January Cleanse/Weight-Loss Week 5

I am sorry for this post being held up a day or two. I flew to visit Blake in Reno last Friday expecting to visit for a night or two. However, because of some maintenance issues with the helicopter and a lack of a fuel truck driver, I ended up driving the fuel truck to Elko, NV and then to Eureka, NV. We have had very limited cell phone and Wi-fi over the past few days. I love being out on the road with Blake and now have a better understanding of what his days are like when he’s out here working. I can sum it up in three words: long, strenuous and exhausting. He’s up by 5 am each morning and gets done working around 7 pm each night. They only days that he gets off are if there is a “weather day” which means that he can’t fly in the weather conditions.
If Layla was out on the road with us, I would stay for a month or more. However, she is back home in a doggie hotel and I need to make it back home to her. Me getting a flight home right now has become an issue because they’re are no commercial flights out of Eureka and I have to wait until this job is completed (3-5 days) before I can get to a town that has a flight back to Portland.

So, this unexpected trip with limited clothing, lack of fresh, healthy foods and unpredictability of length has made me once again practice my patience and “go with the flow” attitude.
So, we end our month of cleansing with the last few days focusing on transitioning back to a more “everyday” diet. No foods are off limits, but choose wisely about which foods you would like to add back into your diet. I strongly suggest continuing to abstain from refined sugar, trans fats and large amounts of caffeine. With each food that you reintroduce, pay close attention to how your body and mind feels after eating it. If you can, try to only reintroduce one type of food every 3-4 days to fully be able to pinpoint any foods that may not react well with your body.

You may pick and chose any meals that you enjoyed during the cleanse (maybe the green smoothies or large salads for lunch) that you may wish to continue as part of your daily diet. Do not feel pressured to continue as strict of a diet, but remember not to switch gears in the opposite direction and eat a ton of unhealthy foods all at once.

You may want to choose one day of the week where you choose to eat a menu close to one of the cleanse meal plans from the previous weeks or you may want to do another 1-week cleanse some time in the next few months. Please remember to keep a balanced approach and do not risk your health or well-being to participate in an extreme “cleanse” that you know will leave you feeling beat instead of energized.

For those who participated (even for a week or two,) did you feel an improvement in your energy or mood? Did you end up a little lighter than you were on December 31st? Please let me know your personal experience with the cleanse and if you wish that it had been different in any way.
I need to go get ready for dinner and hit the hay before another early wake up call in the morning. I’ll let you know once I’m back home in Oregon. At this rate, it might not be until next week! Take care and be proud of any healthy nutrition or lifestyle choices that you have made this past month!

I filmed a few videos while I was on the road:

Lessons from Reno

Hi! I hope that you’re having a great day so far. I wanted to fill you in on some lessons that I learned while visiting Blake in Reno. I tend to do a lot of personal growth and lesson learning when out on the road with Blake. You might remember lessons I shared this past summer and fall while visiting Blake in Alaska. There is something about being out of my comfort zone and having to deal with the unpredictability that comes with his job and being on the road that makes for challenges and learning lessons. I am a strong believer that going through tough situations and challenges helps you to grow as a person and better prepare you for your journey in life.

Sometimes I feel embarrassed to share my stories of when I haven’t acted my best or struggles that I’ve gone through, but I remind myself that I’m here to help others work through these same challenges. I want to inspire you to get back up and keep living your best life. We all hit speed bumps on our roads of personal growth. No one is perfect and the best we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to do better next time.

So, what little lessons did I learn while in Reno?

1. Always, always, always read the label or ask for the ingredients of what you are going to eat.

I was excited to try out some new bars that I had packed for my trip. I thought that I checked the ingredients of these “new-to-me” Cliff MoJo bars. Apparently I was more focused on the macronutrients (they are pretty close to Luna Bars) than examining every ingredient because I ended up eating half of a trail mix bar before I realized that it had pretzel sticks in it. Red-flag gluten alert!!! I was mad at myself because it was a silly mistake to make and I was frightened because I never know if an accidental gluten ingestion will result in any unwanted side effects. Luckily, I was not punished with a gruesome stomachache, but did suffer a possible side effect that I’ll explain in lesson #3.

2. Exercise, even when you are away from home.

I exercise 5-6 days a week. Not because I’m training for a big race or because I need to look amazing for an upcoming photo shoot, (although, I wouldn’t be opposed to those reasons in the future) but because I depend on my workouts to help keep my anxiety and PMS levels down. I’ll write a post in the future about natural ways I have been able to personally reduce my anxiety, but I want to focus on the benefits of working up a sweat when away from home and out of your daily routine.

My sister got my the Insanity DVD’s for Christmas and I started doing them a few weeks ago. I have stuck with the recommended training schedule and have noticed that I feel better when consistantly preforming these high-intensity cardio workouts. I packed my DVD’s and workout clothes for the trip with every intention of preforming the daily workouts. Um… I didn’t really feel like working up a sweat the first few days that I was here. I told myself that I was “on vacation” and that “I deserved a break from my workouts.” I wish that I had just powered through the workouts because I ended up feeling crappy until Monday, when I made myself put in a DVD and do a workout. Ahh, that burst of endorphins was exactly what my body and mind needed. After realizing how important these 30-40 minutes sweat sessions are for my sanity (even though they’re called “Insanity” haha!) I made the choice to continue my regular workout routine.

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3. Stop, breath and focus on a solution.

