Falling in Love and Chocolate Turtles

The last couple of weeks=whirlwind!  Great news, though--I finally got the confirmation about passing my AFAA exam!!! WOOOT!  I also met with a few local gyms and it looks like I will starting teaching my crazy version of super power yoga VERY soon [details later].  So, if you are in/around Columbus OH metro area and need to challenge your body to the next level, while having fun, you have to come out and work out with me!!!   On that note I also have to give you heads up: I will soon be starting a brand spanking new blog that will be centered not just around awesome vegan foods but fitness as well.  So, stay tuned!

Yesterday Demetrye and I were on the side of town [Reynoldsburg OH] where we used to live, and where we got engaged.  He took me to the restaurant where we went after he proposed... and put a ring on my finger.  It was not the food that drew us there, but the memories.  And... it was worth it!  Food was ok, we ended up ordering veggie burgers with fries.  The burger itself was ok, but the white bread bun and the fries... not so much [I am seeing more green smoothies in my very near future]. But the memories... the memories were great! 

I kept snapping pictures and the waitress told us that I remind her of her mother because of it [just imagine her tip getting smaller because of that ;)... (just joking!)], so I had to explain to her why I was doing it... which melted her completely :)

 

[don't mind my hubby's crazy eyes... he is loco like that for me ;)]

[the pic in the top row/middle is hubster's interpretation of the all-seeing eye :), and of me at the bottom--my interpretation of the world's strongest craziest woman holding up that cement wall]

After dinner we went out to shop and got me a fabulous little purple dress... which I will have to model sometimes and post here.  

Forward to this morning.  We got up very early and headed off to Canal Winchester's farmer's market... which was canceled, much to our disappointment.  But that did not stop us.  We hit a couple of farmer stores and gathered some fresh goodies: 

Then we went to a couple of Half Price Books stores, where I scored 3 of fabulous fitness books--more material for me and tons of great poses to incorporate into upcoming Power Yoga classes! [Hello, my name is Elena and I am a book addict. :)]

Needless to say I was wiped out.  While my hubby went off for a work out, I made myself Chocolate Turtles--so delicious and so simple to make, and total comfort food. 

I did not keep any specific proportions, since I did not have much chocolate, but here is the recipe:

Chocolate Turtles

• large handful chocolate chips [vegan/organic]
• 1-2 tbs water

1. warm up a pan/skillet with these ingredients and stir until melted
2. quickly add:

• handful of soaked/dehydrated almonds
• handful of soaked/dehydrated walnuts
• handful of raisins
• pinch of salt

      3.   turn off heat
      4.   mix all ingredients and lay out in clusters on slightly greased pan/dish or wax paper
      5.   place in a freezer for 10-15 mins

Enjoy!

I hope you also had a fun, memory filled weekend!

Having a Life Again!

I did it, folks!  I went through the examination to become a Group Fitness Instructor.  With the big move I had to study up until the very last moment.  At first I thought that there was no way I could pull it off--I ended up with less than a week to study over 30 chapters.  BUT... with each day I had more and more hope [thank God for a high-functioning brain!], and on the day of the exam I felt pretty confident that I did.  I won't have the results until 4-6 weeks from now, but I am feeling GOOD about it!

I was totally tired when I got home [as you can see for yourself] but had to commemorate the special moment and freeze it in time.  87 was my number for personal presentation. Let's hope it's a lucky one!

Meanwhile I am happy that I can get back to unpacking and living my life.   Hubby felt pretty neglected for a few days, but he is a happy man once again :)! I have so much in store and am thinking about launching a new blog [more later].  And now I am also in search of local gyms in Westerville and Columbus OH where I can teach my fusion of Power Yoga+Pilates+Aerobics.  With the size of our city and the population it should not be too hard, but the competition is fierce here!  There were almost a 100 individuals at my testing. 

As of now I am giddy and excited.  Why?  CSN stores, who also happen to sell modern rugs, have contacted me to do another review or a giveaway.  I am going to be a little selfish this time and will do a review :)  I have been wanting to experiment with ice cream making, so I could test their ice cream machines, and also wanted to explore other possibilities... so I can barely wait to "go shopping" in their store. 

Until next time: Eat Healthy!  Be Happy!  and Be Fit!

Vegan Orange Cheesecake {RAW} and Settling In

We are finally in Westerville OH and settling in.  I had done a lot of unpacking with only 1 room left to go.  Hubby and I had previously lived around this area, so, needless to say, getting around. is quite easy  What makes things even better is knowing people, meeting our old friends once again, who make us feel at home and soften the blow of leaving our wonderful family behind. 

