June Journey to Wellness Day 5

TGIF Day 5 - Friday, June 7

7:25am - slept in a little bit so had a large glass of water and started getting ready!

7:30am - cup of hot lemon water

9:30am - smoothie: greens powder, frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana and water

12:30pm - Salad: raw kale, yellow beets baked the night before, organic edamame, cucumber, avocado and pumpkin seeds with EVOO, apple cider vinegar and lemon!

3pm - Mary's crackers with some hummus

8:30pm - Leftover chicken burger on a bed of organic spinach with tomato and then on the side we had organic roasted red pepper hummus with Mary's Sticks & Twigs gluten-free pretzels - yum! I also found this Cider at the LCBO called William that is gluten-free, organic, Canadian and only 8g of sugar  per can - pretty good!

9pm - SWEET TREAT - So Delicious (brand name) Coconut Milk Chocolate Almond Bar - they are actually quite small, dairy-free and have 8g of sugar per bar so not so bad - and it was Friday, I wanted a treat :)

We watched a movie and went to bed fairly early because Will had a work softball tournament in the morning and I had to work at the PYC (Power Yoga Canada) studio! zzzzzzzzzz

June Journey to Wellness - Day 4

Day 4 - Thursday, June 6

7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water

7:30am - cup of hot lemon water

8:00am - smoothie: hemp powder, almond butter, cacao, cinnamon, 1/2 banana, water and spirulina

10am - omelette with mushrooms

12:30pm - Salad: raw kale, swiss chard, spinach, shredded carrots and beets, some red quinoa, napa cabbage, an avocado, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts and lemon dijon dressing!

3pm - Mary's crackers with some hummus

7:30pm - Chicken burgers on a bed of organic spinach with tomato and avocado and baked sweet potato rounds: ground chicken, green onions, juice of 1 lemon, lemon zest, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, garlic, pepper

9pm - 2 small glasses of red wine

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6pm - 30min walk, 50 squats and power grocery shopping!

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*I didn't get to meditate tonight as I was doing freelance design, cleaning the kitchen and buzzing my husband's hair haha, but I did sit for about 3 minutes to clear my mind before going to sleep!

June Journey to Wellness - Day 3

Day #3 - Wednesday, June 5

My affirmation for today was: I now listen to my inner guidance. I notice my thoughts, feelings, visions, and words. I now have the strength and courage to follow them and take the steps given to me.

7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water

7:30am - cup of hot lemon water

8:00am - chocolate chai smoothie: hemp powder, spirulina, cacoa, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, almond milk, almond butter, maca powder, water, 1/2 banana

10:00am - had some of my amaranth heated up with flax seeds and cinnamon

12:30pm - mixed greens (chard, kale and spinach) with red cabbage and carrot slaw, with my summer chickpea salad I made last night on top - so delicious the next day!

3:00pm - we had a treat to celebrate a bride-to-be that I work with so I had a piece of this raw vegan frozen bar made of almond butter, coconut oil, cashews and agave - yum!

6:30pm - minced turkey cooked with garlic, onions, tamari sauce (gluten-free), chile flakes and put that on top of a cabbage slaw in collard green leaves to make wraps!

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8pm - 1 hour Power Yoga Class

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*I did some design work after my yoga class and shower and repeated my affirmation before heading to bed around 11pm.

June Journey to Wellness - Day Two

Day #2 - Tuesday, June 4

Goals this week: cut out coffee, finish the book I'm reading, finish my 3 freelance projects, let go of everything that isn't needed in my life!

7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water

7:30am - cup of hot lemon water

8:00am - chocolate chai smoothie: spirulina, cacoa, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, almond milk, almond butter, water, 1/2 banana, greens powder

10:00am - piece of gluten-free toast with almond butter and an organic apple/ginger tea

1:30pm - mixed greens (chard, kale and spinach) with red cabbage and carrot slaw, pumpkin seeds, sprouts and a piece of salmon with dill and a lemon, dijon, EVOO and pepper dressing

3:00pm - other favourite rishi tea: organic cinnamon plum mmmmmm

6:30pm - grilled chicken with summer chickpea salad: organic chickpeas, tomatoes, yellow pepper, green onion, lots of dill, olive oil, sea salt and pepper and fresh lemon juice over arugula

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7:30 - 9pm - 4km walk with my friend

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*After my walk I cleaned the kitchen, meditated and did some deep breathing for 15 min and then read 2 chapters of the book I want to finish this week!

June Journey to Wellness - Day One

Day #1 - Monday, June 3

Food aspect of today was amazing, and the exercise and meditation part as well! Overall it was an amazing first day and nothing crazy out of my routine - but very inspiring as well!

7am wake up - listed 3 things I was grateful for in my life: the sunshine, my husband and family and my health - I repeated this 3 times in my mind with a big smile :)

7:30am - large glass of water, cup of hot lemon water (1/2 lemon), greens powder with water

9:30am - warm bowl of amaranth with cinnamon, sunflower seeds and flax seeds

12:30pm - Kale salad with dill, hemp hearts, sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, pumpkin seeds, lemon and EVOO dressing

3pm - 15 Mary's crackers with organic hummus (Sunflower brand) and my favourite anti-inflammatory tea - Turmeric/Ginger from Rishi

6:30pm - BBQ'd salmon topped with fresh dill and lemon, baked sweet potato slices, fresh cucumber and tomato salad with lemon and EVOO

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8pm - 1 hour Power Yoga Class - during savasana I sent love to my pancreas for five minutes

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10:30pm - 10 minutes of meditation and relaxation breathing, repeated the following mantra 10 times for healing and self love purposes:

Only beautiful, loving things occur around me and within me.