I had a mini-meltdown in Whole Foods Sunday night. I want to say that it was induced by accidentally eating gluten that afternoon, but I’m not sure if there was a link or not. Here is what happened: we’re reading books and magazines at Barnes and Noble and realize that it’s getting late and we should try to pick up some dinner before heading back to the casino. (We were trying to save money on food after our expensive, amazing dinner at Charlie Palmer.) We hopped in the car and drove around looking for a place to get dinner. I spotted a Whole Foods and decided that hot bar would make a perfect, healthy dinner. We got inside at 8:55 to find the hot bar food was already taken down and a voice over the loud speaker said that they would be closing in five minutes. This is when the anxiety took over and my bad behavior started. It seems so silly now, but at the time I was actually in panic mode.

I complained to Blake that we wasted too much time at the book store, that they didn’t have any food that I wanted to eat and that I was too stressed to find anything to eat in the next five minutes. I could see the tension and anger building in him and decided that we were already at Whole Foods, I should just make do with the salad bar and pick up a rice paper roll since I was craving one. We bought our dinner and some vitamins that Blake needed and headed to the truck. And, the mini-meltdown continued. Blake told me that it took every last bit of his patience not to explode at me in the store, that I was acting like a child and that I could not let little stressors affect me the way that I let them. I started crying like a toddler, was ashamed that I had just acted like one and agreed that I let my anxiety get the best of me during those stressful (?!) five minutes in the store.

What I should have done was stopped my racing mind, taken a deep breath and decided if it was worth the stress of having to find something for dinner in under five minutes or if we should just leave and find another place to eat. Instead, I let my fear and anxiety come over me and acted like a toddler who wasn’t getting her way. Wow, that is embarrassing to admit! I learned a lot from that moment and got what I deserved once we were back at the hotel. My salad tasted gross and my rice paper roll was stale and unappetizing.

So, there you have some of my lessons that I learned while in Reno. I won’t even get started writing about how I have had to ditch my “everything has to go according to planned” attitude for a “go with the flow” one. That’s a whole other post in and of itself! I hope that by me sharing the lessons that I learn, you are able to learn through my mistakes and experiences and hopefully avoid them. I’ll keep sharing them with you because I’m sure there will be more that I’ll learn in the next few month and beyond. Have a great day,

Kilee

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Viva La Reno

View from our room at the casino

Hi! How is your Wednesday going? Mine is wonderful out here in Reno, Nevada. I flew out Friday evening and my sister was nice enough to watch Layla for the weekend. Now Layla’s at the doggie hotel and I hope she’s on her best behavior! I’m not sure when I’m flying home yet, but possibly tomorrow or Friday. It all depends on when the helicopter maintenance is completed.

I’m really fortunate to be able to visit Blake while he’s out on the road. He travels a lot for his job as a helicopter pilot and is sometimes gone for months at a time. It just so happened that he would be in Reno staying at a casino for a few nights while his helicopter was down for a routine maintenance check. We have taken full advantage of his break here in Reno and turned it into a mini-vacay. But it’s not all fun and games; I have had to help out around the hanger and endure many hours of “guy places” including Cabela’s and a sheep hunting convention. It’s worth it to spend time with Blake. We make a really good team-at home and on the road!

Getting the heli all cleaned up and ready to be worked on by the mechanics

Hanger where the heli is being worked on

There were over 120 booths at this "Sheep Show"

I was really, really excited about all the sheep. Can't you tell?

Whoever said that Reno is like a mini Vegas is right. And like Vegas, Reno has some really good restaurants. Blake and I have always enjoyed eating at nice restaurants. We started going to more “adult-like” restaurants back in high school and college and have enjoyed many memorable meals together. Our dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak House a few nights back has to be one of the top ten meals that we’ve experienced together. If you’ve ever been to Ruth Chris Steak House, it’s like that, but even a little nicer! We ordered a bottle of red wine and started with the seafood platter which included oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, crab legs and calamari salad. It came with five different sauces.

Look how happy Blake is with all that seafood!

Blake ordered a steak for dinner. He let me try some and it was one of the best tasting steaks I’ve ever had. I ordered sautéed mushrooms and grilled vegetables. I shouldn’t have even ordered the veggies because I was already stuffed from the seafood platter, but you know how some waitresses guilt-trip you into ordering more food than you planned to? Yeah, this one made me feel like I was an obnoxious woman who can barely finish a side salad. So, we boxed up our leftovers and skipped dessert. We didn’t even need to order dessert because they brought us a mini platter with candied walnuts, coconut macaroons, chocolate truffles and biscotti. Whew, I was stuffed by the time we left the restaurant.

But, we quickly found a way to work off our dinner — line dancing! The casino had a live country band and a dance floor for line dancing. We were so impressed with the couples out on the dance floor that we vowed to take lessons and go line dancing once we’re back home. I am so excited! Blake already has the cowboy boots and plaid shirts, but we need to pick him up a cowboy hat and I need some cowgirl boots and a cute plaid shirt to wear. I’d really prefer one with ruffles on!

I even tried a few dances out on the dance floor. It was not pretty!

Since we’re staying at a casino and I have never gambled before, we took a few one’s that Blake had in his pocket and hit the casino floor. He gravitated towards slot machines with ‘Wolf” in the title, while I thought the “Sex & the City” machines were more fun. We weren’t too lucky on in terms of gambling.

