the starbucks bribe...

perhaps not to you... but, to me it seems like forever since i've written. then again, there really isn't anything spectacular going on to share. just... well... the usual.

on the 25th of may, i went for my monthly weigh-in at curves. i really didn't want to!! eek!! but, i walked over to the scale... and when i saw that it had only went down 1.5 pounds, i felt ridiciously discouraged. i went on with the measure. at the end, the trainer and i counted up the inches i had lost... in one month... 9 inches!! woooohoooo!!! that's almost 20 inches altogether. but, only about 7 pounds. ugh. the best measure was my waist... back in january, my first measure was 35 inches... and now, i'm down to 29. i can handle that. the weighing and measuring always make me a wee bit nervous... but, when it's finished... i always feel motivated to keep working!

this afternoon, my mom and i went to lococo's. it's a vegetable warehouse! i didn't feel like going... but, my mom convinced me that it was a good day to get out... and she bribed me with a starbucks. so, off we went. we walked around... filled up the cart with all the vegetables imaginable! and then.... i saw... rhubarb. big beautiful stalks. i love how it smells. and tastes. (if i had icewine to pour all over it, i would have been in complete bliss.) i picked out 6 deep red, yet crisp stalks. then drove home as fast as possible! as soon as i could, i started gathering ingredients for... strawberry-rhubarb-apple crisp! of course. i will now provide you with a recipe. there is a warning though... there is sugar. real sugar. because, i haven't had it in forever. and because i didn't want to ruin the rhubarb. it deserves only the best.

strawberry-apple-rhubarb crisp

1 pint strawberries (small, half. large, quarter)
6 stalks rhubarb (cut into same size pieces as the strawberries)
10 medium apples (cored, and sliced. leave the skin on. it's good for you.)

cut up all your fruit, put in into a large bowl.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 quinoa flour (ok, or regular)
1/4 cup of butter (cubed)

this will go into the bowl with the fruit... give it a good toss. the pour the fruit into a large baking dish. i always use the clear glass dishes... then i can see what's going on in there. the dish will be fairly full, but that is ok... the fruit will cook down considerable.

preheat your oven... 350F.

into the now empty bowl...

1 cup butter (cubed)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1/2 cup quinoa flour (or again, regular)

with this... go to town!! smash, mix, knead and rub all these ingredients together. make it into a delicious crumble. go by feel. and taste.

next goes on the crumble. crumble it around evenly. into the hot oven goes your creation. i baked mine for 45 minutes. but really... all ovens are different. try 30 minutes first. look at the bottom the the dish... can you see all the tasty juices bubbling yet? is your crumble getting nicely browned? if yes... to both... take it out. if not, keep it in for the rest of the time. when it is done, let it rest for about 15 minutes. if you can. this will let juices thicken a bit more. and it's good for your patience. a little bit of waiting now and then is good for you. when we finally dug into the crumble it was soooo good!! i'm glad that i used sugar. it was worth it.

snack of the month!! i could not wait any longer to tell you about this one!! these little guys are incredible! pamela's products simplebits... seriously. i can't believe how tasty these little guys are. especially the ginger snaps. i haven't been able to find them in a grocery store. only in health food stores, or over in buffalo. if you see them though... just pick up a bag. and then one day... or night... try one. without a doubt, you will eat a few more! they aren't sugar-free. they are gluten-free. and dairy-free. they are now in my cheat day list... when i want to eat a good ol' cookie. mmmm!

the count down?

67 days... aderito and i will be together!

