2nd attempt at running

On Saturday my husband, Mark, decided he was going to go for a run. So instead of being lazy I decided I was going to take a stab at it. Just a little scary if you ask me because this is officially the second time I have run in my life and the second time with Mark. Any good runner stretches. Right? We stretched our muscles in the driveway. Probably pretty funny if you were one of our neighbors. We started out walking and picked up the pace once we headed down the road. Suddenly I felt like I was being tortured. I thought to myself how could anyone possible get pleasure out of this! I didn't want to over do it so I switched between a fast paced walk and run. Of course, Mark left me in the dust! That is okay because I am still in my training wheel phase! I ended up running/walking 1.5 miles. It is a start but I am definitely not the track star my Wii Fit tells me during a workout! I was a little tired after this because before the run we had done a bunch of spring cleaning/organizing! Yesterday I woke up and every muscle (and I mean EVERY) in my body so sore! Yep definitely worked muscles I never knew existed in my body. I woke up this morning milking the sore muscles and Mark just told me to get my rear back out there and RUN! I will attempt it again this week! Happy Monday!

Tofu

Who knew I would fall in love with tofu! I was always a little scared of it but I knew that it was in some foods I love. The turning point was at Mellow Mushroom on Friday evening. We usually get two small pizzas to split and this leaves just enough for leftovers! Mark picked out the pizza. I think the first one was a mighty meaty. He knows I love veggies so he chose the mega veggie. Veg out on a pizza covered with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, broccoli, feta, banana peppers, artichoke hearts, and TOFU!!!!!!! It was delectable! The light bulb went off while I was enjoying this semi-new ingredient. On Sunday, while doing my weekly shopping, I decided to purchase a block of tofu. Last night we made our weekly veggie stir fry and added tofu to the mix! It was really good. I encourage all to try it. It seems to be a very versatile food because it takes on the flavor of what you are cooking. One last perk of tofu is that it is very healthy - low sodium, low calorie, low fat, and high in protein!

Praying today my mom will receive the best news of her life!

In a few short hours I am meeting my mom to get her mammogram. This is a year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I hope my prayers have been answered!

I hope everyone gets out and enjoys this beautiful weather!

Ashley

Pesticides in produce, hormones in milk, antibiotics in meat -- what are all these extra ingredients doing in our food?

Have you ever thought about what the producers of your food are adding to their products? In my opinion, I think it is a little scary and could be the cause of so many cancers today. Hormones have been used for decades in the meat and dairy industries. Synthetic estrogen and testosterone are the most common. So I decided to do a little research. I stumbled across some interesting information. Initial concerns about estrogen-injected cows centered on a compound called diethylstilbestrol (DES). Nearly all beef cattle were treated with DES in the 1950s and 1960s. DES was also used as medicine, given to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages. It was also discovered that DES caused a higher risk of vaginal cancer in the daughters of women who received the medicine. By the 1970's diethylstilbestrol was phased out from use in medicine and agriculture. Another interesting fact their is a link between breast cancer and exposure to estrogen. Your chances of breast cancer increase with higher lifetime exposure to estrogen. WHY do people think the use of synthetic estrogen in livestock is safe????? Another controversy that continues to brew is the use of Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). Many argue that it causes cancer but yet to be ruled out. No one really knows if these hurt the body but if you ask me it is not natural that we consume these in our produce, meat, and dairy.

Mark and I always buy fresh veggies(not always organic) and organic meat. We are incorporating more organic produce than before. My experience thus far has been very positive. Not only does it taste better but you have the satisfaction of not ingesting a ton of pesticides. People argue that it costs too much but not really. I spend the same as I did before at the grocery store. When it comes down to it you have to decide what is important in your life. Eating safe and fresh food is for me so I cut other things that I don't need out of my weekly budget. Not to mention you really only need to buy just the right amount. Before I met Mark, I didn't realize how much I wasted. Mark is very keen on getting just what we need so we use all of the fresh produce we purchased that week. Not much goes to waste in our household. Usually once a week we will make a stir fry with all of the leftover veggies. I feel extremely blessed to be able to go to the store and get fresh produce and not eat it out of a can! Let's face it..... I would like to live a long healthy life with my husband and family.

While doing some research, I found some interesting information on Earth Fare's website regarding what to and not to buy organic:

MUST buy ORGANIC:

Produce:
The following produce items are the “dirty dozen” because they have the most pesticide residues. Buy these organic and reduce pesticide consumption by 80%!

1.Peach
2.Apple
3.Bell Pepper
4.Celery
5.Nectarine
6.Strawberries
7.Cherries
8.Kale
9.Lettuce
10.Grapes (Imported)
11.Carrot
12.Pear

Meat:
Buy all-natural or organic meat to avoid antibiotics and hormones. All-natural and organic also means the animal feed is free of pesticides.

Dairy:
Organic dairy means antibiotic and hormone free. Organic is a must, especially for kids.

OKAY to buy CONVENTIONAL:

Produce
The produce below has the lowest pesticide residue. It is okay to buy these conventional:

1.Onion
2.Avocado
3.Sweet Corn
4.Pineapple
5.Mango
6.Asparagus
7.Sweet Peas
8.Kiwi
9.Cabbage
10.Eggplant
11.Papaya
12.Watermelon
13.Broccoli
14.Tomato
15.Sweet Potato


Whatever you decide works for you and your family, it is most important to consume at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day! How do you and your family make sure to get enough fruits & vegetables?

Well at any rate, this is my opinion and I hope everyone considers what they are putting in their mouth out their next meal!