But, we did end up down in the children’s arcade and I (after too many played token to count) ended up winning a *Bonus* on one of the games. I’m embarrassed to say that I may have gotten a little too excited about all the tickets I won!

Who needs to gamble in a casino when there's an arcade to play in?

I’m going to go do some more loads of laundry. I want to get Blake all caught up before he flies out to Elko, NV. Have a great day and I’ll talk to you later,

Kilee

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Blueberry Crisp Protein Smoothie

Hi from Reno, Nevada! I’m typing this post as we lay in bed with news about the presidential candidates on the television. I am not political at all, but am making an effort to learn about the current candidates and their views. I’ve been taking a few photos with my iPhone since I flew in here and will post some of the fun ones once I’m home in a few days. For now, I’ll leave you with a delicious post-workout smoothie that I made a few days ago.

Blueberry Crisp Protein Smoothie

Serves 1 post-workout woman (or man)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (try to find organic ones if possible)

1/2 frozen banana, broken into pieces

2 ice cubes

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

1 Tablespoon oats (rolled or quick cook)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon maple extract

pinch of stevia

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend for about a minute. Enjoy!

I’ve been having fun making all different types of dessert smoothies lately. I might not be baking much, but I’m sure enjoying my “dessert flavored” protein smoothies.

Have a great day,

Kilee

January Cleanse/Weight-Loss Week 4

Can you believe that we’re already 3/4 of the way through January? This month is flying by! Speaking of flying, I will be flying out to visit Blake in Reno, NV today. His helicopter is down for maintenance right now, so I get to go enjoy some time with him in “little Las Vegas.” My sister agreed to watch Layla for the weekend, so we will be doggie-free. I can’t wait to see what Reno is like. I guess we’re staying at a casino that has an “all-you-can-eat” sushi bar. Can you trust a sushi restaurant that’s not on the coast? We’ll see!

Did anyone try the Cleanse-Friendly Cookies I posted this week? I may have had one (or two) each day since I made them.

How are you feeling? Have you continued to eat vegan or have you reintroduced animal proteins back into your diet? Take some time to think about how you have felt over the past week and adjust your diet as needed. Some people feel great as vegetarians, some people prefer to eat fish while others thrive as full-fledge omnivores. Play around with your animal protein intake until it feels right for you.

This week, you have the option of adding dairy back into your diet. I recommend starting with a goat or sheep cheese or yogurt. Some people, like myself, have an easier time digesting pure sheep or goat’s milk products than cow dairy. If your stomach feels good enough with these two and you want to try adding cow’s dairy back into your diet, go ahead. Pay close attention to how you feel in the hours after you eat your dairy. Is your stomach cramping? Do you feel gassy? If you feel fine, you can choose to continue to eat dairy products. If you feel somewhat sick from it, keep it out of your diet.

Week 4 Daily Meal Guide:

Upon Rising: 16 ounces of water with 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Breakfast: Green Smoothie (see recipe)

Snack: LARABAR (store-bought of homemade) or 4-6 ounces plain greek yogurt with some fruit or gluten-free granola

Lunch: Salad (see recipes for weeks 2 & 3)

Snack: 1-2 cups fresh vegetables and 3 ounces deli meat or ¼ cup hummus or dip

Dinner: Any of the recipes from weeks 1-3 or try one of the linked recipes below.

Post-Dinner: Cup of herbal tea

Week 3 Dinner Recipe Ideas

Quinoa with Poached Egg, Spinach and Cucumber

Lentils and Brown Rice

Grilled Chicken Ratatouille

Mushroom Shichimi Rice Bowl

Detox Lasagna

Grilled Salmon with Apricot-Mustard Glaze

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Lifestyle Tip of the Week:

Taking some time to do something special for yourself is very important. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in taking care of others and not focusing on your own needs. You are not a selfish person for choosing to do something that you enjoy each day. It has been proven that it is beneficial to you and you health to treat yourself to something you enjoy daily.

It could be reading your favorite book, taking a walk to the park, getting a manicure, turning off your cell phone in the evening, taking a bubble bath, buying a scarf in your favorite color, looking at puppies at the pet store or pound or giving yourself a face mask. Whatever you like to do… do it! Unless it’s shoving handfuls of potato chips and chocolates into your mouth. We’re on a cleanse, remember!

This week, please remind yourself to treat yourself to something special each day. I promise that it will have a positive impact on your life.

I hope that you are feeling amazing! I’m off to finish my packing and hit the road. See you from Reno!

xoxo,

Kilee

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Using Stevia to Replace Sugar

Hello friends! I hope that you are having a beautiful day wherever you are! I woke up to a little snow on the ground. It has been melting all morning and turning into rain. Oh well, the snow was fun while it lasted!

A few months ago, I received a package filled with goodies from the wonderful folks at NuNaturals. I love that NuNaturals is a local company here in Oregon and they strive to produce the best tasting stevia on the market. Today I wanted to share with you my suggestions for using stevia to replace refined sugar and chemically produced sugar substitutes.

I started using stevia back in my college days when I read about the benefits of using it as opposed to the Splenda packets I was pouring into my coffee and oatmeal. I bought a bottle of liquid stevia at the health food store and tried it out – yuck! The aftertaste was worse than Sweet-n-Low or Equal! I took stevia off my shopping list until someone suggested that I give another brand a try. This time I bought SweetLeaf brand Vanilla Stevia Extract and was pleasantly surprized how good it tasted in my morning coffee. I still used Splenda here and there, but got used to using stevia in my coffee.