69 days... we fly off at night... to wake up in the morning ... 4 hours ahead... and on the wee island of sao miguel. that's going to be a rough night. please, don't let me forget to bring gravol!

the pansouffle.

the past week has been filled with unnecessary drama. i was going to get into it... and rant.. and rave... and unload. but, i think that it's one of those situations where i should just close the chapter. and really carry on. it's drama that has nothing to do with me, at all. however, one part that does effect me... is that i won't be hanging out with alex anymore. i'll miss his craziness... i won't miss the drama.

today was lovely. i went and worked out. i did laundry. jim and i went and looked at dishwashers. we've promised our mom a new one... hopefully friday we will.

oh, and i made ricotta and quinoa pancakes. mmm. i'm eating more carbs. but, virtually no gluten. so, the quinoa flour has replaced flour in all my recipes. i really like it. recently, i read elizabeth hasselbeck's new book... the g-free diet. i'm a huge fan of 'the view'. when i watch the show, i'm not usually a big fan of elizabeth. she did a fantastic job with this book though!! i've learned most gluten-free food also has a lower glycemic index. which is what i want. foods that are lower in the glycemic index are digested slower, produce a slower rise in blood sugar, usually control your appetite and delay hunger. i've found in the past that when i eat certain carbs, sugar, usually anything that has a higher glycemic index... it makes me... irritable. like, i can never satisfy my cravings or hunger. so, i've cut out a lot of sugary stuff... and have allowed myself to have gluten-free carbs. i've felt a lot better.

right... ricotta/quinoa pancakes. these bad boys tasted so good that once i thought about taking a photo to share... it was too late. the recipe however? here it is...

ricotta and quinoa pancakes

4 eggs, separated
1 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup quinoa flour
2 tbsps agave nectar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vanilla

in a bowl, put... yolks, cheese, flour, agave nectar, lemon and vanilla. mix, till flour is incorporated. in another bowl, or your mixer... whip whites till almost stiff. take about 1/4 of the white and whisk it into the ricotta mixture. fold in the rest of the whites. now... the cooking part. i found that these pancakes liked lower heat. medium heat or lower. mmm... slow-cooked pancakes.

and, well.... i feel like they should be called pansouffles. they are cooked in a pan... but, they aren't really cakey. they are light... definitely like a wee souffle. i made a mixed berry sauce to go along. oh yum!

snack of the month. i'm kind of disappointed that no one has asked what it is. i highly suggest that everyone go to the bulk barn as soon as possible. walk directly to the dried fruit section. find the natural dried mango. open up one of those baggies... grab the tongs... and fill up that bag. hopefully you are getting up off your chair... scanning the room for your keys, and walking out the door.

seriously enjoy the mango. you can thank me later.

muito encantador, de fato

blah.

that pretty much sums up how i've been feeling. since thursday i've been on the constant cusp of The Sickness. i worked out, and tried to eat loads of healthiness. however yesterday, i succumbed to it. waking up this morning feeling quite dreadful... i tried to go along like everything was peachy. but... felt drained. so, instead of working out and keeping busy. i ended up sitting in my bed, and ate muffins. hopefully tomorrow when i wake up, my energy will have returned. and i can bike ride, go to curves, do my strength training.

oh yes. i went and bought weights. and i found a few work out online that i've followed. i kinda like it. the one video is called, "tank top arms". huh, that's what i would like. please.

i'm getting more and more excited about going away in august. and more and more nervous.

everyday i go to a website that has a live weather camera of ponta delgada. the largest city on sao miguel. it's about 22 km from aderito's hometown... ribiera seca. it's so cute. like a postcard. the weather there in the spring, summer and fall is similar to what is like here. their winters however, are never as cold. it might get down to about 8C... but, that's it. never freezing. sheesh... must me nice. anyways, this is what ponta delgada looked like tonight...

it's enchanting. isn't it?

yet another muffin recipe...

usually, i take my time posting a new recipe. but, this one is soooo incredibly good. i can't wait!!

last week, i made squash muffins. it was a pretty easy way to eat an extra serving of vegetables. the flour that i used was soy and some salba. so... didn't feel too bad about eating them! it also inspired me to think about other veggies i could put into a muffin... carrots, zucchini... umm... i think that's it. when i put together my grocery list, i made sure i wrote down zucchini so i could try out as soon as possible.

i found a decent regular zucchini cornmeal muffin recipe... and i followed it, substituting my healthier ingredients for the typical ingredients used in baking. i'll give you the recipe i used, and in brackets the regular alternative. i've been using gluten-free products and sweetening with agave nectar in pretty much everything i bake. the past few baking experiment i've used soy flour. this time around, i thought i would try quinoa flour. it's lighter. i like it.