After the first couple of days of intense unpacking and cleaning I took the weekend off.  We spend time with some of our friends, had a great time working out yesterday, but now I am ready to finish the task before and start living our lives.  In the weeks to come I am planning to work on a lot of new recipes and gear up to have my first cooking class in Columbus OH!!!  Yes, all vegan [plant based] cooking class is coming to this area!!!  I am planning the first one in 3 weeks {September 24th}, so if you are interested let me know.  I will be posting more details soon. 

Last week I had a chance to speak with our leasing office and we started talking about doing a community event at our apartment complex with a cooking class being the focal point.  I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about that!

As for now I am off to do more unpacking and cleaning.  However, I do have a treat for all of the Newsletter subscribers!  In tomorrow's long awaited edition I will send out a recipe for a Vegan Raw Orange Cheesecake.  So, if you are not subscribing to the newsletter yet, make sure to do so ASAP so that you can indulge in this raw delicacy. 

Until tomorrow: Eat Healthy!  Be Happy!

MOVING—Temporary absence

Hello, friends. As you know already, my hubby and I are moving to Ohio this week. I am working like a mad woman packing up our belongings, marking boxes and taking deep breaths in between.

I did not think that the time will fly this quickly and the reality of leaving family and friends here is starting to hit me. In 6 days we will board the plane and will land in Columbus. But for now I have to breathe, breathe, and breathe deeply. [this morning my lovely Mom already had a crying moment and it was so hard to get through it… what am I going to do when we have to say goodbyes?]

Meanwhile, our mover is coming this Friday to pick up our things, including my PC [ouch!]. So, if you try to get a hold of me in the next week and hear nothing back, fear not—I will get back to you as soon as we settle in and unload. First things to get set up will be: our bed, kitchen and computer ;) [in that order]. I will take my time with everything else [NOT!].

If you are in or around Columbus, hit me up and we will arrange a meeting!

Talk to you all next week!

 I learned that chopsticks can be used in more than one way ;)

Meeting with a friend in Seattle for teary goodbyes :(

Our Breaking News: WE ARE MOVING!

Well, the title pretty much said it all. Yes, it is true, and it is finally official--my sweetie and I packing, as I am typing, and getting ready to make the big move! On 8/31 we will board a plane to relocate to Westerville, OH.

We are sad. Most of my family lives in or around Longview, so it will be very painful to leave them. We also had met wonderful people while here: clients, friends, church family, co-workers, and have been influenced by many in a wonderful way.

But we are also excited about what the future holds for us. Columbus and the metropolitan area around it is a huge metropolis compared to Cowlitz County [only 100K people population] and boast sover 1,000,000 people. The diversity, which we miss so much, is wonderful.

We moved from Ohio to Washington 2.5 years ago and many of our friends still live in/around Columbus, which will make our transition less painful. Thanks to our friends there, namely Cindi R, a good friend of mine, we were able to find housing and to start making other prepartions.

As for now I still have two weddings to photograph in the next two weeks, and work as second photographer at one more wedding. Once we relocate I have meetings lined up with wedding planners, photographers and other wonderful folk to get Elena Photographers booming in the Columbus metropolitan area. I will stay specialized with Weddings, Engagements/Couples, and Seniors. In my free time... when there will be some ;), I am going to be a Group Fitness Trainer, teaching Power Yoga + Pilates [I am studying for my certification now] and teaching people good nutrition and cooking classes. So, if you are in/around Westerville/Columbus OH area and want to meet me, shoot me an e-mail and we can talk beautiful photography, fitness and nutrition [separately or at the same time, which has happened many times ;)].

Have an amazing day!

Where in the World is Elena?

Sheesh! I just realized I have not posted in over two weeks! 

I have been super busy with photographing weddings, wrapping up the remodel on my Mom's house [still a little bit to go], working hard, and planning activities for the Fall.

I was hoping to offer a couple of cooking classes in Longview/Kelso, WA in the month of August--we'll see how it goes.  If I do it will be the last offering of classes for this year altogether.  So, if you are local to Cowlitz county and interested, shoot me an e-mail. 

Meanwhile I am running off to work on more projects.  

Talk to you soon, lovely people! 

You Can Have a Cookie and Eat It Too {Life in my House}

We had a VERY adventurous weekend.  You can read about it HERE.

The highlight of the whole week, though, happened yesterday... when we least expected it.

