Sauna detox

Caroline had her first day of 5th grade yesterday.  We survived it and thrived.  She was ready and prepared for her second day and I was ready to unwind from the whirlwind of summer and decompress physically and mentally in a serene environment.  After I dropped her off in morning carpool, I met my friend Sarah and the two of us headed to Korea-town to King Spa & Sauna.

King Spa is truly an amazing venue.  For $25 you are provided entrance into the spa & sauna, given a locker for your shoes & another for your belongings, issued a "uniform" to wear in the co-ed saunas and have access to towel service & toiletries in the spa area (we were lucky and had Groupons that we purchased a few weeks backs for just $14 a piece--even better.)

There are about 11 different saunas that each have different temperature & humidity levels as well as structural properties that offer different benefits in each room.

Usually when I go get my sweat on I gravitate mostly towards the Fire Sudatorium which is incredibly hot.  When we went in at 10am today that particular room was close to 250 degrees F!  Needless to say, it is a great was to release toxins.  That room proved a little too hot for me and I spent a great deal of time in the Base Rock Room.  The base rock room has mineral slabs called Siraka which are from Japan and the infrared rays the slab blocks release when heated are thought to have incredible healing abilities.

King Spa is IMMACULATELY clean and the mostly Korean staff is so nice and very happy to answer questions regarding this type of spa which is very traditional in Asia.

All I know is that I feel better--cleaner, lighter, looser, purer after a few hours soaking up the heat and energy.  There are currently only 2 locations of King Spa in the U.S., Dallas & Chicago but I've heard of similar establishments around the country.  Do you have something similar where you live?

Hooray for Firefighters!

Not only do our Firefighters voluntarily risk their lives for us, they make it easy for us to give back too!

I recently discovered Firehouse Subs and am so glad I did.  Not only does my family love their sandwiches, they also sell these AWESOME pickle buckets (that include a locking lid) for a $2 donation.  These buckets are absolutely perfect for containing & carrying my never-ending flow of green "waste" from juicing.  When they are full I just load them up in my car and drive over to the City's community garden to process the pulp into compost.  

The $2 donation for each bucket goes to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation an organization set up to impact local communities by providing fire departments, law enforcement and EMS with the tools, technology and training they need.  Find out more about the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation here:   http://www.firehousesubs.com/Foundation-Overview.aspx 

Lots of primo composting material

As far as an update on my transition to a raw foods lifestyle, I am regretful to have encountered a setback Sunday night.  It involved pizza of course.  Once again, I felt absolutely horrid after a few slices and after I overcame my cooked food hangover, I immediately returned to more Alkaline-friendly fare.  I am happy to report I am feeling MUCH better today thanks to a massive intake of green juice.

spinach, dandelion, broccoli, kale, lemons, limes, apples, ginger and a spicy red pepper 

Green antidote for my post-cooked food agony

When all else fails, go green!

beer caps for bunny

We have been spending so much time in our backyard this summer and it came to my attention that a piece of garden art was looking a little tattered and in need of "sprucing up."

The weather-worn bunny needed a necklace of sorts.  So I got out a container filled with saved beer caps and went to work punching holes in each one. (I just used a hammer & punch to pop a small hole in the center of each cap.)  Since Caroline doesn't start school until tomorrow and she is BORED and driving me craZy, I put her to work stringing the punched caps on a long piece of heavy-duty elastic jewelry cord.

Once she laced on the last beer cap, we tied the two ends of the cord together and cut off the "tails".  What we got is a funky, repurposed necklace for the raggedy garden rabbit!

I think he looks like he is ready for luau, Texas-style!  If I have time I may knit him a mini-scarf for the winter months.