I don’t feel like writing about all the possible health complications of overusing refined sugar and chemically engineered sugar substitutes, but if you need a refresher course, you can find more info here and here.

I admit that I still use a little organic cane sugar or regular powdered sugar (nothing tastes as good as C&H brand powdered sugar!) in some of my baked goods, but I’m always finding natural ways to reduce my sugar intake. Stevia to the rescue! Processed stevia is derived from the stevia plant. It was actually banned from US shelves as a sweetener (but allowed in dietary supplements) until December of 2008. Now, there is an abundance of stevia brands and products in health food stores and even mainstream grocery stores as well. Let’s get to the ways to add stevia to your diet!

How to Replace Sugar and Sugar Substitutes with Stevia:

1.  Use it to sweeten your coffee, tea or sparkling water. I love the liquid vanilla stevia for my morning coffee or one of the quick dissolve tablets for my evening tea. I sometimes like to add a few drops of the regular stevia to my citrus sparkling water to make it taste more like 7-Up.

2.  Sprinkle it on your morning oatmeal or cereal. If you love a bowl of comforting, sweet oatmeal or cereal in the morning, sprinkle a packet of stevia on top. I grew up sprinkling Sweet-n-Low on my breakfast cereal (my mom didn’t buy any sugared cereals) so I used to them tasting a little sweeter.

3.  Substitute part or all of the sugar in your baking recipes with More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend. Baking with stevia can be tricky because it’s about 200 times sweeter than that same amount of regular sugar. More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend to the rescue! It can be used as a 1:1 replacement for sugar in your baked goods. Because it has about 4 grams or fiber per tablespoon and this can cause a bit of gas for the normal stomach, I tend to replace half of the recipe’s sugar with stevia and use organic cane sugar, sucanat or palm sugar for the other half.

4.  Make low-sugar almond milk hot cocoa. I love to steam a mug of vanilla almond milk in the evening and then add the Cocoa Bean Extract liquid stevia. It cures my sweet tooth and doesn’t leave me buzzing around with a sugar high before bed.

Tell me, what are your favorite ways to use stevia? I know there are a ton of great suggestions out there. I have to say that the increase of stevia products on the market has significantly lowered my use of refined sugar and Splenda-like sweeteners.

I was practicing my YouTube skills the other night and filmed Layla before dinner time. She does these fake sneezes when she wants something. She knows that 6pm is her dinner time and starts this little act around 5 each night. She’s been acting like quite the YouTube celebrity since I posted this video of her:

Have great day!

Kilee

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Cleanse-Friendly Cookies

Hi! How is week 3 of the cleanse going for you? I hope that you are feeling energized and healthy. Today I wanted to share a new cleanse-friendly cookie recipe with you. I know that there are times when you just need a cookie or two. I came up with this recipe to satisfy your (and my) sweet tooth while still cutting out refined sugar, gluten and dairy products. The banana and maple syrup sweeten the cookies while the protein powder helps to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. The only questionable ingredient in this recipe is the chocolate chips. Feel free to chop up an unsweetened chocolate baking bar or try out some of the “healthy” chocolate chips on the market by:

Enjoy Life Foods mini chocolate chips – dairy, gluten, nut & soy free

Dagoba Chocodrops – Fair trade organic chocolate

Chocolate Dream chocolate chips – dairy & gluten free

Some purists might argue that there is no room for a little chocolate on a cleanse. I disagree. This is a month long program and there is a tiny bit of room for a chocolate chip or too. Just keep your hand out of the bag while you’re adding the chocolate chips into the batter.

Cleanse-Friendly Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Makes 12-16 cookies

1/2 cup gluten-free flour (I used Pamela’s brand)

1/2 cup vanilla brown rice protein powder (I used Sun Warrior brand)

1/2 cup gluten-free oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mashed banana

1/4 cup creamy almond butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. In a large mixing bowl stir the ground flaxseed, mashed banana, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla together until completely mixed. In a medium mixing bowl stir the flour, protein powder, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined. Gently add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and add the chocolate chips. Stir until just combined.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment paper lined baking sheets. Push down with a spatula to lightly flatten each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire baking rack.

Enjoy with glass of unsweetened almond or coconut milk. I will make these cookies even when I’m not on a cleanse!

Take care,

Kilee

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January Cleanse/Weight Loss Week 3

Welcome to week 3 of the January Cleanse/Weight Loss program. You have done an amazing job so far! How are you feeling coming off of your first two weeks? I bet a little more refreshed, energized and lighter. It’s really important pay attention to how your body and emotions feel and try to see if there are any patterns between what you eat and how you feel.

We will be easing up on some of the dietary restrictions this week. You completed your most rigorous week of cleansing last week. It is very important not to break a cleanse with heavy, processed foods. Our bodies grew accustomed to the light, vegan fare and it would be too much a shock to our system to dive back into chips and cookies.

This week is about continuing the high-vegetable intake and starting to reintroduce meats, fish and poultry into your diet, if you choose. If you felt great and more energetic than usual not eating animal products, you can choose to continue your vegetarian diet. However, there are some people and blood types that do better when consuming meat, fish and/or poultry. Pay attention to what feels right for your body.

A note about alcohol: although alcohol is considered a toxin and does not promote cleansing, I understand that you might have social obligations this week where alcohol will be served. If you choose to indulge in an alcoholic beverage, please restrict it to one glass of red wine. The antioxidants from the grapes and natural sugars make this your best choice as far as drinks are concerned. An even better, non-alcohol choice would be a sparkling water with a twist of lime. Remember, one glass of wine per week – max!

