Bggest Loser game , veggie feeds and chocolate dip

I love our library ! Not only can you check out books ( like my current reads Eat to Live and Eat for Health by Joel Fuhrman MD), music and DVD's but games for the XBOX 360 and the Wii as well. Through them I got a chance to try out The Biggest Loser workout game for the Wii. I love being able to try games out before you buy hem because they can be a bad fit so to speak. I was very cautious about getting this one because we live on the 3rd floor and even jogging in place is a problem for the people downstairs. Anything involving jumping jacks, aerobic stomping or such is right out . From what I had seen from the commercials for the game I had little hope that this could be user friendly.

Good news- the game can be used with or without the balance board, with or without the Wii camera, can be used by two players at once and you can avoid all stomping kinds of movements through a feature that lets you customize your work out. Even with eliminating most of the classic lower body work, you can indeed work up a sweat with the workouts and it is a lot of fun. There is even an option to do different challenge competitions like the show features. It can make a nice way to break the routine, go for extra burn or just compete against a friend. I think this is one we will purchase in the future.

Another day of eating as a "nutriarian" ( a phrase coined by Dr Fuhrman for the practice of eating nutritionally dense foods), and I am really loving the way I feel ! It has not been a full week yet, but I have never felt so healthy, clear headed or energetic in a very long time. It is one thing to follow an eating plan that encourages eating fruits and vegetables, but something entirely different with one focusing on making those choices amongst the most nutritionally dense options available. With eating them raw, lightly cooked or partially broken down, the body assimilates the nutrients faster and more effectively. He is not the only advocate of this kind of eating- Gillian McKeith ( You are what you eat) is another. It's not about limiting calories, food groups or so forth that will get us healthy, but instead making each and every bite we take be a nutritional star !

Breakfast was Cinnamon fruit oats ( rolled oats, apple, blueberry, raisins, walnut and cinnamon).Love it ! Blueberries are a super fruit in the nutrition world, and are just as good frozen as fresh. We are buying them in large quantities at Aldis- gotta love things easy on the wallet !

Lunch was a fun creation of mine- grilled eggplant burgers with Asian Crossed and Wrinkled Slaw. To make the burgers, slice an eggplant into discs and brush with a mix of balsamic vinegar, garlic powder and sesame oil ( about 2 T for each liquid and 1 t for the powder) Let sit for 20 minutes and grill . Place on An Arnolds bun spread with hummus flavor of your choice and baby spinach leaves. To make the slaw, finely chop 2 c broccoli, 1 c green cabbage and toss with 2 T slivered almonds, 2 T sunflower seeds, 4 T rasins and 3 T dried cranberries. Then in a jar combine 1/4 c cider vinegar, 1/2 c olive oil and 2 T brown sugar, shake and toss the veggies with it. I made this about an hour before lunch and let it sit in the fridge to meld.


Dinner was Roast Vegetable Pizza with carrots and celery on the side- definate yum ! To make for 3 people toss 3 c broccoli florrets cut into slices, 1 red pepper cut into strips and 1 cup baby portabello mushroom slices with 1 T garlic powder, 1/2 t soy sauce or Braggs annimo acids and 1 T balsamic vinegar. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 30 min.Meanwhile , lightly steam( wilt) 2 cups baby spinach. Then top a high fiber tortilla with pizza sauce( tomato sauce, italian seasoning, parm cheese and garlic powder ), steamed spinach, veggies and 1/4 cup mozzarella. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. I accidentally set the timer for 20 minutes, and they go rather well crisped.

Saturday night is treat night in our house, and when I came across this recipe I was at first shocked , but thought this could be absolutely killer for a Valentines day kind of treat- strawberries in Chocolate Dip
Forgive the yucky looking bowl, but I had nothing neat to serve it in. The chocolate sauce comes out VERY THICK and I warn you , do not try this unless you have a heavy duty blender - I burned mine out making this. However, the taste is amazing ! Take 3/4 cup of soy milk ( or rice milk or skim milk) and 1 1/2 c raw cashews and blend. Then add 2 cups baby spinach, 2 cups frozen blueberries or sliced frozen strawberries, 2/3 c dates, 3 T cocoa powder, 2 T goji berries and 1 t vanilla and blend. I had to add about a cup of water to get the mix to blend together and it still came out very thick - like a pudding. You can add 1/2 of a fresh raw beet to make the color darker, but I did not think my blender would handle it. Definitely will make this again - with a stronger blender !

Happy Valentines Day to you all ! We are going to go out to lunch ( Sweet tomatoes) and celebrate. Have another reason to celebrate- Adam is improving and has been moved to a regular room. If he continues to make improvement at this rate he will come home on Tuesday. Thank you for the prayers, wishes, reiki, energy and good thoughts ! It always works in accordance with the highest will for the person.