Fresh Cut Grass

I have embarked on a new and wonderful journey, first stop Veggieville, second stop Protein Hill. What more does one need? I'll tell you, taste. In hopes of fixing what ales me I am adhering to a strict, no frills, no thrills, no cheating, no fun diet. I have spent the better part of the last 48 hours blending any and every (organic) veggie together with soy milk and hemp protein powder. I know what you are thinking...CRAP she's been watching too much Portlandia! I have never seen an episode, but yes I am beginning to feel like 'that-person.' We will keep this short and sweet. In order to heal my gut (stomach and intestinal tract) I am cutting ALL grains, sugar and dairy from my diet. Hopefully at the end of this six week journey I will be able to get rid of the twice daily extra strength antacid that at the ripe ol' age of 32 I find myself taking. I will become my very own experiment.

Day 1: Feeling fully energized. Not a care in the world. Not even slightly tempted by grains or sugar. I can still have my cup of coffee in the morning so who the heck cares about grains and sugar.

Day 2: Woke early, ready to meet the day. I'm fairly certain at 4:30am no one should have a skip in their step, but I did. Kale, spinach, green, apple, banana, soy hemp protein smoothie blended and ready to eat at 7:00am. By 9:30 with a Step class taught and feeling quite revitalized....NO, that was not the case. The hemp.....protein drink was quickly expanding in my stomach. 17 grams of fiber sloshing around for an hour is NEVER a good idea. By 12pm the lack of sugar head aches had kicked in. I'm fairly certain little men wear River dancing in my skull. This is going to be a very long 6 weeks. Note to self: ease up on that Hemp protein powder, and 6 cups of spinach kale and greens may a bit much to start with. Feel free to try out my smoothie.

Fresh Cut Grass
2 cups of Spinach
2 cups of Kale
2 Cups of Field Greens (less pungent in flavor than spinach)
1/2 Cucumber
10 baby carrots
1/2 Cup frozen blueberries
4 frozen strawberries
1 cup soy, almond or coconut milk
1-2 servings protein powder
1 cup of ice

Makes 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 CUPS! Each 3 cup serving is 286 calories and 12 grams of fiber. You can freeze half and have as an afternoon snack. (I don't recommend this if you haven't had a lot of veggies in the last few weeks-and never drink prior to a hard workout!)

GO O!

Is buying organic worth all of the hype? Living in Portland, Oregon brings with it all of the fun that can be found on the ever laughed at, Portlandia. Our way of life has become quite the nationwide joke. Although our cultural norms have become a bit extreme, and I'm not entirely certain I have been recycling properly for the last ten years. I have found that buying organic is anything, but ridiculous.

Growing up in Alaska we had very few fresh fruits and veggies. We lived on carb veggies such as potatoes, corn (actually a grain) and more corn. I can honorably say my parents fed us organic, but it didn't have that bright green sticker on it. We grew our veggies (yes, things can grow in Alaska) and we were fine with that. Fast forward 15 years. I find myself standing in the produce isle wondering if the extra $1.29 per pound is really worth it. Can I get away with simply scrubbing my fruits and veggies and hoping any "bad" is washed down the drain? How bad can genetically modified be? The answer is undoubtedly no and it's bad.

I often hear people saying, "I didn't eat organic growing up so I'm not spending an arm and a leg for it now." Let me assure you, just because something has always been done one way doesn't make it right. We cannot and should not take our foods, spray them with poison, fertilize, genetically modify and radiate them and expect them to be medicine to our bodies. Food and air determine your quality of health. Most people can understand that inhaling smoke leads to an unhealthy life and eventually death. However, we have a harder time understanding the same is true of our food. If we consume pesticides (poison) then we wreak havoc on our insides.

Which will you choose? If some...uh most of your are rolling your eyes at me and thinking, "There is no way I'm paying that kind of money for FOOD!" I have listed the dirty dozen (spend the extra pennies...dollars for organic) and the not so dirty dozen(save your pennies) so you can pick and choose.  
 
