Project Audeo: Kirstin (krys) Douglas

Smoothies are a wonderful way to sneak nutrients into a diet, and you can make endless variations. My trick is, don’t use ice — use frozen fruit instead! In one fell swoop, you get the fruit and the ice and so much more flavor. Plus, frozen fruit often tastes better than fresh because they are picked at their ripest and sweetest, and they require no cleaning or rinsing. Bananas got too ripe? Just stick them in the freezer, the riper the better, and when you need them, run them under warm water—the peels will come right off.

Make a large smoothie batch and save the rest for later in the blender. If the mixture separates, give the blender a few turns again. If you’re thinking of offering grownup brunch drinks, simply add half a cup of vodka to the mix!

Berry Smoothies

Makes 5 cups

1 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
1 cup silken tofu, soy or other non-dairy milk, such as almond, rice, coconut or hemp 
2 cups frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, alone or in any combination)
2 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or cranberry or pomegranate concentrate (health food stores), only if you like it sweeter

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Green Smoothie

Try your best to stick some of the fruit in the freezer for an hour before blending. No need to have all of these fruits on hand; even a combination of two in larger amounts will be delicious in this green power house.

Makes 5 cups

1 cup green grapes
1 large pear or green apple, unpeeled, cut in chunks
3 ripe kiwis, peeled
1 cup chunks honeydew melon
1 cup white grape juice or natural apple cider
A few leaves fresh mint, if you have them on hand 

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Chocolate Almond Date Smoothie

Consider this a whole meal. Nutritious and fabulous! This is the only smoothie I use ice with, to chill the heated mixture.

Makes 5 cups

1/2 cup whole almonds
1 cup pitted dates, packed
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1 cup silken tofu, soy or any other non-dairy milk (almond, rice, coconut, hemp)
A dozen ice cubes

Place the almonds, dates, cocoa, and water in the blender. Cover and let the mixture rest, unblended, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tofu or non-dairy milk and ice and blend a full minute at high speed until thick and frothy.

Tropical Smoothie

If you decide to get a little naughtier with this smoothie, add 1/2 cup dark rum. You know how the saying goes: If you can’t go to the tropics…

Makes about 6 cups

2 cups canned unsweetened pineapple chunks, juice and all
1 cup coconut milk
3 cups cubed mango, papaya, or peaches: try your best for frozen
1 banana: try your best for frozen

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Beet Smoothie

Here is your chance to eat your beets! Who knew they were so delicious? I did; we grew up eating them every day. In America, they are sometimes treated like a poor stepchild of the vegetable family. I think it is time to adopt them wholeheartedly. They are so good for you.

Makes 1 serving

1 small can beets, juice and all
1 cup tofu or unflavored non-dairy yogurt

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

All Recipes Provided By: Levana Kirschenbaum 

Ingredients:

2 bananas chopped

450gm tin of mixed/summer fruits

3 ice-cubes

Method To Make This ‘Simply Summer Smoothie’ Recipe:

Place tinned fruits in blender, add in the bananas. Mix for 40 seconds, smooth for 20 seconds. Serve with ice cubes.

So the plan is to introduce a nearly 100% organic diet along with non-dairy smoothies. So to kick start that here is a yummy sounding recipe for 2:

Orange Fruity Smoothie Recipe

(serves 2)

Ingredients

1 banana, chopped and cut into 4
1 peach, halved, pitted and cut into cubes
1 cup raspberries
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 ice cubes

Method

For this free smoothie recipe, place all ingredients into blender and process until smooth.

 

Just 10 | Rule #1: Cut Out Soda

Period. Soda is full of caffeine and high fructose corn syrup. In addition to contributing to weight gain, soda increases your risk of diabetes, bone weakening and tooth decay.

Just 10 | Rule #2: Stop Eating at Least 3 Hours Before Bed

 

The kitchen closes 3 hours before bedtime. Schedule your dinners and eat at the table where you can be conscious of what, and how much, you’re eating.

Just 10 | Rule #3: Move for 10 Minutes Each Day

 

Studies indicate that moving just 10 minutes a day can improve your cardiovascular fitness and your heart health; it’s also true that you can drop 10 pounds by exercising just 10 minutes a day. Gunnar has designed 3 moves to help you lose 10 pounds:

The Cart Cleanup: After grocery shopping, take your cart to the farthest cart stand. The walk should take you about 10 minutes.

The 10-Minute Walk: Self-explanatory, but look at your bracelet and remember your commitment to spread the word about the importance of losing 10 pounds. Invite your neighbor, husband, dog, roommate…anyone to walk with you.

Convert Your Couch: During commercial breaks, convert your couch into a piece of exercise equipment. Click here to view Gunnar’s 3 total-body moves.

