Healthier Living Experiment days 12, 13, 14, 15

Wonderful News! I lost 4 lbs this last week.(6 lbs total so far) I notice I have my energy, I feel more awake and intellectually stimulated, less heart burn and I think the diet is making a difference. I decided I might have meat once a week esspecially if we are eatting at someone elses house, but after the great sucess of feeling better and doing so well I am feeling pretty positive about the diet. I've been reading How Not to Die this weekend. I just am finishing up reading about the spices and am committed to finding ways to add tumeric and ginger and some of these other spices to my diet and recipes. I have found it helpful to keep the 12 daily dozen in the back of my mind making sure I eat beans, nuts, berries, lots of vegetables and greens, try to be a bit more active. I think one of my favorite ways to be active is be out in nature esspecially here in Provo and up the canyon it is so very, very beautiful and I love just walking around and looking at all the beauty around me and hearing the wind and the river and I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Yesterday half of my family was sick so I took E and M and her boy friend up the canyon and we walked around Canyon Glen then we went to Bridal Viel falls and walked around and enjoyed and later in the evening went up to the cemetary and enjoyed the beautiful view as the sun set and went and visited Thomas's and Grandparent's graves. It doesn't even feel like exercise when I'm just walking around enjoying the beauty around me. I must admit I love Fall and not looking too forward to Winter. I have kept my diet pretty simple and I think that has been key to me being able to do this diet and I feel full and satisfied physically. I work with what I have and what is on-sale. I have had a lot of apples for fruit, Strawberries and I just eat them or cut up an apple with whatever meal I'm serving everyone. I add Kale and make a smoothie out of whatever I have. I make my black beans every week and they usually last me for several days. I'll probably make Taco soup today and add some tumeric. I also just got a bag of potatoes from my sister Nikki and am planning on adding that to my recipes this week, I think I'm going to make a curry dish I invented a couple years ago but just take out the chicken.

Curry Dish

Peel and chop up Potatoes
Peel and chop up apples
Add dried fruit (dried apricot or crasins)
mix with a little olive oil (I might need to think of something healthier here)
add lots of curry

Cook in Oven 350 for 40 min.

Can be eatten plain or can be served over rice.

So far my whole grains have consisted of whole grain crackers and whole wheat bread, I am hoping to branch out and make oatmeal and some other options. I eat vege burgers, black beans, tomato/lettuce/pickle/cucumber sandwiches with onion and garlic and maybe flaxseed oil on them. I eat a variety of fruit I usually like to get one melon a week and some sort of berries and banannas and other things like that. I have been eatting zuchinni vegetable soup I am growing a butter-nut, a bannana squash and a pumpkin and two melons in my garden and Kale and Basil and hoping to harvest everything soon. I must admit I ate some pulled pork, just a little bit last night and I didn't feel wonderful afterwards, not horribly sick or anything and I really don't think it will harm me to eat meat once in a while but I am really starting to be converted to this plant-based diet based on how I'm feeling and my energy levels. I realized I feel less depresseed and want to do more things it is a good change for me something I really needed right now in my life. I'm hoping I can see as much improvement this next week.