All recipes available upon request but these are quite simple and ingredients are listed above :) xo

*Note, the VegeGreens powder by Proventive is a green food supplement. I use this if I'm travelling and it's perfect if you don't have access to a blender or the ingredients to make a smoothie (which I didn't). The powder is berry-flavoured, has numerous vegetables, vitamins and nutrients in it - a blend of over 60 phytonutrients! Also available in larger containers instead of travel packs.

My June Journey to WAKE up my sweet pancreas

Happy June!

I have been so excited for June to come so I can start this health + wellness journey with all of you.

It will be broken into 3 categories: 

• Food + Nutrition (recipes as well of course)

• Exercise 

• Self-Love + Inner Wellness

I'm actually cutting this journey down to 4 weeks, 5 days per week and leaving weekends for inspiration and research - but still keeping with the program just not documenting my every move!

I hope this journey I'm embarking on will motivate and inspire you! Feel free to comment, ask questions, share accomplishments or results and GET INVOLVED with the healing process with me!

This "June Journey" looks something like this:

• Daily Food, Exercise and Self-love/Inner Wellness Posts

• Posts on what is inspiring me, what results I'm getting, how I'm feeling etc etc

• Each week will have a theme to follow along with if you so desire

The point of this "journey" is to start healing my pancreas FOR REAL with techniques I've been adapting, researching and paying attention to over the last year. 

I am sharing who is motivating me and educating me....along with things I am finding out myself through trial and error and pure exploration and experimentation.

The basis is from these nutrition and healing gurus:

Julie Daniluk's book: Meals that Heal Inflammation

Kris Carr's book: Crazy Sexy Kitchen

Dr. Mark Hyman's Book: The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook

Louise Hay: You Can Heal Your Life

I also research and follow these authors and health gurus like crazy....so it's not ONLY their books that have motivated me to start this, but their articles, their tweets, their blogs and so on...you get the point.

At the beginning of each day I will write a post about what I'm grateful for, then I will post my breakfasts, my snacks, my lunches, my dinners, my mantras, my meditation themes and my exercise and relaxation techniques for the day. I am committing to doing this 5 days a week for not only myself, but for you guys as well! I am on a mission to WAKE my pancreas UP and get it going again.

So, there's a lot to share here, a lot ahead of me and you this month and A LOT to accomplish. I am just so grateful to have this forum and followers like you. 

Please don't hesitate to participate and maybe awaken your spirit, or your pancreas a little too! :)

xoxo

I ACCEPT what I cannot change!

For those of you that don't know me that personally, I am a self-proclaimed Spirit Junkie (term ever so lovingly borrowed from the wonderful Gabrielle Bernstein http://gabbyb.tv/. She is amazing, please visit her site, pick up one of her books or just watch a few clips of her giving you positive love + light!

I use her daily iPhone app, Spirit Junkie, for daily inspiration AND motivation...and today's really reminded me of something I always like to address when it comes to my illness:

I accept what I cannot change.

Living with Type 1 Diabetes for the last 25 years has definitely had it's ups and downs (no pun intended)....but I have never once stopped living the way I've wanted to, or ever let my disease tie me down or limit me in any way.

I can't deny that there have been times I have thought, poor me...or why me.....but I can count on one hand the amount of times those thoughts have entered my mind - and then ever so lovingly I have let them go.

I accept what I cannot change is an interesting line for me to write about because I AM trying to change my disease for the better - I am trying to be the healthiest diabetic possible for me, and I am trying to reverse what some consider my inevitable future. 

I am not trying to prove I will not need insulin to survive, I will always need insulin to survive until there is a cure to waking my pancreas back up! But, I am going to try everything I can to wake my pancreas out of hibernation and heal myself - if that means lying in my yoga class in shavasana sending love to my pancreas, so be it - if that means going on a month-long raw/vegan food diet to see what results I get, so be it - and if that means standing in the mirror every morning and every night repeating the same mantra: "Only beautiful, loving and healthy things occur around me and within me" - so be it!

I am accepting this disease because I cannot change the fact that I have been blessed with this challenge, and that's how I view my diabetes, as a challenge that is part of my path on this beautiful earth. This outlook will push me forward to help others with diabetes to accept the disease, take responsibility, be thankful for the challenge and learn how to survive with positive energy and light!

I cannot change the fact that I have this disease, but I can change the way I accept it and the way it effects my spirit and soul. 

I accept my disease fully. I always have. But I WILL change it....

Kale OPA! Quinoa Salad

As you've probably guessed this is a variation of a typical greek salad - made more substantial with some quinoa and even more healthy and delicious with freshly chopped organic lacinato kale!

Chopped Lacinato (dinosaur) Kale - my favourite kale for taste, texture and chopping!
Quinoa (I usually add in as much cooked quinoa as I feel like)
Green Onions and chives chopped
Yellow and Orange chopped Peppers
Sliced Kalamata Olives
Sliced Cucumber
Pumpkin Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Greek Seasoning (I use Clubhouse, but I should really make my own with dried herbs)

Dressing: juice of 1 lemon, EVOO, apple cider vinegar, black papper, spoonful of whole grain mustard

This salad is SOOOOO tasty, it's healthy and delicious and full of nutrients. Plus, the quinoa fills you up and adds protein!

OPA!