Yesterday I heard giggles in our kitchen.  I listened intently to find out what was going on.  Turned out that my niece and nephew came over—their little aprons in hand—ready to bake cookies… if they could find someone willing to do so. Uncle Demetrye, of course! The man has his own recipe and they love him to shreds.

He simply could not resist them—he donned his Home Depot apron on and off they were to bake chocolate chip cookies. I grabbed my point and shoot to eternalize those precious moments.

And here is the final product:

Looks good, doesn’t it?! We got to eat it while, after talking uncle Demetrye into more mischief, we played the Mexican Train.

{Silly Faces}

{Staring Contest}

{sibling love}

{the boys lost and had to do the dishes ;)}

Every moment we have is a gift.  Our families and friends are the reason we have such moments altogether. Why else would God so graciously give them to us? To mess our perfect plans, of course; to show up when we least expect them and while doing that create the most unforgettable moments.

Now, go capture yours! And treasure them too.

Raw Tomato Soup, Weight Loss, Vacation and Product Reviews

Good morning, loves! Long time since last post… I did enjoy my time off thoroughly, though.

I have a few cool product reviews in the works: Blendtec Total Blender, which I am using on a daily basis nowadays, Ulimana chocolates, and Sesen glass drinking bottles, which I use NONSTOP daily. These items are totally cool and I cannot imagine my day without them.

I also have a delicious giveaway in the works. You would not want to miss it! Two words: Coconut Bliss!

Meanwhile, I wanted to catch you up on things that are going on in my life, that are related to plant-based diet and exercise, well… almost :)

Trip to AZ!

First, here are a few pictures from our trip to Arizona.

Enjoying Lovin' Spoonfuls offerings  

St. Xavier's Mission was my favorite stop in Tucson

Inside St. Xavier church

Demetrye's love/hate relationship with cacti was nonstop ;) Cacti won!

I got to enjoy locally grown grapefruit, which was HUGE [here I am comparing it to my hubby's head ;)]

I could not bring my Blendtec with me, so I had to use the blender we had at the resort... I went through 2 of them!  They were so flimsy they just could not take the pressure ;)

My favorite ice cream comppany Coconut Bliss sent me this cute tote [along with a coupon for awesome ice cream bars to give away!] that I carried with me EVERYwhere. It comes with a little pocket and folds to a tiny-tiny size.  Thanks, CB!

The Biggest Winner Challenge

The Biggest Winner Challenge is going full speed—we just reached our 4 week mark. The contestants lost combined 37 lbs! [Diana-15 lbs; Dan and Barb—11 lbs each!] How great is that?! To read about the rest of their [and my] adventures go to The Biggest Winner Challenge blog and leave some blog love ;).

We were blessed to have gotten sponsorship from two wonderful places that support healthy living: Excalibur Dehydrator sent our participants two 5-tray dehydrators—one to each family; and CSN Stores [who sell about EVERYTHING you will ever need in the kitchen, AND lighting and barstools!] provided two $40 gift certificates to each family. Diana was able to get herself a chemical free frying pan and Barb got herself a handy salad spinner [I use mine faithfully—my kitchen would not be complete without it!].

Raw for 30!

Another awesome project that just started to unfold has to do with my niece and sister. They both, totally of their own accord, decided to go on a 30-day Green Smoothie/Raw diet. It is really hard to believe, considering that these people thought I was totally insane for going on a plant-based [vegan] diet only a couple of years back.

I was very impressed and excited to hear about their adventure. So, this morning I made my sis 64 oz of green smoothies to take to work with her AND a delicious raw soup for lunch. I am going to share the soup recipe with you, so you can add it to your daily meal repertoire.

Creamy Tomato Corn Soup [RAW]

Ingredients

Soup
~1/4 cup water
~2 middle-large ripe tomatoes
~½ large red bell pepper
~1 ½ cup yellow corn [fresh or frozen]
~1 clove garlic
~white pepper and Kirkland seasoning to taste
~sea or Himalayan salt to taste
~2 tbs hemp seeds

Garnish
~1 avocado, cubed
~2 tbs sunflower seeds
~1 tbs chopped cilantro

Preparation
~Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender [I used Blendtec Total Blender] until smooth.
~Pour in a bowl
~Cube 1 ripe avocado, add to the soup
~Sprinkle with sunflower seeds for crunch
~Finish with cilantro and…
~Enjoy!

I will chat with you all soon! Enjoy your day!

Delicious Vacationing

I dropped off the radar for the last few days, I know.  But can you blame me?  I am vacationing!!!  And loving it too!  

