Day 4 has come to a close and I feel good!

Hello everyone!
I am pleased to announce that since the start of this a few people have joined on with this 30-day challenge!! You should too =) Please remember though, if you have any current health situations or risks please talk to a doctor before beginning this lifestyle of eating plants! (tasty ones none the less) Anyways, Congrats and welcome on board miss Leslie, Sarah, and Meg!!

              

Today was a GOOD day! I feel great!! The first 2 days was hard. My body was feeling like it was going into starvation mode and I swear I was craving chicken all day long. Day 3 was rough. I woke up feeling ill and tired and kind of faint. But, day 4 was pure magic! I feel AWESOME! Kind of like a vitamin high I guess (although I've never been high but I'm assuming it feels something like this) lol. I'm still researching more and more each day, so the only thing I'm learning to add in each day is new things to eat and try! It's funny because I am such a go-getter girl, a just jump and see where it takes you kind of gal, but when it comes to food it's insane how much control it has over my mind! I feel like my brain is at war with my hands! Very scary to realize how much my body has gotten addicted to the junk and preservatives that's in pretty much all of our food these days, and it feels like it's fighting me to eat good stuff that's healthy and preservative free. I'm realizing that for 23 years I've been poisoning my body with chemicals, junk, preservatives, and refined bleached flour and sugar. yuck. so gross. I always thought I was in control of what I put in my mouth, but now i'm finding out that my brain is in control (or was) because it's addicted to all the wrong foods. wow. that's a big step coming from the girl who lovesss/loveddd? meat and dairy. With that being said this is what I ate today:

Breakfast: soy protein shake and a banana
Snack: organic unsalted sunflower kernels and peanuts, and strawberries
Lunch: Rice pasta with dairy free tomato sauce and veggie "ground beef" (which was amazingly yummy) and peaches.
Snack: broccoli with hummus (my new favorite)
Dinner: Rice minestronie soup with extra beans and tomato's with a cup of chocolate soymilk.
Dessert: dairy free fro yo with strawberries and rice mochi.
Vitamins: vitamin b-5, 6, 7, and 12. Calcium, and a multi-vitamin.

Workout: 7.5 miles of biking!

Let me know if you guys have any questions! Tomorrow I will be exploring the info behind soy and find out if it's really that good for us. Best of Luck!!

                            Keep Walkn' in His Grace, Michelle =)

Food, Inc. This just might be enough to make me a vegan forever!

Happy Thursday everyone! You all need to watch this movie: "Food, inc." (on netflix) Let me know what you think!

It's day 3!

Hey everyone! I have made it to day 3, and I am feeling good! This morning though, I woke up feeling dizzy and shaky, and very light headed. I did some research and found that vegans have trouble keeping their blood sugar levels up and lack vitamin b-12 in their bodies compared to their meat lover friends. Interestingly enough, instead of having a fruit and vegie at the same time (which I have been doing) doctors recommend having oatmeal then a fruit, followed by wheat or rice, followed by a veggie, ect. Everything needs to be spread out to have a proper blood sugar level. In addition, I hit target (because they have the cheapest and best vitamins ever) and got chewy, strawberry vitamin b-12 gummies! They were only $4.50 and have all 5 of the essential B vitamins. After taking one, I felt GREAT! So, in all: I think my body is adjusting to a whole new way of eating, and is going into "starvation" mode since I've cut out the meat and processed foods that it has been poisoned by. To all the vegans out there did you experience this so-called "with-drawl"? Very interesting.

On a side note: Tonight I made spaghetti with tomato sauce and veggie-"ground beef" for lunch tmrw and it tasted like the REAL thing! ((score)) I also washed an organic potato and diced it and sliced it. Sprayed light olive oil, topped it with sea salt and fresh garlic and baked them to perfection for 10 minutes at 350 in the oven. The best part? They taste amazing!!!

More updates tomorrow! p.s. the video's aren't loading on here for some reason so I'll be posting them onto my fb page till I get the bug fixed! Godbless!
                       Love, Michelle

Going Vegan in Julian!

Since Julian offers no organic coffee beans, JT and I have chosen a delightful Iced New Zealand Berry Tea! (Of course his is always gone first and I usually baby mine for awhile)

Greetings from Julian! It's B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L up here today!   

Love, Michelle and JT!

P.S. Tune in for a video of JT talking about the "Forks over Knives" video! Godbless!

I'm going Vegan for 30 days!!

 It's true. This meat (well, mainly turkey and chicken) loving girl and dairy loving girl (especially ranch) is going VEGAN. yes. for 30 whole days. 

Why you ask? Well, after watching this movie called: Forks over Knives (Thank you to Matt and Jessica) it really opened up my eyes to a lot of huge, and BOLD statistics that doctors are in fact claiming are true and tested. 

So, I have decided to become the guinea pig and test these ideas and theories out! 30 days seems like a long time...but who am I kidding? Anyone can do anything for 30 days if you put your mind to it! 

