No Sugar, No Salt - Just Crock-Pot Applesauce!

4-5 lbs. apples (about 12 cups sliced)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg

 2 cups water

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Peel, core and thinly slice apples and place in crock-pot.  Add cinnamon or nutmeg.  Pour in water and lemon juice. Cook the usual:  3-4 hours on HIGH or 6-8 hours on LOW.  Stir occasionally.

Applesauce may be a little chunky. Mash with a fork or hit it with the immersion blender if you like smoother applesauce.  Yum!

Recipe from The Humbled Homemaker; I've adapted it only slightly.

Watermelon Popsicles

Watermelon Popsicles

The water content in watermelon is so high, you don't have to add any additional liquid.  You can add some lime juice or mint, though, for extra zing.  Then, just blend, pour into molds, and freeze!

*EDIT:  I just read you can do the same with papaya, or any of the other melons. - So gonna try it!

Your Excuse is Invalid

Here it is, my list of excuses. I know they will come, eventually, and probably more I haven't even thought of yet. I figured this time around, I'd bust my most common excuses before they happen.

 1. I'm too tired to get up and exercise. I'll do it later.  If I don't get up and exercise I won't do it. I know I'll wake up once I get going, and I'll feel better all day long.

  2. I have a headache/ PMS/ something hurts.  I'll just do my best. I won't push too hard, and I'll feel better overall when I'm done.

  3. I've got too much to do. I'll just take my rest day early. This day off will just lead to another day off. Exercise is my priority for three months. Whatever "needs" to be done can be fit in later, or it really isn't that important to begin with.

 4. I am not going to make it through the day without a cup of coffee. I did it every day that I was pregnant, and I survived just fine. If I really need a jolt later in the day, a cup of strong black tea will work just as well as a cup of coffee filled with sugar and cream, and without all the extra calories.


5.  All my sports bras are dirty. I'll wear a regular bra with a workout tank over top. I'll live with a little bounce.


6. My little boy was up late/ I couldn't sleep. I managed on an insanely small amount of sleep for weeks after he was born. I can do it for just this one day and be fine.


7. There's this recipe I really want to try. The recipe will be there when this round of P90X is over, if I still want to try it.


8. But it's Thanksgiving/ Christmas/ someone's birthday! There are lots of healthy food choices available. Me and my thin new body can have dressing and pie next year.


9. What a long day! I could really use a glass of wine. The wine may lift my spirits for a minute, but I'll be crabby and probably miss my workout tomorrow, and then I'll be disappointed in myself to boot. I'll take a hot bath and enjoy some relaxing tea instead.


10. I skipped a workout! I ate something awful! It's all over - I quit~ That is just my perfectionist diva talking. So, I messed up? Okay. Get up, get going, push play. At the end of 90 days, it won't be terrible if I fail a few times. It will be terrible if I am still in the same shape then that I am now.

The Elimination Diet

Post 1: The Plan

Step one:  Get myself ready for the CLEAN program.

How am I going to do this?  One hour at a time, baby.  It's how I quit smoking, and if I can do that, then I can do this.

How it works.  There are 24 hours in a day.  This plan will take 31 days to complete - the first 24 days, plus one maintenance week.  In the first 24 days, I will pick one hour per day to only eat foods from the Elimination Diet.  Then, once I pick that day, it will remain clean, and I'll build from there - point being - 24 days to 24 hours CLEAN!

Of course, there are hours of the day that are usually spent for sleep.  These hours are good for days when you just can't stand the thought of adding in any more clean time, or when you are too busy to even think about it.  OR, if you planned an hour and then cheated, thus failing that hour.

Day One is tomorrow, June 21st.  I don't suspect it will get tough for a while.  I'm totally going to take it easy in the beginning.  I'm not quite ready to give up my evening wine or my morning coffee.

Day One time = 3-4pm
This is the time I start thinking about dinner, and generally get caught in the trap of munching because I'm thinking about food, even though I know I should just wait.

I've also been re-reading French Women Don't Get Fat, which is a great book to remind oneself about portion control and plain old common sense when it comes to food.

And last - but never least - I am exercising a bit every day.