I am BAAAAACK!

C 1.1.6

Day: 2

Hey there! :) I am a little back. Not for long. I might disappear again for some time. Or may be not. Right now I cant really say. But I decided to write a little update.

I have been a very bad girl. After my last post I havent much exercised. I basically had a month-long break from working out. It is not good, but I could not help it. And it is really hard now too.

First my sweetheart took me to Seuchelles for Christmas. It was a wonderful and great holiday. The beauty of that place is amazing, and only the story of sharks made me uneasy. The food was great and oh how I loved the fresh fish. We once went for a trip on a little yacht and the owner would catch fish right in front of us, and we would then eat it for lunch. A M A Z I N G! I have never had such good food. Generally though the Creole cuisine is pretty strange - lots of influences from Africa, India, a bit from France of course. But if you are a fan of seafood - it is for you. We had lobster for Christmas dinner, and it was my first lobster, I have to say I didnt much like it. All in all, you can imagine, I ate too much and didnt have time or opportunity to exercise - seriously if you have only 7 days in a pradise like this, you would not workout!

As you can see, I did add some weight, but not too much and I still fit everything. Back to workout damn it!

Next we flew back to Germany and I head out to Russia to visit my parents for the New Years celebration. Stayed there for two weeks and in all festivities I again overate like crazy. Both me and my sister were nearly crying from all the yummy foods. But it was good to be back with the family - not too short, not too long, just enough. Obviously, when you dont have enough space, there is no way you can workout - even though I had my Continuity DVDs with me... But I simply never got around to doing it.

Well, after all the travels and going from +30C to -30C I got a flu or cold. And was sick for one more week. And so here I am - this was a fast-forward of my workout-empty life - on the 22 January 2013 (seriously???? when did THIS happen???), Tuesday, and I have restarted workout on 21 January.

I have decided to slowly go back into DC - started with 10 minutes yesterday and will try to get up to the full 30 in about 20 days: I will go by 5 minutes up every fifth workout till I reach 30 minutes again. I think the main thing is to take it easy. Also, if I dont feel like DC, I would do something else for the same time + 5 min.

MS. Instead of repeating anything (after all I was off exercise for a MONTH!), I decided to continue. This decision was made for several reasons. First I was feeling if I go back and start with for instance Continuity again, I would get completely stuck and be completely unmotivated. And for me right now it is really hard to keep the motivation up. Second, I didnt find the level 6 too hard, so I decided to give it a try and see if I can manage. Tracy says in that level that we have to come to ALL the reps in that level as soon as possible. BOY! I realised I sometimes didnt come to all the reps in the previous levels!!! Even by the end of them! So I decided to work really hard. And after 5th day add weights for the second half of each level.

So, level 6 is hard, but to be honest - not undoable. Really. Even after a month break I could do it. Yes, I was sore the next day and doing MS the today was a true torture, but I managed - both times. It is similar to the levels where there is no real standing abs and no weights in the arms section (from level 4). So in the end of the day, it is not horribly bad. The moves are good, and I have to say most of them even enjoyable. Except for one - which is done in plank position. And boy - it is HARD! I only manage to do like 10 out of 20 reps, so beware! :)

Well, Ill keep you posted how it goes, and I really hope to get going with it better than before.

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I feel a change coming

Ive been talking over the last couple of weeks on my blog about how Kevin and I have recently joined a gym.  We have been going regularly, 4-5 times a week, and I am beginning to see results in my muscles... but not on the scale.  After a few weeks of being downright frustrated with these results, I decided to take a good hard look at what I was eating day to day.  To be short, it looked much more like a processed vegetarian diet than a Nutritarian diet.  So, I have decided to make a change and add back in those fruits and veggies that had slowly made their way out of my diet.  After all...

Here is what I ate yesterday compared to what I have been eating on a more regular basis: 

On my way to work I had a green juice that had a cucumber, small green apples, turnip greens, and broccoli stems.
Before I may have stopped to grab a decaf coffee with soy milk and caramel syrup.

Once I got to work I had a big bowl of fruit with apples, tangerines, mandarin oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, and a banana.
Before, for breakfast I may have had a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins, craisins, walnuts, almonds, chocolate chips, and soy milk on top.

