Weight Watcher's and I agree on one thing...

Today I weighed myself and I weigh 141.

I lost 5 lbs over the past month.

Not great, but I'll take it.

I didn't exercise, which could have helped.

And I really hurt things with the eating during the Lice week.

But I'm happy with where I am and am moving forward.

I went for a run tonight.

Full moon, so pretty and so SCARY! NOT!

I don't like running in the morning because

1.) I really do hate getting out of bed unless I HAVE to.

2.) There is something about running at night and I can't see exactly how far or where I need to go that lets my mind shut off the feeling that I have forever to go. I started night running in Nashville and loved it. I have totally gotten away from it because Jordan hates it. But I take my phone. I have a mean right kick and can scream with the best of 'em. I should probably start carrying my mace though, just in case...

So this is where Weight Watchers and I agree.

Did you know that they don't suggest/advocate that you start exercising when you start their program?

Why one might ask?

Let's say I'm back to my heavy weight of around 175. Let's add 40lbs to that.

That's like carrying my 5 year old son Jace as I run.
DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT IS!!!!?????

Tonight my run felt amazing. I felt strong and light. I remember what it was like to run carrying my son around on my butt and thighs. It hurt and was not fun.

Exercise becomes more fun when you can actually move, eh?

So I agree with Weight Watchers. Don't kill yourself over getting to the gym to burn those 500 calories.

Get your eating under control. Go for walks. Play with your kids. There are LOTS of ways to be "active" without having to do a Cross-fit routine or  high impact aerobics, that are really just putting tons of stress on your overweight, often undernourished body.

Tonight I made a gluten free pizza with Alta Denta Cheddar style goat cheese, organice tomato sauce, mushrooms, orange bell pepper, cilantro, red onion, and tomato. Do you know how absolutely delicious it was? Amazing. Not goat-y at all and tasted so good compared to that other crust I tried.

This is the pizza crust mix. You'll find it in the organics section. Ask if you can't find it. Almost every grocery store should carry this.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this pizza!

I made sure to start with a salad. Simple and good. Nothing fancy. That was saved for the pizza.

Dressing was super simple and good, lemon juice and powdered stevia!

I did really good today.

I juiced and it was D-E-LICIOUS!

I had probably a 1 1/2 lbs of strawberries, 2 bananas, my favorite avocado lunch sandwich and some rainier cherries.

Really a great day. So happy with how I did!

BTW this is a typical day of food for me...

Day 30-Last day

 Day 30

Today is the last day of my 30 day cleanse.

Did I eat perfectly every day? NO.

Did I try my best? Yes

Have I learned countless things about myself, others, and where I want and need to be? YES!!!!

This has been a great journey for me. I know I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't FORCED myself to be this strict and at least try it for 30 days. I tried new recipes, new foods, new ideas and found things I love and things I don't like so much.

I learned I need to be prepared. I need to be ready for anything. Lice, headaches, grumpy/tired children, lack of sleep, long road trips, inability to find certain foods, and most importantly I need to be prepared against the weaknesses of myself.

I realized how easily I fall in to old ways. How easily I am "tempted" to eat and choose the wrong foods. I rationalize one bite won't hurt. But sometimes, like with the breakfast bars, one bite turned into 3 helpings! Oi via!

Again so many thanks to Ginger, Jordan, my sister Christy (who supported me the whole time I was in Spokane wanting and trying new recipes with me, and she lost 10 lbs in two weeks just following and doing what I was doing! Go CHRISTY!), my parents for their love and support and help with the kids, my friends who's texts greatly helped me through and definitely brought smiles and laughs during hard points.

Alright so I ate pretty good today.

I was going to juice, I thought there was enough in the fridge for me to juice in the morning and when I looked, nothing, seriously nothing.

So I made my pro-biotic drink. Then had a kids Cliff bar, not great cause it's processed but better than anything else.

Then went to Kneaders for lunch and had their Avocado Salad, AMAZING!

Then came home drank way too much Kombucha...

And then because again I thought we had more in the fridge, made my hungry girl omelet.

Love this meal

Seriously good goat cheese. Seriously.

Finally had 4 little squares of dark chocolate.