So, for the next 30 days I am pledging not to eat:

1. ANY meat.

2. ANY dairy (including ranch).

3. ANY canned foods.

4. ANY processed food.

5. ANY refined sugar.

I plan on being real. raw. honest. and open to a       plant-based diet.

 I promise to eat:

1. ALL organic fruits and veggies (lots and lots of them!)

2. Whole wheat bread

3. A daily multi-vitamin, b-12, D, calcium and a table spoon of omega-3 and flax seed oil ((every)) day.

4. Tofu (baked)

So, here we go! 30 days of being a Vegan. Let the good times roll! 

p.s. Each day I will let you guys know what I ate, how I'm feeling and at the end of this month I'll get my blood re-taken and we will compare the blood results to the results I have now! Godbless and enjoy!

Keep Walkn' in His Grace,

Michelle  

Voiceless and marriage!

Good Evening!

This past week was....(drum roll please)....flossing (as in ur teeth). 


Did anyone try the challenge? I sure did! I can confidently say that I met my goal of flossing after each meal for an entire week (e-x-c-e-p-t 2 out of the 7 days!...failll?) I think not! This was a good start and despite me getting sick and losing my voice I pretty much lounged in bed all day and worked on homework.(I am going to keep flossing though and stick to it! You should too!) My voice is coming back (slowly) thanks to:
1. Hot tea
2. Honey
3. lots of h20
4. The fact that I'm reading and not talking

I'm making some big improvements!


Not having a voice though, lead me to learn some lessons that were good for me to re-learn. (funny how God is always teaching us)  First off, I learned how lovely pure silence is. It's been awhile since I just rested. Rested in Him. Rested in Gods word. Rested in rest! (what a concept!) God reminds me how critical those times are to really listen for that still small voice and the desires He lays on our hearts. Secondly, I learned the importance of listening. I heard so many neat things this week from the people I love and care about. My number 1 Mr. soon to be hubby for example, talked so much about his days and I LOVED hearing every tiny small detail and hearing about his jam-packed days as well. I learned that when I listen I also grow my prayer life because I tone in on what to pray for. I want my husband to be able to count on me to be his prayer warrior!! I want to pray, pray, pray for him and encourage him always! (I really feel like a woman who prays for her husband is Crucial.) So, in all, my week of being voiceless has turned into a bundle of joy and blessings in disguise! (it's also showed me how much of a chatterbox I am!)


Which brings me to my next point: Marriage! While studying at the sbuxs today on the patio (the sun felt soo good on my toes) I was reading for my philosophy class about Ruth and the wonderful woman that she was! I was amazed at her humbleness, grace, love, and adoration for her husband and willingness to follow him anywhere since her heart was to walk in the ways of the Lord. The book then listed traits of a Godly fruitful marriage and as I read each one I began praying that JT and I's soon to be marriage would resemble each one by the Grace of God and for His glory. Here they are for you guys too:


1. Lifelong commitment
2. Continual Effort
3. Willingness to understand
4. Develop a helpful attitude
5. Consideration for your partner
6. Spiritual growth and maturity
7. Becoming genuinely unselfish
8. Personal accountability and reliability
9. Honest communication
10. genuine, spirit-filled Love.

What a list eh? I agree! That's a lot to work towards and obtain. But, I fully believe that God will walk with us and by His Grace our marriage can be a union God uses to bless others and speak truth.


Have a blessed week everyone! ...oh! 


**The goal for this week is part of mental health! Work on listening. Be aware of what others are saying, and take the time to show you care and are interested. Give them your full attention. And then spend some time listening to that still small voice inside of you =)


Keep Walkn' In His Grace!






Love, Michelle

What.a.Whirl.wind.

Hello! 
It's been a few days since my last post because life on this end has been a crazy whirl wind of busyness. This past week was work non stop, followed by 2 new classes starting and 2 ending which meant...finals! When I wasn't studying or working I was trying to squeeze in at least 3 hours of good sleep a night. To add to the list, I took a nursing job in La Jolla for a sweet lady who had surgery so my time was booked and left me with no time to blog. I'm home now doing the usual: Laundry, unpacking, catching up on homework and getting ready for the busy week ahead. What was your week like? How do you enjoy and make the most out of your down time? =)


On a health note: I wasn't able to hit the gym the past five days since I was taking care of my patient..so I plan to hit the gym hard today! Also, each week I will be posting a goal I have towards improving my health either physically, emotionally or mentally. This week is: FLOSSING! If you know me at all you know that I hate to floss. I despise it. But, it's essential and those that floss are 30% less likely to develop heart disease or die from it! That's a pretty high percent! So come on people get your floss and floss away with me this week! (3 times a day after every meal) We are going to get healthy gums in no time and make our dentists proud!


Praying you all have a wonderful week!


Keep Walkn' in His Grace!


Love, Michelle