My hubby and I flew to Tucson AZ a few days ago and were in for a shock the first day--it was BROWN!  I was hoping for some beauty that I imagined in my overactive brain, but going from green WA to brown AZ in a few hours was a SHOCK! 

By day 2, however, AZ started growing on us.  Dry heat, lovely mornings and evenings, gorgeous mountains... I could not complain.  The heat made us eat less and drink a lot more water, but we still wanted to explore local offerings. 

On the first day we headed over to Lovin' Spoonfuls, an all vegan restaurant.  The food, although heavy with soy on most dishes, was AMAZING!  There was nothing that we did not like.  The mushroom soup--we gobbled it up, even my mushroom-hating hubby, along with some veggie burgers and salad.  If you are in Tucson, this place is a MUST visit!!! [I will post some images later :)]

Then we stopped by Whole Foods and Trader Joes, grabbed few fresh fruits, greens and veggies and kicked back for the night.  It was LOVELY, although produce is quite overpriced!

The day after we explored Tucson and Tombstone areas--loved it all, and the stories and images are coming.

On day 3 we headed out to Phoenix to meet up with our college friends.  Not knowing what the offerings would be there I looked up a restaurant WAY ahead of time that I thought would be great to visit.  The rave reviews online made me think that they surely deserved it. 

Blue Nile Cafe--I was underwhelmed by their foods and offerings.  An Ethiopian cuisine with vegan and raw vegan offerings DID NOT live up to its praises.  I thought that their falafel salad was... pretty awful, and their raw cinnamon rolls could not be even placed in a category of good raw dessert.  I could feel that the nuts were un-soaked [my body has an immediate reaction to acidity of un-soaked nuts], and they were lacking taste... and size.  Having paid $7 I expected to see a portion that I could share with my hubby and friends, instead they brought out 4 tiny morsels that not only have an unpleasant to taste, but were also unpleasant to look at.  I was expecting something like this:

but got NOTHING close to it, and felt quite embarrassed in front of our non-vegan friends. to have brought them there...  TWO THUMBS DOWN!

On the other hand, we visited the city of Scottsdale--upscale, shopping heaven of any shopaholic, which I am not.  The area abounds in various restaurant offerings and shopping as far as the eye could see.  If we ever moved to AZ, I think Scottsdale would be a great contender in our decision making.   Perfect for my photography business!

We stopped by a local pizzeria there... with way too many choices, none of which were vegan.  We had a deep-dish pizza with no cheese [our waitress was shocked when I asked for a cheese-less pizza, and I had to repeat myself several times, which actually annoyed me a bit].  Pizza itself turned out pretty good but one sliced filled me up. 

Today we had a different sort of experience--we hit 3 different farmer's markets.  I was hoping for tables full of fresh produce... and was left underwhelmed once again.  Most of foods sold were cooked/baked goods, candy, meat, etc. with little fresh produce to offer.  We did, however, find a GREAT watermelon and lovely grapefruit.  I am not a grapefruit eater but these fruit made me a covert. YUM!

I was disappointed, though, not to have found ANYONE selling fresh cacti!  I was so hoping to try out a few different varieties and thought AZ would be the place to do it... Oh, well, that is my sob story and I will stick to it. 

So, the rest of the time we are taking it easy--sun, pool, and my hubby's lovely company. 

I will catch up with all of you lovely readers later. 

Married to My Best Friend

My sweetie and I are celebrating our 7 years together today. It has been a wonderful journey and I can barely wait to see what the future has for us.

Love you, babe! You are the love of my life!

Want to know More About ME, Your Next Door Crazy Vegan?

I JUST discovered that Blogger added the ability to add PAGES to blogs. I don't know where I have been, but I am SOOOO excited now!

Not a moment's awaisting! I am finally able to create an ABOUT ME page and tell you all about... well, ME, of course-Your Next Door Crazy Vegan! If you ever did want to know more about me, then hop on over to the ABOUT page and read on!

Later!

I've Killed My Kombucha

My recent birthday adventures reawakened a desire in me to make my own kombucha. I pulled out the jar with my kombucha mushrooms out of the cupboards to only realize that the chance of their survival was probably next to nothing--the liquid their were in was nearly gone... and it has been a few months since I made my last batch. But I decided to give it a go and see if I had a chance of resurrecting them.

After a few days of waiting I decided to peek in and discovered something that you might see in a science class:

Not a good sign at all. If it looks like this you know you should not be eating/drinking it.