Not exactly how I wanted to finish, but I tried to end on a good note.

Tomorrow I will post my final weight. Which isn't super important because of how I feel, but I do have a goal people, I have a goal weight!

I know I will get there just need a little more time!

And finally, to any one interested I am already planning a juice fast for August.

I haven't decided on the dates yet but plan on doing it.

Please message me, phone me, or text me if you are interested in doing this with me.

Thank you for following me.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that people have read something or looked at something and decided to change or want to get on the path.

That is all it takes. Make the decision to get on the path and then do your best.

As you can see with me, I'm not the fastest at losing weight, but I'm determined, realistic and hopeful.

I know I will see you 125 on my scale. I KNOW I will see you.

Till then,

Adieu!

Day 29-My old "normal"

Day 29

So it might seem weird that I decided to try and test out my "old" way of healthy eating yesterday on the road during my cleanse.

I don't even think I can call this last week a cleanse at all, except for eradicating lice from my family's heads, bedding, clothing, and any fabric material.

Yesterday, I decided since I would be on the road, to eat my old way of healthy.

So I had a high fiber cereal with dried strawberried in it and almond milk.

Then I had a banana, by itself, I've learned that at least!

Then for lunch a Subway sandwich. While still healthier than say, McDonald's, a far cry from a properly combined, easily digested meal.

Then I had for dinner a dinner salad, a steak (yes, I had a steak, the first one in probably 7 months and it was NOT how I remember meat tasting), and some broccoli.

Can I tell you how heavy and SICK I felt last night driving home at 10:00pm in the dark.

I would have consider this a very healthy day. And while for many people this is a healthy day and better than what they are buying and fast fooding into their bodies, it's a far cry from what I've learned and been putting into my body.

My "ignorance" has been lifted from eyes. I have such guilt if I eat the things I know I shouldn't, not because of calories any more, but because I know how hard I'm making things on my body.

I may not have eaten perfectly and stayed completely consistenent the last 29 days, but gosh darn it I've tried my best and learned SOOOO much that will be with me through the next 29 years of my life.

That is truly my reward in this. Opening my mind and eyes to what I should do and what I can have in life.

A healthy and fit body.

A clear and sharp mind.

A happy and positive outlook on life.

Ginger Dunham....

Thank you for all your support the last 29 days

Thank you for all the love and friendship and kindness.

Without you I couldn't be where I am today.

Thank you!

Thank you to my mom, sister's, and dad back home. It was a great time, and the last week could have been better but oh, well. Thank you for supporting me with my food needs up until the lice. Understandably, those tiny bugs destroyed any desire to cook or plan a meal.

Thank you!

And lastly, but not least, my amazing husband Jordan.

Thank you for listening to me cry about a million times over the past two weeks.

Thank you for loving me and supporting me in all my "crazy" seeming endeavors that have thankfully become our lifestyle.

Thank you for your friendship, love, and most importantly, your understanding heart.

And, most importantly, thank you for being an amazing father to our children, who, when they see you won't get out of your arms and want to snuggle with you and be just like you.

Thank you!!!!

Day 28-Things I've learned

Day 28

Two positives:

I juiced

I discovered a new lovely Kombucha flavor, Strawberry, truly delicious.

Other than that my eating was ok.

I'm ready to be home and to be done with lice.

I will miss my sisters terribly, but it's time to go home.

I give a huge shout-out to all single mothers.

Those ladies not only have to manage a home and children, but provide as well. Whew, can't even imagine it. They will be the first people I will ALWAYS think of to help or give money to. They have a challenging road.

I've learned that stressful situations make me stress eat.
I've learned I get really flustered when there is a stressful situation and I take it out on those closest to me. I'm sorry EVERYONE who has been in this house the past week. I've been a very grumpy individual with all the lack of sleep, delousing, late nights and constant laundry.

I have to pack and load the car.

Adios!

Day 27- Another bad day

Day 27

So I did my best today.

This lice thing is extremely time consuming and exhausting.

Talking hours, HOURS looking through hair.

At least 18 + hours looking through hair the last 72 hours.

The washing machine has not stopped in 3 days.