For lunch I had a huge salad with mixed greens, red bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, celery, green onion, chickpeas, tomato, and a miso-dijon dressing.
Before, for lunch I would often have a large serving of grains with beans, a few veggies, and generally a salty sauce.

Yesterday for dinner I had a small side salad (unpictured) and a few scoops of Dr. Fuhrmans Asparagus, Mushroom, and Leek Ragout (link to recipe for Dr. Fuhrman members).  Note that I changed the recipe a bit by adding kidney beans while cooking the mushrooms and asparagus.  It added that extra bean that I needed in my day.
On a normal day, dinner could be some processed bread or chips with dip such as beans or guacamole.

Also, did I mention that before I would have had some chocolate kisses or M&Ms during the day?  I know!  Im terrible!

As you can see from my descriptions, what I ate yesterday and what I had been eating before were both technically vegetarian, but my choices yesterday were much much more Nutritarian.  I think this is the step that I have known I should take all along in order to achieve successful weight loss, but just didnt want to put in the effort to make it happen... until now that is.  

So, here starts my new effort to increase the nutrient density in my diet.  After reading several articles from Dr. Fuhrmans website, I have had a re-enlightening to why it is we strive for nutrient-density in the first place:

http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/redefining_hunger.aspx

http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/eat_more_often_gain_weight.aspx

http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/onebite.aspx

http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/changing_perceptions_of_hunger.pdf#search=catabolic

http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article16.aspx

Whos with me!?!

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How I get Healthful Groceries on a Budget

Hi All,

Im sorry I havent had any new recipes for you lately.  Kevin and I have been busy with a few of our goals for the year, including saving money for a house, reading, and being more active and eating better.  All goals of which I am happy to report that we are making great progress on.  (Im currently reading through Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World, which is super interesting how industries are built around food systems.)

Because we have been eating more homemade meals (saving money AND being healthier, YEAH!), I have been spending a bit more on groceries.  This balances out to save more money overall, considering that it costs us anywhere from $20 to $40 when we eat out once, compared to $60-$80 for a week of meals on groceries.  Not bad at all I think! :)

In the fall and summer months I had been getting most of my produce from a produce stand on my way home from work, where I would get in-season produce for SUPER cheap!  2 for $1 kale and collard bunches, 69 cent per pound apples, $1 per pound sweet potatoes, etc.  After December 23rd, that produce stand has closed for the winter months and wont open until April 1st.  So, I have a little over 2 more months to live without my regular inexpensive produce source!

My solution: 

• get produce mostly from Costco, 
• buy smaller/unique produce items from my local grocery
• stock up on staples from Winco on a bi-monthly trip, and
• get hard-to-find items from Vitacost 2-3 times a year

Costco

I love Costco.  I remember going there as a kid after church some Sundays and getting to snack on their samples.  I live in Washington, where Costcos headquarters are in Kirkland, an hour or so north of where I now live, so I like the idea of supporting an in-state business.  Costco has awesome deals on produce items compared to other grocery stores.  Here is my weekly/bi-weekly Costco grocery list as of late:

• Bi-weekly items:
• 2 cartons of apples
• 1 box oranges
• 1 bag bananas
• 1 bag of 6 assorted bell peppers
• 1 carton baby bella mushrooms
• Occasional items:
• 1 bag russet potatoes (for Kevin)
• 1 bag sweet potatoes (my Costco has organic, so I can eat the peels, YAY!)
• 1 bag yellow onions
• 1 bag organic frozen white corn
• 1 bag raw almonds
• 1 large container chili powder
• 2-pack natural peanut butter

• Weekly items:
• 1 carton blueberries
• 1 carton blackberries
• 1 carton raspberries
• 1 bag Power Greens (contains baby kale, arugula, spinach, and baby red chard)
• 2 3-packs english cucumbers
• 1 bag sugar snap peas (my absolute favorite veggie to munch!)
• 1 bag cookable green vegetable (I rotate through broccoli, stir fry mix with cabbage, green beans, and Brussels sprouts)

Local Grocery

The closest grocery to us happens to be a Safeway.  From here I get smaller produce items and a few things for Kevin when we need them.

