Wed., July 4, 2012: Happy Birthday America!!

Happy 4th of July!

Many of us are celebrating Independence Day and enjoying the day off.  I am grateful to have a day to play catchup with paperwork and other tasks.  It seems there have not been enough hours in the week to get everything done that I need to.  My back and neck have been carrying the brunt of my stress lately.  Being hunched over a computer a good part of the day doesn't help.  Yesterday I finally gave in and got a 20 minute medical deep tissue back and neck massage.  The massage therapist showed no mercy to the numerous knots in my back.  I don't think I've ever heard so much popping and cracking.  I believe she said my back was "very angry" with me.  It was amazing how good I felt afterwards, and how much the movement in my neck improved.  I slept so well last night.  This morning I'm a little sore but it's a good kind of sore.  I feel like a new person, with an enhanced range of motion.  I even feel like I'm standing taller.  I'm going to try to get a short massage a couple times per month until my neck and back are in better shape.  It was well worth the $20 (plus tip).

July is my last month at my current job.  A lot of well-meaning friends at my current place of employment are planning pot-lucks and dinners out to celebrate the new job and say goodbye.  I am going to have to work extra hard this month at making healthy choices and not overdoing it.  The good news on this end, is that I've kept off 2.2 lbs since my 2-day juicer experiment in June.  I half expected the scale to go right back up to where I started but it hasn't yet.  So today I decided would be a good day to continue the habit once again.  I first prepped my ingredients:

 There's nothing like fresh organic Independence Day blueberries and raspberries!

Next, I found some vitamin packed fruits & veggies:

I first put the following ingredients through my juicer:

• Raw Collard Greens
• Raw Broccoli
• Raw Organic Spinach
• 1 piece of Red Leaf Lettuce
• 2 Green Apples (peeled as they were not organic)
• 1 Carrot

The carrot and apple helps sweeten the juice.  Green apples are preferred to red as they have less sugar in them and help keep the blood sugars more stable.  You want to avoid using real sweet fruits in the juicer.  To help combat the bitterness of the broccoli, I added a pinch of ginger.

After that, I transferred the juice to my blender and added 6 ice cubes.

Okay, I'll admit, it looks a little like green sludge and doesn't appear to be the most appetizing.  But just think of all the nutrients!!  Collard greens alone are packed with Vitamin C, beta-carotene, manganese, is a good source of Vitamin E, has anti-inflammatory properties, and 4 core conventional antioxidants!  Adding collard greens to the diet can help lower cholesterol, and reduce the risk of cancers and other diseases.  Read more here from the World's Healthiest Foods website about the amazing health benefits of collard greens!

In addition to my green concoction, I added the following ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• Raspberries
• Organic Blueberries
• Almond Milk
• Coconut Milk
• Touch of Vanilla

I also added a couple of walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds that had been soaking in water in the refrigerator overnight.  The seeds add a bit of a grainy texture that some people might not like.  I like it because it feels more substantial.  Seeds add a good amount of natural protein, so I don't feel the need to add any protein powder to my smoothie.  When available, I will also add almonds that have soaked overnight. 

 I was happily surprised the the blended product did not turn out green!

I will admit I was skeptical about how this would taste.  The results?,...
It's great!  Tastes like a berry banana smoothie!  I don't taste any of the vegetables, but am able to ingest the valuable nutrients they offer.  I'm very happy with this one.  And there is enough of my breakfast smoothie left over to consume for lunch! 

Time to wrap up the blog for today.  The gym closes at 4pm on this holiday so I'd better hurry up if I want to get a workout in.  I hope you have a chance to get creative & make some healthy choices during this holiday!

Happy Healthy July 4th Everyone!!! 

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