Week 3 Daily Meal Guide:

Upon Rising: 16 ounces of water with 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Breakfast: Green Smoothie (see recipes)

Snack: 1/4 cup homemade  trail mix (use a mixture of non-sugar added dried fruits and nuts)

Lunch: Salad (see recipes below)

Snack: 1-2 cups fresh vegetables and ¼ cup hummus or dip (see recipes below)

Dinner: 4 ounces lean meat, fish or poultry

1 cup of steamed or sautéed vegetables

Side salad with ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1-2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice

Post-Dinner: Cup of herbal tea

Lunch Salad Recipe Ideas:

Honey Balsamic Bean Salad

Edamame and Rice Salad

Tarragon Chicken Salad

Shrimp Cobb Salad - substitute the blue cheese dressing with a lemon vinaigrette

Thai Steak Lettuce Wraps

or create your own salad (with no dairy or gluten) or use any of last weeks salad recipes.

Dip Recipe Ideas:

Black Bean Dip

Vegan Spinach Dip

Vegan Onion Dip

Dinner should be simple, just grill or bake your protein, sauté some vegetables in a touch of oil (I like extra virgin coconut oil) and toss a simple salad of greens with olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar. If you are choosing to continue without animal protein, feel free to substitute tofu, tempeh, beans or quinoa.

I’ll be back in a few days to share a little cleanse-friendly cookie recipe with you. It’s a great way to treat your sweet tooth during the cleanse.

Take care and remember to email or comment with any questions!

Kilee

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Surviving PMS Symptoms

Hi! How is your second week of the cleanse going if you are participating in the January Cleanse/Weight-loss program? I hope that you are enjoying the recipes that I posted last weekend or making up some new ones of your own. You are over half way through week 2 and are doing an amazing job so far. Remember to take it easy on yourself, rest a little more if needed and stay well hydrated.

Today I wanted to share some foods that are beneficial for reducing PMS symptoms. Remember to talk with your health care provider if you need any help managing your PMS; these are only nutrient and food suggestions.

I actually experience really bad PMS every month. Some months go better than others. Before I took gluten out of my diet, it was to the point where they diagnosed my symptoms as PMDD. Luckily, after removing the gluten, my symptoms went back to the “normal” PMS ones. Over the years I have seen a definite link between my lifestyle and the severity of my PMS symptoms. These food suggestions have helped me, but everyone is different. Please be gentle and kind to yourself and don’t get upset if these suggestions don’t work for you. Do some research and talk to a health care provider about other options for yourself.

I started to type out exactly what foods to increase and decrease and then came across this great article featuring the work of Joy Bauer, the a lead nutritionist featured in many magazines and talk shows. Here are her suggestions of what to eat and not to eat to avoid PMS:

Many women with PMS define their monthly nutrition needs in terms of their cravings for anything salty or chocolate. Although indulging in chocolate-dipped pretzels might seem like a fantasy come true, they won’t improve your mood or reduce the bloat. There are many better options…

First, try to limit your intake of salt, alcohol and caffeine:

• Salt and salty foods. PMS causes bloating and water retention. Salt can cause bloating and water retention. Ergo, salt can make those problems of PMS worse.
• Alcohol. Premenstrually, alcohol can cause increased breast tenderness. Also, alcohol can lowerblood sugar, which may make typical PMS mood symptoms worse. If you cannot totally avoid alcohol premenstrually, at least try not to drink to excess.
• Caffeine. Some research suggests that the effects of caffeine are magnified premenstrually, leading to greater breast tenderness, more nervousness and potentially more irritability. If these side effects sound familiar, make an effort to limit the amount of caffeinated coffee and tea you drink one week prior to menstruation.

On the other hand, go out of your way to include foods rich in calcium, magnesium, manganese and vitamin B6. And be sure to enjoy a daily cup of chamomile tea. Here’s the scoop:

Calcium
Compared with women who don’t have premenstrual symptoms, researchers have found some women with PMS have lower blood levels of calcium around their time of ovulation. And when PMS sufferers take 1000 to 1200 milligrams of calcium supplements daily, their mood and bloating improve after just a few months. I consider calcium-rich foods an absolute must for women with PMS.

Best foods for calcium: Low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, including yogurt (low-fat/nonfat), milk (skim, 1% reduced fat milk), cheese (nonfat/low-fat), and low-fat ice cream; broccoli and kale; and other calcium-fortified foods.

Magnesium
Just as was found with calcium, some women with PMS seem to have lower blood levels of magnesium compared with women who did not have PMS symptoms. Women with PMS who ate ample magnesium-rich foods had better mood and less water retention than women who did not get enough magnesium. It is thought that magnesium might help regulate the activity of serotonin, the so-called feel-good neurotransmitter.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is one of the necessary ingredients required by the body to manufacture dopamine, one of the mood neurotransmitters. Research into the effects of vitamin B6 on PMS have been mixed — some show that taking supplements reduces irritability, depression, and breast tenderness, while others don’t find any effect at all. Although the research on supplements is a bit confusing, I highly recommend eating vitamin B6-rich foods because they seem to have helped many of my clients with PMS.

Best foods for vitamin B6: Fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, chick-peas, wild salmon, lean beef, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, white potatoes (w/skin), oatmeal, banana, pistachio nuts and lentils.

