Day 16 & 17 of Thrive

Nothing different here. Wed, I had a smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch, Larabar cashew cookie for my raw bar and then for dinner, I made black bean burritos, no soy cheese.

I snacked on mixed nuts and watermelon (not at the same time.)

I started to do this couch potato to 5K program and thought it would be a good plan to go to this trail we have in town. Bad idea, as it turns out. The trail wraps around a pond and there are a bunch of people fishing and smoking. It makes it hard to run or walk when you have to breathe in the second hand smoke, plus I just seethe with anger as I see these jackasses fishing. The funny thing is, this pond is so contaminated, you are not allowed to enter the water. They have signs up about how bad the water is, yet this idiots eat the flesh of the fish that live in this water. Oh well, poetic justice I guess, perhaps the poor fish will pass on the contamination to the people eating them.

Today was again smoothie breakfast, salad lunch.

For a raw bar, I tried Raw Revolution bar in coconut agave. It was alright. M tried a bite and says he loved it.

I had a snack of watermelon before working out. I did a dvd and then some strength training. Nothing too intense. I ended up only having Vega Whole Food Optimizer in chocolate mixed with So Delicious coconut milk beverage, I just didn't want to eat dinner. I think it backfired on me though because I have been having major cravings all evening. I tried to quell it with an apple, then a small whole wheat pita with hummus, then caved and had a few tortilla chips with salsa (which really tasted weird- hmm, are my taste buds changing?) Finally, had a 100 calorie pack of almonds dusted with dark chocolate. Now I feel so disappointed in myself. Ugh.

Better luck tomorrow. Goodnight.

Day 14 & 15 of Thrive

Thank you to Kelly from Sequel Naturals, my book has arrived and I am busy reading.

Monday, I started the day with Vega Whole Food Optimizer berry flavor blended with coconut water and a banana.

Raw bar, Larabar in chocolate coconut chew.

Lunch was salad, mixed greens, spinach, sweet peppers, tomatoes, shredded carrots, broccoli, sesame seeds with oil and vinegar.

In the afternoon, A and I snacked on carrot sticks and hummus.

For dinner, I made the zucchini again and added spinach.

Today I had a smoothie with Vega Whole Food Optimizer in natural blended with coconut water, frozen berries, cherries and a banana.

Lunch was a salad, same as yesterday. I also had a small pita bread with hummus.

The kids wanted pancakes for dinner, so I made them regular pancakes and I was excited to try the Vega recipe for blueberry pancakes. This is what they look like in the recipe booklet:

This is what mine look like:

Not right. I don't know what I did wrong, the batter was kind of a green/purple. And they taste like grass and dirt. I took 3 bites, trying to choke them down and had to throw them out. So, I made some brown rice and threw some frozen veggies and spinach on top.

I did work out yesterday, started the couch potato to 5K program, day one and then did some yoga. Today, I went for a walk with A and then spent most of the day outside.

Good night.

Sunday, Day 13 of Thrive in 30

Ugh, I got up this morning and weighed myself. I gained a couple of pounds. Not what I was going for. However, I have noticed an improvement in my energy level. A little background, I suffer from a myriad of illnesses. You all know about the wonderful curse of bipolar, but I also have several auto immune diseases and one of my problems is fatigue that can only be described as overwhelming. I wake up exhausted, I can barely function throughout the day. I actually fall asleep places that I should not be falling asleep at. Anyway, I wouldn't say I am ready to run a marathon, but I really have noticed a bit more energy. I was even able to do a Leslie Sansone 5K dvd workout this afternoon. And that alone is worth sticking to this program to see how much better I will feel in the days to come.

Unfortunately today was a tough day. We had a family event and I had people over afterward. I was not up to having company and I was right to worry. I ended up leaving everyone and had to barricade myself in tears in my room until everyone was gone. I am not proud of this, but I have been very emotionally raw and have had it with everyone and all the bullshit. Sorry, tirade over.

Breakfast was just a cup of So Delicious coconut milk with a banana and Vega Whole Food Optimizer in Vanilla Chai. I am not crazy about this flavor.

We had ordered pizza (no cheese, mushrooms, broccoli and tomato per M) and I ate 2 slices. Bad girl.

No snacks or raw bar today.

I had my salad for dinner. Mixed greens, spinach, sweet peppers, tomatoes, shredded carrots, broccoli, sesame seeds with oil and vinegar and a splash of lemon juice.

