Busy bee

Last week I found this chart, and thought I'd start by sharing it. In the book, "The China Study" there are all sorts of statistical data and charts from years of research that has been done to prove the validity of the benefits of consuming a largely plant based diet. Pretty jaw dropping don't you think?

Moving along. Sorry that I left you hanging after last weeks post on the basics.. Life got super crazy, super fast. It's Tuesday and I'm just now regrouping after this weekend. My son turned 6 on Friday (I know I'm still pretty broken over this) so there was a celebration for him at school during the day, and dinner and a movie Friday evening. Not to mention the running around I had to do to finish prep for his official birthday party for Saturday afternoon. Then Saturday morning our entire family participated in the "Color Me Rad" 5k. Ohhhh, what fun!!! FREEZING! But fun! So fun that I had to share some pictures with you.

 

before  (and freezing)

after (the endorphins must've warmed me up)

 If you have been wanting to try your very first race, but you've been chicken (BAK BAK)...the color 5k would definitely be a great way to go...they are very informal (not even officially timed) and there all varieties of experience. From elderly to very young, from walkers to mad dash sprinters. And most importantly, it makes running (walking, jogging, skipping, leaping, etc.) FUN!

My son ran the entire thing, and my daughter ran through all the color stations and my husband carried her in a backpack the remainder of the time. If my 6 and 3 year old can do it...so can you! Remember laughing burns calories too- and there will be lots of laughing in this run too! Take a gander here and see if they're coming your way...get up and get moving. I've said it before, but the best way to set yourself up for success is by creating a tangible goal (ie: registering for a race). 

After the race, we dashed home to start setting up for my sons football party, which my son demanded that we host on the same day as the race. He was not concerned in the least with exhaustion setting it, and somehow his little energizer bunny self just kept going and going and going. Even after running a 5k, he managed to play some serious amounts of football with his buddies and annihilate the football "training camp" we put together. That boy is resilient, and makes me proud. An active lifestyle instilled at a young age sets them up for success.

Purpose of the above....ummm...we'll call it a motivational pep talk to get you and your family active (I'm not bragging about my kids-AT ALL)! 

Now after braving the cold ALL day Saturday I was ready for lots and lots of warmth. So Sunday consisted of my Simply-Healthy-Nikki Veggie Chili and my Mom's recipe for spiced cider which I am going to share with you. It's the perfect season for cider, and not to mention it'd go wonderful with your Thanksgiving meal. 

It's simple, delicious, and makes the house smell so festive!

Juice 10-12 apples (or purchase organic apple cider), add juice to a large pot (or crock pot). Then we add 2-3 slices of grapefruit, 2-3 slices of oranges with about 10 whole cloves stuck into the slices, 2 slices of lemon, and 2 cinnamon sticks to the juice and simmer on low/medium until you're ready to sip it down. The longer the better.  

Perfectly healthy way to warm yourself up from the inside out!

Come back tomorrow for a recipe you WILL NOT want to miss... 

{cough cough:: healthy chocolate chip cookie dough dip ::cough cough}. 

A Simply Healthy (& Opinionated) Nikki lecture!

I've had a rant spinning through brain over and over again for the past few weeks. It's nothing new- the importance of health and nutrition are always on my mind, especially when I come across new research. I love research (insert nerd comments here). You can't fight the facts, I like definite things. I am a control freak, and I am very aware of it. I like to control the things that are controllable, my health and that of my children's (of course, until they are grown and no longer under my roof) is a top priority of things that I intend on controlling to the best of my abilities. Yes, I understand things out of my control can and will happen but at least I can rest easy knowing that I've done all that I can do to keep my family in top notch condition. 

I recently read on forbes.com some statistics that I'd like to share. 

"In 2008, total sales for prescription drugs reached $291.5 billion, a 1.4% increase from the previous year. Lipitor, a statin used to control cholesterol, was the top-selling drug, followed by the acid reflux medication Nexium, and Plavix, an anti-platelet agent that reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke. Sales of cardiovascular and gastroenterology medications, as well as ones that regulate central nervous system issues like seizures, depression, pain and Alzheimer's, accounted for half of all drug sales in 2008."