Manganese
Manganese is found in minute quantities in foods, but that’s OK because we don’t need a lot to stay healthy. If you eat a relatively balanced diet, you’re probably getting enough manganese. But blood levels of manganese vary throughout the menstrual cycle, so it is not surprising that this mineral might be involved in PMS. A handful of studies have suggested that manganese, in combination with calcium, may reduce the irritability, depression and tension associated with PMS. Therefore, I encourage you to go out of your way to incorporate manganese-rich foods, specifically around the time of your PMS.

Best foods for manganese: Pineapple, wheat germ, spinach, collard greens, pecans, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, oats and raspberries.

Drink chamomile tea.
Premenstrually, chamomile tea may be particularly helpful because it contains properties that relieve muscle spasms, and may therefore help reduce the severity of menstrual cramps. In addition, chamomile seems to reduce tension that may lead to anxiety and irritability.

Joy Bauer is the author of the No.1 New York Times best-seller, Joy Bauer’s Food Cures. For more information on healthy eating, visit Joy Bauer’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com

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I hope that you can incorporate these foods into your diet and hopefully avoid some unwanted PMS symptoms.

Have a great day and I’ll be back tomorrow or Saturday to post Week 3′s outline.

Much love,

Kilee

Orange Mango Green Smoothie

Hi! I just wanted to quickly share my new favorite post-workout green smoothie recipe with you.

Orange Mango Green Smoothie

Serves 1

1/2 scoop Sun Warrior Warrior Protein Powder

1/4 cup orange juice

1 large handful of spinach

1/2 a lemon or lime, peeled or unpeeled

1/2 green apple, diced

1/2 cup frozen mango chunks (I buy these at Trader Joe’s)

2-4 ice cubes

1/4 cup (give or take) filtered water

Place all of your ingredients in the blender in the order shown and blend on high for about a minute.

Week 2 Recipe Ideas

Welcome to week 2′s recipe ideas. There are no “set” recipes for this cleanse, but rather guidelines and suggestions.

Breakfast: Green Smoothie – feel free to use this recipe as a template or try one of Victoria Boutenko’s green smoothies posted here.

Morning Snack: Try making your own fruit and nut bars or purchase non-peanut/non-chocolate Larabars.

Lunch: Large Salad.  Include lots of fresh veggies and beans, rice or quinoa. Some recipe ideas include:

Cheesy Kale Salad

Carrot Poppyseed Salad

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad – leave out the feta

Coconut Rice and Black Bean Salad

Esalen Kale Salad

Spinach Salad with Apples, Currants & Walnuts

Sweet Potato, Celery and Apple Salad

Brown Rice Salad

Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl

Detox Salad

Afternoon Snack: 1-2 cups fresh vegetables and ¼ cup hummus or store-bought

My super-simple hummus recipe:

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Filtered water

In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding filtered water, until desired consistency is achieved.

Dinner: Vegan Soup or pick up a fresh vegetarian soup at the store. I like to make a large batch of soup in the crock pot on Sunday and then maybe another soup on Thursday. Here are some soup recipe ideas:

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Detox Soup

Kale & Roasted Vegetable Soup

Quick & Easy Detox Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

Slow Cooker Soup Recipes – ignore any animal proteins. I think there’s only a few.

Spiced Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Un-Chicken Soup

Vegan Lentil & Cabbage Soup

Post-Dinner: Cup of herbal tea

If you have any recipe suggestions or questions, feel free to leave them below. Happy cooking!

January Cleanse/Weight Loss Week 2:

Hooray! We’ve made it through our first week of the cleanse! You have successfully:

• Started your day with a cleansing drink of water and fresh lemon juice
• Eliminated alcohol from your diet
• Gradually reduced your caffeine intake to zero
• Taken out refined sugars and HFCS
• Taken out trans fat
• Taken out gluten
• Taken out dairy
• Taken out GMO soy
• Taken out GMO corn
• Taken out peanuts
• Cut your animal protein intake in half
• Given yourself extra time to sleep, relax and reflect

Congratulations on everything that you have accomplished over the past week! This is a huge step towards nourishing your body with whole foods and giving it time to rejuvenate. As we head into this week’s vegan, gluten-free cleanse, there are a few pointers to keep in mind:

1. Exercise – This is not the time to begin or even continue an intense exercise regime. Your body will be lacking the energy that it needs to preform high-intensity cardio or weight-training. Please stick to walking, light cardio (like swimming, biking or the elliptical machine) and stretching or yoga. It’s beneficial to get outside and move your body in the fresh air, just not to the point where you’re gasping for air!
2. Continue to drink your morning water with lemon juice. This is helping refresh and cleanse your insides.
3. Allow yourself to rest more frequently if needed. You will probably feel more tired than usual. This is normal. Go with the flow and let your self take a nap and/or hit the hay earlier than normal.
4. Drink plenty or water and herbal tea throughout the day. This will keep you hydrated and less hungry.
5. LISTEN to your body. If you feel absolutely miserable and cannot even make it into work or school, reevaluate your cleanse. This is not meant to be an over-the-top, all green juice cleanse. It is designed to allow you to go about your normal routine and be able to preform your day to day responsibilities. If you need to add some animal protein back or other food back into your diet, feel free to. Make sure that it’s organic and start out with a small amount. Sometimes all you need is 2-4 ounces a day to start feeling more like yourself.
6. If you have ANY questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment below. I am here to support you and help make this a positive experience for you.