zucchini cornmeal muffins
(preheat oven 300F)

1 1/2 cups quinoa flour (or, all purpose flour)
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

put all these ingredients into a large bowl.

and, into a small separate bowl... these ingredients:

1/3 cup agave nectar (or, honey)
2 eggs, beaten
4 tbsps becel oil
3/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

give the ingredients in the wet bowl, a little pre-mix. then, make a little hole in the center of your dry ingredients, pour in wet ingredients. stir slowly, mixing together... but, don't over mix!! into greased muffin tins, fill each cup 3/4. bake, for 30 minutes. mmm... enjoy!! they are sooo good nice and warm!

i've ate 2 already. siobhan, ate 1/2... she said they weren't sweet enough. jim, ate 2... and siobhan's uneaten 1/2. i think that if i was going to bake these for small children, and wanted to disguise the vegetably goodness... i would use yellow zucchini, and puree it (raw). as for the sweetness. add extra, if you like. oh goodness... i'm having to use some serious self-control. all i want is to run to the kitchen and eat another 2 more!

my curves, biking, eating healthy is going well. i didn't go to get weighed and measured in march. so, i knew that i had to go in april. i was dreading it!!! ugh. so, last monday i went. the weighing made me sad. i had only lost 3 pounds since february. however, when i was measured... i was down a total of 10 inches! it boggled my mind. so, i am toning... the fat is leaving, and the muscle is growing. i suppose that's ok. i had to go and do a bit of online research to completely understand what happened. on one site they explained that 1 pound of fat... is like a 1 pound bag of popcorn. while, 1 pound of muscle is like a pound bag of rocks. the popcorn is going to take up a whole lot more room. and the rocks are going to weigh the same, just take up less space. ok. i'm ok with that. i just would like the scale to go down. please. on saturday... i was happy to have a few minutes to talk to my favourite athletic therapist... kelly. i asked what else i could do to make the fat GO AWAY. she suggest lifting weights. just 5 pound weights. it's not going to make me huge or muscly. just more toning. i'm good with that. i also bought a skipping rope. i just need to figure out a good place to use it.

94 more days till aderito is here.

96 till we go to ribiera seca... the wee little village he grew up in.

one more time.

on sunday i attempted to make a rhubarb berry crisp. and failed miserably. i wanted it to be the healthiest version i could make. i didn't want to use butter, flour, oats, sugar. i've been gathering healthier versions of those things... but, apparently didn't quite know how to use them.

instead of sugar... stevia and agave syrup. instead of cornstarch... arrowroot. instead of white flour... soy flour. instead of oats... wheatgerm.

i'll give you the good recipe.

2 cups frozen mixed berries
1 cup frozen rhubarb
1 tsp stevia
2 tbsps arrowroot
2 tbsps cold water

all this into a pot, cook over medium heat... when the fruit is no longer frozen add the stevia. cook this for about 10 minutes... a quiet simmer. mix the arrowroot and water together. slowly stir into the simmering fruit. it will thicken up the juices. pour into your chosen crumble baking dish.

1/2 cup becel margarine
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup arrowroot
1/4 cup soy flour
1 cup wheatgerm

mix all these ingredients together in a bowl. the mixture will be like a thick cookie dough. spoon evenly over the berry rhubarb mixture. bake at 350F for about 30 minutes... or until the crumble mix is golden.

the bad crumble i made on sunday... was eaten for the most part. usually for breakfast with cottage cheese. i can't wait to be able to eat the GOOD version for breakfast tomorrow! mmm!

nanny duties have been trying lately. alex is a super good child when it is just the two of us. we march in a big circle... clapping our hands. we see who can push his truck the farthest down the hall. we share my lunch everyday... cause it's always far more exciting than his! but, as soon as his mother is around. he's a big huge handful. he hits her, a lot. he has only hit me once... as soon as it happened... he was promptly put on the naughty step. and sat there, and cried. he's never hit me again. but, when he hits his mom... she slaps both hands twice and yells... "NO"! i'm far from knowing much about parenting. but... here are my thoughts on hitting. if your child hits you... and you hit him back. doesn't it send some sort of sign that hitting is ok... even when you are yelling "no" at the same time? i've been struggling with saying nothing. but, today... i spoke up... and suggested instead of yelling and smacking his hands... try the step. she was responsive to this... until he started crying. and then went over, picked him up. well... maybe next time? good news... tomorrow is going to be beautiful! and that means... we are going outside! i'm not quite sure what we are going to do... perhaps we will make some playdough... and he can go sit outside and make a big bad mess.