Can you imagine washing everything that has fabric or cloth? Literally, I think I am losing my mind.

All the car seat, all bedding, all clothing, all towels, all floor mats.

Anything that can't be washed in hot water and dried on the highest setting has to be placed in air tight bags for 2 weeks.

I HATE LICE!

So, I ate a banana for breakfast at way too early in the morning because Kenzie has also decided to stop sleeping these last few days...

Then two pieces of sprouted bread with almond butter...

Then LOTS of strawberries and rasperries a few hours later..

And then because of fatigue and accesibility two pieces of fried, yes fried chicken.

Could I have sunk any lower. I ate all the above alone, which may be my only saving grace.

Dinner I actually tried to combine properly but again failed out of lack of supplies from not planning my food and not going to the store.

I had a romaine salad with cucumber and the liquid gold elixir dressing.

Then an avocado with an heirloom tomato on sprouted bread. So good and SO filling!

Tomorrow I hope to juice.

I have truly missed it.

I am leaving Sunday to drive home.

I have decided to juice till dinner Monday to Thursday of next week because of my failed week this week. I love how I've felt this last month until we discovered lice.

I'd like to enjoy that again until the Robison Reunion next weekend.

Cheerio and enjoy the games! xoxoxo

Day 26-Recovering

Day 26

Is it possible to recover from one of the longest days I've had as a mother...I hope so?!

Today was better.

My children are still lice free.

I found 4 or 5 eggs on Sean's head and maybe a newbie louse on Kenzie's head and nothing on Jace.

My sister inspected me today and I am happy to say I had no eggs and NO LICE! YES! So happy. I wish I could say the same for the other's in the house.

It has been a full-on assault against these things!

They don't JUMP, thankfully, but they are fast and will crawl from hair strand to another without you even seeing them, especially if the hair is a certain color. So if you are sitting next to or sleeping next to someone who has lice they can quickly and easily go from one hair follicle to the other.

There are marvelous new inventions, as my mom put it, since the day she had to scrub and delouse a family of 7.

Yes there are, and since we've had 9 people living in this house the past 2 weeks, it's been a really busy 48 hours.

There is a non toxic spray my amazing friend Sara told me about. I was planning on seeing her the day after we discovered the bugs, and quickly texted her the news as we found out what has been living with us in the house.

She had the wonderful opportunity to delouse her family of 7 in June, with a newborn baby to boot!

I would highly recommend the robi comb and Licefree Spray. Look for them at your local Walgreen's if you ever have an outbreak.

I have eaten better but I didn't juice today and had fruit and berries till lunch.

I then had my favorite lunch!
Sprouted bread with mustard, avocado, tomato, and S&P...ohhhhh sooooo yummy and fast!

Couple hours later I devoured a banana..it's been a long time my old yellow friend, a long time. He was delicious and savoured.


So I'm obviously not following the guidelines of the cleanse right now.

Hopefully, tomorrow I can get back on track.

Day 25-Lice are NOT nice...

Day 25

So we've discovered an outbreak of lice in the house.

I ate pizza for lunch because I didn't have time to juice between shaving my children's heads and checking for eggs and lice. Then starting laundry and spraying down mattresses and sealing anything with fabric on it.

It's been a nightmare.

Dinner was sprouted bread with almond butter and a banana.

So today I was not a clean eater. I did my best and that's all that matters now with this new problem.

If you've never experienced lice or had the opportunity to deal with it in your home, be grateful. It truly is the most disgusting, awful, time consuming thing. Those little lice are nasty and fast.

It's made me think before resting my head on the seat at the movie theater for sure...YUCK!

Jace-man

Sean and cousin Tyler

Kenzie all buzzed with Ella doing a serious lick on that ice cream cone!

My sad Sean after the hair cut and with the lice shampoo on. When he laid down for his nap later that day, he kept saying "I want my hair back, I so sad, I want my hair back". It was truly so sad!

Day 24- Keep on TRUCKIN'

Day 24

I can finish this, I can finish this, I CAN FINISH THIS!

Have I been perfect everyday? No.

Have I eaten things I shouldn't have? Yes.

Am I better aware of what I'm putting in my mouth? Yes.