No pictures today, sorry. Now I am off to bed. Goodnight.

Saturday, Day 12 of Thrive

It's late, I'm tired. Today was busy and I had a hard time coping with the pressure, had a bit of a meltdown. Ugh.



Breakfast was a smoothie made with the Vega Whole Food Optimizer in Natural flavor, a banana, frozen berries and coconut water.



Lunch, salad. I added sesame seeds. M and my sister had some and both really enjoyed it.






We had a bright spot in the afternoon, I picked up a coconut and we opened it in the backyard. This was the first time the kids have opened a coconut, we had so much fun drinking the water, spilling it on ourselves and prying loose the coconut meat. I put some in a coffee grinder, it shredded it really nice and fluffy. A loved it. Shocking, I know.

I went to a cafe for a vegan cupcake party thing. I didn't enjoy it there though. Too small and crowded, I don't do well in crowds. Plus, I couldn't really eat the cupcakes, even though they are vegan, they are not on my current regimen. I did have one mini cupcake, it was alright, but I prefer my own homemade. I ordered a smoothie, but it wasn't very good. Oh well. Back home for lots of housework.

I didn't eat until 9 p.m. and I just had leftover brown rice pasta from last night. Forgot to have a raw bar. No diet coke today.

Hoping for a better day tomorrow. We are having family over, so it will be another busy day. At least the weather is beautiful. Should be close to 90 tomorrow and it is only April, in New England. Yippeee.

Goodnight.

Day Ten and Eleven of Thrive in 30

Yesterday was good. I felt like I had a bit more energy and I was in a pretty good mood.

I started with my usual smoothie with Vega Smoothie Optimizer, Barleans Omega Vegan Swirl, banana, frozen mixed berries, cherries, wheat germ and coconut water.

Lunch was again a salad of baby romaine, baby spinach, tomato, cucumbers, black olives, shredded carrots, alfafa sprouts, shredded broccoli, shredded cauliflower and purple cabbage, peppers and onions.

My raw bar was Larabar in Key Lime Pie. Ok, not my favorite flavor, but not bad. If you like lime, you would probably like it.

Dinner was so good. Thanks to Kelly for the recipe, it is in Brendan's book, The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life, which is on sale on Amazon if you are interested.

Anyway, the meal is just easy, take a zucchini, cut it into strips, like noodles. Saute in a little coconut oil with a clove or two of garlic. Kelly suggested serving it with tomato sauce, but I just threw in a couple chopped tomatoes for the last minute of cooking. It was really good, and I am not crazy about zucchini. M loved it, too. A wouldn't touch it, she wanted "real" linguine. I started cutting strips with the vegtable peeler, but then thought of using the citrus zester and that made little spaghetti like strings.

Last night, I snacked on mixed nuts. No diet Coke all day.

Today, the same smoothie. Yesterday I found a decent blender on sale for $17, so yeah, no more making smoothies in a cracked blender.

I spent the morning outside with A planting and then both kids helped me weed the cactus garden, though I made them stick to the outside edge so they weren't close to the cactus. That pleasure was mine alone! (Insert sarcastic sound here.) I will be pulling those prickers out for a month!

Lunch, usual salad. I added sprouted lentils and sprouted peas.

I did cheat a little, the kids wanted pancakes for lunch and I couldn't resist. I had 1 of them with a few chocolate chips in it. I felt a bit guilty, but it was really yummy and still vegan. Besides, once a month (if you get my drift) I have major food cravings and tend to really eat way more than I should, but can't help it. This was way better than how much junk I tend to eat at this time, so I am proud I didn't go crazy overboard.

The raw bar today was Larabar in cashew cookie.

Dinner was late and rushed. M had a Little League game, so we got home kind of late. I made some brown rice penne and served it with a little coconut oil and tomato sauce. I actually could not find my camera for a few hours (it was hiding under a chair) so I didn't take a picture of dinner. Diet coke today, 12 oz bottle.

I also had a little bit of So Delicious Coconut Milk chocolate ice cream. Really delicious. Not sure if it is Thrive approved, but I really needed some and only had a little. At least it is not full of hormones and chemicals, here are the ingredients: organic coconut milk, organic agave syrup, chicory root extract, cocoa (processed with alkali), carob bean gum, guar gum, natural flavor.

Good night.

Day Nine of Thrive in 30

A big Thank You to Kelly from Sequel, she is sending me a copy of Thrive Diet! I can't wait to read it.