Just 10 | Rule #4: Exercise Portion Control

 

Dr. Ro’s rule doesn’t ban your favorite foods, but you must exercise portion control in order to drop lose 10 pounds. Instead of eating straight from the bag or box, a habit that makes it difficult to track how much you’re eating, portion your favorite snacks into small bowls or plastic bags. Follow Dr. Ro’s rule of thumb: Don’t eat any snacks larger than the size of you fist.

Just 10 | Rule #5: Weigh Yourself Every Day

 

Each day, pull out the scale, step on and be courageous, because knowing what you weigh will enable the change. Research shows that, if you track your progress and stay accountable, you will lose weight.

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That’s it. Just 5 rules. Here are some other suggestions to go along with those:

• Vitamin B complex:  Vitamin B Complex metabolizes carbohydrates, proteins and and fatty acids in the body giving you the energy to exercise.
• Take Your Vitamins:  Each day, take the following: Calcium (600 mg, plus 600 mg from food) and Magnesium (400 mg) – it supports bone strength and prevents fractures. Vitamin D3 (1,000 IU taken with DHA) can help prevent memory loss and heart disease. DHA (900 mg) supports memory and vision while decreasing heart attacks and stroke. Probiotics taken in spore form can help decrease infections and inflammations. Finally, a daily multivitamin will help counteract a less than perfect diet of nutrients.
• Recipe Reinvention:  weight loss is about dieting smart, not hard. It’s not about deprivation, it’s about reinvention. It’s time to create healthier versions of your favorite dishes, all while remaining committed to losing 10 pounds.
• Know Your Serving Size:  Each day, you get a total of 10 servings of the food you love, but the key is portion size. Here’s your guide:
  Proteins and Fats 4 Servings
  1 serving of chicken = 1 breast (skinless)
  1 serving of meat and fish = no larger than the palm of your hand
  1 serving of beans = 1 cup 
  1 serving of cheese = the size of 2 dice
  1 serving of olive oil = the size of a poker chipComplex Carbohydrates 3 Servings
  1 serving of spaghetti = the diameter of a quarter (measure dry)
  1 serving of grains (like cous cous, rice and quinoa) = 1/2 cup uncooked; 1 cup cooked
  Fruit 3 Servings
  Whole fruits = the size of 1 scoop of ice cream
  Berries = 1 cupVegetables Unlimited Servings
  You should never be hungry during the Just 10 Challenge. Fill up on the fiber and nutrients found in your favorite vegetables.
  Additionally, you can have dessert every other day. However, that dessert can be no bigger than the size of your hand.Click here to print Dr. Ro’s wallet-sized serving guide for women.
  Click here to print Dr. Ro’s wallet-sized serving guide for men (who sometimes need a slightly higher caloric intake.)
• Conquer Your Caqrvings: Never Go Hungry

  Once you’ve passed the point of starving, you’re more likely to give in to your cravings and turn to less healthy food choices. Preempt your cravings by making sure to eat well-balanced meals that will help you stay fuller longer. Look for foods that are high in fiber and lean protein. Snacking in between meals helps – just make sure it’s healthy. Try fresh fruit and nuts. 
  

  Eliminate and Replace Addictive Foods

  Out of sight, out of mind. If you can’t see the diet destroyers, you simply can’t reach for them and indulge in mindless eating once you do. Eliminate temptation and replace reliance on food with a more constructive behavior. Engage in conversation with friends, and turn to messages of encouragement and support to stave off cravings and reinforce healthy eating habits.

 

 

This blog has no other reson to exisit other than to help me get my act together and finally loose this Baby weight. I guess by definition it isn’t baby weight since I put on all the weight when I was preggers with my babies… but they are now 6 and 8 and it is high past time that I got my act together and took care of myself.

In high school my weight changed around they same time my parents divorced. I went from 115-120 to 150 in a year. But I was able to turn that around within a month, but I had PE and Marching Band… not to meantion my high school was on a hill and separated by a street…. so lots of walking.

After high school… I put on some weight but balanced at 135 with some yoga and Karate classes at the local Junior College… And then I got preggers… and then I got preggers again. 2 kids in 2 years. I also suffered from what I thought was mild post partum depression, but then had a lot of other thing happen…i.e. my husband’s biological mother and his brother (along with various other people and my own mother) move in with us over the last 3 years… so that is my story in a nut shell.

I started the Paleo diet back on March 22, 2012. I droped about 20 lbs with in a month, 2 pant sizes and 1 top size. I have since maintained the lost weight but not lost any further. So now it is time to beef up the experience with more physical activity and with that I need to tweak the diet to compensate for the extra activity.

So that is where this comes in. I am hoping to get on here everyday, at least every other day and add recipies, updates on my progress, and anything eles I can find to help keep me going. I am hoping to drop a few more lbs before my trip at the end of June… an extra 10 lbs would be nice. That would bring me to the 150 range… my ultimate goal is to be my pre-baby weight.

Wish me luck, and please share your thoughts, inspirations, reciepes and anything else.

Kirstin