What creative ideas do you have for revamping sun-damaged garden art?

another day, another juice

InGREENdients

Since my last post I have stayed pretty green.  Lots of green juices and salads......I feel great.  My rosacea has definitely calmed down since the last pics I posted.  I am trying to eat/juice as many fruits and veggies as possible, especially those touted for their skin healing and enhancing properties.  According to Dr. Sandra Cabot, author of Raw Juices Can Save Your Life (easily one of my favorite books on the subject of raw juicing....,) cucumber, mango, radish, strawberries and watercress are especially helpful for skin health so I am trying to incorporate them all in my regular juicing rotation.  Cucumber is great because it is so cooling & refreshing during these hot summer days.  It also has a very high water content so it is ideal to use as a juicing base.  Mango and strawberries are very rich, very sweet fruits so they are best to use to balance the  powerful flavors of "strong" greens like broccoli, kale and watercress.  Radishes add a spicy dimension to juices, so I try not to use to much....a little goes a long way and too much imparts a bitter after-taste.  I do love throwing in a habanero pepper....it adds a metabolism-boosting kick and makes the juice so much more interesting.

Brian is doing well incorporating more raw plant-based food into his diet and has lost a noticeable amount of weight through a combination of yoga 5-6 days a week and diet moderation.  My diet weakness is easily cheese and starches and his is sugary desserts.....he's not a pastry chef by coincidence!

Brian's dinner: chicken, cheese, sweet peppers & corn

One of the things that is making staying strong easy with my raw-living pursuit is reusing old jars.  If I have juice on hand throughout the day I am less tempted to stray from my intentions.  Since juice oxidizes rather quickly the best way to store fresh juice is in an airtight glass jar to prevent leaching.  I have been using empty pickle, pepper and pasta sauce jars to store the extra amount I make in the morning to drink later in the evening, or the extra amount I make in the evening to drink the following morning.  The short shelf-life of raw juices makes drinking the juice immediately after pressing ideal but sometimes inconvenient.  Jars are definitely a life-saver.....repurpose, reuse, recycle!

rosacea

I absolutely hate my rosacea.  I didn't always have it.  In fact, I have only developed a rather severe case of it in the past 2-3 years.  I definitely think switching to a raw vegan diet is helping (although today it doesn't look too great.....)  I am posting a few pics I just took using the "Photo Booth" feature on my computer so I can refer back to them as I progress with a raw lifestyle.

All of the following pics were taken at approximately 10 days very high raw (about 90-95%)

lots of broken capillaries

the "mask" of rosacea

another look...inflamed nose.  yuck!

close up

When I look at these pictures and see this horrible red, puffy mask I want to cry b/c it's not me.  Not who I want to be or what I want to look like.  I truly believe that this is caused by years of gluten, dairy, toxin, and alcohol overload.  I want MY face, MY skin back!

Has anyone had luck with healing their rosacea by converting to a raw vegan diet?

Ennui of Summer

Caroline cracked me up today.  Brian is working on removing paint from an old plant stand and Caroline, interested, came to lend a hand.  The smell of the paint stripper is pretty toxic so I had her wear a dust mask.  Little did I know this would be such an amazing source of entertainment!

Later in the evening we got hit by a hail storm.  Caro decided to gear-up in her bicycle helmet and robe and try to catch the quarter-sized pellets storming down on our backyard.

Gotta love kids and Texas weather!

Composting 101

Well, as I continue on with heavy juicing I am making a ton of compostable pulp bags.  I know that this is good gardening stuff since it is all green and organic and is ideal compost material, but I don't know the first thing about composting.  So since the extra fridge in our garage that has become a holding tank for my discards was packed to the gills I decided I needed to learn how.

2 bags of green waste from 2 large jars of yummy juice

bags & beer

I like the idea of home composting, but since I don't have a garden yet, I called the City of Plano Community Garden and had the pleasure of speaking to Erin Hoffer on the phone.  Not only did she enthusiastically agree to take my green waste, she also invited me down to the garden for a one-on-one composting lesson and made me her residential compost test subject!  Better yet, the garden is maybe a mile from my house....couldn't be more convenient!

I cleaned out the fridge, loaded a box with bags of pulp and rinds in my car and whizzed around the corner to the City's Environmental Education Center.  Erin was on hand to meet me and lead me around the corner to the actual garden.