aderito and i countdown together everyday. except i do the real count... and he keeps saying that there are only 100 days. i think that perhaps he doesn't want to start counting till we are at... 100. there are 105 days to go. i've continued the slow shopping... this time.. a cute bag.

one more thing... my wedding ring no longer fits. before, it was only when my hands were really cold. now... it's falling off all the time. what am i going to do?

stevia rebaudiana

this week, we've had to make a few changes. you see... momma karen has been seeing this super cool mind and body doctor. the doctor suggested that my mom should take all processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and carbohydrates out of her diet. no more diet soda, splenda, little packets of flavour for water, bread, pastas, decaffeinated beverages, chocolate, chips, candy... you get my point. right?

so, on tuesday... i did a major... and i mean MAJOR clean out. well... it was pretty easy, there really wasn't a whole lot of carbs in the house to begin with. siobhan and momma karen were already eating everything that i've been eating for the past few weeks for dinner. so, it was just other bits of crap that was kickin' around. gone. into the composter. all the other stuff that wasn't opened was sent away with my brother... to his girlfriends dorm room! all the healthy food that we will be cooking with was moved into pantry in the kitchen. the other food, that we don't need to see, think about, want to eat... was put into the back room pantry. perfect.

i made butter chicken that night too!! oh my!! butter chicken is usually really rich, creamy, and oh... buttery. but, my mom had been watching a cooking show. and these women created a much healthier version of it!! it's terrific.... and tasted pretty stinkin' close to the real stuff. of course we ate it with whipped cauliflower! it was just like eating it with basmati rice. it soaked up all the tasty sauce. mmmm!

in the comments section of the previous post, my friend jenn mentioned stevia. this stuff is magic!!! go and check out their website... and read about the benefits in length! here is a little blurb from the site though...

"Benefits of stevia: Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a wonderful dietary supplement used for over 1500 years as a sweetener and for medicinal purposes. Since the 1970's, stevia has been used in Japan as the main alternative to sugar, used instead of the banned aspartame in diet soda, gum and other food and beverages. Stevia is also being used as a sweetener in other countries after extensive studies proved it's safety. Stevia has been used with success to treat many ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure, gingivitis, digestion ailments, addictions, topically for acne and other skin ailments and also as a wonderful weight loss aid. Safe for diabetics as it does not raise blood sugar!"

so, i went out and bought some. i was excited to start experimenting with it!!! one of my mom's greatest disappointments about no more artificial sweeters was no more diet pop. she doesn't drink lots of it... but, likes something fizzy to drink once in a while. so... i created this for her:

fizzy berry soda
2 cups frozen berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry)
1 cup water
2 tsps stevia
put everything into a pot, over medium-high heat... simmer for 20 minutes. stir occasionally. blend with stick blender. then pass through a fine sieve, into a container. chill. then put about 1/4 cup of the sauce into a glass with a few ice cubes and top with club soda!!!

according to my mom... it's pretty good! i haven't had any yet... but, on april 1st... when i can have fruit again. i will definitely try it out!! i think that i'm going to make mango sauce... and a bunch of other different kinds. it will be refreshing when it gets warm out!

5 more days till i have some fruit.

133 more days till aderito arrives in toronto.