• red onions
• green onions
• carrots
• celery
• garlic cloves
• fresh herbs - basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme, chives
• Tofu and meat replacement products (very rarely do I get these)
• Yogurt (for Kevin)
• Milk (for Kevin)
• Plant milk (usually I make my own)

Winco

Im not sure how widespread Winco is throughout the U.S., but I really like this store.  It has a Costco feel in pricing, but with grocery store sizes.  The best thing about Winco is that they have an extensive bulk bin section.  This is where I get all of my items like beans/legumes, flours, grains, nuts/seeds, and spices.  I havent gone to Winco in some time because I have been trying to use up what I have by way of beans and grains, but a trip is due soon because I have run out of smoked paprika and cumin seeds (Gasp! I know!).  Here is a list of a few items I like to have in my pantry and I get at Winco every other month or so when I run out.

• Dried Beans/Legumes
• black beans, white beans, pinto beans, small red beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans/chickpeas
• brown lentils, small green french lentils, red lentils, green split peas, yellow split peas, mung beans
• Whole grains/flours
• old fashioned rolled oats
• steel cut oats
• wheatberries
• quinoa - red and white
• rice - long grain brown, short grain brown, jasmine brown, basmati brown, wild black, wild rice mix, Aroborio (risotto rice)
• flours - white (for Kevin), whole wheat, rye, almond, chickpea
• Nuts/Seeds/dried fruits
• sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds
• raw cashews, walnuts, pecans, unsalted peanuts, hazelnuts
• dried cranberries, raisins, dates, currants
• Spices
• dried parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, Italian seasoning
• ground cumin, corriander, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, tumeric
• onion powder, garlic powder, dried mustard, dried powdered ginger
• Other grocery items
• tahini
• almond butter
• jarred ginger
• jarred minced garlic
• frozen mixed vegetables

Vitacost

Have you heard of Vitacost?  It is a food, beauty, and supplement ordering website that has tons hard to find health/natural products at discounted prices.  I like that they have search filters that help you find products that are vegan, organic, non-GMO, etc.  If you use THIS LINK, you will get $10 off your first purchase of $30 or more.  Here are a few of the items I like to get from Vitacost a few times a year:

• Cartons of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (no BPA-lined cans for me!)
• Arrowhead Mills millet and amaranth grains (I cant seem to find these anywhere!)
• Boxes of tea
• Organic ground flaxseeds and chia seeds
• Natural beauty and cleaning products

Making Lists
In the end, almost nobody I know likes grocery shopping, and grocery shopping on a budget can prove to be a big challenge.  With a bit of planning and being creative, you can keep your grocery receipts trim, while the healthful groceries will help you do the same!  By shopping at different stores during different intervals of time, Im able to get the things I need at the best price.  One of the apps that helps me keep track of 3-4 grocery lists is called Buy Me a Pie.  Ive had this app for a while and have come to depend on it to stay organized at each store buying my groceries (and to avoid impulse buying).

Id love to hear some of your grocery shopping budget-managing tips.... :)

Health and Happiness,

Amy

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How I Lost Fat Fast In 3 Weeks With This Weight Loss Diet

Are you looking to lose weight quickly? Are you sick of all the scams out there like diet pills and infomercial products that promise the world but don’t deliver? Then I have the solution for you!

Everybody says that weight loss is an extremely difficult task that takes months and sometimes years, and that you have to eat terribly boring foods to see any results. I know for a fact that this is not true because I lost over 20 pounds in only 21 days using a secret diet I found online.

I was in the exact same situation you are in now. I was overweight, lazy, and hated my body. I didn’t feel sexy, or slim, and I hated buying new clothes because I knew I always had to buy extra large size. I had tried all the diets out there – from the low carb diet, the sugar free diet, the cabbage soup diet, the mango diet, the acai berry diet, and frankly, none of them worked for me. I had tried going to the gym regularly to exercise but honestly, when you are a full-time mother with 3 kids, who has the energy to workout every day for hours on end? Then, I discovered The 3 Week Diet and my life changed.

I was doing some searching on Google one day for “extreme diets”. You know, not the types of diets that take months of slow, boring progress, but the “rapid” diets that work fast. I came across an article by a world class nutritionist who said he had tried a program called The 3 Week Diet and was able to lose 1 lb of body fat a day for 3 weeks by following it.

