Green Stevia

The only sweetener I use is Green Stevia!! 

Green Stevia, or Eupatorium rebaudianum, is a leafy plant native to Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela. Since its use by the Guarani Indians in this region began 1,500 years ago, Green Stevia has been used as a medicinal herb in many parts of the world.

Made from the leaves of the plant simply by drying and crushing them, this powder (10-15 times sweeter than sugar) is the only sweetener that is alkaline building, all others are acid building. Green Stevia is 0 Calories and is 0 on the Glycemic Index, so it is good for Diabetics and people wanting to loose weight. Also, it has many good health benefits, including but not limited to: balancing blood sugars; promoting good oral hygiene; etc. etc. I used use the green powder in my tea and have now read/tried/use a different method which is even better. Boil water, put 1 TBSP or so into a cup and fill it with boiling water, let it steep until it's cooled right down (I usually leave it a few hours) then strain it to separate the liquid from the now wet powder. I use the Stevia Water in my tea and have even been using it in water to make it more palatable (I never have liked water much)... hot or cold water becomes much nicer to drink like this, even add a bit of lemon to it. So now... the 'sludge' left over, the wet powder. I read that it helps to heal minor sores and somewhere else that it's good to use on your face followed by coconut oil which I like to use anyway. Awhile ago I had a terrible rash on my chest and I still have some sores left from it, and scars. Tonight I put what I think of as Stevia Sludge on my chest and my face and left it there while I watched some TV, then went and washed it off with a nice hot cloth. I then put coconut oil on both face and chest. It really is amazing just how good this whole treatment was. There was a tingling feeling and I swear I could feel my skin tightening up, felt 'weird' but good, then the coconut oil moisturized my skin and felt great!! I will sleep tonight with a towel on my pillow to protect the pillow case from the oil that will rub off my skin, but that's okay. I plan to make this a regular part of my skin care routine. I don't use the store bought skin care stuff anymore since I came to understand that those products are not natural and likely not good for us. Our skin absorbs all the chemicals and such that we put on it, and those are just toxic!!

I used to use the white Stevia powder that they sell in health food stores as well as must grocery stores now days.... then I learned the truth. White Stevia powder is just as unhealthy for us as all these chemical artificial sweeteners!!! I can't understand how health food stores can sell that, making us believe it's healthy when it's crap!! How do you take something Green and make it White??? Think about it!! The only NATURAL, whole foods, healthy way to use Stevia is using it Green. The plant grows, the leaves are picked, dried ground into powder.... that's all, period!!

And since Green Stevia is natural it does not have the bitter after taste that many of the white stevia powders do. That comes from the processing, from the chemicals and fillers used.  No chemicals or fillers in the Green Stevia Powder!!

If it's not GREEN, it's not NATURAL!! 

Health Challenges

I have been going through some health challenges of late.  I once again have been battling Sinusitis and Bronchitis.

Wikipedia says, in part:
Sinusitis is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, which may be due to infection, allergy, or autoimmune issues. Most cases are due to a viral infection and resolve over the course of 10 days. It is a common condition; for example, in the United States more than 24 million cases occur annually

Bronchitis is inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi, the airways that carry airflow from the trachea into the lungs. Bronchitis can be divided into two categories, acute and chronic, each of which has two distinct etiologies, pathologies, and therapies.

C-Health tells us:
Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses. It may be associated with both bacterial and viral infections, but it may be due to non-infectious inflammation (e.g., allergies) in the sinuses as well. Sinusitis can be acute and last less than 4 weeks, or chronic and last 8 to 12 weeks or more. Acute sinusitis is very common, affecting about 1 in 10 people each year.
People with diabetes or cystic fibrosis and people who are immunocompromised are at increased risk for sinusitis, as are those who were born with a malformed septum (the dividing wall between the nostrils).

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways between the windpipe and the lungs (bronchial tubes). The lining of these tubes produces large amounts of mucus, triggering a lingering cough. About 1 in 20 people in North America suffers from chronic bronchitis. Women are more at risk than men.