135 more days till we fly off to vila franca do campo!

almond flour, labne, and bill murray.

the amount of healthy south beach recipes that are available these days makes this chick... pumped! the last time i went through this... sure, there was a book available with recipes. but, i definitely don't recall the recipes being this good... and i didn't ever think about looking online for more! this time however... wow!! the sheer plethora of recipes available is overwhelming. i don't know where to start... or what to make everyday. this time around seems to be so much easier.

this morning, i decided that i was sick of eating eggs. ugh. so, i searched for phase 1 breakfast recipes. what did i find?! almond meal pancakes!! woohoo! i don't usually have almond meal (but, last year i made elderberry pies. and i used almond meal to thicken the elderberry juices). anyways... they were really easy, and i think that they tasted pretty good. siobhan on the other hand... didn't enjoy them quite so much. hahaha!! she tried... but, in the end couldn't deal with the texture. in the afternoon... i made a whipped lime cheesecake. seriously. sugar-free lime jello (dissolved in a bit of warm water. no fat cream cheese. and non-fat nutriwhip. mixed them together! till thick. yuuum! i put it into the freezer. it's the closest thing i've had to ice cream in quite some time! ohhh... and dinner. white bean and turkey meatloaf. loved it. looking forward to having leftovers tomorrow! i also started to make labne. it's a greek cheese... like a fresh mozzarella. the recipe called for greek nonfat yogurt. but, when i went to the store... i could only find greek goat yogurt. it's a good thing that i love goat cheese! the yogurt is mixed with a bit of salt, then into a strainer lined with cheesecloth (over a bowl), covered and into the fridge for 48 hours. tomorrow afternoon it should be done!! all i have to is ball it up, and i might roll it in italian seasoning. mmmm.

early this morning, aderito called me. we have been trying to keep the phone calls to only at night... so, when my phone ran and it was aderito i was surprised! so, he just wanted to let me know that it had been raining all morning... but, that it was sunny and he was going to go to work. i noticed that something was strange... it was like he was down a hole. he was sounding much farther way than usual. so, i mentioned this to him... why do you sound so far away? aderito's reply? oh well... my phone jumped in the water. nikki's reply? WHAT? he explained that this morning, he was already up and ready to work when his foreman called to tell them men to stay at home. so, aderito decided to go and get coffee and breakfast. on the way there... his phone fell out of his pocket and into a puddle while he was driving. i love the translation!! it made for a good laugh all day! it also made me think about when aderito and i go to azores... there will most definitely be a few people that will try to talk to me... in english. and without a doubt... there will be a few things lost in translation.

10 more days without all starchy sugary carby stuff.

138 more days till aderito arrives!

the great and powerful garbanzo!

have i recently mentioned my complete love for snacks? i do. i snack all day long. but, taking sugary snacks out of the mix has been difficult. that kettle corn i was eating earlier this month... loaded with sweet crispy sugar. honestly, i think i ate about 15 bags of it. one morning however... it was the first thing i thought about!! mmm... how long until i can open a bag of that deliciously addicting popcorn. so, i stopped that asap. and now... need to fill that ridiculous void. this is my third day sugar-free. all is well... except that i think about sugar all freaking day long, and i have a raging headache. i just took 3 ibuprofen. hopefully the dull pounding will be gone by the time i hit publish.

last night, as i was laying in bed... ready to go to sleep. this unreal craving for chickpeas hit me! i all of the sudden wanted to eat them... in any form possible! except for straight out of the can. nope. can't bring myself to do that. so, this afternoon... after i had vacuumed and wet swiffered the front entrance. i got out my wee little food processor. this baby is so small! i could only fit 1/2 can of chickpeas in it! i have a feeling that it just might be in my best interest to purchase a much larger food processor. ohhh... imagine all the hummus i could make then!!

yes, carrying on. the glorious hummus recipe...

1 can chickpeas (rinsed)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice (real or fresh)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (or about 2 cloves)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt/pepper

so, i threw the chickpeas into the food processor... and whizzed them around till they were chopped up. then added the garlic and cumin. whizzed it around a bit more. keeping the food processor on at medium speed... drizzled in the olive oil (just enough till it becomes smooth). while the processor is still on, poured in the lemon juice till pita/cucumber dipping consistency. then add in your salt and pepper. whiz around once more... then taste it!! is it good? add a bit more olive oil... or lemon juice if you want. its going to be different for everyone.

