Finally Finals!

Yes, Finals are here, folks.

I've actually only got one more to go before I can rest for two weeks!

This means that I can tackle some exciting new ventures!

Here's my "TO DO" List, after tonight's exam.

1. Get a haircut.
   
2. Read a few books. (Any recommendations?)
   
3. Test my new raw food cookbook recipes!
   
4. Get the air conditioning in my car fixed.
   
5. Work on my grad school application.
   
6. Buy an anatomy coloring book and get a jumpstart on Anatomy class for next trimester.
   
7. Clean and organize my room.
   
8. Get an Illinois driver's license. (I still have my NY one!)
   

That's all I can think of right now, but I think that'll be pretty good for the next two weeks.

In a running update…I finally caved and bought "Run Less, Run Faster". I really want to be a faster runner, so I'm trying out the program, working from the bottom all the way up. With my chaotic schedule and my lack of motivation, my speed just never improves, so I am hoping this program can change that. Right now, I'm working on my 5K time. I'm in week 2 of training and it is going really well. I am enjoying the 3 runs per week, it keeps it interesting and it feels good to challenge myself. Because, yes, the workouts are hard, they have me running a bit faster than I would normally be running, but when I'm done with the workouts I feel so good and accomplished that it's worth it. I'm enjoying my runs every day! So I'm slated for an October 5K, and I'm shooting for any time as long as it's under 30 minutes. I can't wait!

Relax and Breathe

I've been meditating a lot again these past few days. This is one of those times where I've needed more intense meditation than most days. With a slight health scare recently, and finals looming overhead, it's a slightly stressful time in my life.

If the world is based around energy fields, which I believe it is, then meditation is just channeling positive energy while summoning any negative energy away. Negative energy surrounds us everywhere. Even the most optimistic of people can't avoid it forever.

That's why I love to meditate and find positive affirmations to focus on, and keep me centered and healthy. Because, yes, negative energy can actually encourage disease. Studies even prove that optimistic people are much more likely to survive cancer than negative people.

I was conversing with a friend today who told me that having more money would make him happy. I couldn't believe the negative energy that immediately brought me down by his comments. I tried to encourage him to find happiness within himself, but he found that to be a selfish attitude. I had to end the conversation early, because I just couldn't allow that negative energy into my life.

I find it sad that people can actually have that apathetic attitude towards life. I watched "The Secret Life of Bees" yesterday. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the book. I felt so connected to May's character, who carries the "weight of the world on her shoulders". I can be that person who feels so much more intensely than others. It does become a burden to bear.

But that just brings me back to my meditation. May had her own personal "wailing wall", just like the one in Jerusalem, but it was in her backyard. That's how I use my meditation. By just simply focusing on breathing, connecting to my inner core, my inner being, sending myself love...it is such a satisfying, balancing, and grounding act. Because no one can solve the world's problems on his/her own. So why should I try?

But that is so much a part of my problem. I am studying to be a doctor because I want to help people. I want to change the world. I want to make a difference. I know I can't help everyone. But when people I care about are the ones that need my help, it's hard for me to realize that not everyone wants my help.

When I am a doctor, I realize that people will be paying me for my expertise, so they will be more apt to listen. But this is my biggest fear of becoming a doctor, what if my patients don't listen, or don't want my advice? Or worse yet, what if I can't actually help every person that comes through my door?

I went to the doctor this week (a D.O.) and he only spent about 10-15 minutes with me. There was more that I wanted to discuss with him, but though he never said it, I could sense that he did not intend to spend any extra time with me.

It was such a frustrating feeling to me, being a powerless patient.

Affirmations today: I am in control of my well-being. I will be a doctor who always has time to listen. I cannot help everyone, but I can make a difference.

I know that not everyone needs or wants my advice. And that is absolutely fine. It would be a waste of my energy to try to help those who don't want to be helped. I prefer to focus my energy elsewhere anyway. So my energy today has been spent inwardly.

Rejuvenate. Cleanse. Breathe. Love.

Take some time out for you today...and send yourself some love.

More GMO Shtuff...

GMOs never get old in my book.

The fact that they were snuck into our food supply is a frightening thing, and I'd like to think we all want to be educated in this important matter.

So here's another video.

I actually like this better than the full-length movie. It was made more recently and has more up-to-date information. The frightening thing is that now people want to patent stupid things, like genes common in pigs, and then they can claim all of the pigs with that gene, even on the other side of the world in countries where they've probably never visited.

This is our future?!

Watch this video, Patent for a Pig, and share your knowledge. Together we can all make a difference and stop this wreckless chain of events. (It's about 40 minutes long, I believe.)