Have new habits formed? Yes.

Has this been successful? YES YES YES!

I have learned so much the past 24 days. About myself and food. About my routines and weaknesses.

It truly is amazing to cut something out and do your best to not have it.

It's incredible to see what we are addicted to and why.

Today was a good day!

We went swimming on the South Hill and I ran into a good friend, which was so fun to catch up and laugh! It was a perfect day and all of us had a great time!

I juiced and felt great and on our way home we stopped by Trader Joe's for some groceries for dinner.

My sister wanted some Rainer Cherries and I have to admit I had probably 5 or 6 of them. YUMMY!

Then we made homemade pizzas for everyone and tried for the second time cauliflower pizza crust.

I have to say after a second attempt and it not turning out and being delicious, I'm frustrated and will never make it again! :(

But our salad was DELICIOUS!

We halved the recipe and still had lots! SOOOO good, seriously!

Then I made my pizza. It takes super long and just really doesn't taste that great. But here is a picture. I ate it cause I was starving. It takes like 2 hours + and if it doesn't turn out well then I'm done trying to make it work.

Day 23-Yummy food

Day 23

It's been emotional last few days for me. It's been hard being away, but I want to be here to see my sister Christy before she moves so far away, and to just have some time to spend and not feel crunched every minute. It's been so fun. Lots of other good emotional stuff has been purged as well being back home. Sometimes I have so much baggage I wonder how I can actually walk around.

So if you are someone who has self medicated with food, I get 'ya. I understand. But no more. It isn't a healthy way to deal with my problems. They don't go away when I eat something amazing. I still have to confront and deal with life, and then if I've eaten terrible, not only do I have the original problem, but now I have a big 'ol booty to fix as well.

Onto new news...
 

Today new recipe and oh so yummy!

I can't rotate on my parents computer..sorry

We started with one of my favorite salads Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad

Then we tried a new recipe

This was so good and would be amazing wrapped in rice paper. The dipping sauce is incredible. We halfed it for the two of us and had left overs STILL!

For dessert more of that incredible Trader Joe's chocolate...ooooooo I love it!

Day 22-Addicted

Day 22-

What have I learned the most about myself and humans through this journey?

We are easily addicted and entrapped by sometimes very simple things, sometimes more complex.

Hi, my name is Natalie Robison, and I'm addicted to carbs, sugar, and food.

Just had to say that. I need to say it out loud.

I'm grateful it's not alcohol, porn, or gambling. But I have a serious addiction with food and this love affair is only hurting me.

I have no food pictures, no new recipes.

I think you could call today a total failure.

Why is it that day 22 was my worst? Why not day 2, or day 17, but 22? More than halfway through, and I completely CAVE into my food love's.

I have more sympathy for addicts than ever before. I can't even go 30 days without eating sugar or bread or a tortilla! Seriously, people.

It started off on the wrong foot.

Woke up really late today, didn't juice, rushed to church, was starving at 1:00pm church.
 Ate a baggie full of Stacey's pita chips. 
Ate half a cucumber upon arriving back at home after church.
Cafe Rio at my sisters. Brought my own sprouts and spinach to make mine into a salad.
Ate three tortillas.
Mad at myself, so I decided to eat a chocolate revel bar she made.

I've now spoken my sins.

Please forgive me.

Tomorrow is thankfully a new day.

Day 21-Let them eat CAKE!

Day 21

Well today was a good day...no symptoms any more, awesome!

NO headaches, no fog, nothing nasty...LOVE IT!

I've had pretty good energy levels today, considering I stayed up WAY too late reading a book about Emmett Till for my Children's Lit class. GREAT read by the way, seriously great.

His killing basically sent the whole human rights into motion. The black community became so outraged over what happened with his case that they said enough is enough. Amazing story, sad story, but one I had never heard of, and really enjoyed reading about!

So I picked up my bountiful basket again this morning.

I probably did a no no but it had raspberries and strawberries in it, and well I didn't want them to go bad and so I ate both cartons, entirely, by myself.

The strawberries were the best I've tasted since my cute little house on Tualatin in Post Falls garden.