12 Most Contaminated

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

12 Least Contaminated

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn (Frozen)
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas (Frozen)
• Kiwi Fruit
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Papaya

http://www.organic.org/education  (I'm fairly certain the woman pictured is from Portland OREGON)

Bell Peppers the Miracle Fruit

Hark! Bell peppers are fruit! Heaven to mercy. I'm telling you the things I am informed of on a daily basis would shock and astound many, and simply boor others. This week our vegetable in spotlight is the bell pepper. Other than being ridiculously expensive they are also packed full of healing tasty medicine. Let me elaborate. Bell peppers, all, but particularly red bell peppers, are filled with Vitamin A (helps preserve eyesight and fend off infections), Vitamin C (may lower the rist of cancer and protect against cataracts), Vitamin B6 (vital for brain and immune function), Lutein and Zeaxanthin (slows the development of eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration), beta-carotene (protects against breast cancer before menopause) and lycopene (decreases the risk of ovarian cancer). It may seem that this veggie was put on Earth to help women and I have probably lost most of my male readers by dropping the words ovaries, breast and menopause in one blog post. I assure you, this is an equal opportunity veggie/fruit. Please also remember variety is key. You will find red and orange bell peppers will cost you about...say... your first and second born while green bell peppers will be closer to $3.99 a pound. I suggest cutting off any portion of the pepper you don't want such as the seeds, core and stem as this will cut down on cost....do not actually do this as I'm sure your local grocer will not find this acceptable thrifty practice.


Compliments of Martha Stewart:
http://www.marthastewart.com/338342/herbed-chicken-with-grilled-red-peppers?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&center=276955&gallery=275370&slide=261332

Lets talk about....

Let's talk about texts baby, let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things they can bring. Let's talk about TEXTS! Ok, now that I have destroyed a risky and much loved...uh liked, ok known, Salt N Pepper song, this is an important subject. Texting, and in particular, texting while driving is such an important subject in reference to health. I cannot think of another innocent action that can so quickly and disastrously destroy ones health. To be quite honest I am enamored at how many people I see texting and driving. I will be rolling down the street, look to my right and see a car that I'm fairly certain has just been involved in a monster truck rally and shockingly the driver, a young teenage girl/guy has her/his phone in both hands texting. I have watched, heard, and read the destruction this small act of distraction can bring. A mother's story of their child's last meaningless in subject text. The view's of "i'll see you soon" texts only to find the driver would never be able see them again.

"It Can Wait" is a movement started by AT&T urging drivers to put their phones away while driving and focus on the road. I spend many an hour driving my kids too and from school, sporting
events, and play dates. I have heard the ding of an incoming text and have had the urge to just check to see if it's important. My daughter has been informed, "If mom reaches for her phone for any reason, you are to swiftly remind her, Safety First." This is a term introduced to my children at a very young age from a very wise women...no, not me but I can see why you would think so.

When driving on the freeway at 60 miles per hour, it takes approx 4-6 seconds to respond to a text. In this time, your car will have traveled the length of a football field! I can imagine there are a lot of important things to be aware of in that distance. I'm not sure about you, but I'm fairly certain, unless you are reading a text that says YOU ARE DRIVING OVER THE LINE!!! it's is not worth your time and distraction while driving.

If you find yourself with sweaty palms, a quickening heart rate and a feel of loss when you hear that all too familiar ding and can't check to see what message lays waiting for you, put your phone in your trunk or glove box on silent. Unless you are the President of the United States and are awaiting word from the Pentagon, the message can and surely should WAIT!

Texting While Driving Simulator
http://view.atdmt.com/action/cntabs_HomepageSimulatorPromoClick_1

Car and Drivers Research Results on Texting While Driving
http://www.cnbc.com/id/31545004/site/14081545

The Most Important Meal of the Day

For years I have been telling my clients how important a good breakfast is to their diet. I was faced with this stark reality yesterday. I hit the ground running 45 minutes late. I had little time to dress and brush my teeth let alone shovel down a healthy and hardy breakfast. I had never been so happy that I was the most recent recipient of a drive-thru Starbucks in my neighborhood. Double tall soy late and oh what the heck throw in a blueberry muffin. Six hundred calories later and a borderline sugar shock coma I was buzzing around my work. What harm had I done? It was a minor set back in my 30 days of no sugar, caffeine, wheat flour, eggs...oh heck you name it, I'm not eating it. I was dead wrong. I had mentally set myself up for a very bad day. I will not bore you with spelling out my entire day of eating, but lets just say if I were going to go into a diabetic coma, yesterday would have been the day.

I decided to look into why breakfast can set us up for a healthy energetic, wide eyed and bushy tailed day, or it can send us into an out of control ravenous eating rampage.