These are a Few of MY Favorite Things...

So yeah, I was a musical theatre major, so of course I won't state the obvious, I love "The Sound of Music" and "Westside Story", and all that jazz. I also love avocados, cherries, and cookies...duh! But I thought today I'd share some of my favorite things that aren't so obvious...in case anyone needs a new inspired idea...here's a few of my personal recommendations! (The pic above was taken at a family dinner this weekend...the food and company were delicious....and look at the beautiful setup! I know I don't eat chicken, sorry that it seems to be the centerpiece, but there was caprese, salad, and Afghan rice, yum!)
Okay, Jackie Warner is my hero, my idol, my goddess...I mean, okay, I seriously don't worship her. But I must say, her show "Work Out" is what became my inspiration for my naturopathic career. SkyLab, her business venture is my idea of heaven. And I hope to have some sort of comparable but still unique business of my own someday. And her body wouldn't hurt either...

Vegan, Wheat, and Gluten Free! And organic!?! Wowza! But seriously, this stuff smells so good and works like a dream. I have not always been a fan of many organic fancy shmancy shampoos, but this one I quite enjoy.
Debbie Meyer green bags! Look how lovely my organic red kale looks and fits in there! They are fantastic for all kinds of reasons...well, mostly because they keep my expensive organic produce fresh so my money isn't sent down the drain.
Seriously, unlike gluten free bread that is just not so fab, this stuff tastes like the real deal! My fave preparation, heat one over the stove top, flip, fill with cheese, melt and heat the other side, top with guacamole and salsa.
If you haven't heard of stevia yet, you better listen up! It's calorie free!!!!!! I find in large amounts it's not great...and I don't know anyone who has used it in baking...but with my daily cup(s) of tea it's fantastic! The packets help me know a good proportion for a sweet enough tea without it tasting funky.


This nifty contraption is how I like to juice my citrus these days! It seriously gets the most juice out of your lemons and limes and it's a piece of cake to use. I'm so in love with it and never dread juicing 2 TB of lemon juice any longer.
This tea from Trader Joe's is the bomb! (Do people use that expression any longer?) Seriously, it's sooooo yum. If you factor in one packet of stevia, with 1 TB of lemon juice using my juicing contraption above, you have a delicious beverage served warm or cold. My new favorite pre-bedtime snack.
This stuff is sooooo good. I have never had a guava in my life. My aunt who used to live in the Bahamas is obsessed with guavas. So much so that she brings jars and jars and jars of guava jam back with her from each visit. Guava jam is so delish, but she cherishes it, and I couldn't find it out here! Enter Margie! I found this in my local grocery store and it is even a step up because there's no sugar added! It's not cheap, but I spread it on Van's gluten free waffles with almond butter in the morning and I am taken to a tropical island...well, it's not quite that good. But close.
This seriously is my favorite salsa from a jar. In fact, probably the only salsa from a jar that I will eat. Homemade is a million times better than any salsa from a jar. But homemade is only a little bit better than this. Now, if you do not like spicy food, I'm sorry, you will have to stick with homemade, because this has a definite punch! But I love chipotle for that reason, it's smoky, and spicy, filled with flavor...just the way spicy food should be! I find this hard to locate in the grocery stores, sometimes they have it and sometimes they don't...hopefully you guys have better luck! But keep looking...it's soooo worth it.

These pictures were in no particular order. I don't have any favorites when it comes to my favorites...but you have to end with dessert! This stuff is so unbelievable you just have to try it to believe it. I know that's cliche, but trust me here. Before this came along, non-dairy ice cream was just disappointing. And chocolate sorbet just isn't the same. I have been forced (used loosely) to eat real ice cream all too often just to satisfy a craving, then feel yucky after consuming all the dairy, a vicious cycle. This is now my saviour. Of course, it's not cheap. But a little goes a long way, thank goodness, because it is not low on fat...

So there you have it...hopefully I've inspired a shopping trip in some! Enjoy. I'm sipping on my minty lemonade while my detox split pea soup is bubbling on the stove...recipe to come if it's good!

Good and Bad News Weekend

COOOOOOKIES!!!! And they're (almost) gluten free! Okay, so I made some pretty yummy cookies this weekend, that's the good news. I also had to say goodbye to a dear friend beforehand, the bad news.