Both Sinusitis and Bronchitis have acute and chronic forms, which the web sites tell about too.

What I experience:
Sinusitis: My sinuses usually get stuffy, sometimes my nostrils start to get dried 'stuff' in them and feel irritated. When I blow my nose there is blood in the mucus (phlegm/snot).  Sometimes when I wake my nose is all stuffed up, one side or the other or even both sides, or at times it is running profusely down onto my pillow.  When my sinuses are plugged up, I have a hard time breathing and have to work at remembering to mouth breath which is very challenging for a nose breather.  I often get a mild case of sinusitis with stuffiness and blood when I blow, and it always goes away on its own. I don`t usually get a really bad case of it like I have now, though this is happening more than usual lately.

Bronchitis: I start to feel like a weight has been put on my chest, and breathing becomes difficult. With even minor exertion I go into coughing fits where I am unable to stop coughing and it becomes nearly impossible to breath at all.  I often cough up phlegm during these fits and it often, though not always, has blood spots in it. Sometimes I hear a rattle or wheeze with each breath.

Treatment: With the mild cases of sinusitis, I never do anything and it always goes away on its own.  However, with a bad case I sometimes have to resort to going to the doctor and to taking antibiotics. I greatly dislike taking meds of any kind especially antibiotics, yet at times one has to do what one has to do.  Rinsing sinuses frequently, using a Neti Pot.

I have had both of these conditions before, though few and far between and never the two together.... until this year.  In January I got bronchitis and had to take antibiotics, then in the summer, I believe it was August, I got viral laryngitis which became sinusitis and bronchitis and again I ended up on antibiotics.  Now it is November and again I have sinusitis and bronchitis and am on antibiotics.  This time it is affecting me more than ever before in that I have gotten very weak.  I have always been very strong (physically even when not emotionally) and independent, and I live alone with several animals to care for.  Suddenly I find myself so weak I can hardly walk from truck to house carrying my purse and a small bag of stuff.  I find this extremely scary!! 

Too Many "itis"s !

I really do not do 'sick' well.  I mean, no one seems to enjoy being sick though maybe some to as it gives them something to whine about, some reason for others to feel sorry for them. Not me!!  I do not 'do sick' well, lol.  I will tell you about what's been happening in this department of my life, but please do not feel sorry for me, know I am strong and on the mend! Out of it all, I have only stayed home one day and the rest of them I've continued to lead my wonderful life, including riding my motorcycle trike.

I have been rather ill the last while, which is not actually normal for me. First one evening I was on my way home from visiting a friend and I noticed my throat was quite sore.  I thought I better drink more water, am maybe getting a little dehydrated as I know I haven't been drinking enough, it has been very hot, and I ride a motorcycle which tends to make one drier.

The next morning I was to go on a long day's ride with friends from one of the motorcycle riding groups I am part of. I had really been looking forward to this ride as well as riding with the BC Lone Wolves again. They are such a great group of people!  Unfortunately, I had to change my plans and stay home as my throat was even more painful and I didn't want to be sick on a long ride like that. After texting to let Buzz know I would not be able to go along, I went back to sleep and when I woke up I found that my voice was barely working.  Hmmmm.  It has been many many years now since I have gotten a flu or cold, yet obviously something was going on in my body that I did not like.  That afternoon I went to a walk-in clinic to see a doctor and was told that I had 'viral laryngitis' and that it would go away on it's own in a 2-3 days.

A few days later sees me stuffed up in my head, sneezing and blowing lot of 'phlegm' out of my nose.  I also was coughing and hacking up phlegm from my lungs!  But hey, the sore throat was gone! I decided to go back to the walk-in clinic because I have had lung problems before, including bronchitis and pneumonia and know better than to mess around with that!! So, back I go and see another doctor who listens to my chest a bit and informs me that I do not need any antibiotics as there is nothing at all in my lungs.  I have sinusitis and the phlegm is running down my throat into my lungs and that is what I am coughing up. He says to get a Nedi Pot and rinse out my sinuses and all will be good.  A friend lent me his big syringe that his doctor had given him awhile back for flushing out the sinuses, and all I had to do was wash it before using it.  It is a bit tricky, something I'd never done before, yet do it I did and yes, it did seem to help some.  Still, I had the nasty cough and lots of phlegm coming to light.