Oh how I miss my garden, sniff, sniff. If you have one, please enjoy it and if you have too much share with those around you.

I didn't prepare myself before going out to my grandpa's while the kids swam, my snacks that is, and ate the last of a smart pop popcorn bad. SHOOT! It just makes me mad cause I'm hungry and even after I eat that crap I'm still hungry...why do it! It is what it is today!

Then I came home and made an AMAZING salad I found on wholefoods.com.

Sweet Onion Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Serves 6

A zesty way to take advantage of fresh oranges and spicy-sweet onions.

Ingredients

1 large head butter lettuce, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups baby spinach
1 sweet yellow onion (1/8 finely chopped, remaining thinly sliced)
3 apples, cored and diced
3 large navel oranges
2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4 rounds pita bread, cut into wedges and toasted

Method

Put lettuce, spinach, sliced onions and apples into a large salad bowl and toss together; set aside. Remove peel and pith from oranges. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, carefully cut between the membranes to remove the oranges in sections. Reserve juice in bowl and transfer orange sections to bowl with lettuce and spinach. To the bowl with the reserved orange juice add finely chopped onions, vinegar, mustard and honey and whisk together. While continuing to whisk constantly, add oil in a steady stream until blended. Add dressing to bowl with lettuce mixture and toss gently to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately, with pita bread on the side.

Nutrition

Per serving: 280 calories (120 from fat), 14g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 38g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 19g sugar), 4g protein

I, of course, did not have any fruit, and it was still super delicious! MAKE IT! You'll not regret it!

 
Then I made my staple sushi. Seriously love this stuff! Tastes so good!

And for dessert, I had to try this new bar of chocolate I got at Trader Joe's and can I say this is THE best bar of dark chocolate I've ever had! It has this sweet nutty after flavor I just can't get enough of. Seriously!

For some reason I took this picture upside down and I can't figure out how to get it right side up...opps!

Then lastly, tonight I went to my dear friend Amanda's wedding reception! LOVE LOVE LOVE her! And so happy for her. She looked amazing and I again forgot to get a picture.

I think because for so long I've hated myself in photos I just never think to take them. I am changing that!

So I had a piece, well actually almost 2 pieces of cake. And you know what? I didn't hate myself. I enjoyed all of it.

This is for my sister who stayed with children and didn't get to go to the reception. This cake was worth it...

I realize now that this type of food is just not harmonious with my body.

No more do I say oh it'll make you fat don't eat it. Instead it's ok to have it on special occasion, etc and It won't make me fat, only if I make it a daily part of my life again. (ok, Honestly it was NEVER a daily thing, but you know what I mean)

So it was a great day. I'm actually really liking this, I just want to eat fruit. I flipping love me some fruit.

I'm salivating about pineapple. Oh my! Can't wait for my first JUICY piece!!!!

Day 20-Muy interesante

Day 20

Today my colon received a bath!

It was interesting!

So I didn't know what to expect, but was very excited.

I arrived on time and met the owner and then my therapist.

I was put in a hospital gown and the rest I am not describing but a tube was placed in my bum and the therapist controlled the water flow in and out.

It was nice because I didn't have to RUN to the toilet like I do when I do the enemas but this was cool cause I really got to see what was coming out of me.

I had 4 or 5 really good releases, meaning lots of brown poo.

I think like 50 gallons of water is pumped into me during one of these bad boys.

I loved my therapist Becca. She was so nice and easy to talk to! She explained what we saw coming out of me, as there was a device on the wall that she controlled the water and then a tube that had my poo running through it.

She asked me if I had recently ate mushrooms and I said probably and she said, well you aren't digesting them cause they are floating through here almost WHOLE!

Well, I saw way too many mushrooms float through that tube and other things, like carrots, and she said a lot of the other stuff was lettuce, etc.

She asked if I ate slowly and really chewed my food, and if I took a digestive enzyme.

No, No, and No.

I don't eat slowly, I inhale, I don't chew I bite and swallow, and I do not take a digestive enzyme.

After seeing how much food my body is not breaking down, I have decided it's time to slow down and aid my body with a digestive enzyme.