Oh my wowzers!!!  This place is awesome!  There are numbered beds that are cared for by volunteer gardners year round.  Each gardner is allowed to keep half of their harvest and the other 50% is donated to local food pantries.  Such a great concept and the garden is absolutely charming to boot.  I can't wait to get involved!

Erin getting set up to show me how to make an outdoor bio-digester

The super-cute herb garden....yes, those ARE wine bottles turned upside down and filled with sand to make a border!!

Cute rain water receptacles painted by local Scout troops

Erin in the Children's bed....lots of volunteer melons

Erin was so gracious and took the time to walk me through the steps of getting started with composting.    She says her goal as Environmental Education Coordinator is a "bin in every back yard."  I found out lots of basics like, where to get cheap or free containers to get started, how to drill holes to attract worms, etc.  She was very thorough and answered all of my questions and you can tell she is really passionate about her job.  

My "leftovers"

going to get some "brown"....in this case soil

Cover your green with the brown....you should not be able to see what you ate (a bit of my green is poking thru on the right.)

Erin, passionate about composting

I recognize that pineapple stem!

Bah-bye cantelope

This particular bio-digester bin has a handle that locks the lid in place.....keeps out vermin

 Next, Erin and I headed back over to the Education Center where she showed me the Children's Learning Garden which was wonderful.  Such a great way to make the outdoors fun for kids....it is made to be climbed on, touched, felt, smelt....a totally tactile learning environment.  I am definitely going to rally for a field trip by Caroline's Girl Scout troop....this place has so much to offer and teach to everyone!

Children's Learning Center

Love the stump steps.....so does Brian

Children's activity area

Weaving Wall....love this idea!

An outdoor place for kids to MOVE

Another thing I enjoyed about my visit was the cute garden-inspired craft project ideas. 

Garden chimes made using pipes & joints and a the keys of an old toy xylophone on chain

And how about these awesome Adirondack chairs made out of repurposed wooden palettes and painted

Don't forget about the cool wine bottle bed border....so clever

So, without a doubt today was a productive, learning, inspiring day.  I am going back for a class next month where, hopefully, I will become even more comfortable with composting and begin doing it at home once we build our own garden.  In the meantime I will utilize this great facility Plano has to offer and do my part of giving back to the Earth.  

More information on composting can be found at: http://www.plano.gov/LiveGreenED/_Web%20Master/base.html

Come on....get your hands dirty!

acid & alkaline

I have been doing some research on the the pH of foods and the effect acid & alkaline have on our bodies.  I came across this chart:  Acid Alkaline Food Chart pdf

Interesting stuff.  I just bought some pH pee sticks that show the pH balance of your body at that time....you simply run these little sticks thru your urine stream and TA-dah!! ...you get an instant display of color right before your eyes!

The box I bought on Amazon are by PHinex and are so much fun to pee on....(reminds me of the Keto Sticks I used whenever I would do the Atkins diet.)  After 15 seconds you hold the reagent strip up to a color-colded legend and you know right then and there....the proof is in your pee!  If you are trending red, you got too much acid going in your life....if you pee green, you are living in an alkaline state.  Green is good.  There is lots to be read on this subject out there....very interesting indeed.

My latest "results".

I tested early tonite and was pretty impressed with my color.  The pic was taken a few minutes after the results were "official" so I think the pic shows it looking darker than it really was but it looked like about a 6.5 at the time....it was kind of an impromptu photo shoot.

Brian voluntarily peed on one tonite and had me record him at 5.25; he did not volunteer to have his results posted on the web.

I stayed 100% raw today.  Lots of juice, an hour of moderate yoga, and a bit of a tomato "bisque" I prepared yesterday, water and a glass of white wine.  Funny....I just don't seem want it.  That glass is sitting half-full on my bedside table.  Quite odd for me.