Eating breakfast will jump start your metabolism and get your body burning calories. Many people have mentioned to me that they aren't hungry in the morning or they are hungry all day if they eat breakfast. If you find yourself still full from the previous day; you may be eating too late and too much. If you find yourself hungry more often, high five yourself for getting your metabolism humming.

A healthy breakfast is key to healthy food choices the rest of the day. Sugar is a tasty and scary thing. You think having a sweet treat wont destroy your diet. However, once you introduce sugar into your system, your body begins to crave it. It changes your brain chemistry and your cravings can be likened to a heroine addicts cravings. Sugar also raises your blood glucose levels, drives up insulin levels and creates a fat storing machine instead of a fat burning machine. If your goal is fat loss, sugar should be the last thing on your food log. Complex carbohydrates found in whole grains and protein is a fantastic food choice for breakfast.

Examples of healthy breakfasts:
Egg and Whole Grain Toast
Oatmeal with Pecans
High Fiber Cold Cereal with any Milk you prefer
Toast with a TB of Peanut Butter
Egg White Omelet with all the Veggie Add-Ins
Brown Rice and Chicken
Fish and Veggies
-Breakfast does not have to be traditional American breakfast foods.

*Starbucks is not liable for me choosing a Blueberry Muffin for Breakfast. Please note they carry other healthy options.

My Heart Aches for Boston

I find myself at a loss for words. I have typed and erased, typed and erased looking for words to honor those fallen, those injured and those scared from the bombings at the Boston Marathon. I sit 2000 miles away in my home thinking of how those runners and spectators must have felt. I am able to hug my 8 year old while one mother will go home without hers. I can walk to the other room while some will wake tomorrow to hear they have lost their limbs. I feel weak and helpless and I wonder if we will ever feel safe. My thoughts and prayers are with those families tonight and in the days to come.

After viewing reactions at the Boston Marathon and those selfless acts of bravery this is Barack Obama's response. Agreed.

“If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it,” he said. “Selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.” President Barack Obama

Rules of the Sidewalk

I am quite certain if our local DMV insists on receiving a drivers license to drive, then we should also have walker/runners licenses. As a fellow driver and and avid runner I have had my bouts of frustration with both parties. In my younger less wise days (I know this may seem shocking to you) I would carry pine cones to throw at cars when they got too close to me and my dear sweet stroller. If I had a walk sign then get the heck out of my way. I've been flipped off, flipped out and freaking mad at times. So I've decided to compile a list of rules of the sidewalk.

1. Look both ways and proceed with caution. You may have a walk sign  and you may have the right away, but, if a 2 ton car is hurling towards you with no awareness of your existence, the car is going to win. Look before you step off the sidewalk. Make eye contact and proceed with caution until you are across the street. Quite frankly continue to proceed with caution for another 100 feet. I've seen our local drivers. You aren't really safe until you are home.

2. Black clothing may be slimming and in fashion, but BLACK CLOTHING IS A TERRIBLE IDEA WHILE RUNNING/WALKING. As a driver I will let you know something that may seem obvious. If I can't see you, then I can't SEE you. I do not intend to scare the crap out of you by a close call turn. Wear yellow! In fact head back to the late 80's and early 90's. If it was in style then, then go right ahead and wear it while running.

3. Be aware and be friendly. A hello while passing another person is not only friendliness it also allows the person to know you see them. In regards to safety, the person looking at their feet with their headphones in is more susceptible to being accosted. Look up, acknowledge and for goodness sakes smile. I promise smiling only takes half an ounce of energy. Not even enough to burn up those needed-for-running calories.

My fourth rule is for drivers.

4. Share the flipping crosswalks. If you have a blinking yellow turn signal, it means look for cars and pedestrians. If you decide to cross and there is a pedestrian in the cross walk don't flip them off for being in your way.

Happy running, walking and driving. In the event you are that angry under slept, under fed, over caffeinated person I referenced in my previous post, I recommend staying off the roads all together.