Poor kombucha... sad Elena. Now I have to get back out on the market and find another HEALTHY kombucha mushroom, and quickly.

Lesson learned: don't leave a kombucha with little liquid unattended for several months on end--it will die.

A Birthday to Remember!

Yesterday was my birthday. It was amazing! Demetrey took care of the breakfast, then we spiffed up and headed out to Vancouver, WA [bigger town than Longview, so there are certainly more things to do there ;) ]. But before we took off Demetrye treated me to my own mini photo session.

And, of course, we had to do it right and do a few shots together [timer and a tripod come in helpful].

[I love him, love him, love him... and he is handsome to boot ;) ].

Then we headed out.

Because we are still on the Daniel Fast and I am doing a sugar cleanse at the same time, we stopped by a Whole Foods and had a great lunch there. We visited their Salad Bar and loaded up on lots of raw veggies and a few falafels.

When we started to eat what we had neat looking plates, with everything slightly separated. However, my taste buds got bored very quickly.
I grabbed their Balsamic Vinaigrette and had a little tossing party. And... HALLELUJAH! my taste buds were in heaven!

On the way out we stopped by one of their tasting stations. The lady that was at the stand, Eva, was giving kombucha samples. But let me tell you that it was not any kombucha that you might have tasted to date--hers are absolutely amazing, made with various healing herbs and tasty... oh, so tasty. Her product is called Herbucha because of the herbs in it. I tasted 3 different flavors: Detox, Immune support and Relax. My two favorite flavors were Immune Support and Relax, very light, yet with your expected kombucha zing, with a great herbal/flowery taste. At first I was reluctant to spend $3.99 on a bottle of this super-delicious drink, but then I remembered that I still did not have my fermented food for the day, and it was my b-day... AND it was SOOOOOOOOOO delicious that I could not pass it up. So I walked out of the store with a bottle of Herbucha:
I enjoyed EVERY sip of it, until it was gone. I wish I had gotten two!

If you are in or around Portland/Vancouver area you should check out this amazing kombucha drink [I mean it, and no one is paying me to say this]. Click on this link to find a list of locations that carries Eva's elixir [at least that is what I am calling it].

After lunch we hung out at a book store [my choice, and we both love books], and then went to see Avatar in 3D. Wowzers! The movie is long, but I could not tell, because I was so sucked into it. I would go see it again in a heartbeat… as long as I don’t have to pay for ridiculously expensive 3D tickets, however, yesterday it was so worth it. Oh, and I was slowly sipping on my Herbucha. Too bad it was gone before the movie could even start. Although it might be a good thing also, because lots of liquids and long movies don't mix well.

After the movie we headed back to town… and things got even more interesting. We were passing through Woodland when I noticed, what I thought, a woman walking on the side of the freeway, alone… in the dark. Demetrye and I pulled over and waited for the “woman” to catch up. Well, thankfully, it was not a woman walking alone. It was a man, who was hitch-hiking from LA to Belinghelm, WA [sorry if I spelled the town wrong]. So, we decided that the guy should not freeze himself and gave him a ride to the local shelter. However… on the way we decided to stop by a Subway and get him a meal. We were going to be in and out, so I left my purse in the car, made sure that the car was locked and we headed inside.

The man picked his meal, and as Demetrye was getting ready to pay for it, his facial expression changed. “Where are the keys, hon?” Ah-oh! Since we got married we locked our keys in the car twice and ever since then I always made sure to have a spare on ME. This time… nope. I thought we’ll in and out and I would rather not drag my person with me. BIG MISTAKE! Turns out that Demetrye left the keys in the ignition and I did not even do my usual: “Honey, do you have the keys?” check before getting out of the car. Ouch!

Well, thankfully I have very skilled family members, all within minutes away. And THANKFULLY we were already in Kelso, only minutes from home. I called up my nephew [thank you, Adrew], and while the man was enjoying his meal, Andrew and Demetrye freed the keys.

Surely not a night we would easily forget!

When we got home, Demetrye spoiled me a bit more and gave me a full body massage, and I nearly fell asleep dreaming of the gift he is getting me this year: Canon Powershot SD780IS with HD video!!! Sounds silly, but I am so excited to get a point and shoot camera, especially considering that it has video capabilities also. I don’t like to drag my Canon around with me everywhere now–too big and too heavy just for snapshots. Once I get my tiny P&S I will be unstoppable :) .

I hate to think that my perfect weekend is coming to an end.

Birthday Break!