I could hardly believe it. 1lb of fat per day? I didn’t think it was possible. My goal that I had been trying for years to achieve was to lose 20 pounds. And this diet was promising that I could achieve that in only 20 days! All those years of feeling frustrated and disgusted by my body would be over in an instant. I visited The 3 Week Diet and watched the video where the doctor explained how he was able to create a scientific method to burn the fat fast, without using diet pills or exercise. I had never heard someone explain a diet like this before, but everything he said made 100% sense to me.

I quickly joined The 3 Week Diet and begun the process of losing weight quickly. Day 1 of following the diet, I lost half a pound of fat. Not bad. Day 2 on the diet and I lost a massive 2 lbs of fat! By the end of the first week I had lost near 10 lbs of pure body fat. My stomach was slimmer, my butt was firmer, and I could actually fit comfortably into a nice pair of jeans!

I followed the diet for the entire course of 3 weeks, and by the end of it, I had lost a staggering 25 pounds! That was more than I had expected! Friends and family were commenting how much weight I had lost, and I was getting looks from young men half my age! I had never felt healthier or happier in my entire life. I could now wear any outfit I wanted, I felt more confident. My husband was so pleased and excited. He loved my new body and our sex life improved dramatically!

I owe it all to The 3 Week Diet. It changed my life and it allowed me to lose so much fat off my body without having to starve myself or do strenuous exercise. It was honestly so easy to follow and keep up with.

The 3 Week Diet is an extreme diet for rapid weight loss that shows you how you can lose over 20 pounds of pure body fat in just 3 weeks. Whether you want to lose weight off your belly, hips, butt, or thighs, The 3 Week Diet is fastest way to lose weight quickly without diet pills or exercise. Speed up your metabolism and discover the secret foods you need to eat to burn the fat off fast with this diet used by A list celebrities and professional athletes. Start shedding the pounds today by visiting The 3 Week Diet now!

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Flu Shots and Why I dont get them

Hi everyone!  I wanted to write a quick post about flu shots, as it seems to be about that season.  At my work, our health insurance offers flu shots to anyone who wants them for free.  So if they are free, why dont I participate, you might ask.  Good question!

Ok, this is NOT a post to try to guilt anyone into getting or not getting a flu shot.  I just thought I would present my personal reasons for not getting one in case anyone could identify with me and make a more conscious decision for themselves whether or not to get the flu vaccine.  It should be noted that I am not a health care professional, but have done research in understanding how vaccines work and have my own opinions as a result of that research.  I encourage all others to be active learners when it comes to their own health, and to please consult a physician as necessary.

Often times when I ask people why they get a flu shot, they give me reasons like "well, just because I always do", "doesnt everyone?", and "because it was free, so why not?".  I dont know about you, but I would like to make more educated decisions about my body and what goes into it than just saying "why not?".

I have never gotten a flu shot in my life (nor do I ever plan on getting one), and I can probably count the times I have had the flu on one hand, give or take.  All of the times I had the flu, I was a child or teenager and was in school, where sharing germs is as regular as sharing homework answers.  Often times, as my mom would undoubtedly well remember, my two older brothers and I would catch the flu from each other and result in a household of passing around the flu for a week or two.

First off, now I am 24 and I havent had the flu since I was in high school.  Even when I was in college and the swine flu was spreading like wildfire around my campus, I didnt get so much as an upset stomach.  When Im going on the better part of a decade not having the flu, I dont see why I would want to get the shot.  It would be like loading extra air into your car tires unnecessarily because you got a flat tire once.

Secondly, each years flu shot is designed to protect against the "most likely" flu virus strains of the year as predicted by CDC (Center for Disease Control) research.  So what happens if an uncommon flu virus springs up (such as the swine flu in 2009)?  It doesnt matter if you have the flu shot or not, youre just as vulnerable as everyone else.  From the CDC:

"How effective is the flu vaccine?  How well the flu vaccine works (or its ability to prevent flu illness) can range widely from season to season. [...] During years when the flu vaccine is not well matched to circulating viruses, it’s possible that no benefit from flu vaccination may be observed. During years when there is a good match between the flu vaccine and circulating viruses, it’s possible to measure substantial benefits from vaccination in terms of preventing flu illness. However, even during years when the vaccine match is very good, the benefits of vaccination will vary across the population, depending on characteristics of the person being vaccinated and even, potentially, which vaccine was used."

So if the vaccine isnt well match for the year, "tough sh*t", and even if it is well matched it might not work for you for a multitude of reasons.  If a vaccine has such ambiguity surrounding its effectiveness, why would you want to put a foreign matter in your body with the ability to affect your immune system in any way?