i ate this for my mid-afternoon snack. with cucumber. it was perfect! and then... as i was enjoying the crunchy cucumber... i remembered seeing somewhere a recipe for roasted chickpeas. and i thought, yes!! i can snack on those bad boys later on while watching lost! so, i looked around... and found a recipe that was ok... and i took a few ideas from it. but, in the end... this is what i came up with...

spicy moroccan roasted chickpeas.

preheat oven to 400F

1 can of chickpeas (drained)
1/4 cup olive oil

into a bowl add:
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice (optional, unless you have it kickin' around the spice rack)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder (add a bit more... if you're the spicy type!)
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon sea salt

add the chickpeas, toss around in spice mix. add oil... toss till well coated.
put it onto a baking sheet... and into the oven for about 40 minutes. about half way through, give them a bit of a shake. and at the end of the 40 minutes... taste! if they are still soft, back in they go! you want them to have just a little bit of a soft center. when they cool... they will crisp up more.

i love how cinnamon, allspice and cloves manage to create the illusion of sweetness! it's magic.

pissed off and psyched out

the no sugar thing... is brutal. however, about 65% of the time i'm feeling pretty good about this decision. i was unbelievably exhausted last night. and slept better than i have in weeks. i woke up and had some cottage cheese and plain yogurt... and strawberry/orange/banana crystal light with wheat grass ice cubes. yeah. in a very local health food store, i found frozen wheat grass juice!! far too exciting. and they make excellent ice cubes! i drank more water today that i did in all of last week. which makes my body very happy... and my bladder a little overexcited. there were many dashes to the bathroom throughout the day.

i went and worked out. and worked extra hard, because i'm pretty pissed off. let me tell you why. about 2 weeks ago, i went to work out. usually after every workout, i have a chat with the owner. she's pretty cool... and has been very interested in helping me find a job. this particular day she asked me if i was interested in working for her. i was thrilled!! it's what i need at the moment. to be immersed in the healthy. and away from a kitchen stocked with tasty tasty food... and sugar. so, the next day... i brought in my CV, and told her that the only experience that i have is in the kitchen. she seemed to be alright with this. so, we didn't talk about it at all that week. last week... i took the week off. on the friday of last week though, i went onto the local job finding website. i check it out every single day to see who is hiring... and try to send out a few resumes. anyways, what do i see? only one posting for fort erie. for a personal trainer. at freaking CURVES!! i was kind of offended. so, what did i do? i immediately sent her a strongly worded email. well... strongly in the kindest way possible. letting her know that i was interested. so... yesterday, i went in and she wasn't there. but, i had the chance to talk with one of the other trainers to find out what the situation was... and i asked her to leave a note for the woman asking for her to call me. which then brings us to today. still no phone call. no reply to my email. and when i saw her, she asked me how i was... but, she wasn't able to look me in the eyes... because her head was turned and she was headed back out the door. i will go and work out tomorrow. but, i think that i'm finished being aggressive about this particular job. it's her turn.

for lunch, i made a tasty salad! arugula, parmesan cheese, a light grainy mustard dressing, and topped it with 2 perfectly poached eggs. yum! this afternoon, i just relaxed. made sure siobhan did her chores. and took a few surveys that were sent to me. i do probably 2 a day. its fun. gives me something to do. and, for some reason leads me to believe that my opinions on toilet paper commercials really do matter. todays survey? the topic... SUGAR. oh, how i wish i was joking. more specifically.... candy. what my favourite was. how i feel about licorice. every question possible about delectable satisfying, comforting candy. i made it through the survey. and sipped on my crystal light.

oh! dinner.. yum! i made tomato and white bean soup. it was pretty effin' good. and easy. and there are leftovers! i think that tomorrow, i might add some ground chicken to the leftovers. and it will be like a loose tomatoey sauce. and bake spaghetti squash... and eat it like pasta and meat sauce. i feel like i'm constantly trying to psych out my palate... and make it believe that all this food is rich and filling. like a big bowl of gnocchi with brown butter. oh goodness.

sweet green grass...

in constant continuation of my current heath kick... i recently bought wheatgrass powder.

i'm not about to claim to be knowledgeable about this product, but i will share the small amount that i have researched over the past few days...

in the ever popular bullet format...