Week 2

This week is the most hard-core cleanse week of the month. We will be eating vegan (which means no animal or dairy products) and will continue to abstain from caffeine, alcohol, gluten, refined sugar, trans fats, peanuts, non-GMO corn and soy and processed foods. Don’t worry, you will still be eating great-tasting food! Your options are only as limited as you make them out to be. I could feast for weeks or months on fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and healthy fats. You have plenty of delicious recipes and meal options to choose from.

Our goal this week is to give your body and digestive tract a break. Day in and day out, we subject ourselves to hard-to-digest foods. You could have a food sensitivity that you didn’t know about or your digestion could be compromised due to a lack of enzyme rich fresh vegetables. Whatever the case may be for you, put your normal habits aside and get ready for a week of clean eating.

There are detox symptoms that you may encounter during the first few days of this week. These are very normal and can happen to anyone embarking on a cleanse. You may experience headaches, tiredness, lack of motivation, hungriness or an overall “blah” feeling. It get betters! I promise that these feelings will pass and you will feel your most energetic and light after the next seven days.

Besides eating specific types of foods, here are some other ways to help detoxify your body:

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Sauna and Steam Rooms

Our skin is exposed to hundreds of chemicals during the course of our life, and is affected by them. From innocent bath products such as shampoos, shower gels, lotions and soaps to deodorants. Household cleaning solvents, detergent residues on clothes and chemicals from the bath or shower water also affect the skin.

Regular use of the sauna gradually restores the skin’s elimination ability. Sweating removes toxic chemicals and metals faster than other detox method. It is a good habit that pays many health dividends.

The sauna’s benefits are numerous. Not least because it is so relaxing and leaves your body soothed and your mind serene. It’s main advantage lies in the fact that it promotes sweating, helping the body to rid itself of toxins. It is also believed that exposure of the skin to heat stimulates the production of white blood cells and strengthens the immune system. (source)

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Baking Soda Baths

Detoxification of your body through bathing is an ancient remedy that anyone can perform in the comfort of their own home. Your skin is known as the third kidney, and toxins are excreted through sweating. A detox bath will assist your body in eliminating toxins, as well as absorbing the minerals and nutrients that are in the water.

1. Prepare your bath on a day that you have at least 40 minutes available, as the first 20 minutes are said to help your body remove the toxins, while the second 20 minutes are for absorbing the minerals in the water.

2. Fill your tub with comfortably hot water, using a chlorine filter if possible.

3. Add 2 cups or more (up to 16 lbs) of Epsom Salts, aka magnesium sulphate. This can be purchased in 3 lb bags or 1 lb cartons at discount stores in the garden center, or in the pharmaceutical area, or ordered from garden centers in 50 lb bags. It’s very inexpensive.

4. Add 1 to 2 cups or more of Baking Soda, aka sodium bicarbonate. This is said to help eliminate the chlorine in the water, as well as soften the water, and help the body to absorb the magnesium. Large bags can usually be found in the swimming pool chemical area, or the boxes from the bakery aisle will work fine.

5. Know that Epsom Salts and Baking Soda bath is a detox bath in, and of itself, other items can be added for further effects. Ground ginger, or fresh ginger tea both work quite well. The ginger is heating to the body and may cause your skin to turn slightly red for a few minutes, so be careful with the amount you add. Depending on the capacity of your tub, and your sensitivity, anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/3 cup can be added. Most people sweat profusely with the addition of the ginger, and if you wrap your body in a blanket immediately after getting out of the tub, you can continue to detoxify through perspiration for another couple of hours. This is especially beneficial if you are trying to rid the body of a bug of some sort, like the flu, or a cold.

6. Add aromatherapy oils; this is optional, but there are many oils that will help the bath to be a pleasant and relaxing experience, such as lavendar, or ylang ylang, or those that will assist in the detoxification process such as tea tree or eucalyptus. Around 20 drops is sufficient.

7. Swish all of the ingredients into the tub, and soak for as long as you can, preferably 20 minutes. You should start sweating within the first few minutes, and the longer the better, up to 20 minutes. If you feel too hot, start adding cold water into the tub until you cool off. Sit in the cool water another 20 minutes, if you can. When you get out of the tub, move slowly and carefully, as your body has been working hard and you may get lightheaded or feel weak and drained. (source)

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Dry Brush

The skin is the largest elimination organ, it is known to be responsible for 10 to 15% of total body elimination, and is sometimes referred to as the third kidney.Dry skin brushing is a swift and powerful way to enhance the detoxification process . It’s easy, pleasant and yields tremendous benefits!

Not only does it improve the appearance of your skin by eliminating dead cells and helping new skin to regenerate, it also stimulates blood circulation, the lymphatic system, and greatly enhances toxin elimination.
In addition, the massaging effect of the bristles is known to be highly beneficial for eliminating cellulite.
Brushing the skin gently stimulates the lymphatic system and is considered to be one of the best natural lymphatic cleansers available.

The lymphatic system is composed of lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and organs. Part of the body’s defense system, the lymph nodes remove microorganisms and other foreign substances. They act as a filtration system that keeps particulate matter, such as bacteria, from entering the bloodstream.