She explained that when we eat, the more we chew our body sends a signal to our brain telling it to send more saliva. When our body sends more saliva, it tells the stomach to make more digestive enzymes to help break down ALL that food we are eating.

That explains the slow weight loss as well as the lack of frequent pooing's on a high fiber diet.

I have always been confused why I'm not pooing more for the amount of raw and fiber rich foods I am eating. Well, NOW I KNOW!!!!

So, it wasn't like "fun", but I felt so much lighter after I left and just good about what came out of me.

It took a lot out of me. I actually felt like I was recovering from a day or two of the poo flu. But by dinnertime I was hungry and ready to eat!

So tonight was a special Sisters/Mom night!

I went to Trader Joe's for my first time EVER! It was fun, but the prices like aren't spectacular so I probably won't make special trips to buy things. Their dark, organic chocolate is priced very well, but their fresh diary and produce is about the same as every where else.

So, I decided since this was a special occasion and Ginger said I could do this like once or twice on the cleanse to buy some organic raspberries. So I bought them, and ate them ALONE! Very important to eat them without eating anything else.

I did share with my mom and sister Julie.

Then we went to River Park Square and looked around and bought a few things.

Then off to the oh so fancy Davenport for dinner. My dinner was amazing! I tried to properly combine, but I think I messed up/wanted to enjoy the night so I ate the following.

I started with this yummy Tomato Salad, they had a fancy name, I can't remember...

Then this crab loiue salad thing...REALLY YUMMY!

And then lastly, and this salmon was so, so, so GOOD! I wanted to lick the plate, but that would have been a NO NO!

Then we went to this movie called "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".

It was basically a movie for horny retirees. But it had some good parts and was about India, which I loved, so I could handle that...plus I kinda think the main actor from "Slum-dog Millionaire" who also stars in this is so cute and funny, I wanted to just watch it to see him, again!

And lastly I had my yummy chocolate sitting in the dark in that movie, so that made the movie even better...

I've been away from Jordan for too many days and miss him...especially after seeing a movie about being/falling in love...sigh....soon!

And of course, we forgot to take a picture all of us together...DANG IT!

But I do feel better tonight after the colonic. I feel like my tummy is smaller. I was seriously amazed at the amount of poo that came out of me, especially after doing an enema just a few days ago.

Seriously people, we have a lot of "stored" poo in us. A LOT!

And, Becca clarified that when we eat something toxic our body doesn't know what to do with it, it encapsulates it in fat...so if you are especially fat or have lots to lose, it's cause you have lots of toxins stored in fat cells. So go on, break apart those toxic fat cells. Eat better, detox, go for a run/walk, free those nasty buggers, trust me you'll feel so good!

Day 19-Natalie got ran over by a wagon wheel...

Day 19-

Today, I think I fell off the wagon, and then I got rolled over by it,

again,

and again,

and AGAIN!

But at least the wagon was a very high quality wagon.

I made these "Break fast bars" and I wanted to just try a bite to make sure it tasted good and the kids would eat them.

Well, apparently they tasted so good, I had three bites, well, they might have been REALLY big bites.

So here's breakfast bars from "Tempt You Hell". ENJOY!

Straight Up Food

Healthy and delicious vegan recipes using no salt, sugar or oil.

Banana-Blueberry Bars

June 21, 2012 By Cathy 5 Comments

This is my first time sharing a recipe that is not mine, but it is one that I just love. My friend and fellow cooking instructor, Katelin Petersen, came up with these delicious Banana-Blueberry Bars. They are moist and hearty, and contain no salt, oil or refined sugar. They make an ideal breakfast, traveling, or dessert snack.

Katelin has a Master’s Degree in nutrition from Bastyr University. She is a nutritionist and culinary educator who inspires and supports people toward improving their health through the adoption of a healthy plant-based diet. You can visit Katelin’s website at www.katelinmae.com.

Ingredients
1 cup medjool dates (about 7), pitted and diced
1 1/2 cups apple juice

1 cup oat flour
2 cups rolled oats
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

3 medium ripe bananas, diced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh
½ cup walnuts

Directions
1. Place pitted and diced dates in a bowl with the apple juice. Set aside and soak for at least 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking dish (see note below) with parchment paper, making sure the sides are lined as well (cut slits in the corners of the paper so that it overlaps).

3. Combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. Place the diced bananas, vanilla extract, apple juice, and dates into a blender and blend until creamy.

4. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredient bowl and mix with a fork. Fold in the blueberries and walnuts. Pour the batter into your baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes. Test for doneness by poking bars with a fork or knife. It should come out clean. The top should be a light brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes: 12-24 bars depending on how you cut them

NOTES

Pan: I didn’t have a 9×9 pan, so I used my 9×13 pan and just cooked them for a little less time (about 25 minutes). Any size pan would work, just be sure to decrease the cooking time as bars get thinner.

Flour: For the oat flour, I grind rolled oats in my high-speed blender, but you can also use store-bought oat flour.

Apple juice: Try to get an apple juice with no added sugar.

Optional: The walnuts and/or blueberries may be omitted. If you do not have apple juice on hand, you can use water; the bars will be a little less sweet in this case.

 Ok! So besides that today was great. 


There is a midget that siphons my juice every day. 

She is wanted in 7 states, Washington, Idaho, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Utah for being too cute and stealing hearts...


Be on the look out!

No, mommy you're not getting this back, haha!

AHHHHH, I love this stuff!

Want some?

She loves my juice so much she wanted to take it for a walk this morning! Ha ha!

We went boating on Lake Coeur d'Alene, always so fun! 


Then we came home and decided to go to Mongolian BBQ on Sullivan...and I ATE HEALTHY!


Ok, so they don't have a salad bar there so I whipped up a tossed spinach with my coconut ranch dressing from one of the past days, soooo yummy!

Then I had there BARBARIAN size bowl filled with...VEGETABLES! I'm sure those Mongolians were like wow that's a big 'ol bowl of vegetables. 


YUP! And I was so satisfied and full after I left there! SCORE!!!!!!

I ate every last delicious morsel...

AND................................................




 Tomorrow's my colonic, ya ya ya

Tomorrow's my colonic, ya ya ya

Tomorrow's my colonic, ya ya ya

I'm very excited, as I'm sure you can tell!

So tomorrow, if you are squeamish or don't like bum hole talk, DO NOT READ MY POST!

HAHA, I'm laughing right now like an idiot...

Day 18-I feel GGGGRRRREAT!

Day 18

Today I feel like Tony the Tiger...not because of Frosted Flakes, but because of an enema last night and plenty of sleep.

I scheduled my colonic today too, which is so exciting! It's for Friday at 11:30am and I am so pumped!

Now, I know most people are still thinking I am pretty weird because of all this bum/poo/sticking something in my bum bum talk, but seriously I cannot wait. I've been trying to eat clean for almost a year and can't wait to see what comes out of me. Cause remember, your poop tells how healthy a person is. And when you candida cleanse your body releases this cotton candy pink looking stuff, cool, huh? I know, I know, WEIRD!

Today flew by! We went to my grandpa's and let the kids swim this afternoon and it was relaxing and fun. Then tonight for dinner I just threw it together and it tasted so good!

I made the Skin Beauty Salad from Day 1...yum yum!

Then I made some quinoa, salted the water, and when it was done, topped it with plenty of nutritional yeast, surprisingly so good and satisfying since I made it up!

And lastly, I had an avocado with a tomato spread with the rest of the Beauty salad dressing. WOW!

And of course I had some chocolate,which always takes the edge off.

Then tonight I dashed through WINCO for a few items, and decided while there to come home and throw together some Kale chips. My parents oven dehydrates...I know, so cool! So I love using it cause it's, well, totally awesome! So I rubbed the ripped kales leaves with some EVOO, Celtic Sea Salt, and put on some of them some nutritional yeast. This is one of my FAV snacks! Drink plenty of water to help them rehydrate in your body! :)

Plus last night, and I know this is way over due, but I watched FAT, SICK, AND NEARLY DEAD with my sister Christy. It was awesome, and I think it helped her see why I am doing what I am doing, and what kind of results you can have. When you visually see how someone drops massive amounts of weight in a short time through a video it makes it so amazing! WATCH IT if you haven't seen it.