Yesterday, I talked to 2 friends on the phone, both heard my cough and both told me what I had already been thinking. It was good to hear the support, and it was great advice!!  They both said "Go to another doctor. Get a second opinion!! This guy is wrong!! That is a very nasty cough!!" or things of that nature.  I called my own family doctor to see if I could get in, ya like that would happen the same day!!  Well, it did!! Usually it takes several days to a week to get in, but they fit me in about an hour after I called.  Guess I sounded sick!! haha.  Well, he agreed that I have sinusitis, though he also feels I have either bronchitis or pneumonia.  He gave me a requisition for chest x-rays and a prescription for antibiotics and off I went.

Today I had the x-rays done so will find out next week which it is, bronchitis or pneumonia, and in the meantime I will be working at getting back to my usual healthy self!

Hydrating Our Bodies

I don't know about you, but I sure don't drink enough water.  I do try, and occasionally I do manage to drink 1/2 ounce of water for every pound of body weight which is what is healthy for us to drink.  Most times, however, I don't succeed and often I forget to drink any water at all. I find that the best thing for me to do is to put water into water bottles rather than using a glass.  This makes it more convenient for me to take along throughout the day wherever I go, as well as to keep track of how many ounces I drink. I came across as web site today with some nice options for carrying water along... water bottle camelbak.  They have not only have several different bottles, but also packs for carrying the bottles in if you are hiking or whatever. Things like this can help us to drink more water and keep our bodies properly hydrated. 

Speaking of drinking water, I am going to get a bottle of it for myself now.

All Canadian Riders Club

Today I got a visit from Dan, a close friend of mine who has been living in Edmonton Alberta for around 9 months now, due to not enough work here at home.  He has come home for about a week or so and came by to visit me for a couple hours.  It sure was good to see him again.

I thought my chiropractor appointment was tomorrow at 4:30pm as I clearly remember telling Michelle to make it for Wednesday.  However, the reminder slip was on my table when Dan was here and I looked at it and discovered that it was made for today!!!  Good thing I looked at that reminder slip... something I don't always take. 

After my chiropractic treatment, I had about an hour to kill before going out on my regular Tuesday night ride, so I went to Canadian Tire to look at GPS systems.  The speedometer on my trike is not accurate and I have been approximating my speeds by the tachometer.  Two people have recently told me that the GPS systems tell you your speed and one told me it is even more accurate than the police radar guns!! Well, the less expensive GPS units did not have the speed you are traveling on them so I would have to pay more, and they guy that works there and was helping me said that you can't count on GPS systems to give you correct speed as they are extremely inaccurate!! So now I have conflicting stories and don't know what to do.  I will have to do some research on the internet I guess.

It was just before 6pm when I arrived at Blenz Coffee, the usual Tuesday evening time and place to meet for our All Canadian Riders Club ride.  Shane was there before me, Randy and Hammer soon arrived.  Hammer got a coffee and something to eat, so it was around 7pm when we actually left to ride.  We had been talking about riding and camping, and I had said I need an air mattress or foam mattress for camping. Randy told us about a really nice one he'd seen at Costco for a very reasonable price.  I don't have a Costco card,, but Shane does, so he suggested we go to Costco. We all hopped on our bikes and off we went for the 45 minute or so ride there.  Unfortunately, they were all sold out of the camping mattresses, but I got a pair of very nice leak proof travel mugs and Shane got a few things too. Having ridden there by the main highway, we rode back along back roads as much as possible. Glenmore from Kelowna to Winfield, highway for a few blocks, then took the road on the back side of Woods lake to Oyama.  From there we had to ride a ways on the highway again, then cut up a road to connect with Commonage Road which takes us right into Vernon.  I waved goodbye to the guys at the bottom of the hill and went off to fuel up my trike at Chevron and head home.  Today I had put 133Km on my trike.... yup, another good day!!