Thirdly, I believe in relying more on your own immune system than in medicines and vaccines.  I am a firm believer that the best thing we can do for the immune system is to give your body whole, nutritious plant foods and let it do its job.  I dont like to get in my immune systems way of trying to take care of me.

Even if I do get sick with a common cold, I dont throw cold and cough medicine down my throat.  I make sure to load up on more veggies and drink plenty of water, as well as clean common surfaces and change my bedding daily.  For an extra immunity boost, I like to get a couple of oranges and munch on those for some added Vitamin C.  I did just that with my cold I had on Monday and found that most of the bothersome symptoms were gone in a day, and I feel back to normal today (Friday).

Lastly, I dont find myself to be a high-risk individual for contracting the flu virus.  I work in an office at a personal desk, so I rarely share germs with others.  I have good hygiene habits, especially in public places (i.e. washing my hands and not touching public surfaces and then touching my mouth, eyes, nose).  I rarely, if ever am in contact with the elderly or young children, so I wouldnt have the risk of passing a virus on to someone more vulnerable.  I eat a diet filled with immune-supporting foods, rather than the Standard American Diet filled with immune-limiting foods.

With all of that being said, please remember to use your own judgement with your body and what you decide to put into it.  I am happy to hear others opinions that are presented in a constructive and respectful manner, so please leave comments if you would like to add to the conversation.  Any and all offensive comments will be removed.

Editors Note: I thought this article was interesting that came out later this flu season.

Health and Happiness,

Amy

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Articles I found interesting today

I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  Im lucky that I get every other Friday off, so this is the start of my weekend, yay!  Im spending my Friday off by hanging out with my mom while my dad is away on a business trip and we are going to test out a few recipes and have some girl time.  These recipes might include one from Happy Herbivores fairly new cookbook called Light and Lean,  a few Ethiopian recipes, and perhaps something new.  I will let you know how it all goes and I will try to remember to take pictures.

Have I told you yet that my mom got a Vitamix for Christmas this year?!  All I can say is "Wow!"  That thing could make peanut butter out of rocks!  Hopefully there will be a recipe we try tomorrow using it.

Unfortunately, I dont have any new recipes for you today, but I do have a few interesting articles I was reading today to share with you. Happy reading and let me know your opinions on the articles if you would like! :)

http://news.msn.com/us/roaches-found-at-california-chicken-plant

http://news.msn.com/us/food-companies-cut-64-trillion-calories-study

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/healthy-techniques-try

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/six-great-grain-recipes-discover-now

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This Instant Pot and I are going to be best friends!

Hi folks!  Earlier this week, on Monday, I received one of two packages I had been waiting for: Lorna Sass Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure.  I had mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I was looking into getting a pressure cooker and a cookbook to go along with it.  I settled on this cookbook, which was published in 1994, to start my love affair with pressure cooking because...

1.) Chef AJ recommends the book here,
2.) the reviews said that this cookbook is almost completely vegan besides occasional suggested cheese toppings that could be replaced with nutritional yeast if I really wanted,
3.) the reviews said that even non-vegetarians will love (a.k.a. my meat and potatoes husband), and
4.) most reviews raved about their favorite recipe and I wanted to TRY THEM ALL!

After spending most of Monday evening reading soaking up its recipes and tips, and fantasizing about myself with a clean kitchen and an electric pressure cooker quietly and rapidly cooking my delicious healthy food, I hopped onto my computer to check the shipment tracking on the InstantPot IP-DUO60 that I had ordered at the same time as the book.

Amazon said it hadnt even been shipped! :(  I knew it was due to arrive anytime between October 7th to the 10th, but it was the 6th and it hadnt even left the warehouse!?!  Poo poo!

After going back to work on Tuesday (I took Monday off to recover from Leavenworth, and actually ended up with a little cold to nurse), I spent all day thinking about what recipes I wanted to make out of the book and how I wished my Instant Pot would get here sooner!

Around my lunch break on Tuesday, I checked with Amazon again for the tracking.  Hopefully it had left the warehouse by now....  It said "Delivered"!  How on earth that could happen is beyond me, but it was waiting at home for me!  After a few more hours crawled by, I left work to stop at my favorite farmers stand to pick up some produce I would need, and then headed home.