Stimulating the lymphatic system through skin brushing will activate all of the above functions as well as encourage blood circulation and cell regeneration. Both actions promote detoxification, weight loss and cellulite reduction, as well as improve body tone and skin radiance. (source)

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Lymphatic Massage

The lymphatic system is composed of lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and organs. Part of the body’s defense system, the lymph nodes remove microorganisms and other foreign substances. They act as a filtration system that keeps particulate matter, such as bacteria, from entering the bloodstream.

Stimulating the lymphatic system through manual lymphatic drainage will activate all of the above functions as well as encourage fluid circulation and cell regeneration. Both actions promote detoxification, facilitate healing and support the immune system.

“The lymphatic system has a vital role in the body by regulating the immune system, which protects the body against infection. It transports nutrients to cells and eliminates metabolic wastes, toxins and excess fluids from the body. Manual lymphatic drainage is also a very effective way of detoxing the body plus stimulating vital immune defenses. This is a powerful, deep cleansing treatment.” Explains David Goddard, ND

Manual Lymphatic Drainage benefits are numerous and include:

• Clearing areas of congestion such as swollen ankles, puffy eyes and swollen legs
• Promotion of scar tissue healing, torn ligaments and sprains.
• Post-operative healing
• Swelling relief following plastic surgery
• Treatment of lymphedema and other conditions arising from venous insufficiency
• Improving chronic conditions such as sinusitis, arthritis, acne and other skin conditions
• Deep relaxation

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Forgiveness

Contrary to popular ideology, forgiveness is not something to be reserved for those who have earned or deserve it. Nor is forgiving about forgetting someone’s tendency to hurt you, or giving them permission to mistreat to you again.

Forgiveness isn’t even for those who wronged you. It’s actually for you. When you release your grip on the painful past, you free up your energies for joy and new focuses. You have no control on how your “perpetrators” conduct themselves moving forward, but you can choose how you want your life to go.

If you want to stay healthy, do yourself a favor and cut the cord of resentment and anger. It doesn’t improve what happened, and it just keeps you stuck in the past. Clear out that toxic energy and lighten up your load. (source)

Now, onto this week’s meal plan. I have designed a guide for your to use for your daily meals. I know that some people work and some people stay at home each day. I know that some people love to cook and some people would rather just pick something up at the store to eat. Use this menu plan as your guide and choose the food options that work best for you and your lifestyle. We are trying to make this cleanse as effortless as possible.

Week 2 Daily Meal Guide:

Upon Rising: 16 ounces of water with 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Breakfast: Green Smoothie feel free to use this recipe as a template to make your own based off your favorite greens, vegetables and fruits

Snack: Fruit & Nut Bar or a LARABAR (non-chocolate or peanut flavored kind)

Lunch: Salad Lots of fresh veggies and beans, rice or quinoa

Snack: 1-2 cups fresh vegetables and ¼ cup hummus or store-bought

Dinner: Vegan Soup or pick up a fresh vegetarian soup at the store

Post-Dinner: Cup of herbal tea

* I do not recommend canned soups due to the preservatives. If you have a natural grocery store like, Whole Foods, near by, you can buy one of their vegetarian soups at the hot soup bar. Just make sure that it does not contain gluten or dairy.

Reminder: use this week to be extra gentle to yourself. Do not put any expectations upon yourself. Go with the flow of things. Don’t get upset with yourself if you slip up or something doesn’t turn out how you wanted it to. It’s important to be especially kind to yourself this week. Put some fresh flower by your kitchen sink, light a candle next to your bathtub, read your favorite book before bed, schedule a massage for yourself or ask your significant other to give you one, remind yourself of things that you’re good at, use your “good” lotion after the shower (the one that smells delicious) and remind yourself that you are doing an excellent job of taking care of your health.

If you need extra sleep this week, please go ahead and sleep. Sleep allows your body to detoxify and regain energy. I suggest going to be an hour earlier than normal and taking naps if your schedule allows.

I will be posting recipes that will work for week 2 of our cleanse tomorrow. I’m feeling a bit under the weather tonight and want to feel more refreshed before putting the recipe post together.

Have a great night and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with recipe ideas for the coming week.

Happy cleansing,

Kilee

Week 1 Mid-Week Check-In

Good morning! How is everyone doing with the January Cleanse/Weight-Loss program so far? Have you been drinking your water with lemon first thing in the morning? Did you ditch HFCS, refined sugar, trans fat, gluten and dairy? How is it going so far? Honestly, I don’t miss the first four, but giving up my beloved soft-serve frozen yogurt may just push me over the edge. My sister took me to go get some on Monday and that 16 ounce bowl of original tart with fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mochi and hot fudge sauce made my day! Thank you Karlee – you know the real way to my heart!

Back to our cleanse. I designed this month-long cleanse to be gentle and to hopefully not get in the way of your day-to-day life. This first week is a chance for you to slowly transition to a cleaner, less-processed way of eating. You may eat your regular fare with the gradual exclusion of the foods listed throughout the week. Here are some linked recipes that would work well for meals for the rest of Week 1:

Scrambled Eggs with Watercress

Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds

Steamed Salmon with Herbs and Lemon

I also wanted to link to some more information on the benefits of adopting a whole foods diet:

The Whole-Foods Diet article on medicinenet.com

Benefits of Eating the Worlds Healthiest Foods article on whfoods.com

Plant Based Diet Benefits article on suffolktimes.com

I hope that your week is going smoothly and you’re taking the time to go to bed earlier than normal, and preforming each day’s recommended journal or meditation exercise. I’ll be back on Friday with Week 2′s outline.

Have a great day,

Kilee