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www.puddlesofmud.com

Coming Back

I do not have computer access right now so I have not been able to update in a while I am hopefully getting access on Tuesday so look for us then!

After the Challenge

The 14 day Green Smoothie Challenge is over for me. I miss having the "challenge" part of it because it motivated me. I haven't had a smoothie since Monday and I miss it. I guess that should be motivation enough. As I sit here typing this post and drinking my first smoothie in a week, I can't believe I several days without one.

Well, tomorrow is another day and I have a whole days worth of smoothies ready to go!

I also bought a new to me dehydrator and the boys and I have made fruit roll ups and beef jerky this week. Tonight, we are making more roll ups, bananas and apples. We also have another batch of jerky marinating in the refrigerator.

For the roll ups, used "no sugar added" natural apple sauce. I did have plain and half with cinnamon. I liked them both. #4 was ok with both but I think #2 wasn't in the mood since I had woke him up to try it.

For this batch of roll ups, I again am using the same kind of apple sauce but I also bought a "no sugar added, pure fruit" raspberry spread.

I was so happy with the ingredients of my roll ups, "all natural, no sugar added", only fruit. But then I realized that my "all natural" products were basically cooked products and that some of that "natural"-ness had to be added back in, artificially, because it had been cooked out. Is this ok? Sure. Have I turned into a fanatic in this short time? No. What has happened is I am taking the advice of the lady who taught the RAW class i attended a few weeks ago. She made the statement that 'it is obviously our choice to eat what ever food we want, I (the teacher) just want people to learn to be aware of where their food comes from.'

Wow, that really spoke to me. Are my roll ups the worst? No. Are they better than the corn syrup added commercial roll ups? Probally. But at least I kinda know how my fruit roll ups were made.

I need a food processer. That's it in the nutshell. Do you have opinions on which one is best for processing nuts and the like?

My 1st RAW Recipe

I made the "zesty cheez dip" I learned at the RAW class last weekend. I am not sure if it really tasted the same as the one made in class, but I still liked it. I need to learn more about herbs and spices so that I can play around with the recipe to tailor it more to my taste. But for the first time, it was still good!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 14

Today would have been my official last day but I since I skipped one day, I will continue until tomorrow. Actually, I will continue to drink smoothies every day. I noticed today that after a typical SAD meal for dinner, I felt yucky. I was really craving a smoothie. So tonight, I made a batch and drank about 20oz. I have about double that ready for tomorrow.

The entire time of this challenge, I am intended to drink only smoothies, eat only lean protein and salads. I wanted to somewhat detox from SAD to get the maximum benefit of the challenge. But SAD as a strong hold and it has not been until today that I craved a smoothie (a salad would have been good too) and felt bad after a meat and pasta dinner. Before today, I just wanted to make sure I had at least a smoothie a day, without, worrying about any other diet changes. Today, I craved it and really didn't want anything from SAD.

Is this a break through? Is this what I needed to get to in order to start eating in a way I know will make me feel better? Maybe so. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 13

Today went well and I drank the rest of what I had made two nights before. I probally had close to 32oz. I have now gotten to the point that I want my smoothies everyday as opposed to doing it for the challenge. I am so glad I stared this!

A friend saw me for the first time in a while and told I looked really good. She asked how much weight I had lost. I haven't lost any weight to speak of. Actually, I had gained almost 10 pounds from our last trip from not eating as good. In the last month, since we have been back, I have about 4 of those 10 pounds. But the last D had seen me was before the trip so weight should have been a negative. So I chalked it up as looking better from the inside out due my intake of fresh, RAW, live fruits and vegatables!

I have my RAW nuts soaking tonight and I will attempt the "neatballs" and "zesty cheesey dip". I will let you know how it goes.

Being super positive!

Green Smoothie Challenge...Day 12

Today, I had about 34oz of my smoothie, which leaves about that for tomorrow. The Green Smoothies Challenge said better to have 48hr old green smoothies than to have none at all! So I am still feeling good about what I am doing, as far as green smoothies go.

Yesterday and today, the boys and I went shopping for chickpeas again. I found them fairly cheap at Fresh and Easy, so I couldn't pass them up. I also found the RAW nuts I need to make some of the recipes from this past weekend's class. I was glad they were cheaper too at Fresh and Easy.

The chickpeas have to soak for several days and today is day one. So hopefully on Saturday, I will have a batch of "neatballs".

I have also been on the look out for a dehydrator. I am wanting to make cookies and I have found several recipes that I think I will like.

So as the challenge winds down, I feel fairly confident that I will continue my RAW and smoothie journey.