On the Road to Boston

Growing up my family was all things New England, and more specifically Boston. I grew up in Alaska and it was shocking to many people that I was aware of the happenings of the “Lower 48.” My parents hailed from Boston, Massachusetts. I was entirely too interested in the east coast as a child. I wasn’t aware there was an r in the alphabet until third grade when I learned the word quarter actually had an r in it. I rooted for the Celtics when they were great, good and well, not so great.  I wasn’t actually certain there were names to other baseball teams in the American League.  The Boston Red Sox were always playing that other team. And I rooted harder when they played that team with the white and navy striped uniforms; ya know “what’s their name.” More importantly to me in the sports realm was the awe inspiring Boston Marathon.  Every year come April I would watch coverage of this coveted race. Some children aspired to be doctors, dentists and astronauts. I aspired to be a Rock Star, and a Boston Marathon Qualifier. Since I have absolutely no musical talent, I was certain Rock Star status would only be attained through the theoretical. I was a runner. Fast? Not really. Determined? Yes. I could do this. I could dream big! At least that’s what the eleven year old me thought.

Some twenty years later, don’t do the math, I am facing the reality that I may be able to make this dream a reality. As Monday, April 15^th (Marathon Monday) looms in our very near future I wonder: Is this a possibility? This Patriots Day some 25,000 runners will line up; some for the first time and others as seasoned veterans. They will be sent on their way, cheered on by 500,000 dedicated fans. Can this be achieved? I’m not striving for impossible. I don’t wish to be one in a million or even one in a hundred thousand. To stand in the ranks and be counted as one in 20,000 is just fine with me. So this year I will wake early, run far, sweat much and dream big in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. You can catch me on December 8^th lining up in hopes to achieve what a young girl thought possible. I may not qualify or even come close, but I will never regret trying. So you may follow me Wednesdays on my journey back to my heritage. And if, by chance, I forget to pronounce my r’s or start drinking green beer, fear not I’m sure Boston Fever will pass soon enough.

2014 QUALIFYING TIMES

(effective September 22, 2012)

Age Group	Men	Women
18-34	3hrs 05min 00sec	3hrs 35min 00sec
35-39	3hrs 10min 00sec	3hrs 40min 00sec
40-44	3hrs 15min 00sec	3hrs 45min 00sec
45-49	3hrs 25min 00sec	3hrs 55min 00sec
50-54	3hrs 30min 00sec	4hrs 00min 00sec
55-59	3hrs 40min 00sec	4hrs 10min 00sec
60-64	3hrs 55min 00sec	4hrs 25min 00sec
65-69	4hrs 10min 00sec	4hrs 40min 00sec
70-74	4hrs 25min 00sec	4hrs 55min 00sec
75-79	4hrs 40min 00sec	5hrs 10min 00sec
80 and over	4hrs 55min 00sec	5hrs 25min 00sec

http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon.aspx

Tantrums and Teachings

After spending a day shopping, cleaning, cooking, playing, teaching, punishing, putting down, picking up and caring for my children I realized I had learned a lot about myself and my health. Bare with me. At about 11:15 am I was greeted by three of the most temperamental, angry, and impatient children I had ever been given the joy to see. I was certain the child's care they had just come from had spent the better part of the morning brainwashing my kids to disregard anything I said and answer with whining. After whipping out my best parenting skills I determined that either my children were hungry or reverse brainwashing was a must. Twenty minutes later and lunch beginning to digest, my angels (a bit of an exaggeration) were back. We piled into the car and headed home. After an hour or so, my angels had started to melt down again. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. Nap time it is! Honestly, I thought to myself I need a moment to breath and decompress so it's a great time for eyes to be closed, mouth's to be shut and silence to be had. An hour and a half later, upon arousing from their slumber my children were back to hugs and kisses mode. Why have I taken the time to fill you in on the Carstensen's Carnival Ride? Because, I realized many of us behave the same way. We walk around under rested and wonder why we have very little patience with the world around us. We make excuses that the must do's certainly outweigh the importance of sleep. We slam another shot of espresso and carry on. We refuse to take the time to feed our selves healthy food. Or, quite frankly, some of us refuse to feed ourselves at all. Hours have passed by, our blood sugar has dropped and we are walking around like angry-at-the-world zombies. If you are sitting there thinking to yourself, "That's not me. I do great on only a few hours of sleep. And, I don't even feel hungry let alone impatient from not eating." Let me be frank with you. You are that person. You may not feel it. You may not see it. But it's there staring us square in the eyes. Our bodies are an amazing thing. Most of us have become numb to the feeling of hunger or tiredness. We don't even know how good we would actually feel and function if we were giving ourselves the rest and nutrition we dearly need.