I eagerly unpacked my produce and opened my lovely, large InstantPot package!

First thing I did: read the getting started directions of course, I am a woman!  Then I washed the new parts and started a quick soak on some chickpeas for a soup I was planning on making for dinner.  Normally I pre-soak my beans, but when a pressure cooker is just waiting to be used, a quick soak would have to do.

Little did I know, the pressure cooker also works to quickly quick-soak dried beans.  A normal quick soak involves bringing a pot with dried beans up to a boil for a few minutes, then allowing the beans to stand in the hot water off of the burner for 1 hour, before then cooking the beans for 2+ hours to get them edible.

A quick soak in a pressure cooker combined 1 cup of dried chickpeas (all I needed for the recipe, but it would fit more) with 3 cups of water.  I locked the lid and set the InstantPot to high pressure for 20 minutes, then allowed the pressure to come down naturally.  This took a total of about 35 minutes to quick soak, rather than 1 hour plus.  This step could also be avoided by soaking beans overnight, which I will do from now on, but this night I didnt expect my PC to be here so soon.

(Sorry, I wish I had more pictures of the process to share, but I was just too excited to get started that I forgot to grab my camera.  More pictures will be coming when I get the hang of things!)

While the beans were cooking, I prepped the ingredients for the soup, and even had time to clean up the kitchen.  After draining and rinsing the quick-soaked beans, I filled the pot with all of the ingredients for Lorna Sass Chickpea Soup Italiano.  Set the pot for 16 minutes at high pressure, then allowed the pressure to come down naturally, for a total of around 30 minutes.

During the times the pot was cooking, there were no sounds, no dreaded hissing of the pressure cooker horror stories you may have heard.  There was actually no times that I felt that it felt unsafe, which is a relief.

I had the Chickpea Soup Italiano for dinner that night and it was delicious!  I sent Kevin to work with the leftovers from the half batch the next day. (His pictures arent as pretty as mine would have been ;)).

Chickpea Soup Italiano from Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure

After packing away the leftover soup, I made a half batch of Lornas Garlicy Lentil Soup.  Since lentils cook even faster than dried beans, this soup only needed 7 minutes at high pressure, with a natural pressure release.  I found that I needed to add a bit more stock at the end than it had called for, but it made for a nice thick lentil soup.  This was my lunch today and the day before, and the wonderful aroma alone may have convinced a coworker of mine to get the same pressure cooker.

Then, this morning I steamed my breakfast kale in it.  This went super quickly with only 3 minutes at high pressure and a quick release.  No pictures of this, sorry.

As you can tell, Im super giddy about my new pressure cooker.  I may have a bit of an hiatus of creating recipes for the blog as I explore how to use this new wonderful contraption, but I will keep you guys posted on how Im doing through some of my other social media accounts (see top right of blog for links).

Health and Happiness,

Amy

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I love IHerb!

So guys, in this post I am NOT going to talk about workout. Not at all. And I am sorry for this. But this is not an add, really. I just wanna share something I discovered, and i LOVED it!

I have been trying hard to get a grip of my life, and to slow down the pace of it - most of which I actually love. But it has been hard. So to keep the story short, I decided to go more green. Im not vegetarian, and there is really little chance I would ever become one: I love meat too much. But I can add a little bit to the planet by recycling (which I do almost religiously in Germany here) and perhaps sticking to mostly BIO products. I know. It is different, some might say it is silly - and that "natural cosmetics" is still not natural. But I like the concept of bio stuff - all from nature and protecting it. And no, I am sorry I dont feel as strongly protecting cows and chickens... Go figure.

So, in the past few weeks I got pretty much addicted to iHerb.com. It sells lots and lots and lots of bio, organic and natural cosmetics (be careful there with checking the contents as it is not only bio!!!), as well as stuff for babies, pets, vitamins, food, etc. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!!!

So far I got some vitamins for myself and my bf, shampoos, conditioners, cream, facewashes, oils, books, chocolate, cosmetic brushes, aloe vera, soap, blush and foundation... well you get the picture! LOTS of stuff! 