So as I mentioned, I met up with a couple of girlfriends this weekend at Honey Cafe for brunch. They opted for breakfast and I opted for lunch. The picture below was taken right before we said our goodbyes. On the left is Ashley and on the right is Paula. (Sorry, the guy I asked to take a pic of the 3 of us snapped only one shot where there is some big ugly truck in the background and Ashley has her eyes closed...boo hoo...so Paula should be sending some to me in a few days.) Paula actually left today to attend Bastyr University which is the Harvard (Hah-vahd) of Naturopathic medical schools. It is the school I intend to attend next fall as well, as long as everything goes as planned.

So Paula is now on a road trip across the country for the next four days (Bastyr is outside of Seattle, Washington) along with her boyfriend, Patrick, and their two little puplets, Masie and Rooney. Their doggies were kind enough to give my Puppy (who is a kitty) a birdie filled with catnip as a parting gift. Puppy is in heaven! But I'm certain Paula will be happy at Bastyr when she arrives and I'm certain that she will save all of her notes for li'l ole me when I get out there next year!

Anyway, at Honey Cafe Paula ordered the wild smoked (in-house!) salmon benedict, Ashley had buttermilk pancakes, while I opted for their arugula, goat cheese, and beet salad. I know, I'm so boring. I wanted to get something with their gluten free bread, since it's so rare to eat somewhere that actually has some, buuuuut I really, really enjoy a good beet salad and I just had to try theirs. Sadly, it wasn't that great, even with vanilla infused dressing. The caramelized pecans on top were aaaamazing. But otherwise, it was pretty mediocre. I could tell that it was all fresh, especially the arugula. So that was a plus. It's just that I adore goat cheese and beet salads, and so I'm a bit of a snob.

But anyway, they all loved their food and the company was fab. We gabbed about Monsanto, GMO's, Xylitol, mercury fillings, high fat diets (Ashley supports a high fat, moderate protein, and low to no carb diet), vegetarian diets (Paula and I support, though Paula does eat meat once a day), juicing, organic chemistry, meditation, "The New World Order", 9/11, fluoride, Jon and Kate, Michael Jackson...phew...there's probably more, but I can't remember it all! Yeah, we were there awhile and we are some passionate people!

So when we finally said our goodbyes I went straight home and made these (almost) gluten-free cookies! They had a full bakery of cupcakes and goodies that I really wanted to try, but I guess they only do gluten free cupcakes on Tuesdays. Unfortunately for me, Tuesdays are my most hectic day filled with work and school, so I'm not sure when I'll get out there for one. So I thought I'd attempt my first gluten-free baking experiment. All in all I'm pretty pleased. They're nothing to write home about. But they're tasty and satisfying, so I feel pretty accomplished.

Here's the recipe, and at the end I included my thoughts on how they would probably turn out better.

Chocolate Chip (almost GF) Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (I used Trader Joe's GF Pancake and Waffle mix...it seemed like a good idea at the time!)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon (Saigon is the best!)
pinch of salt (pink Himalayan, of course!)
1/2 cup almond oil (I had some that just needed to be used and canola and corn oil are now out of the question! I will have to get some organic stuff...)
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups rolled oats (organic...but not not gluten free...I think I'm mostly sensitive to wheat and have been unable to find gluten free oats yet, so I'm still eating oats...but obviously true celiac's would want to find some gluten free ones)
1/2 cup gluten free chocolate chips
1/2 cup roughly chopped raw pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a couple of baking sheets or get out the parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the chocolate chips, pistachios, and oats.

Separately, combine the oil, sugar, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry and combine well.

Drop by the spoonful onto your prepared sheets. Bake about 12 minutes.

They were pretty good, but not perfect. I think they might have been a little too wet. I wonder if next time I can just omit the almond milk. And next time I think I will top them with a touch of turbinado sugar, and sub almond extract for the vanilla extract. That sounds like perfection.

All right, off to study for Exercise Physiology. The midterm is tomorrow!

Slight Segue

This is sooooo random. Tonight I was strategically avoiding doing any homework by watching Ellen Degeneres's variety show on TBS (I promised myself to study on commercial breaks.) Is it wrong that when Ellen introduced Kanye West saying, "Give it up for Kanye West!", in my mind I said, "I'll give it up for Kanye West."

I mean, you were all thinking that too, right?

But back on topic...

I went to Whole Foods yesterday and Trader Joe's today. It is incredibly difficult to find soy free, gluten free foods that also are organic or free of high risk GMO ingredients. I don't know what I'm going to be eating nowadays! I will definitely keep y'all posted. I bought very little at both of these stores. Mostly just water and sunshine burgers. And some frozen veggies.

I recently bought some Debbie Meyer green bags that I'm going to have to start using. But joining a CSA should help put them to good use! I can't wait to see what I get in my first box, which should come next week. I will definitely be forced to start juicing regularly again. I really should be cleansing once a week again like I had been before my 28-day cleanse.