That was in '08...Now in the year 2012 those numbers have only continued to drastically climb...and the saddest part of it all is those are all unnecessary expenses if we as a society could take control over our diets. Cholesterol is controllable, yet it's the top-selling drug. Acid reflux is more often than not, induced by our own body's inability to digest all of the processed and highly preserved GARBAGE (because it's not really "food") that we force it to digest, that along with not eating enough live raw foods that give our digestive system a break by utilizing the enzymes that are only found in non-heated foods. Yet Nexium is the second highest prescribed drug. Then Plavix to reduce the risk of heart attacks is listed as number 3. Every single fruit and vegetable contains vitamins and minerals that can naturally heal our bodies of ALL of those issues without having to just "control" the symptoms with highly expensive medication. The biggest health benefit that I believe comes from eating a plant based diet, is that when you remove animal products from your diet, you have to replace those calories, so what ends up happening is that you end up replacing those calories with more fruits and vegetables.  Seeing as two out of every three adults is overweight, and 40% of their calories come from animal byproducts, that is a whole lot of calories to replace... So you can eat 3 times the amount of food on a plant based diet for the same price (in terms of total caloric intake). Which means 3 times the micro nutrients to fuel my body, and fight off free radicals. Now how is that a bad thing?! Why do we keep adding more chemical concoctions to our system that just cover up one symptom but often create many other side effects, which then takes another medicinal cocktail to hide those issues? Do you really want to be lethargic, weak, in pain, and broke all the time? Why don't we actually HEAL our bodies, fix the root problems, and get rid of those extra expenses and drugs all together? This can and should be done naturally (for those religious readers, and as I believe, that this is the way God intended). And my blogs purpose is to prove that a whole foods, plant based diet doesn't have to be intricate, bland, or boring. It can be simple, flavorful, and exciting.

If I had a buck for every time I get a health nut joke cracked on me, or the rolling of eyes, or the remark that I am "extreme"...I'd be using cash as a form of toilet paper. As passionate as I am about these type of subjects, I try not to get too uppity with people too often, usually I just give my advice, and pray for their ignorance. But inside, I want to reach over slap some sense into these people. When I am 75, medication & pain free, and running marathons with my great grand kids, odds are that those who thought it was all fun games will be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on cardiovascular surgery or chemotherapy, and wont think it's quite so funny anymore. I know this sounds extremely harsh, but it's the cold truth. Heart disease and diabetes runs in my family, but it will not run in MY family. I am standing up against the crooked food industry and changing the odds so that they are in our favor. Call me crazy, or extreme...but I was put on this earth to live a life...and LIVE is exactly what I intend to do. 

Maybe this little rant has helped you see the importance of healthy living. Maybe you can now recognize that it doesn't only improve your odds of a longer healthier life, but it will improve your QUALITY of life. Maybe it has made you roll your eyes at me. Maybe you will never read another blog post. If I can at least influence one life for the better, than it has served it's purpose. Not to mention I feel a whole lot better! 

Lastly, I recently revised a previous recipe for my sweet potato chia muffins that I had posted here. They can be made vegan simple by replacing the 2 egg whites with 1 flax egg...which is just 1 tbsp of flax seed mixed in 3 tbsp of water. I usually let my flax egg soak for about 5 minutes before putting it into the recipe. I made them this morning and they worked out wonderfully. Enjoy!

Morning Glory

Not a morning person? I would highly advise becoming one...you're missing out on such a beautiful and lively part of the day. For me, becoming a morning person involved creating a routine...oh and will power- yes, lots of will power! When my alarm rings... I, very literally, mentally battle it out between my head and my body, eventually prying my face from my pillow and heading for the kitchen as fast as I can before I have time to change my mind. I start my day with a large glass of cold water, often with a little lemon in it, to rehydrate and jump start my day. Then it's off on a run or to the gym. When I get home I enjoy making a smoothie, and sipping it on the balcony while stretching and watching the sun rise. Even though our summer days out here in the desert are miserably hot (110 degrees sucks), our mornings are still cooler and crisp... so that fresh air is invigorating especially paired with the roosters crowing, the birds chirping,  and the cows across the gorge start humming along too. It's my morning symphony! Then I get to shower and dress all before my kids get up. My kids get to wake up to a chipper Mommy that is full of life (and endorphins) instead of a groggy, half unconscious one which makes it easier to get my new kindergartener, and his ever so anxious little sister ready for their day on time. Not to mention when I wake up early specifically for my workouts, I don't make any excuses. Where as if I sleep in and say "I'll run later"...inevitably later never comes because, well, life happens and before I know it it's bed time. I know that this doesn't suit every one's schedule, for example my husband who has to leave the house by 5:30 am to be to work on time. Waking up at 3:30 am to be able to fit in a run, is not exactly realistic. So evenings work better for him, but on Saturday's he opts for morning runs too because of how effectively it kick starts his day. Find your schedule and routine, commit to it with no excuses, and make it work. It makes life, and healthy living so much easier once it's just another part of your daily routine! 

I made this fresh fruit smoothie the other morning and it was the perfect concoction to take in while inhaling the fresh, crisp morning air. Thus how it's got it's name....MORNING GLORY!

Ingredients:

1 c green grapes

1/2 banana

1/2 medium apple

1/2 mango

1 c ice cubes

Blend until smooth. 

Who you calling chicken?

Are you chicken? 