Rough Day

I had a hard time waking up this morning.  I was so tired that I would wake up, roll over to get up and before I could get out of my bed I would fall asleep again.  When I finally did manage to wake enough to get up it was 11:30am.  My eyelids were swollen and I could hardly see out of the eyes. Needless to say I wasn't feeling great!! My head was buzzing and even hurting a bit.  One of my neighbors is a musician and a music teacher.  With the head I had today I sure am glad I didn't hear him playing the korg kronos 88 keyboard, or his drums.  I haven't been able to accomplish anything so far and have had a very quiet, laid back day. Finally I am able to think straight enough to write some posts here.  I am so glad I don't drink or do drugs as I suspect I would feel a lot worse after a night of that than I did today without it.

Hand Surgery

Two weeks ago today I had surgery on my left hand and my hand is doing well. I had a lump in my palm that I was told was a I still have a big lump in my palm where the surgery was and that area is all numb, but maybe as it heals some more.... The surgeon said it would take a month to heal and I think I have a build-up of scar tissue happening.  I will know more when I see the surgeon again on May 29th..

Frazzled!!

Talk about a frazzzzling day!!! My plan for today was to do a bit of blogging then head off to visit my Mom, about a 30 minute drive from here. It's been too long since I last went to visit Mumsy and I want to see her, so had planned to go yesterday and have a quiet day at home today, then wasn't feeling great yesterday and decided to nap instead of going anywhere. That makes today the day I go. So I am quietly blogging away and the phone keeps ringing, MSN is buzzing and when I don't answer it, the friend then phones instead, Skype starts ringing while I'm on the phone. Skype didn't want to work right, so ended up another phone call... more MSN bleeps.  Finally I get all that taken care of and phone Mom, "I'll be there soon" and I hear a noise outside. Someone arriving to visit me!! "I will still be there Mom, just not sure when".... while visiting the phone rings again, a dear friend who has been gone to South America for 6 months and Europe and USA for a month or two before that, so was very good to hear from him. Finally the phone started to beep, telling me it is about to die.  Ya, phone, me too!! All I want to do now is crawl into a bed... my double bed, a kids bunk beds, even the dog's bed... I don't care, just want to nap!! And I must head out to visit Mumsy... sigh.

I don't know why I get so frazzled so easily, stressed and overwhelmed, but I do. It didn't used to be like this and I so want to turn back the clocks so I can get rid of this kind of thing. I'm taking a few minutes to rest, then feed the birds and change my clothes before I head out to visit Mom.

I am grateful that so many people want to talk to me and spend time with me!! I just want it to be spread out over time, not all calling at once!! LOL.

Health Goals

I am taking steps to improve my health, so I have been using ASEA every day.  I also am drinking more water.  I have never been one to drink much water, though I know it is important to our health and I did try drinking more a few times, but never stuck with it. For many years I drank no water at all, and recently I've been drinking maybe a 10 ounce glass in the mornings... not enough!! My new goal is to drink 1/2 ounce water for every pound of body weight. This is the healthy amount of water for us to drink.  I am doing fairly well and achieving my goal most days.  I know this is good for my body, though I find it annoying to have to run to the bathroom so often, lol. All part of being a healthy person I guess, flushing toxins out of my body.

Colors and Joy!!

I've really been loving all the bright new colors in clothes this spring!!  I love color and in fact, need lots of color in my life, so seeing these beautiful clothes adds joy to my life. I want to get some nice new, bright colored clothes.  Yesterday I met a gal who was wearing a gorgeous top that is a beautiful, bright turquoise color and a really nice style.  I complemented her on it and she told me where she got it, it's actually a yoga top as were her pants and though she doesn't do yoga she likes to wear the clothes as they are so pretty and comfortable.  I came in the house, got on the computer and started researching yoga clothes, what they have and where I can get them locally as I always like to try things on. I discovered other sights, including Marcus nursing uniforms that have bright and beautifully colored clothes and was delighted to see that even uniforms are now coming out in exciting, joyful colors... and the uniforms were a lot less expensive than the yoga clothes!! Yes, colors add joy to my life and positively affect my mental health.

