Complete Blog Love

I've searched and searched and I cannot remember which blogger featured this blog but I love it! I have yet to try any of the recipes but the concept and the pictures are just too much to ignore! Check it out:

Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!)

Photo Credit: Lisa is Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!)

Cannot wait to try that recipe this week! I'll be posting pics of my own attempts.

- Kareen, RD

Gooooooooaaaaaaaaaalllllllllll!

Is the title reminiscent enough of a World Cup soccer player scoring a goal? Hope so; because that's how I'm feeling right now. A week into 2011 and I remain motived! I don't have the rose-coloured glasses on so I recognize that there's going to be a lot of work to do. 

I have three areas of focus this year: faith, family/friends and fitness. I won't go into much detail with the first two. Following Chalene Johnson's challenge, I created a 2011 goal list based on my top three. From that goal list, I've identified weight as my push goal. Reaching my goal weight will allow me to push through to accomplish my other goals.

How will I accomplish my push goal? Exercise and eating right? Of course! My first program of choice is 20-weeks of Turbo Fire! I started with the 5-Day Inferno Plan but was thwarted by my operating system. Linux didn't like many of the CDs. 

I've updated to Windows 7 and  all the CDs work now! I thought about re-doing the Inferno Plan but decided to proceed with the regularly scheduled program. I'm following the class schedule. Today was Day 1 and I loved it! The music is great and Chalene's energy is motivating!

On the eating side, I'm moving forward with eating a high raw vegan diet and still following a vegan diet. There's not much to detail there as I've discussed it here, here and here.

That's a wrap. Hope you're enjoying your Sunday!

- Kareen, RD

One Third of 9 month olds and 2 year olds Overweight or Obese

This article from LiveScience.com is sobering: A Third of 9-Month-Olds Already Obese or Overweight

And if you think there is any exaggeration, please don't. I can attest to this phenomenon personally. In my practice, I see children five years and under (yes, including infants) who have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and disorders with their blood lipids. Their weights are completely off of the Centers for Disease Control growth charts.

A major part of the issue it is education on the part of the parents. Many parents do not see the harm in overfeeding their kids because they want to make them happy. Most of the parents I see are genuinely shocked to learn that their toddlers have health problems usually reserved for adults.

The other part of the problem is the type of food that is available. Our food has changed in the last 20 years and we need to recognize that fact. This video on sugar describes some of these changes excellently. Please check it out.



I've got to get going but wanted to share this link. Let me know your thoughts!

- Kareen, RD

Happy 2011!!

Hope you enjoyed a safe and wonderful start to the New Year. My husband and I rang it in quietly which was perfect!

I am so ready for 2011. Just ready to be done with the 'same old, same old' and ready to move forward. The main issue from the past is my weight. This is the year the battle is done. My journey is not just starting today. As corny as it may sound, I have been working towards this very moment. I can't explain it well or again, without sounding corny, but it's different.

Over the past few months my desire to make a life change has grown exponentially. No longer focused on weight but rather on health, I am ready to throw off this heavy mantle!

As I mentioned in this post, I am taking part in Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge to build the habit of organization. My 2011 goal list is ready but I am going to wait until I have completed the initial steps of Chalene's challenge before sharing some of them. Health and fitness is, of course, but it is not my number one priority.

I'd love to hear some of your hopes and dreams for 2011.

- Kareen, RD

Green Smoothie Detox

I've decided to detox this week to get back on track. I'm feeling really icky after deviating from a high raw vegan diet. Let's just say the past two weeks have been an experiment in how yucky I can make myself feel by eating poorly. I returned to my usual eating habits and I don't know how I was surviving on such an energy-zapping diet.

I know the solution for me: a high raw vegan diet! This week I'm going to focus on detoxing through fruits and veggies. Two to three green smoothies with a giant green salad daily. There are a lot of resources online on green smoothies. I have included a basic recipe below from this website. The website also includes variations but the fun part is that you can customize your smoothies to your own liking!

Basic Recipe

2 cups filtered water
2 bananas
2 oranges
1 apple
1 lemon
1/2 inch chunk fresh ginger (optional)
½ - 1 head of romaine, spinach, chard, beet greens, or kale

I'm using a regular blender so I will am going to eliminate the oranges and apple but if you have a Vita-Mix or Blendtec, go wild!

Hopefully you'll be able to join me. Even if you only include one green smoothie or one giant green salad daily, I believe you'll still feel the benefits of increasing your intake of fruits and veggies.

I'll share my progress throughout the week. I'll post daily pics on Facebook so be sure to friend me if you haven't already. Have fun experimenting!