Today was pretty good. Breakfast was a smoothie with Vega Smoothie Optimizer, Barleans Omega Vegan Swirl, banana, frozen mixed berries, cherries, wheat germ and coconut water.

Lunch was a salad of baby romaine, baby spinach, tomato, black olives, shredded carrots, alfafa sprouts, shredded broccoli, shredded cauliflower and purple cabbage, peppers and onions.

Raw bar was Larabar in cashew cookie, I actually liked this one.

Kelly emailed me with a great idea for dinner, but I didn't have any zucchini in the house, so I will be making it possibly tomorrow. I really need to go shopping, so I had another salad for dinner.

Now, I am really craving something sweet and D picked up a pineapple, so I think I will go cut that up and have a yummy treat.

Thrive in 30 ongoing

I forgot to mention in yesterdays post that on Monday, I tried the Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer in chocolate, mixed with water. It was kind of gross, so yesterday, I tried it mixed with the So Delicious coconut milk beverage thinking it would be like a chocolate milk. It was much better than with water, but still not great.

I am also wondering when the program is going to show me some results. I know it has only been a week and in one of the lessons, Brendan states that this is not a quick fix, but a long term process that will greatly improve your health. But he also says that by replacing one meal of acid forming, processed foods with a leafy green salad will show a big difference in just 2 days. I am not feeling any difference.

Maybe I am doing things all wrong? I really should buy the book, but I am really broke with D out of work and I am only working one or two days on the weekend and I already spent alot on the Whole Food Health Optimizer and the Smoothie Infusion. They are having a giveaway on ThriveDiet.com, so I am holding out hope I will win one of the packages.

Maybe I just need Brendan to come to my house and make all my food for me, hahahaha!

Day Seven and Eight

Monday was really a bad day emotionally. I literally could not drag my ass out of bed until 9:15 a.m. Coming from someone who is usually up at 6:30, that is late. Once I get up I need to take my thyroid pill (I had to have my thyroid removed in 2002) and cannot eat anything for at least an hour after taking it.

So, after 10:15, I had a smoothie with Vega Smoothie Infusion, banana, frozen mixed berries, cherries, wheat germ and coconut water.

Lunch was a leafy green salad.

Shortly after lunch, I took a really long nap. Depression really makes you tired. When I woke up, it was almost 7 p.m.! So I skipped the raw bar and just had dinner. I was too tired to really think, so I made up a Sunshine burger on whole wheat bun with hummus, spinach and peppers.

No diet Coke on Monday.

Tuesday I had to get up because I had to go to the hospital for an ultrasound. Seems my mammogram has been showing funky stuff, but the ultrasound isn't, so I guess I don't need to worry. Anyway, breakfast was a smoothie again. I was out of coconut water and also the So Delicous coconut milk beverage, so I just used water with the Vega Smootie Infusion, banana, mixed berries, cherries and wheat germ.

Once I got back from that appointment, I had my raw bar. I tried a bite of the Organic Food Bar Active Greens. One bite and I ugh. I threw it out.

So, I tried the Organic Food Bar in Wild Blueberry. Better. Still, they are so oily, it turns my stomach. I won't be buying these once my supply runs out.

After the raw bar, off to another appointment. I had to see my neurologist. Busy morning.

When I got home, I had my salad. Pretty much the same. M asked to have some, he doesn't like the pepperocini, so I left it off his.

I have been making myself a separate dinner from the rest of the family as I am not able to eat what they are eating. I just sauted some peppers and spinach with garlic, sea salt and cracked pepper and had it on a whole wheat pita with hummus. Not much variety. I need ideas.

Snacked on a plum and did have a 12 oz. bottle of diet Coke today. Not bad.

Day Six

I worked again yesterday, so again, no pics.

For some reason, I was very clumsy all morning and kept dropping things, including my blender. Now it has 2 large cracks in the container, so I will need to replace it. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to replace it with the Vita-mix, so I will have to get another cheap one. :(

Breakfast was a smoothie made with the cracked blender. I used a banana, frozen mixed berries, frozen cherries, coconut water, So Delicious Coconut milk beverage, Vega Smoothie Infusion and 2 tablespoons of wheat germ. I must say, the smoothie infusion has a slight sea taste, due to the kelp and dulse I assume.



I had a handful of pistachios. They were given to me by a friend who assures me they have been in her house for about a year, well before the salmonella outbreak, so they are safe.

