All Natural Mint Lemonade

4-6 lemons

4 sprigs of fresh mint

20oz cold water

1/4c stevia

Yields 1-2 servings

I use a juicer to extract the lemon juice, but squeezing them by hand works just fine too. It just takes a little more work. Chop and add the mint and water. Add stevia (or other natural sweetener) and stir. The trick is adding more water or sweetener to your desired taste. I like a strong mint taste as well so I recommend lots of mint!

When I'm watching my weight I love this drink. Water gets boring and sometimes I want just a little more flavor. This is a easy way to get tons of flavor without sacrificing calories. This large mason jar has about five calories. Research has shown that one of the benefits of mint and lemon is weight control.

Enjoy!

Back in the Saddle

Starting school again has really put a damper on my blogging. I can tell I'm not as sharp as I usually am. I've also been super annoyed at my lame camera on my droid. So, regardless I still wanted to show off what I've been doing so far this semester....besides school work.

A few weeks ago our sweet friends, Dan and Eliz, made us a delicious vegetarian dinner. We hadn't even let the cat out of the bag (that I'm prego) when they brought me the perfect anti-nausea drink. It consisted of:

club soda

fresh ginger and

fresh lemon

delicious and easy on the sick belly.

 The entree was a very authentic tasting Indian dish that was a perfect complement to the fresh cantaloupe salad.

We concluded the evening with a lovely little acoustic jam session from Dan and Cassidy. One of the best date nights ever!

Saylor Mia has really been pushing my buttons lately. It's most likely the hormones getting the best of me, but my nerves are shot!She pesters poor little Curly-head until she screams. When I have to punish her it breaks my heart because she has the sweetest most innocent voice. It makes me forget almost instantly why she was in trouble. She's so tricky like that. The hardest part is that she is EXACTLY like me. Karma can be so cruel.

Baby Numero Dos

7 weeks

Yes, it's official. We are expecting a baby on or around April 27, 2012. As many of you may know I had a miscarriage this spring and was pretty bummed about that. So we are taking extra precautions with this little bun. I didn't even ride the water slides on our visit to Sunsplash over Labor Day. And so far, baby is right on track. Mommy on the other hand, has been praying to the porcelain Gods for the past month and is backed up worse than the I-10 on a Monday morning. It's been a bit of a difficult start, but I know it won't last forever. I wouldn't mind laying around all the time except a woman's got stuff do to!

It has FINALLY started to cool down. It has been rainy and overcast for the past several days and I couldn't be happier. I was so excited to put warm jamies on Saylor and even a little coat this evening. Sweater weather makes me happy! 

Vegetarian Follow-Up

After 30 days of not consuming any meat I ended my vegetarian experiment. It was refreshing and it felt good to try something new. In all honesty, I didn't notice any difference. My appetite was is the same, my face is still covered in zits, etc. etc. The most rewarding part of the experiment was gain a sense of control over what I was eating. I felt proud that I was able to stick to a plan without feeling desperate for a cheeseburger. Now that I have introduced meat back into my diet I notice that I am thinking about food more and what I CAN eat.

I feel it's safe to say that at least for me, my diet does not affect my natural oil secretion and therefore does not affect the number of out breaks I have. When conducting this experiment in the future I'd like to try it for a longer period of time. Possible six months to a year.

I just wanted to actually follow up on one of my blogs. I feel like I always say I'm going to track my progress of things and rarely do! So, there you go! I actually followed through! Woo hoo!

the Beginning of Vegetarianism

One night as I was doing some aimless web searching and came across a very simple guide Vegetarian's "beginner's guide".I half-heartily made a choice to stop eating meat (for a time) to see if I noticed any significant health improvements. I've had several friends suggest a more plant centered diet to help my poor complexion and battle with weight loss. I am now ending day 6 without eating any meat or fish. More than anything, I am surprised at my ability to refrain from eating meat and to come up with creative meals. It has brought me a sense of accomplishment through self-control. I made a terrible mistake by beginning a new diet plan over a holiday weekend. Miraculously, I was able to resist the temptation for barbecued meat and still have a fantastic time.

(To clarify, by NO MEAT I mean vegetarian, not vegan. I'm abstaining from any animal tissue, such as pork, chicken, beef, fish etc. I am still consuming dairy products and eggs, but toying with the idea of phasing those out to depending on how well this portion of the observation goes. )

My husband, Cassidy, has been very supportive of my dietary efforts and has been open-minded about trying new foods. Saylor has been less receptive.
Meals
1.) The first meal I presented was a veggie sandwich that was very easy to add meat to for my husband. It included:

herb & cheese focccacia bread
pesto
sun dried tomatoes
provolone cheese
smoked turkey (optional)
  w/ grapes and Parmesan pasta

I like to put a smile on his face.

the 'meatless' option.

Saylor playing with her food

2.) The second meal was lighter. A whole grain vegetable soup (canned) and a tossed salad including:

spring mix
cranberries
cantaloupe
crushed pecans
parmesan cheese
raspberry dressing
  w/ tortilla chips & light yogurt

The presentation was a lot of fun and  I think Cassidy agreed how yummy the meals were. I think I've been surprising him (and myself). I'll try to keep updating my progress...key word TRY.  It's been exciting to achieve the few days of commitment to vegetarianism. Today also marks  24 hrs of abstinence from overeating. What abstinence requires is that I write down my 'food plan' and follow it exactly. The list consists of foods I exclude as well as what food I will allow myself to eat and how much. Food exclusions should be what you consider trigger foods that lead to overeating. As an example, here is my current food plan:


1,300 calories per day
no soda
no ice cream
no donuts.
vegetarian diet (no meat or fish)

24 hours of abstinence may not seem like a long time, but when you are struggling with a 

compulsion/addiction, it is a life-changing accomplishment. I commend all those you have over come this problem and am so inspired by the stories I hear. I have seen hard work be put into a recovery program and yield unimaginable success. It brings me hope!

..Here's to today..