- Kareen, RD

New Year's Resolutions - Embrace Them!

As 2011 approaches, the population appears to divide itself into two camps: for New Year's resolutions and against them.

I've been a member of both camps but over the past few years, I've decidedly become a proponent of resolutions. And why not? The start of a new year is a natural marker of time and a good time to reflect on the year that is passing and the one on the horizon.

My list is in progress and I will share it this week once it's complete. It encompasses a variety of goals: career, personal development, health and even a little fashion! However, the list isn't too long because I don't want to become overwhelmed.

Truthfully, resolutions have probably earned their bad reputation because we often choose too many and then don't plan beyond February. One year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days is a long time to contemplate in December 2010 so what to do to stay on track?


To ensure the best chance of success, I'm implementing the SMART principle. My goals are going to be Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Realistic and Timely. The list is taking a little longer to complete this year but there are a few goals that I am determined to reach so I want to be detailed.

For work, I completed two business plans for 2011. My boss indicated that each member of the management team will be responsible for providing monthly updates on our progress towards the goals outlined in the plan. Of course, this requirement is to ensure that we are staying on track. I plan on implementing that same technique using this blog.


Lastly, I'm excited to be part of Chalene Johnson's "30 Day Challenge to Master Organization and Achieve Your Goals in 2011" group on Facebook! It's free to join!

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!


- Kareen, RD

Question of the Day:
Are you writing a New Year's Resolutions list?

What Happened?!?

The week before Thanksgiving I caught a cold. This cold was mostly a cough and this cough grew in intensity over the next two weeks. Finally in the third week of hacking, I went to an urgent care clinic. I had/have bronchitis. Good times. So, I'm finishing up a course of antibiotics and will begin a course of probiotics when I'm done. The cough medicine suppressed my cough which allowed me to sleep. The fits of coughing were keeping me up at night and I was exhausted. Thankfully, I am on the mend although I have to take it easy with physical activity.

Confessions of a High Raw Vegan Foodist

My goal with the raw food lifestyle is to increase my fresh produce intake and enjoy foods. . .well, in the raw! It's a continuum and while I'm not 100% raw, I'm certainly eating a lot healthier than I was a month ago.

Also, my husband eats cooked food and he's also great cook. I want to be able to share his creations with him. Likewise, he enjoys the raw food creations I make.

So, what's my confession? Over the course of my sickness, I certainly ate more cooked food which I was fine with but I didn't stay vegan which was a definite goal of mine. I dabbled in cheese - - a lot. As someone who is lactose intolerant, eating cheese brings pleasure to my tastebuds but not my belly. It's my kryptonite.

Not only that, I had a Jack in the Box Grilled Breakfast Sandwich (egg and cheese) and a Reese's yesterday. Talk about an energy zapper and a weight in my stomach! Lesson learned. I didn't chastise myself or dwell on it. Uncharacteristically, I moved forward. For once, I didn't slash all my tires. I returned home and got back on plan with eating.

Moving Forward

One of the reasons I didn't dwell on my poor eating choice is because my raw vegan journey is a lifestyle and not just a one month diet plan. In the grand scheme of things, one Jack in the Box sandwich is not the end of the world nor is it my undoing.  More importantly, my raw foodie card will not be revoked :)

And this brings me to one of the unexpected benefits of moving to high raw. The focus on eating raw is helping me develop a healthier relationship with food. These thoughts are still rumbling in my mind but once I find the words, I'll share.

What I've Been Eating

Here are some pics of what I've been eating lately. It's not complicated but it is delicious! They were taken with my cell phone so please excuse the quality. I post more pics on my FB page so if you haven't yet, friend me!

Avocado Kale Salad

Enjoying a simple raw snack. These granola bars are delish!!

This morning's beautiful and delicious breakfast

I try to incorporate a new-to-me fruit or vegetable weekly (or one that I previously declared 'yucky!') to expand my palate. My favourite so far has been passion fruit. Wow! I can't believe I was hesitant to try this fresh fruit. Super-duper flavourful!

Last but Not Least

In case you haven't noticed, I have been mum on the weight loss front. For now, I'm focusing on cleaning up my diet and incorporating exercise. The weight will follow. I do weigh myself periodically but nothing scheduled. Since starting on the high raw vegan lifestyle one month ago, I have lost 6lbs. I celebrate that!

My teaching gig is over so I plan to blog more frequently on my diet transition and exercise.

Question of the day
What's a fruit or vegetable you've never tried but would like to?
The next one on my list is papaya!

Thanks so much for reading!

- Kareen, RD