Lunch was the usual salad. I love adding the cooked sweet peppers, it just adds something to the flavor.

Raw bar was a Larabar. I had the chocolate coconut chew. Pretty good, I am not a huge fan of larabar, but this was one of the better flavors.

I had a lovely snack of fresh pineapple.

After work, I had to go straight to my son's baseball game, so I stopped at Chipotle again. I had a salad bowl, with just lettuce, fajita vegtables, black beans and salsa. I had to get some chips and guac, too. Bad girl! But, I think I am getting over the guac obsession now.

Once I got home, I had to fight an incredible urge to eat chocolate, but I did not give in.

I only had a couple sips of diet Coke all day, Wahoo!

Pretty good day.

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Day Five of Thrive

I had to work yesterday, so I don't have pictures of my food. I am starting to bore myself, so I can only imagine I am boring you. I will try to mix it up a bit next week, but this weekend I am working, so I am too rushed to be creative.

Saturday morning was whole wheat english muffin with a small amount of Earth Balance, eaten in the car on the way to work as I was running late as usual.

Lunch was a delicious leafy green salad, same as yesterday.

I forgot to have a raw bar, oops.

My Vega order arrived from Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe, so for dinner I just had a smoothie and I added the Vega Smoothie Infusion. Here are the ingredients (and yes, the natural flavors are vegan): Yellow pea protein, organic hemp protein, organic sprouted flax seeds, organic brown rice protein, organic green food blend (spirulina, organic wheat grass, organic alfalfa grass, organic barley grass, organic spinach, organic sprouted broccoli, organic kale, organic kelp, organic dulse), inulin (from chicory root), natural flavors, xanthan gum.
Doesn't that sound healthy?

Of course, I had been craving tortilla chips and guacamole all day for some reason, so around 7, I caved and did have some.

I think that the fact that I didn't eat every 3-4 hours contributed to my "craving and caving."

As for my diet Coke obsession, I am drinking some, but not alot, so I am doing pretty good with that.

Day Four and Five of Thrive in 30

I had to work last night, so I stopped at Chipotle for a salad and brought that home for a late dinner. I was really tired and wanted to hang out with D, so I didn't get online to post.

Here is yesterdays overview, not much exciting.

Breakfast was the normal whole wheat english muffin with an apple.

The raw bar of the day was ThinkOrganic in Cherry Nut flavor. Pretty good, but I prefer the chocolate coconut.

Lunch was the usual green salad, this time I added some of my balela on top, really good.

The smoothie was the same as yesterday.

Dinner was the Chipotle salad, you can't see much under the guacamole, which I think is the most fabulous guacamole in the world. I love it.

Today, ok I am boring. I had the same breakfast. I do need to get away from this, I don't think the english muffins are ok on this program. I am not really good about knowing how processed things are.

The raw bar was just one of the regular Organic raw bars.

Today's salad, I decided to saute some peppers and onion and threw that on top. OMG! Really tasty.

Same smoothie as the last few days.

Dinner is a Sunshine Burger in Garden Herb flavor. I love these. I think they are not very processed, but I could be wrong, feel free to correct me. The ingredients are just :Organic Ground Raw Sun-flower Seeds, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Carrots, Organic Herbs, Sea Salt. I did put it on a whole wheat bun. I sauteed more peppers and onions because they were so aweome on my salad. I also mashed up about half an avocado and spread it on the bun. This was delicious.

I haven't had my smoothie yet, but will be making is soon. I will report on that on my next post.

Balela and Barleans Omega Vegan Swirl Vegan DHA

Today was very similar to yesterday. I had a whole wheat english muffin for breakfast.

The smoothie today was the same as yesterday, only I added a teaspoon of Barleans Omega Vegan Swirl. It contains DHA from microalgae and it is berry flavored. I bought it for the kids and they both enjoyed it.

The raw bar today was Larabar Jocalat Chocolate Coffee. I thought it was ok, but probably wouldn't buy it again.

Lunch was the same leafy green salad as yesterday.

This afternoon, I had a yummy snack of balela. It was so good and I did have a couple of corn chips with it, but only a couple. I will post the recipe at the bottom of the post. I think it needs a bit of vinegar though, so I am going to add some next time.

Tonight, M had baseball practice and had to leave the house at 5, so D and the kids ate early. I decided to eat at a normal time and had some more black bean burrito. I added spinach tonight and a side of corn.

