Draft mode.

I have one post that is still in draft mode.  It's dated May 05th, 2010.  I think I'm going to try to finish it this week.

Big News. 

If you haven't heard, BEN AND I ARE ENGAGED!!  Here's the story. 

Vacation.  Ben and I finally had some time off together. Last week was "Golden Week", a Japanese holiday that lasts 3-4 days long.We started the holiday by going camping on Zamami Island.  Just another camping trip.

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The ferry ride to the island was a bit crowded, and the man taking tickets wanted us to leave our bags so they could be put in the cargo area.  I had no idea why this made Ben so nervous.  I had no idea why he kept craning his neck to see his bag and then finally was so insistent on getting me a blanket out of his bag. It did not enter my mind that maybe there was something *else* he couldn't leave in his bad unsupervised.  Just another ferry ride.

When we got to the island, Ben and I saw a few buses with people holding up signs standing in front of them.  We did not reserve any transportation, so instead, we found a map, asked a few people "Camping wa doko desuka??" and started walking towards the campground (or what we hoped was the campground).  After making it over a giant hill, we finally saw a beach, lots of trees, and tents.  

We (Ben) set up the tent and started walking towards the town.  There's only 1 town on the island.  It took about 20 minutes 

azodicarbonamide?!

Cutting out processed foods from your diet can seem like an overwhelming task.  As I'm learning more and more about what should and shouldn't go in my body, I've found that there are definitely a few key rules that seem to be common throughout a lot of what I read.  One of those rules, as written by Michael Pollan from In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, is:

Avoid food prodcuts containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup... [These foods] have crossed over from foods to food products.
 

This one can definitely be tough!  It really only takes flour, yeast, water, and salt to make bread...but check the ingredient list the next time you buy bread from the supermarket...the list is so long!  We have made our own bread a few times, but now we mostly buy Ezekial sprouted bread from the freezer section of the supermarket, or we buy the whole wheat bread from a nearby bakery. 
Just looking at the ingredient list and becoming aware of what you are putting in your body is a great start in my opinion!

What are some of your tips for avoiding processed foods??

http://www.lilithnews.com/2012/01/why-is-bread-so-fattening-delicious.html

Can't beat it.

Okay--so it was really awkward posing for a picture while drinking a smoothie.  That's all I'm saying about that.

Green smoothies are an awesome way to recover from a workout, they replenish your electrolytes and if you're looking for extra protein, toss in 1 tbsp of flax seed.

This one that I'm drinking is Foodbabe's "green smoothie that made the news." 

• Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants, high in Vitamin K (bone health), Vitamin A (skin health), Vitamin C (immune system/metablosm), calcium, iron (liver function)
• Celery is a good source of Vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium, B1, B6, is a super food for lowering blood pressure
• Cucumbers are a good source of potassium, electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamin K
• Grapefruits are rich in Vitamin A, antioxidants, Vitamin C, pectin (inhibits prostate cancer, lowers cholesterol, blood sugar levels)
• Pineapples contain an enzyme 'bromelain' that has anti-flammatory, anti-clotting and anti-cancer properties, Vitamin C,  B-complex vitamins

What sports drink can make all of those claims?!