Rose Theory of a Health Journey

I have had a hard time finding a way to explain why I am even on a search for better health.  I needed to be able to explain it to myself.  I was not as concerned about what others thought.  It never really occurred to me to try to explain it outside my own ego.

When fighting Lyme and company, there has always seemed to be something just not right.  We are missing a puzzle piece somewhere.  Various infections, hormones, nutrition….it always seems much more difficult and complicated than it should be.

I believe that I have found a way to explain it to myself.  The theory will not fix anything but thought I should share it in case anyone else could use it.

The Rose Theory

I first moved into my house over 10 years ago.  As a new home owner I was excited to fix up things and put to use all of those hours spent watching home improvement shows.  One thing that I really wanted was a beautiful rose bush.  It was a peace rose.  I tended to it as Google said I should.  I watered it often but careful not to over water it.  I sought advice on what fertilizer to use and when to apply it.  I made sure it received all the nutrients it needed.  I trimmed it as directed.  I was very attentive to its every need.  If I was doing everything just right, there were a few beautiful blooms as a reward.

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Smoothie Updates

I have been more into smooth’n than juic’n lately, so there are no new juices to share.

I was out of town all weekend and unable to do any of it.  Cannot wait to get back to it!!

Spicy Chocolate Smoothie

If you like chocolate with an edge, this is the smoothie for you! Mine only had a slight edge, but you can go as far as you like with this.1 scoop veg protein mix
1 cup flax milk
1/8 cup cocoa
1 cup frozen banana
1 tbsp raw local honey
3 dashes from my cayenne spice bottle

Calories: 328

Dark Tart Cherry Green Juice

Katie’s Kitchen’s Almost Pesto Chicken

Looking for a new spin on my baked chicken, I took inspiration from the food channel and made an almost pesto crusted chicken.

To make:

Combine in blender 2 large kale leaves, 3 cloves of garlic, a generous squeeze of lime, and just enough water to help the blender break it down (~1/4 cup).

Salt and pepper the chicken before topping with the almost pesto.

Bake at your preferred temperature and time for chicken.

It does taste better than the afterthought of a photo makes it look.  Enjoy!

 

Juice Update

For Recovery:

After a long paddleboard workout, I used the chocolate veg protein mix in a smoothie with lunch in hopes for a fast recovery. It did seem to help. 
The next morning, I added a tbsp of peanut powder and had a smoothie breakfast.
Mixing:

1 cup Flax milk
1 scoop raw chocolate protein
1 banana
4 ice cubes

363 calories (200 from banana)

I’m using Flax milk this week because it is good and the shop I went to had it and not almond milk.

Juice for a new decanter:

A Juicer and a Blender walked into a Bar…

I addition to all of the wonderful and tasty treats I had through the holiday season, a new blender made its way home with me.  With new toy in hand, I have been re-inspired about my juicing and smoothie operation.  So I thought I would share a few of my concoctions from my juice site just to update and maybe even inspire.

Take a Hike

Lil’ Red has a cold.  Let’s leave him to take a nap and go for a hike.

We arrive at the park and head out on the trail.  We were warned by park staff to be out by 6, so let’s get to moving.  The first half mile has some traffic.  Once we get past all of the ruckus, I am sure we will see some wild life.

We cross over an access road and things begin to quiet down. Oh, wait there is some activity over to our left.  Just some campers, but after one shot turns out like a surveillance photo, we move on.

as the paddle turns

Journeyed out to a lake this weekend.  The water was like glass.  A few birds and fisherman kept it from being lonely but it had a nice feeling of solitude.  There were some fish around but they refused to pose for a picture.  The water was much more clear than I had expected.  The swimming area had been closed due to bacteria levels two weeks ago.

The more time I spend on the water, the more often I want to go.  A meditative and relaxing time that I now crave.  With the cold weather starting to move in, I may have to start hiking.

(the cartoon looking bird was not photo-shopped)

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Exercise Highlights

This week I am highlighting some of my favorite and most popular posts from the last 6 months.  Today’s focus will be on the exercise posts.

1. Exercise Variety
2. Working Out in My Mom’s Garden
3. How to Pick the Right Shoes
4. Pelvic Floor Exercises
5. Finding Adventure in Workouts
6. Balance Exercises

Accidental Fast

Have you ever gotten up in the morning and thought, “today would be a great day to start a juice fast?”  Me either, until Wednesday.  I have been feeling bloated and just blah.  With vacation eating and lunch meetings, I had strayed from my low gluten and lactose diet for the past few weeks.

Adding to Juice

  Adding anything from a package to nice, fresh juice seems odd.  I have found three things that I occasionally use to give juice an extra kick or just to have something a little different.

Chia Seeds:  Vegan and gluten free, they add fiber, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, and other vitamins and minerals.  They may also help in weight loss.

Wheat Grass:  alkaline, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, protein, gluten free and vegan.

Pure Green Protein:  Packed with protein “with the amino acid ratio of human muscle.”  Great for mornings that I feel bad about not having a protein for breakfast or for using the mixed berry flavor to mask an unfortunate juice mix.

Do you have any favorites?