Good day, all of you good people! I just wanted to add a quick post to let you know that I will be taking a couple of days off to celebrate my b-day! Yes, even crazy food bloggers need a day off on their birthday.

Food-wise I am not planning anything huge, just a nice breakfast. I am still sticking with my Daniel Fast and Candida cleanse, so no sugars for me [I will talk about Candida cleanse in the weeks to come, after the Daniel Fast is over]. But what we are going to lack in the food department we are more than going to make up in fun.

I am a bit of a workout nerd, so I will probably start off my morning tomorrow with an hour-hour and a half of Power Yoga, then my regular green smoothie, dry brushing, shower, etc., and then my hubby and I are going to take off to either Vancouver or Portland to enjoy ourselves.

As for now, here are a couple of snapshots of the last night’s dinner: Whole Wheat Wraps, Whole Wheat Crisps and a whole lot of veggies with hummus and sprouts [when I am back I will tell you about benefits of sprouting].

And this is me, fresh and clean after an intensive Power Yoga workout. [sorry about, the camera and the mirror, but I had no one else around to shap a shot of me ;)].

Till next time: LIVE AN UNPROCESSED LIFE!

Long Day... Yet Filled with Laughter

I had a LONG, LONG, LONG DAY! I have been through four cities, had a presentation, a consultation, did grocery shopping for our 21 day Daniel Fast [more on this coming soon] and a business mixer. Thankfully I packed some of my food on the road: lots of fruit, a green smoothie I made this morning, a green salad and a couple of other things, along with lots of water.

My hubby, who has tons of work to do, but loves me so much, went along with me, first to Camas, then Vancouver, WA, then Portland OR, and then finally to Cathlamet. He is just that good.

So there was much going on today, but I am so tired I have no energy to tell you much, except I have to share a very funny story.

My hubby, bless his heart, has been slacking with his water intake. I have been thinking of ways to get him more hydrated, and today, after months of begging, pleading and threatening, I was finally able to strike a deal with him [he used to be so much better with this before he became a realtor].

How did I pull it off? Well, he has been complaining about a couple of extra pounds he does not seem to be able to get rid of. I told him how it could be due to his constant dehydration. Our bodies need water! We are made of water! So, when we don't drink enough of it our body may developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra unwanted weight. Simple!

The lights came on! I think I even heard the angels break out in a heavenly chorus. But I had one more challange to overcome. He was conviced now! All I have to do is make water drinking fun and attractive. We happened to be at the Whole Foods, so I slowly led him to the water isle... I picked out the prettiest water bottle I could find--VOSS--and bought it for him. He LOVED it!

We emptied their carbonated water [nasty tasting stuff] and filled the whole 27 oz with clean, filtered water. In less than an hour the bottle was EMPTY, and he refilled it!

This is when the story gets a little interesting. We were 50 miles away from home!

His body that was not used to so much water at the same time was evacuating extra liquids very FAST [don't tell him I am blogging about it, or he will never speak to me again ;)]. From Portland we had to drive straight to Cathlamet, about 60-70 miles. We ended up pulling over 3 times! Needless to say we were 20 minutes late, but I had my share of picking on him.

Here is the general rule everyone needs to follow with water intake: you need to drink half of your body weight in ounces a day. Got it? Repeat after me: HALF OF MY BODY WEIGHT IN OUNCES A DAY! But do also remember that you should not drink it all at the same time, spread it throughout the whole day! or you will experience what my hubby did, or even hurt yourself. [true story by the way, you might want to read it].

So, if you are 200 lbs, you need to drink 100 oz. of water, if you are 120 lbs, you will need 60 oz of water, etc.

By increasing fluids you will be flushing out toxins and teaching your body that it no longer needs to store water. Be sure the water is filtered and free from chemicals.

Question of the day: what has been your experience when you increased your water intake? Or, if you are not drinking enough water, how are you planning to change it?

Happy 101 Blog Award!

I was so flattered this morning when I found out that another blogger, Kori, nominated me for Happy 101 award. Wowzers ;) Kori has a blog called Kori Runs Dogs full of vegan and raw recipes.

So, here are the award rules, which I am copying from Kori’s blog: First: Copy the award image in your post.
Then, list 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you must link back to my blog!….the last part..only if you want too!

Oy Vey! What a challenge! I am normally pretty private about things that make me happy, but here it goes [I am trying my best here, you see].

10 things that make me happy:
1. I love waking up in a good mood. There is nothing like opening my eyes first thing in the morning with a song in my heart [like today], and a silly grin on my face. But to wake up in a good mood one also must go to bed in a good mood. So, happy, positive attitude toward life in general makes it possible.