I Am Improving my LIFE!!

I have taken some very simple, yet important steps to improve my life!! I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!! Are you??  Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Diabetes, Deteriorated Disc Disease, Arthritis.... just some of what I live with every day of my life. Well, I can sit here and feel sorry for myself as I live with the pain, or I can take responsibility for my life and make some changes so I can enjoy it again.  Yes, I decided to make changes.  Check out this video and you will know more about what I am doing.  Life Changing!!!

After watching this video, if you want more information or to start changing your life for the better, go visit this site.

Dupuytren's Contracture

I have to have surgery on my left hand.  I was first on a cancellation list so was hoping to get in for the surgery in March, but that didn't happen so now I will be going April 24th.  The reason I need surgery is that I have what is called a Dupuytren's Contracture.  It is a lump in my left hand, along the tendon of my ring finger. My doctor thought it was a Ganglion, but the surgeon I saw said it's not, it's the Dupuytren's Contracture, he also said it's a non-cancerous tumor and if it doesn't come out it will continue to get bigger and bigger and will pull the tendon, bending the finger and making it useless.  Taking it out now is what he said is best, though it does mean possibility of it returning again. If we wait until it's somewhat bigger it lessens the chance of it returning, but it is a much greater chance of damaging nerves to the finger.  I am really sad that this means I won't be able to ride my trike until the end of May and I had planned to be riding the start of May.  I have 'runs' I had planned to attend with friends that ride, but now won't be going.  Oh well, as my friend Phil says, I have to take care of my health first, no matter how much I want to ride.

Veganism

I am continuing my studies of eating a vegan diet.  As I choose to eat this way for health purposes, it is important to make sure I am doing it right in order for it to be healthy. One must know how to get all the necessary nutrients from what they eat. The way I ate before was a meat based diet and I doubt I was getting all the required nutrients from it as I never ate properly.  I am now much more likely to cook myself a meal than I ever was before I started to eat the vegan way.  So far it hasn't helped me to loose any weight, however it has made a dramatic and profound improvement to my cholesterol levels in just 3 months.

As I surfed the web tonight, I came across a very good web site on veganism. They had lots of interesting things to read about, including vegan sources of proteins, Omega 3, iron, etc.  I will likely share some of that info here, but for tonight I am going to share something from another website.

Is veganism a good idea?

By: AFP Date:  2011-08-23 Place: Washington

Last week former US President Bill Clinton told American news channel CNN that he is now a vegan and eschews meat, eggs, and dairy in order to be healthier. Once famed for his love of hamburgers and doughnuts, Clinton, who had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004, dropped 24 pounds and has lowered his cholesterol levels dramatically since adopting a near vegan lifestyle last year. So, is veganism a good idea? "Veganism is one of the healthiest dietary lifestyles...if done properly," reports LiveScience of Clinton's eating regimen. "It is also one of the unhealthiest diets in town if not done properly, which is often the case." Animal products are packed with nutrients such as protein, omega-3 fatty acids (in fish), calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. This means in order to consume vital nutrients, vegans need to be extra-vigilant by eating calcium-rich dark, leafy greens such broccoli, kale, turnip greens and collards, zinc-filled nuts and beans, omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseeds, and protein-rich foods such as beans every single day, adds LifeScience. Unskilled or new vegans can also fall into the traps of making poor food choices due to limited food options, or rely on meat substitutes, which can be loaded with salt and fat. MyPyramid.gov recommends that vegans consume beans, nuts, nut butters, peas, tofu, tempeh and veggie burgers to meet protein needs. "I like the vegetables, the fruits, the beans, the stuff I eat now," Clinton told Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the CNN interview. His diet strategy now, he says, is to avoid any food that might damage his blood vessels, and to follow the guidance of famed plant-based food proponent Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., who directs the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Project House Cleaning