Benefits:

• First, choice and quality! So far I LOVED it! The service is fast and efficient. Products are good, and I have found soooo many great replacements for the market equivalents. I love their shampoos, hair care, vitamins, oils and natural soaps... I mean seriously - amazing. :) Again, there are a lot of perks in more natural cosmetics, and I am only starting to discover this, but it is great!
• Second, price. What is amazing for me - it is reasonably cheap. Somewhat natural cosmetics cost LOTS here in Germany - even products by Weleda, which are made in Germany and it is a German brand, are cheaper on iHerb!!! Generally you can find various brands, various components, etc.
• Third, delivery. In the US it delivers really fast, worldwide you do have to wait a little bit - but it is worth the wait (around 2 weeks for European countries). Great thing about it is that it is also - CHEAP! Worldwide you pay 4-6 Euros depending on how much you paid for your order.
• And of course, unused items you can always return... Not that I want to return ANYTHING! :)

Caution:

• First, it is really important to be careful and check the contents. Do research on your own. Dont simply follow reviews and advice of others: it is your health, your skin, so make your decisions wisely!
• Second, there is a limit of 4 pounds and certain money-limit on each package. With international shipping, there is a bit of flexibility, but check your cart regularly.

Finally, one of the perks is that you get a code and you can use it to give to other people for mutual benefit. It is a bit of marketing tool - which I think is really smart and effective. So, if you use a code on your first purchase, you get 5-10 dollars off your first order, and I would get a little reward. And after that there is a chain of users - pretty handy! You can get more info on how it works here. 

So, folks, if you will want to order, use my code - I would be happy ;) Beware though - it is addictive :))))) Good luck! I started a new blog primarily on iHerb - check it out!

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What I ate Wednesday and Tex Mex Slaw

Alright, this is my first time doing "What I ate Wednesday", so bare with me.  The pictures below are of what I basically had during the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  If youd like the recipes to these dishes, stay tuned, they are coming very soon in future posts!

Breakfast: Green Smoothie... a big serving
Yep, I love me my green smoothies in the morning!  Ive never been too big of breakfast person to begin with.  I really like oatmeal, but I find that it is a bit heavy to eat in the morning and just sits at the pit of my stomach for half the day.  Back in college I used to drink coffee just about every morning (kicked that habit thank god), so having a drink in the morning like a green smoothie is a great replacement and helps me to get my greens in!

Lunch: Tex-Mex Slaw (Recipe Below)
This slaw has been the perfect recipe to take for lunch lately.  Because the greens are cabbage, I can eat it cold straight out of the fridge, or I can add a bit of water and microwave it until the cabbage has wilted a little.  Depending on my mood I get to choose from cold lunch or hot lunch!  Oh, and the spiciness of it just hits the spot.

Dinner: Potato Leek Soup (recipe coming in a future post)
This soup has been my new recent favorite.  I am always a huge fan of creamed soup, and this one is no exception.  I got this recipe to try from my sister-in-law who was raving about it over our regular daily online chats, so I knew I had to give it a try.  She was not joking when she said it was "amazing". It makes me want fall to get here even sooner so I feel like its soup-making weather more often.

Lately I have not been very good at eating salads.  This has been mostly because I like to save the darker greens I buy for green smoothies, but also because I dont currently have very many ingredients to make homemade healthy dressings yet.  So, I came up with this recipe that I could make ahead and use fairly basic ingredients with.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small green cabbage, chopped
• 2 c black beans (or 2 cans)
• 1/2 c black olives, sliced
• 1 c frozen corn, defrosted
• 1/2 pepper, chopped (any kind: bell, poblano, etc.)
• 2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 c fire roasted tomatoes (I used a Tex-Mex version)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• sprinkle of ground red pepper 

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients and combine all ingredients except for the cabbage, cumin, ground red pepper, diced tomatoes, and rice vinegar in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together the diced tomatoes, cumin, ground red pepper, and rice vinegar. 
3. Pour the dressing mixture over the slaw contents.
4. Once the dressing mixture has been thoroughly mixed in, begin to add the sliced cabbage until you have reached a good cabbage to "goodie" ratio.
5. Serve chilled with your favorite hot sauce as a salad or serve in tacos.
6. Another serving option is to water saute the slaw and serve hot over rice or in tacos.

Amys notes:  

I think next time I make this slaw I would want to add some diced avocado and possibly some lime juice to the recipe, Mmmmm!

What salad dressings do you like to make out of ingredients you keep regularly in your kitchen?

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