- aids in the prevention of and fight against infections and improves the body's ability to heal wounds.
- helps removes heavy metals from the body.
- absorbs 92 out of the known 102 minerals from the soil.
- helps with skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis.
- chlorophyll in wheatgrass helps improve blood sugar disorders.
- helps eliminate body odours.
- the high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.
- helps prevent tooth decay.
- chlorophyll in wheatgrass helps purify the liver.
- arrests the growth of unfriendly bacteria.
- is an energiser for body and mind.
- great for constipation and keeping the bowels open.
- is non-allergenic.
- aids in the prevention and fight against cancer.

all good things. so, when i got home yesterday... i whipped up a smoothie, and added 2 tsps of the wheatgrass powder. and then this morning, when i woke up, i decided that i would start my day with a wheatgrass shot. i took 2 tsps of the powder, and mixed it with about 1.5 ounces of tropicana orange/mango/peach juice. mmmm....




i would also like to remind you that almost every episode of "private practice", addison drinks a wheatgrass smoothie. according to dell (who is training to be a midwife), he makes her a wheatgrass smoothie every morning. apparently addison is said to believe that wheatgrass “detoxifies, energizes and stimulates.”

gran...ola!

last night i had wretched sleep. i was hot, then cold, then hot, then my phone rang at 4am... and all that was on the other end was random beeping. i think that it was aderito. sometimes, he sleeps with his phone... and i guess he managed to call me and then press random buttons. thanks for thinkin' of me.

tomorrow is monday. the plan... to wake up. go to curves and workout. come home... clean up... eat. and then go to the bulk food store and buy ingredients to make granola! it's lovely. my brother refuses to call it granola... and instead calls it, "the poop maker". how nice.

i hadn't ever made granola before. and loosely went from a granola bar recipe i found. i mean loose... as in... i kinda used the ingredients that were listed... and that's it. i appreciate that at the bulk food store, they list the nutritional information for each item. i loaded up with unsalted, nonroasted seeds of all kinds! pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, golden flax seeds. as well as... sliced almonds, unsweetened coconut. oats. i think that's it. toasted them in the oven... and then mixed it up with organic peanut butter, organic honey and a wee bit of splenda brown sugar. put it all back on the pan... cooked it and stirred often for 15 minutes. then let it cool, and added sulphite-free apples, unsweetened dried mango, and organic apricots! wow. i think that tomorrow... i'm going to take out the splenda brown sugar... and use molasses. the goal is a stickier granola!! and no more mango. it's too hard. perhaps organic raisins instead.

and, i think that tomorrow might become dusting day. tuesday, bathroom cleaning day. and wednesday vacuuming. and then the other 4 days... the usual stuff that i do around the house. contrary to what i was like about 7 years ago... i'm now a big fan of systems and intense organization. oooohh.... organization. i think that i might go through the kitchen cupboards and re-organize those this week too!!

i sent my CV off to a family that is looking for a personal chef, for 30 hours a week. that would be different. and ideal. hopefully i hear something soon!

brahms ate soup...

i'm sick. disgustingly and wretchedly sick. approximately every 20 minutes i sneeze... or think that i am about to. i've went through 2 boxes of kleenex... big boxes of puffs ultra to be exact. i'm tired of blowing my nose... ugh.

needless to say, i haven't been back to curves. however, the lovely lady that manages called me today to make sure i was ok... and that i was going to come back! how very nice. i explained that i have the death-plague... and that i didn't want to come in and spread it around. she appreciated my thoughtfulness.

while being sick, i decided that i should at least pay more attention to what i am eating... and started counting calories. i know. it sounds so boring and controlled. but... that's what i like about it. well... not the boring part. but, having the complete control. hopefully this method combined with exercising... well... i'll be azores beach-ready in no time!!

i made turkey soup today. i love making soup. the process, the smell, the warmth. i don't understand how the "soup nazi" could have possibly been such a harsh person. being around all that soup all day... you think it would have been incredibly soothing for him.

like a lullaby in a pot.