Yesterday I took all the stuff out of a couple cupboards in my kitchen.  I threw out several things then washed stuff that was dusty and going back into the cupboards.  I put my teas where my spices used to be as they need a whole cupboard as it turns out, but so do the spices. Odd for someone who rarely cooks.  Anyway, I decided to put in a new shelf in the one spot in order to put more of the spices. Today a friend brought me some wood which I quickly turned into a shelf.  Now instead of one shelf with spices strung all out and a lot of wasted head space, I have 2 short shelves of spices with little head space.  It looks so much better as well as being very user friendly.  Now I'm about to head into town to one or two Dollar Stores to find some baskets for organizing bagged spices and boxes of zip top bags, etc. I am pleased to have made some progress.

I haven't had a cold or flu for so very long, I would have to guess about 15 years, give or take. So you can imagine how much of a surprise it was when I got sick.  It started with my sinuses draining, which happens occasionally so no big deal, then the coughing and trouble breathing started, including coughing up large amounts of phlegm with a good deal of blood in it.  I went to a walk-in clinic and talked to a doctor who said I had pneumonia and wrote out a slip for me to get chest x-rays done and another for me to get some antibiotics.  Being Sunday I was able to get the antibiotics right away, and had to wait until the next day to get the x-rays done.  Thursday I went back to get the results and was told that the x-rays showed I didn't have pneumonia, but did have bronchitis.  Each day, bit by bit I am better.  Now I still cough a bit now and then though it's not so bad anymore and there was no phlegm coming up today.  I would say I'm almost mended.  I am very happy that tonight will be the last of the antibiotics and the start of healing from the damage of the drugs.

OUCH!!!

On Monday, two days ago, I was doing my volunteer work at the local Food Bank. I had done a bit of portioning of ice tea and orange crystals when Anna came and asked me to do some filing. i was busily doing the filing when suddenly I felt an extremely sharp and nasty pain in my left wrist. I really hadn't done anything that should have caused this to happen, was just moving some hanging files in one of the filing cabinets. It took some time for the pain to dye down enough for me to continue my work. Since then, I have had a very sore wrist and pain up into the back of my hand. I'm not sure what damage has been done in there, but am sure something has happened. This is not normal.

This left wrist is the one that was damaged in a crash on September 10, 2010 when I was riding my trike and was hit by a car. The distal radius (bone at base of thumb, goes up to elbow) was shattered right into the joint line (very bad), and every bone in the wrist was dislocated. I also had several other injuries, but this one was by far the worst. I was taken to hospital by ambulance and the next morning had surgery to reconstruct the wrist, and they put a metal plate in with 9 screws to hold it all together. After the bones were healed, the metal was causing me problems, so on March 30, 2011, I had a second surgery to remove the metal. At that time the surgeon also fixed the trigger finger issue I was having since the crash. I've had physiotherapy done on the wrist until the therapist decided she had done all that could be done for it.

Since the wrist healed from the second surgery, for about the last 6 months or so, the wrist has been pretty good. It has days when it hurts more than usual, when there's some clunking going on in there, but for the most part it's been doing pretty well, all things considered.... until 2 days ago. Now I have to keep the wrist and hand wrapped for support and just live with the extra pain. If it doesn't improve over the next few days, I will be going to see a doctor about it, though I don't think they really can do much of anything to fix it at this point.

Learning Online

I have been doing a bunch of research online, enjoying how much we can learn by 'surfing the net'.  I see ads on the TV for all the different courses and stuff you can get online and as I study and do research on all things that interest me, I think it's kind of like taking online college courses. I have been checking out vegan recipes and looking at recipe books this evening.  I also have been reading recipes for Quinoa in both burgers and bread.  I love learning, so having all this information at my finger tips is a real bonus.