With dinner, I decided to have a glass of So Delicious Coconut Milk beverage. It comes in Unsweetend, Original and Vanilla, I had the vanilla. Yummy!

No diet Coke today! I am proud of myself, but will not be giving it up entirely. I have always drank it, but it has become a daily habit that I am not proud of and I know it is very unhealthy.

I did cave and have one chocolate cupcake today. I made them last night because A had a birthday party to go to today and I needed to make cupcakes so she could have one at the party.

Here is the recipe for balela:

1 can each garbanzo beans and black beans, rinsed and drained
1 smile onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
bunch of parsley, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. (about 1/4 tsp.)

Mix all together and chill.

Good night!

Day Two of Thrive

I think day 2 has gone well. I started out this morning with a whole wheat english muffin and a smoothie. The smoothie recipe is the same one from yesterday.


Lunch was a leafy green salad. I had the baby romaine, baby spinach, cucumber, tomato, pepperocini, black olives, shredded carrots and added alfafa sprouts, shredded broccoli, shredded cauliflower and purple cabbage.

My raw bar today was thinkOrganic chocolate coconut bar. Very tasty and much lower in calories than the regular Organic bars. Too bad I already stocked up on a few of those other ones.

Afternoon snack with the kids was a lovely, fresh pineapple. Yum.

Dinner was black bean burritos. I made mine without the vegan cheese. I had a side of corn and avocado.

I forgot to mention that I have developed an addiction to diet Coke. I stopped drinking coffee about a month or so ago. Strange, but around the time I stopped taking my crazy meds, I could no longer tolerate coffee. Not that I didn't still love it, just for some strange reason I got extremely sick to my stomach every time I try to drink it. So, in order to not get my caffeine withdrawal migraine, I started drinking diet Coke. Now I am trying to drink less as it is very unhealthy. So, the point of this story is that I am really proud of the fact that today I only had half a can of diet Coke today.

Baby steps.

Day one of Thrive

I received my first lesson email last night, so today was day one. It talks about how stress affects health and how eating a nutritious whole food diet helps with that.

For my raw bar, I had the Vegan Organic Food Bar. It contains: Organic Almond Butter, organic date paste, organic agave nectar, organic brown rice protein, organic bio sprouts - flax, organic raisins, organic bio sprouts - quinoa, organic sesame seeds. It was pretty tasty, but a bit oily and very high calorie. 300 calories! Geez.

For lunch, I had another leafy salad, I added baby spinach, but was out of tomato. I also had half of the individual pizza from the restaurant yesterday, so I had that with my salad.

My smoothie consisted of frozen berries, frozen cherries, banana and coconut water.

Dinner was not really on the program, but I promise A I would make her quesadillas and I was planning on making myself something separate, but I was tired and the quesadillas looked really good, so I caved and had one.

I checked a couple stores around here to get some of the vega products, but apparently no one around here carries it. I guess I will have to order some online if I want to get any.

See you tomorrow.

Preparing day

Today was kind of the first day of the new program, but technically, day one will be tomorrow as I have not gotten the first lesson yet. The first lesson is supposed to be emailed tonight, so I am just trying to start out by following the suggested daily guidelines.

I had a sample of the vega Whole Food Health Optimizer powder in berry flavor, so I drank that with water this morning. It was pretty tasty, a little gritty, but not too bad.

We went out with family for Easter around lunchtime, so I ordered a salad, which was mostly iceberg lettuce, so not too nutritional. I also ordered pizza with no cheese, roasted peppers, eggplant and spinach. Of course, they were very ungenerous with the veggies, but that seems to be the norm.

A few hours after lunch, I had a raw food bar, as recommended in the daily suggestions. I tried the Omega-3 Flax Organic Food Bar and was actually pretty happy with it. I am not a fan of raw food bars, but do eat them occasionally because I know they are healthy. I opened up the package and did not expect to like it at all, so my hopes were not high. I did think it was good and want to try the other flavors. (the original flavor is not vegan as it contains honey, but the other 3 flavors I saw are vegan, so I want to try those.)

Dinner time was kind of late, so I had the recommended green salad. I made mine with baby romaine, cucumber (with skins), tomato, a few black olives, grated carrots, pepperocini, sea salt, black pepper and olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Oh, and I also made a yummy smoothie as that is also one of the daily recommendations. I made a smoothie with a banana, frozen mixed berries, frozen dark cherries and a small amount of soymilk.

Overall, I think today went very well and am looking forward to receiving the first lesson.