2. Knowing that my life has been redeemed for ETERNITY by my Jesus makes me happy and giddy all at the same time. I LOVE HIM, LOVE HIM, LOVE HIM!

3. Gazing into my husband’s eyes with nothing to interrupt us makes me VERY happy! I see OUR future in his eyes. When he looks at me I feel everything fading away, and it is just he and I, looking at each other, melting each other’s hearts, until nothing but love between us remains.

4. Dreaming and making extravagant plans together with my husband or by myself makes me happy. I am not sure if you have met a couple yet that can dream crazy dreams like we do. I suppose that is why we fell for each other ;).

5. A good workout that engages every muscle of my being makes me happy [I know that it sounds weird]. There are times I CRAVE a good work out!

6. Growing in the areas I am passionate about makes me happy. Discovering new things, applying them, and wowing others [I am talking about photography, nutrition and my Savior, of course;)].

7. Reading a good book, especially on a rainy day makes me happy. What makes it even better is if my love is right next to me, holding me or just touching my hand.

8. Making others feel loved and appreciated makes me VERY happy. Helping someone discover their potential, their talent is super extraordinary.

9. Playing with a little child makes me fabulously happy.

10. A clean kitchen and kitchen and photography gadgets make me happy also.

So, you already know more than you want to about me. Now it is time to nominate 10 other bloggers. Drum roll, please:

BitterSweet Blog
Vegan Yum Yum
Fertile Healthy
In The Raw
Raw Epicurean
Krsiten’s Raw
Rawmazing
Kath Eats Real Food
Happy Herbivore
Lemondrops Photography

Have an amazing day!

Happy New Year!

I am not one to make New Year resolutions, especially when it comes to health. I believe in leading an overall healthy lifestyle and benefiting the most from it so we can enjoy the rest of our lives.

This year, however, I am making a decision that I am going to make all efforts to:

`Live to the fullest
`Be spontaneous
`Do things that I have never done before for one reason or another [that would exclude eating dried insects, of course ;)]
`Go places I have never been before
`Be positive at ALL times
`Trust more
`RISK more
`Love more

This past year has been a bit trying, with us still settling in a new town, continuing to heal and the recession. However, I have nothing but high hopes for next year, right out of the gate. I have learned that patience and positive mindset pays off big dividends when it comes to health and well-being, so I plan to further improve in that area in 2010!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. [Phil. 4:13]

And since no post is complete without pictures, here are a couple of images of my Mom opening her Christmas present, given to her by my sister. The canvas is huge and shows off all 16 members of our original family. We have grown by leaps and bounds since—our ranks have swollen to over 100!

May your next year be prosperous: spirit, soul and body!

Taking a "THINKING" Break

Dear Readers, if you are out there, after much thought and contemplation I decided that I am going to take a break from food blogging. I have blogged for almost a year and a half on this blog, which was created with only one desire in my mind--to help others achieve better health through nutritional excellence. I was and still am very passionate about the topic of lifestyle and nutrition. However, like any other blogger, it is important for me to know that what I am doing actually helps people and that I am not talking to an empty space somewhere in the great big world wide net. As a result I want to take time away from blogging to make a few decisions and figure out what to do next: TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG ;).

If you had followed my blog up to this point--Thank You. I hope I was able to help and challenge you at least a little bit. Please know that I am not quitting blogging, but just taking a leave of absence to sort things out and to determine the future of this blog.

While I am going I will continue creating scrumptious recipes and improving my life and lives of those around me [those who need and want the help, of course]. You might still see Twitter updates on this blog with quick tips (see the right panel of this blog).

Merry upcoming Christmas and a wonderful New Year to all!

Until next time, whenever and however it might be: live and UNPROCESSED Life!

Are you born with a Strong Will? Gluten Free--DAY 12!

Silly question, right? Well, amazingly I am told all the time that the reason that I succeed with vegan whole foods diet is because I am strong willed. One of my family members told me that I have been dubbed “The Iron Lady” among my relatives for that reason. Hearing things as such never ceases to amuse and amaze me. It really cracks me up.

The same person that shared the family “secret” with me has an indescribable weakness for sweets—she is head over heels for them and according to her own confession “could not LIVE without them”, even if she tried, because… she does not have a “strong will”. The same person suffers from various ailments: high blood pressure, allergies, etc., and constantly tries various diets on her and her husband trying to lose weight. Their typical diet lasts about 30 days, sticking to certain food groups, and at the end of the 30 days they go on a binge of all things they “cannot live without”.

