My Deepest Apologies!

No, I'm not apologizing because it has been nearly a month since we have posted here although there should be many more posts coming soon (assuming normal bed time routines continue!). No, I'm apologizing because I've been neglectful in spreading the word about the new Ecopolitan website, and an exciting new program the Ecopolitan's Dr. T has teamed up with the Raw Divas to do -- a professional 90 Day Detox!

See so many of you -- lots of online and real life friends and acquaintances have been asking me for recipes and nutritional information. And that is GREAT. I LOVE and feel honored to help out as I'm able to, including sharing recipes and ideas. In fact I'm excited to start doing more in-person "Green Smoothie Parties" soon too ... what could be more fun that nourishing our bodies while also nourishing our social selves?!?

However, because I didn't want to be pushy I always held back and didn't push many of the programs (except for maybe the many awesome free programs and information), and honestly I figured people might be scared of the term "detox." If you are like I was 6 months ago you may think that term should be reserved for those dealing with street drug withdrawal or something else similar ... however, sadly anyone eating anything close to a standard American diet (SAD) or exposed to environmental chemicals (we all are), is carrying a high toxin load in their bodies.

The results of such toxins can be as "harmless" as extra weight in order for our wonderfully smart bodies to store the toxins or it can be much worse -- all kinds of chronic and degenerative illnesses can be related to these toxins (please, go read at the links and the blog entries -- and listen to the audio Q&A here http://tinyurl.com/bs97rz and if you have more questions, leave comments on the blog there).

I have learned much of this through the last 6 months, but I still didn't think I was ready for a professional deep tissue detox ... and then I listened to the Q&A with Dr. T and Tera, and now I know that I am ready. I'm not scared or nervous, and I realize to really regain my health I need to follow a doctor-advised professional program.

So, what about the cost??? I suggest you compare it to other things you have done in your life, especially health care related, or that you are willing to do in your life. Or if you are just focusing on weight loss, compare it to the many programs available for weight loss and what they charge. I have a feeling that will put the cost in perspective.

For me the thing that immediately comes to my mind is the FIRST appointment I had with La Crosses' "Alternative Doctor" ... it was $500 when I walked out of there with a bag FULL of supplements, a few sheets advising me of what foods NOT to eat (but nothing telling me what TO eat), and of course directions to come back many times for more appointments. I spent a few hundred more dollars before giving up and moving on to another alterntaive-minded doctor in the area -- this one covered by insurance so co-pays were only $15 but I had so many appointments that I'm sure it was easily $300 before I quite seeing that doctor after very little change in my condition and many lost hours to me in over a YEAR's time. And of course many of the therapies were not covered by insurance -- Acupuncture alone cost me several hundred dollars, and I was also still on a number of supplements and prescriptions. Heck even the FREE info from the Raw Divas and Ecopolitan (and many other sites I will link to this week from my Learningtoeat.wordpress.com blog), helped me more than all of those expensive therapies!

So, yes, that put the cost in perspective for me!

And with the results of only changing my diet, why should I be shy about letting you all know about how you can find results even faster and with more assitance than I did!

I thank God daily for the abundance of REAL FRESH food He provides ... AND I thank him for the Raw Divas (there is an entire sisterhood) and other knowledgable and encouraging friends I have found along the way!

And again I'm sorry that I didn't let you all know about this as soon as I found out! The official deadline for signing up for this LIVE version of the 90 day detox is February 1st!!! However, I think I could twist Tera's arm to let you still join on day 2, 3 or maybe even 4. ;-)

If now isn't the right time for you, then listen to the Q&A anyway so you have the info for when you ARE ready. And then sign up for the FREE 7 day detox ... Green Smoothie Challenge ... or just join in the blog or twitter chatter! :-)

To your health!
~Tami

P.S. There really will be more blog posts all around soon ... Love you all xoxo

Woo Hoo, Veggie night a hit!

Well, OK, Nessa pretty much only ate applesauce, but that could happen no matter what else we serve. Shawn, on the other hand even took seconds -- and those that know him know that he was naturally more than a little nervous about "veggie night." :-)

A couple of weeks ago we decided Tuesday nights would become veggie night since it's generally a good night for me to cook. The idea of veggie night was also appealing because we're trying to cut back on our out of control grocery expenses and I thought one of the easiest ways would be to eat less meat (especially since we like the good stuff when we eat meat). When Shawn agreed to try a night w/out meat once a week I figured he was just trying to make sure I would cook supper at least once a week. :-)

Last night was the first night (we were sick last Tuesday). And today I'm enjoying yummy leftovers of:

• Apple Burgers (yum! http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/appleburgers.html)
• Quinoa and Spinach pilaf (http://www.incaorganics.com/Entree&Side.htm) -- YES Shawn took seconds AND it did indeed have spinach in it ... I did modify this a bit by using some balsamic vinegar instead of just the rice vinegar and I think that really gave it more zing and is flavor we prefer.
• Rosemary roasted potatoes (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1850,144168-239193,00.html -- that recipe is pretty close but I didn't have that much garlic yesterday) This was the safe bet so that Shawn would at least eat something. :-)
• And then of course the applesauce so that Nessa would at least eat something. :-)

Why did I choose those recipes? Well, first and most importantly -- I had the ingredients or enough that it would be close enough (recipes are just suggestions, right?) -- I was determined not to have to run to the store (hence no salad w/ it as we were out of fresh greens and we always have that on other nights anyway), and I also wanted things that I thought had a chance of being enjoyed while being somewhat new and different. Shawn said he didn't want to know ingredients until after he said if he liked it or not. :-)

You may notice there really weren't that many vegetables in our veggie meal. Oh well, it's a start. And if you have any gluten free (or easily adaptable as the apple burgers were) vegan* recipes to share, please do! :-)

Happy End of November!

*I simply use vegan because it's the easiest way to find recipes that have no egg or dairy which I'm allergic to.