What are your fears? Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of the unknown? Are you afraid of suffering or sacrifice? We ALL have our fears, our weaknesses, our skepticism's, but there is few greater feelings than that of accomplishment. Over coming those fears, conquering those weaknesses, is extremely empowering and worth every bit of sweat, blood, and/or tears that might come along with that. You need to know that you are strong enough. Repeat with me... "I AM STRONG ENOUGH." Whatever your goals may be: to lose weight, gain muscle, gain energy, live healthier, eat cleaner, run faster, run longer, lower cholesterol, strengthen heart...YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. No one ever got to where they wanted to go without a little hard work, heart ache, or sacrifice. You can't take a vacation without working for the funds to travel, and moving around the schedule to make time available to travel. Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb on his first try (but aren't we glad he didn't quit on himself). I didn't get to where I am today with out a lot of hard work, personal heart ache, and sacrifice. Here are a couple of tips I use with my clients to get you started. 

1. Remove "I can't" from your vocabulary. LIKE NOW! Then replace it with "I WILL"...You have to fully commit: the words "I will" enable that. It is 90%+ mental.  But really, I can't tell you how many times my brain has started to say: "okay, Nikki, you can stop running now" or "you are too tired today" or  "you could really go for a cookie right now" and I have had to use every last bit of will power I have to just keep running, or just get out of bed, or literally throw the cookies out. However bad it sucked in that moment... I do not regret it at all when I set personal records in my running, or step on the scale and drop another pound. Just remind yourself that it DOES and WILL pay off. Stay strong. Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH.

2. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS. Don't just jot it in your head, your head lies. Physically write them down. We've all heard this time and time again...I can attest to it's validity. So just do it...write it down and put it somewhere in plain sight so that you can be reminded why you are making these sacrifices. Perhaps even on the pantry or refrigerator door? Then share your goals with others, so that you are held accountable.  Don't forget to give yourself a deadline, and then set new ones once those are achieved. What got my running going was actually signing up for my first race. It was done, I paid for it, it was happening whether I was prepared for it or not....I HAD to make it worth my while. As soon as I finished my first race, I registered for another and wrote down my goal finishing time for that race. AND I KILLED IT:-)

3. Create a game plan. You can't just say "I want to be rich" and expect money to be handed to you because you thought about it long enough and hard enough. Set those goals, and then write down and plan out HOW you will achieve them. Write these on a calender or set notes or alarms in your phone to go off, whatever works for you,  so that you can follow through with your game plan. Set that alarm to go off 6 am Monday through Friday so you get to the gym or take that walk. Written on your calender: Monday is the day to clean out that fridge and pantry. Feel free to get specific with it too. I like to write down which muscle group I'm training on what day. 

4. Make the achievement of these goals a priority. Rearrange your schedule to MAKE it work for you. Tell that sneaky little part of that mind of yours that likes to come up with all those nasty excuses that YOU AIN'T LISTENING! 

5. Mentally prepare yourself for the roadblocks, and hard times to come. It is going to get hard, you are going to feel weak (again it's all in your head)...but if you're prepared for it then you will prove to be strong!

6. Find a support person or group. Perhaps it's found amongst those that you chose to share your goals with, or someone else who has similar goals, challenges, weaknesses. Someone to lift and motivate when feeling hard. Someone to contradict those lies that your sneaky mind might be telling you. Someone to remind you that "YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH"

I'm sure you get the idea by now. The point is don't hold yourself back. You can do it by preparing and then running at those hurdles full force. Why wait for tomorrow?

Don't be a chicken, eat chicken! (I'm pretty punny right)

As many of you know I don't really eat any meat besides the occasional turkey or chicken. I'm picky and just prefer leaner meats. Some think this could get bland or boring, my meals are hardly either of those! We had some plain cooked and shredded chicken left over from the whole wheat chicken enchiladas from the night before. So last nights dinner was a breeze. I threw together a mayonnaise-less chicken salad. It was awesome so I thought I'd share my concoction. 

CHICKEN SALAD LETTUCE WRAP

(about)3 boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts-shredded (could sub canned chicken)

3 TBSP of plain greek yogurt

2 TBSP of yellow mustard

2 TBSP of relish or pickle juice.

2 TBSP of raw honey

1/2 avocado-mashed

1 stalk of celery- sliced thin

1/4 an onion-diced

1/2 bell pepper (I used orange)

1 apple- remove core and dice

handful of craisins

salt and pepper to taste

A few leaves of lettuce of choice (I used romaine)

garnish with chopped pecans

Toss all ingredients in a bowl (minus the pecans and lettuce) until well blended. Spoon it out onto lettuce- sprinkle pecans on top. DEVOUR. 

Simple & Devine! It's wonderfully versatile as well. Experiment with your favorite diced fruits and veggies...you could try some of these add-ins as well: raisins, grapes, cucumbers, walnuts, ect. Or for a little more fiber put your lettuce and chicken on whole wheat bread or tortilla.