So, this phenomenon leaves me speechless and dumbfounded… oh, who am I kidding? It makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs: “Are you crazy? You have got to be kidding me!” How can someone with a “weak” will be so strong headed and set on a path of destroying their health, which affects not only them, but their children?!

So, are we BORN with a strong will, or is it an acquired skill?

Here is my opinion. I believe that some personalities are more predisposed to have certain traits—being head-strong is one of mine. By personality time I am nearly a pure choleric, however, as I grew and matured I worked hard on the traits in myself that I did not like, changing them to be positive, rather than negative. I also acquired certain traits found in other personality types, especially sanguine and melancholic—but only the ones that I consider positive and those that would enhance who I am. Although being more persistent in the things of my life than others, it does not guarantee that my personality will ensure me having a STRONG WILL. A strong will is nothing more than a solid resolution to succeed and then act on it, i.e. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING BAD ENOUGH YOU WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN!

I wanted good health, which required for me to give up certain habits that I acquired from my childhood, such as eating meats, cheeses, dairy products, and some that I acquired after moving to North America, such as eating boxed and processed foods. I had a simple choice to make: 1. Continue with my lifestyle and keep paying the price with my ever worsening health; or 2. Change everything that I knew to be true up to that point and re-gain control of my and my husband’s health. There was nothing else: Option 1 and Option 2—nothing in between. I chose life and I stuck with it.

Has it ever been hard for me? I had certain temptations, but I never got to a point at which I wanted to regress to my old ways. It would be much easier, as some think, certainly especially when it comes to family gatherings or any other social engagements involving food (which is nearly 100% of the time in our society). It is not a pleasant experience to come to a party where everyone is loading up their plate and gorging on various dishes, while I and my husband end up with a few green leafs (apparently that is the only thing that most can come up with that is vegan) and a cucumber or an apple. But we know that we made our choice and we have to be OK with that! It is that simple! What we get in return is much more rewarding: a clean bill of health, more energy, longer lives (eventually, God willing).

Strong will is nothing more than a decision to make a change, and a resolve to see it through. We all have to make decisions that are contrary to popular opinion at one point or another, and choosing to have a better diet is not harder than choosing to be a Christian in an atheistic society (I grew up in one so I know)—at least with food no one is going to hold a gun to your head and make you choose life or death based on your willingness to eat junk.

So, if you happen to talk to me, please, please do not use “weak will” as an excuse for your failure to feel better. Call it what it is: being lazy, going with the flow, being lazy (or did I already say that?), unwilling to live, choosing momentary pleasures over long term benefits, paying for your selfishness with your health and making your family pay for it [someone is going to have to take care of you when you eventually get really sick, and your, your family’s or my [taxpayer’s] money is going to have to cover the expenses]. Call it being self-indulgent, call it whatever you may, but please do not tell me that you are “weak willed” because it takes a lot of determination to slowly kill yourself also.

I have heard many times: “I would rather die from cancer than give up meet!”, “I would rather enjoy my life and be happy when I die than give up… (fill in the blank)!” But then I saw the same people willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive, when it is a little too late. Some get chemo, some have an open heart surgery, limb amputation… you name it. There are some, however, that do get smart, but not always in time to get well, and change their eating and lifestyle habits. But I hope you are not going to be one of those who are a little too late to enjoy perfect health.

I also hope that you will realize, if you are struggling with this, that developing a Strong Will is like developing a muscle--you have to work on it on a regular basis!

And just to show you that change IS possible if it is DESIRED, here is a transformation of a meat-loving cowboy into a vegan—his changes was prompted by a simple desire to LIVE!

So, do YOU think that Strong Will is a gift or an acquired skill?

A Big, Heartfelt Thank you to all Veterans!

My husband and I are taking a vacation. As we are relaxing now, we know that it is possible only by the grace of God and through life-sacrificing efforts of the men and women who enlisted to serve their country with their very lives.

I have several family members who have served in the military, navy and now one in the Reserves, Demetrye has two cousins that are Active Duty. My father, who is no longer with us, had served and fought in WWII. One of my grandfathers and one of my uncles have been killed in WWII.

I know that as a country we often fall short of showing our gratitude to those of you who put your lives on the line for us to keep our freedoms and to enjoy our lives, and for that I am sorry.

Thank you for your sacrifice! Thank you and may God keep you safe, be it here, in the US, or overseas, or on an enemy’s soil.