I think Sundays would be my best cleanse days, but I can't tomorrow, because I have brunch plans at this cute little place called Honey Cafe. Most everything is grass fed, free range, and organic. And they have gluten free bread! I haven't decided what I'm eating there yet, but I can't wait! I love good company and good food.

(And Kanye West.)

The Future of Food

I have become very passionate about the subject of genetic engineering (GE) lately. I mentioned it in my last blog post, and have begun doing a lot of research on it because it's something that I knew very little about until recently.

It was actually mentioned in my Microbiology textbook as being a good thing, and beneficial to farming communities. So I wanted to figure out why there was such a disconnect. Of course I knew it had to do with money, but I wanted to know the whole story.

I found the whole story yesterday. It is told very well in this movie I found called The Future of Food. The weekend is approaching, and I'm sure you all have no plans yet, so I'm encouraging you to take 88 powerful minutes of your life and watch this movie. You won't regret it. Though if you like popcorn with your movies, I strongly encourage you to buy some organic stuff or you will lose your appetite.

I will give you a bit of a summary of some new info that I learned. In this country genetically modified and engineered food is not required to be labeled as such. Food cannot be genetically modified and labeled organic. Companies can and do choose to label certain high-risk ingredients as non-GMO, but it is optional.

The top five affected crops are soy, corn, cotton (cottonseed oil), sugar from sugar beets, and canola (including rapeseed oil). This also includes soy lecithin and corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup, so avoid anything containing these products. Most of our fruits and vegetables are not at risk yet.

25 other countries require their food to be labeled if it has been genetically engineered or modified but our government is against it. Much of the government people who are against the labeling and in support of genetic engineering worked for Monsanto (a company that produces pesticides, and came up with such genius ideas as DDT and Roundup, ignoring to tell us about the adverse health effects) at some point in their career. Monsanto and the government hold patents on the majority of our corn, soybean, cotton and wheat crops in production today.

Yeah, that's right. You can now patent seeds. Oh yeah, you can also patent genes. (Including ones that aid in breast cancer research, so many scientists can't even look into curing breast cancer without paying hefty fees to do so!)

Huge corporations, mainly Monsanto and our own government, are now in control of our food supply. We are at their mercy. They are actually going after family farms and accusing them of illegally growing crops that they have patented. This means that family farming and heirloom crops are going extinct and government farming is taking over.

And did I mention that some of the genes and bacteria and viruses that they inject into these genetically engineered crops have not really been tested much. Except that they killed a whole bunch of monarch butterfly caterpillars. And that they inject fish genes into our supposedly vegetarian tomatoes. And human genes into our corn. And mouse genes into our potatoes! And that they are testing genes that they call "Terminators" that will actually allow a plant to be cultivated one time only and then become sterile. And they are testing another gene that will actually not grow until you spray it with a certain chemical to activate it. But it's probably safe, right?

And if I haven't scared you enough, they actually started putting this stuff on the market years ago (I think they said 1991) without telling us what we were eating! We would have never known except for the fact that one woman had an allergic reaction to something she ate and the food was tested. Who knows how long this might have gone on for.

If that's not bad enough, we are actually losing money in the production of all of this. The movie actually talks about how farms are living off of their subsidized payments that us as taxpayers are giving them to grow this crap. And then much of our overseas market refuses to buy any genetically modified produce from us and so we are losing money there as well.

I'm seeing very little positives here.

But I guess Monsanto is rich.

So this is why we as consumers need to be educated. Knowledge is power. If we all begin buying organic, if we collectively support our local farmers and partake in our local CSA (I'm joining one today) and farmer's markets, and we collectively choose non-GMO food sources, the market can quickly turn around. We just have to be choosy when we shop and where we shop. Don't buy food that traveled 1400 miles to get to your plate (the average amount that produce does travel), and avoid processed foods which is where most of the GMO food is right now. If we eat out less and cook at home more our waistlines, wallets, and tummies will all be happier. I can almost guarantee it.

But again, I encourage you to watch the movie for yourself. My thoughts and ramblings are just a summary of a piece of this huge pie and my personal humble views. Do your own research, make your own decisions. And then pass it on. Our future generations depend on this.

And if you want to download a free shopping guide to help you avoid GMO's, click here.

And this link is for FAQ if you have any lingering thoughts on on the subject, and there are other informative resources at that site as well.

And one last link...this one tells you why avoiding GMO's is important. In case you're thinking, "Eh, I've been eating them and it hasn't killed me yet...", think again.