Unchartered Waters....Day 1 blogging

Me & Brian, May 2012

REASON FOR THIS BLOG:

I have always considered myself a fairly healthy eater but as I am now closer to 40 than I am not, I realized my old dieting "tricks" no longer work and logging long hard hours in the gym no longer fit my lifestyle.  I also have suffered for several years with rosacea....I am plagued with terrible red blotches on my cheeks, nose and forehead that are prone to flaring into acne-like blemishes.  I have toyed before with the idea of a raw foods diet but never got very far.  I read books, bought gadgets, etc but usually after 2 or 3 "gourmet raw" meals I lost interest and returned to my normal way of eating (lots of chicken, fish, cooked veggies, little fruit, minimal white sugar....i preferred aspartame, little to no caffeine and lots of wine and beer.  I'm not sure what exactly clicked in me to give juicing / raw foods a concerted effort once again, however this time it's taken on a whole new light and I want to record and share my journey to track set-backs and achievements and connect with like-minded souls.  I also want a place to post recent crafts and DIY projects.

For the past week I have eaten primarily raw foods....I'd say about 90%.   Upon adopting this take on eating I have enjoyed my Breville juicer immensely and have felt an immediate sense of lightness after every meal juiced or consisting of raw fruits and vegetables.  I have allowed myself this past week to eat some cooked vegan foods as well of a tiny portion (3 forkfuls) of a "healthy" chicken pasta meal Brian cooked for Caroline and himself a couple of nights ago.  Funny, when eating raw foods I instantly can tell the difference of how I feel (heavy vs. light) when I intake cooked foods....vegan or not.  It's a weighed down sort of feeling.

Juicing for vitality

When I began attempting to change my body this go around, I weighed approximately 148 lbs (I am just shy of 5'8").  For two weeks I stayed at that weight while increasing my weekly yoga workouts and eating what I consider healthy cooked food (chicken, grilled veggies w/ olive oil, etc)....finally I pulled out my juicer and began juicing and got down to 147.  Losing just that one pound took a hell of a lot of effort.  I guess it was at that point that I internally decided to amp up my fruits and veggies and began cutting out meat.  I weighed in earlier this week at 143.  I must say those four lbs came off much easier than the first.  As of this morning I am holding at steady at 143.

Last Wednesday night my parents took me, Caroline and Brian to Urban Crust (one of our favorite pizza joints in Downtown Plano).  They left for France the following day and it was to be a treat meal for us since we are caring for their house while they are on vacation.  Brian and I split a pizza with pepperoni, spinach, carmelized onions and feta cheese.  I think I had 2 1/2 peices and 3 big glasses of Sonoma Cutrer chardonnay followed by half of a small gelato.  That night I came home from the restaurant miserable.  I was stuffed, nauseated, had terrible acid reflux and swore I would not do that to myself again.  I woke up Thursday morning after a rocky night of poor rest and felt terrible until I got out of bed and made a juice at which point I instantly began to feel better.  My skin has also calmed down which I attribute to the vitamin and nutrient richness of the organic juices as well as a change to a more natural skin cleanser & night-time moisturizer by Andalou Naturals.

I truly have felt great since that event until this morning.  I went to bed last night before midnight, exhausted but feeling good.  I slept like a rock, which is unusual for me, until the 7am alarm went off reminding me to get out of bed for my 8:15 yoga class.  I got up, fed my cats and came back to bed.  I was no longer exhausted, just achey.  My shoulders, neck and gums all feel sore which I am attributing to detoxification.  From what I have read this might be due to heavy metal elimination....especially the part about my gums being sore....kind of feels like they do when I floss after not have flossing in awhile.  This past week I have switched from Secret Anti-Persperant to a natural, aluminum-free deodorant and from Close-up toothpaste to Tom's of Maine, a more natural alternative.  I wonder if these small changes are related to this detox side-affect?

I am feeling better now.  I finally eliminated so I am going to make a watermelon / lemon juice and then water the backyard in order to get my daily intake of sunshine.  Since I didn't make it to yoga earlier today I must find a class later in the day or get to the gym for cardio.

Getting to know my body's abilities and processes is a very eye-opening endeavor.

Getting ready to juice  a typical dinner

Caroline helping out, adding broccoli