Overall, a GREAT DAY!

Day 17-IS THIS A TRICK????

Day 17-

Whenever I've tried, attempted, started a diet I've always "known" how important those low calorie, waistline friendly carrots, cucumbers, and other crudites are to snack on.

Have I ever really said, while dieting, "wow I'm so hungry I'm gonna go grab myself some carrots sticks"...NEVER!

Instead it was, "where is that protein bar, yogurt, or mozzarella stick." And 300 calories later after my "meal" I was starving again.

So I love how I've been "tricked" into LOVING carrot sticks, cut up cucumber, and other veggies to help really curb my hunger. Oh, and feel full and satisfied.


Today was ruff, like a dog barking kind of ruff, and you just want it to stop.

The thunder woke me up before 6 am, and no folks, I was not fired up about it.

I tried to go for a run/walk but I had to take a rain check, cause well, there was lightening, and I don't feel like getting that kind of energy in my life right now! :)

So it's been a long day. I woke up looking UGLY and feeling sore. Even my face was sore. I quickly texted Ginger my symptoms and she quickly replied...

"You need more sleep"..."AND YOU REALLY NEED TO GET A COLONIC! You've done three juice fasts and now this, it's time Natalie."

Well, alright!

So tomorrow, cause I couldn't get through again today to schedule my appointment, I'm scheduling my colonic here in the Spokane Valley! Of all places, to get a closed system, important, colonic.

Here:
http://www.cleanandwell.com/

NOW if all this enema and colonic talk is still freaking you out, PLEASE LOOK INTO detoxing and what happens when you start drinking alkalizing vegetable juice and eating almost a completely raw diet. I highly recommend Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet. She makes this process so understandable and easy.

Her recipes are seriously amazing! And when you are transitioning from our society's regular food this can be very important.

Tonight my sister made this from her book, and I ate a bite, maybe two :), it was delicious!

And when she (Natalia Rose) tells you to buy Alta Dena cheddar style goat cheese, please do as the women asks! It tastes so good and doesn't taste "goat-y" at all! Which is a very good thing in my book.

And finally, tonight I can post the following recipe. I have now made this recipe 3, yes 3 times and tonight was a success. You must use the called for amount of Goat Feta. Trust me. And you could probably throw in a little extra. Please use more carrot pulp than beet pulp. It is NASTY if you use more beet pulp. It tastes off, and I have no other way to describe it. Use the suggested amounts of seasoning, maybe a bit more to help with the taste.

But the rest is amazing in this recipe. SO FILLING AND SO GOOD! Jace loves these meatballs and Kenzie too!

I, of course started the night with a salad. It was a tossed green that I "tossed" myself and dressed with the yummy coconut yogurt "ranch" dressing from a few days ago.

Then I had the "Meat (less) balls" from detoxinista.com

Italian Meat(less) Balls
makes 10 balls
Ingredients:

2 cups juice pulp, loosely packed (preferably carrot or beet based)
1 egg, beaten
3 oz. crumbled feta (preferably goat’s milk)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, combine the juice pulp and seasonings. I used dried herbs, to keep the mixture from getting too wet. Think of them as a “substitute” for the breadcrumbs that are in traditional recipes!
I used the pulp from Austin’s morning juice– a mix of carrots and cucumber– but beet pulp would give these a lovely red color!
Crumble in the feta next.
Stir well to combine, then add the egg to bind it all together!

The mixture should be moist and sticky enough to be formed into balls.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then using your hands, form 10 evenly-sized balls.

Each ball is about 2-tablespoons-worth of the mixture.

Place in the middle of the oven, and bake for 15 minutes at 375F.

After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and gently flip them over. The bottoms should be slightly golden brown. Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until firm.

The finished meat(less) ball should be crisp on the outside, and somewhat tender on the inside. It’s almost like a veggie-fritter! Delicious on their own, these little bites could be served as an appetizer with a warm marinara dipping sauce.

But I wanted meatballs, dang it!

So I warmed them in a bit of my favorite marinara sauce, and served them piping hot over a bed of pasta.

Okay, so I still don’t like pasta that much. A bed of steamed cauliflower is even better!!

Have a great night! :)