Veganism Suits Me

The other day I went to visit my Mom, about a 25 minute drive north of where I live. I took along the ingredients for a vegan dish I wanted to try making and we enjoyed Spanish Rice for our dinner that evening. I brought home the left overs and last night I fried up some Vegan "hamburger", Ground Round then mixed in the Spanish Rice. It made for a very nice meal with some still left for another time.

This evening I am going to my monthly Vegan Pot Luck Dinner (and health video) so I plan to take Spanish Rice along for my contribution. I recently found and purchased a small cookbook in a 2nd hand book store and am so delighted with it and the recipes which are pretty much simple ones and all vegan. I've never been one for doing much cooking and certainly not for reading recipe books. Veganism must be agreeing with me, LOL. I was hoping it would help me to loose some weight, though so far it hasn't. What it has done for my health is lower my risk of heart disease!!

A1C (blood glucose reading for a 3 month period, important for diabetics): Oct. 6.3 ... Now 6.1 (desired <7.0)
LDL Cholesterol "bad stuff" : Oct. 4.4 ... Now 4.1 (desired <2.0 For non-diabetics I think it's <4.0)
HDL Cholesterol "good stuff" : Oct. 1.4 ... Now 1.54 (desired >1.0)
Total Cholesterol : Oct. 7.0 ... Now 6.4 (desired <4.0)
Lipid Ratio (risk factor for heart disease): Oct. 4.9... Now 4.2 (desired <4.0)

Even as a meat eater I was keeping my A1C at a good level as well as my Blood Pressure which is 120/80. As you can see, over the last 3 months, my risk of heart disease has dropped a lot, though it needs to come down more yet. After being Vegan for 6 months I'm sure it will show even more positive change. My next test will be early April.

Breakfast of Champions

I was just reading a yummy sounding recipe for breakfast. I usually eat Oatmeal for my first meal of the day, adding lots of healthy things into it. I cook the rolled oats with a pinch each of raisins and craisins (dried cranberries), then add fresh ground flax seeds (about 2 TBSP seeds before grinding), 2 TBSP each of Psyllium Husk and Nutritional Yeast, 1/2 tsp or more cocoa powder, 3 TBSP Lecithin Granules and about 1 cup of Almond Beverage. One very healthy and filling meal. Sometimes I even eat some nuts or fresh fruit with it. This being said, the recipe I just read, Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa and Oats, sounds like something I want to try. I think it's a bit high in calories so I would use Almond Beverage (40 cal. per cup) instead of the Soy Beverage (100 cal. per cup) to save 60 calories, or perhaps use 1/2 and 1/2 or 1/4 Soy to 3/4 Almond. I would also leave out the maple syrup.

Hmmm, but how would I get my Psyllium (for fiber) and my Nutritional Yeast (for the B vitamins, including B12), not to mention the Flax (for Omega 3 and fiber) and the Lecithin (to help reduce cholesterol)?? I guess I'll have to give this all some thought.... as I enjoy my Oatmeal.

Carob Peanut Butter recipe

Last week when I was 'out and about' I ended up buying a bunch of books... one 2nd hand book store on Thursday and another one on Friday. I got some really terrific deals at the one of Friday and great books at both. Several of the books are Vegetarian Cookbooks as I need to learn more about preparing meals now that I no longer eat meat or dairy, eggs, anything from animals. Well, most of the time I don't anyway, only maybe 5% of the time when eating at a pot luck or someone else's home I end up eating something with dairy in it or perhaps eggs in it. At home I am full Vegan and around 95% Vegan when out.

One of the new books I bought is called Of These Ye May Eat Freely and it has lots of great recipes that are pretty easy to make. This evening I made Carob Peanut Butter. It sounded too good and too easy not to, and wow, very yummy!! I ate some on bread and ended up eating some by spoon. Still some in fridge for tomorrow!! Here's the recipe:

Carob Peanut Butter
2 bananas or 3/4 c. apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla, optional
2 TBSP carob powder
1-2 TBSP sweetener, optional (I didn't use any)
1/2 cup peanut or other nut butter
Blend or stir until smooth.