“The thing that hit me was that 15 pounds is equal to one bowling ball” – this quote from my honey after watching “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” the movie by Joe Cross that came out about five years ago.

This week we focused on raw foods and juicing as well as our relationship with money.  How is that for random!  We started out with David Wolfe talking about the benefits of raw foods then moved on to Joe Cross and Juicing 101.  I had never watched the movie so I took the time to watch it and was really quite taken with the story, especially about Phil the truck driver.  What I can’t get over after watching these presentations and the movie is the volume, the massive volume of raw food that it takes to create enough juice or food to feed an average sized human.

Of course, we had to give it a try.  Here is a picture of Valentine’s Day red juice being created. My honey is drinking the mean green juice for his lunch.  Did I mention the volume of raw food that it takes to create enough juice to feed an average sized human?  My refrigerator is overflowing with green veggies and red veggies and yellow veggies and some fruits.  The suggested ratio to strive for is 3:1; Three veggies to one fruit when making a juice.  The one negative that I did read was that juicing excludes the fiber.  You can see it in the receptacle to the left of the juicer.  We are recycling it by adding it to our compost pile.  If you are interested in more information on juicing you can click on the link to Joe Cross’ website mentioned above.  If you want more information about raw food you can click here for David Wolfe.

Do what you love – love what you do.  Am guessing that is what I am trying to do.  I know that I love the learning part of this journey and I certainly am learning about things that I have been interested in but never had the time to explore.  Thinking about my career and where I will be one year from now and five years from now is scary but exciting stuff.   I am luckier than most of those in my class as I am “retired” and my children are “grown” so I have more discretionary time than most folks do.  I love the interaction with my classmates that Facebook has offered us.  We have a spot where we can share our thoughts and ideas and ask questions when we get stumped by something or just rant if that is what needed.  On-line learning is fantastic for the person who wants or needs to do the learning at his or her own pace and time.  I think it will only get better as time goes on.  The institutions get smarter about presenting material and testing the student on that material.  The flexibility is wonderful.

We have a week off with no new module next week.  However, I am going to take the time to go over what we have done in the first five weeks and also will spend some time in the Reference and Dietary Theory libraries.  These are terrific resources and contain many options for exploring and learning even more.

I have been asked what I eat, especially for breakfast.  Well here it is folks.  Berries, plain Greek Yogurt (I like FAGE) and homemade by my honey, Granola.   On mornings that I go to Zumba I put it all in a mason jar and carry it with me to eat afterwards.  The berries are frozen at first so they thaw out perfectly for after Zumba.

We are taught in IIN to crowd out foods that we don’t want to eat by crowding in with foods we do want to eat.  Three years ago I didn’t know how I was going to fit all the foods that I needed to eat every day to be healthy into three meals a day.  One way is with the Granola.  The most important ingredient in this recipe is that it is made, with love, by my honey and therefore it warms my heart every morning as I eat it.  Make some for yourself and someone you love on this Valentine’s Day and enjoy!

3 1/2 – 4 cups of oatmeal flakes
1/2 coconut flakes
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 250F for 45 minutes, stir and bake for another 45 minutes or more depending on how crispy you like your granola.
Remove from oven and toss in a large bowl with raisins, craisins, or dried tart cherries or all three if you like and a generous amount of cinnamon.
Store in an airtight jar – you won’t have to worry about the shelf life it won’t last long enough to spoil.

Wishing you a very Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

L