurting by 4 pm. For some reason my back has been hurting if I stand too long. Figuring it is all the weight in the front. Either that or getting old.

Today, was very busy at work.. do not feel I got alot accomplished because I did alot of this and that for others and not my own stuff. Oh well, it will be there tomorrow.

OK, here is what I put into my drinks:

Quarts of greens Tuesday

Blended
two large hand fulls green leaf lettuce (washed of course)
two hand fulls of Spinach (washed)
one Gala apple cored
one banana
32oz of purified water

Made actually the two quarts and I added more water after I drank some to thin out some.

I had some seasoned olives (not raw) that were in olive oil so after eating those at lunch I poured some of the olive oil and seasoning in one of the quarts of greens added juice of a lemon and it tasted like a salad.

For the fruit quart:
One Gala apple
One Banana
One orange
small hand full of spinach
32oz of purified water
Drank this for morning drink but think I am better off with just greens in the am and fruit in the afternoon. I seem to need sweets in the afternoon and this will quench that craving.

I also had a green salad with tomato with the olives at lunch so I had left over green drink as my drink with meal and ate regular salad of greens and olives..Water on the side too... Dressing was lemon juice (fresh) and some of the seasoned olive oil.

Wednesday: Was home all day so was easier. had greens in the am..

Made two quarts
Large hand full green leaf lettuce ( not romaine or ice burg)
Two large hand fulls spinach
one Gala apple
32oz of purified water actually it was more but I didn't measure.

Seems I am not too strict when it comes to logging things.. Could be this is a problem.. We shall see.

mid day made fruit drink with apple,banana,orange, water.

snack was raw pumpkin seeds and raw almonds--well, they said raw anyway..just a small hand full

Dinner was salad with greens and tomato.. no dressing...just lemon juice (fresh)

Today:

Two quarts greens
Large hand full green leaf lettuce
Large hand full spinach
Gala Apple
Red Bell pepper whole thing
purified water to thin

Fruit drink:

1/2 cup fresh pineapple
Gala apple
1/2 cup Blueberries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/8 cup flax
purified water

This was my lunch as the greens filled me up to feeling stuffed. The sunflowers made the fruit drink kind of creemy along with the flax like a shake.. but nutty for a crunch like cookies in a shake.. I alternated this and bottled water the rest of the day.

Dinner:
Green salad with lemon and olive oil
tomato -Roma
half red Bell Pepper


I felt kind of week at the end of the work day. Thinking maybe not getting enough calories. Gotta sit still long enough to get this in Nutridiary... I also think somehow I need to make myself drink more water. No exercise. Maybe this is WHY I am week... need to get moving.

I am so tired now I need to get to bed instead of being on here. But had to post. This weekend I will force myself on the scale. Need to get a new one.

Even though I have not weighed in yet I do feel lighter. I need alot more water to counter the fiber of the greens. But I am moving in that department so it must be enough.

People at work think I am crazy. But I have peaked everyones interest and they come to see what I am drinking today... Some even have said they may try it...

Well, I will close now.. Good Night to all and pleasant dreams.........

THE GREEN PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

Well, I have started... my journey again down the Green Path.

Today I juiced carrots, kale, green lettuce, spinach, apple then blended in a banana. Felt the need to have a juice day today. I made two quarts of this and then made a quart of blended banana, orange, apple with a little left over juice that wouldn't fit the other two quarts.

I took all of these to work with me today and sipped on them and on water all through the day. While at lunch time when everyone else had TV dinners or had brought back food from various eating places .... I have to say I was totally satisfied.

I did bring some pumpkin seeds and almonds both raw to give some crunch through the day but only allowed myself a small cup of them mixed. Think I need more greens or different kinds or something... Toward the mid-day I felt rather feverish and exhausted. Don't know if this is from the day of juice or I caught some stomach bug from my grandson. He was sick all weekend.

It is almost 11:00pm and I need to get to bed but wanted to add my notes for the day. I did not get any exercise in.. felt to bad. Bad start to the week, but I will get some in tomorrow.

Hmmmmmmm, now what to have tomorrow...???

Kicking Butt Back in Gear

Hey to All,

Been gone for a long time as you can see.. I have been half and half on this ride as finances have been bad still, lost my job and hubby still wasn't working. So trying to keep my head above water has not been easy.

Fighting to stay at least partially raw. But something in me says that is not good enough. I have been keeping my mind and mouth busy by doing genealogy instead of eating. Should have been out there walking or something.. Just have no excuse.. none at all... I am just lazy..

I have no major illnesses to speak off to keep me down. Other then my legs hurting some and breathing is hard and hurts my chest if I walk long distances... So I sit on the sofa or here in front of the PC.. BUT.... I have new motivation.. if that is possible for me...I was doing some snooping online for raw articles and such and ran across a blog that totally hit me broadsided.

It made me look twice at myself then a third time and feel totally ...what word should I use here?? Totally selfish and totally ashamed only because she is doing so well and I am not. The site is called The Green Smoothie Experiment by Valerie Winters. Go read her blog if you want some inspiration.. She has it in spades... I weigh less then her, do not have the health problems as her..but I do not do what I am capable of doing only because I am lazy... Why??? So now I have to look within myself and try to find out why...

I am going to be 51 next month and my son wants to get married in July or Sept of this year. I have reason besides just wanting to look nice and be healthy... I also want to be able to have my son be proud of me and the way I look. I am so sick of looking this way and feeling like a blimp. If Valerie can lose 65 pounds in such a short time...surely I could to. She has done such a wonderful job and her support system, Super... She has inspired me to kick myself in the tail and get moving again.

I have started working again and so has my man... so we will have money coming in again finally.. I can get what I want for my food and he can get what he wants and I won't feel guilty of cheating him or me. Nope, he doesn't help much or support much.. Sabotages sometimes even and I want to think it is unconsciously...

Guess he doesn't believe I truly want this... so I have to do this... Also I have been watching film clips of things like from PETA, Fast Food Nation and the like and I am just aching in my heart for the poor animals that die for us. And in such horrid ways. I just can not think of myself as a contributor..

So here I go again... those of you who have been around here before.. please don't give up on me. I am going to do this... I AM, I AM, I AM, I AM, I AM!!!!!

gotta wait for my first check this Friday... So I will see you on Monday with a report of my first day back at 100% raw. By the way... I have still kept the weight off even being bad... Fluxed up a bit then down again... but I am still here... so at least that was good...

See you Monday... May 21, 2007 the beginning of the rest of my new life... Stepping into a new chapter... for the second half of my 100 years here on earth.

Been away but doing ok.

I have been lax on my blogging but not my raw...

We got bad news today.. My Sister-In-Law has died. So will be away for a bit. Hubby not taking it well.