At fear of throwing ourself to the floor kicking and screaming like a four year old, I suggest you start taking care of yourself. Start by adding breakfast back in your day. Or, maybe increase your measly four hours of sleep to six. Seven to nine hours of sleep is what our bodies need to function. And those of you that live your world in a gray and grumpy haze; I suggest you shoot for nine. The next time you get a chance to spend the day with a child, yours or someone else's, I suggest you don't plan to skip meals or nap time. I assure you that loudly, uncontrollably, fitfully and with great urgency you will be reminded. Good luck!

Beet Salad Yummy Yummy

Holy Mother of Pearl! I have found my Holy Grail, my end of the rainbow, my golden ticket, my Publishers Clearing House Announcement. Beets! Okay, don't stop reading. I'm serious. I about fell out of my seat when I read it. I was browsing and carousing the internet trying to get some good ol' info on our newest veggie of the week and there it was. Beets will give you a TAN! Now I'm not sure if any of you know me very well but I can be seen reflecting the sun on hot summer days. My legs have been lovingly (I'm sure...I hope) referred to as Casper and there is no need to look for a vein while taking blood my skin is actually transparent. So yes, you can imagine my suprise when I found out that this new little treasure is what I've been looking for all my life! That may be a slight exageration. So before you go out and start buying up all of the beets in your city, you should know someone has already tapped this market. You can find beet juice at all-natural spray tan sites. Sooooo, in the event you see me walking around in my new la'freak, also known as an unseasonal tan, you can give me a high five for eating...errrrr wearing my veggies.

For those of you that are not convinced by the miracle of veggie tanning. Here are a few other gems of goodness for you. Beets are naturally high in potassium (important for heart function), mangnesium (good for bone health), beta-carotene (powerful antioxidant),  and folate (aids in cancer prevention). Beets also contain betacyanin, which although sounds a bit like an under the sink poison, it is known to have anti-cancer properties. http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Recipe-Search?contentURL=http://recipes.safeway.com/recipe/77215/roasted-beets--n--sweets.aspx

My New Friend's Name is Paleo

I'm not sure if any of you were aware, but March was Inflammation Awareness Month. No kidding. There is an entire month designated to Inflammation! I was shocked, but I know it to be true because on March 14th I received a postcard in the month stating this handy little fact. Two things came directly to mind: 1. I'm finding out about this on the 14th?! That's 14 days of celebration lost. And 2. I must do something about this inflammation they speak of. In my car with my three amigos I piled and scurried on down to my Naturopath. One blood draw later I was sent on my way. Two weeks the office attendant hollered to me. I have two weeks to wait to find out what foods are slowly but surly destroying me. TWO WEEKS! What if I'm eating the wrong foods for the next two weeks? What if the damage is already done. You can breathe easy. Apparently the damage does not occur that fast. I have time to kill.

In the blink of an eye or two eyes, one eye would be a wink, my two weeks flew. Poised and ready in an office that I'm sure somehow hit a time continuum holding it in 1973. Out came my results....drum roll please. Deep breath: almonds, wheat, gluten, eggs, yeast (all), pineapple, and cabbage. My doctor looks me square in the eye and says "steer clear of all of these." "You would be the perfect candidate for the Paleo diet." For the love of everything that is holy. Why was this woman was smiling while I was certain I was just handed a death sentence?

After a very expensive trip to a local grocer I was ready to go. Every new veggie and meat product I could think of was in my car. I had set out on my new journey with a new friend. Four days into this journey. I can say that Paleo and I are more like distant cousins than friends. I miss products with flour in them. I have had actual dreams about dancing cookies (okay, that didn't actually happen.) I spent half of my life savings on a product the stores like to call Paleo bread ($7.99) and the loaf is this big-->

This is a direct description from the retailer: Paleo Breads Are Soft & Fluffy. Uhhhhhh, hmmmmm. I am quite certain that if I bought a pillow that was comparably soft and fluffy I would be in desperate need of a chiropractor. If exfoliation is as good for the inside of your body as it is for the outside. I am good to go.

This journey is not over. 30 days my goal to a new and improved digestive tract. In the event you see me gnawing on cardboard I may have just mistaken if for my loaf of bread. Happy APRIL! No longer Inflammatory Awareness Month. You all are in the clear.