Vacation Destination: Hood River, Oregon

When I visited Pdx this summer, I took a day trip to Hood River, Or. I am so glad I did, because it was absolutely gorgeous. The kind of place ideal for retiring to. Hood Rive is a city that sits on the Columbia River, about an hour east of Portland. Even the drive there was relaxing. Picturesque mountain views and blue skies practically any direction you look. Hood River is filled with wineries, local farms, organic orchards, lavender farms, and much more. It is also a world-class windsurfing and kiteboarding destination. If you ever get the chance to visit, you must!

Columbia riverfront.

Gorgeous. 

Kiteboarders in action.

Mt Hood (does this even look real??)

Lavendar Valley

Organic cherry orchard

The biggest ones are at the top!

Day #15 And What I Learned From My Juicing Cleanse

I can hardly believe that it is day #15 of the cleanse. I made it to my goal. I did it. Feels good! I have lost a total of 8 lbs in only 15 days. This may not sound like a lot, but I do not lose weight easily. In the past, I would be lucky to lose one pound per week. So 8 lbs is pretty awesome for me. I juiced/made green smoothies for 15 days. Here is the breakdown:
The Good:
* I have lost weight.
* I feel healthier.
* I have reset my body's need for food. I get full A LOT faster now.
* I have a better relationship with veggies. They actually taste better to me now.
* Meal planning was easy since every meal consisted of juice. It was kinda nice not having to cook.
* It was fun trying different combos of fruits/veggies to see what tasted best.
* My workouts were much easier. Didn't spend nearly as much time in the gym.
The Bad:
* Sometimes you really just want a slice of pizza and not another glass of juice.
* I was hungry a lot during days 2-5. Sure, make another juice. Not want I wanted though.
* Day #3 was the worst. I felt tired, no energy, headachey and overall, BLAH.
* Food is such a social thing. I found myself turning down invites just so I didn't have to be around food.
Confession:
I tried to eliminate alcohol and caffeine during the 15 days. However, I am not perfect.I had a glass of wine one night. I had half a glass of Guinness another night. I had a cup of coffee one day. I ate popcorn.(Twice.) This was definitely one of the hardest things I had ever done, and so I cheated a bit. There were also some days when I actually ate a salad or had some soup.
Your Questions Answered:
1.Could you workout? Yes, but I took it easy. Light cardio or yoga. No weight training.
2.Was it hard to be around food? Yes and no. It depended on how far along I was. The first 5 days, I just wasn't around food in general. But if I was, then it would have been hard. On day #8 and #11, I went to birthday parties where I had to turn down food and cake. It wasn't so bad. I made sure I had juice with me. And peaches. They are delicious. I went to a restaurant on day #13, and just ordered some soup.
3. Did it get boring? Not too bad. It was fun juicing and coming up with different combinations to try.
4. Did it hurt? No, besides day #3 when I felt almost sick.
5. Would you do it again? Yes! It was worth it.
 Suggestions If You Want To Detox:
* Have some support in a spouse/friend/relative. It really helps. (Thanks to everyone who sent me encouraging tweets!)
*The first day was fun. Day #2 and #3 got harder for me. Try to plan minimal activities these days. Give yourself time to rest and relax. 
*Stock up with fruits and veggies. Otherwise, you will be going to the store a lot. They run out fast.
*Choose a reasonable time period and one you can realistically stick with. I was home a lot and that made it easier for me. Think about a 5 day commitment.
*If you slip up and eat something, don't beat yourself up about it.No one is perfect, and tomorrow is a new day.
Summation:
It was well worth the effort. It feels good to reach a goal you have set for yourself. I plan on keeping the green smoothies a regular part of my diet now. I would like to do a detox once every 1-2 mos. as well. I was hoping to lose 10 lbs, so maybe another detox would get me there. Green smoothies FTW!

I Dyed My Hair With Henna

When I was in Pdx, I had my sister help me dye my hair with henna. I have been trying to get away from chemicals and artificial things altogether. So my next step was to change the way I dye my hair. And what's more natural than  henna?! We went to a local beauty supple store and picked up a box of henna hair dye and some gloves. That's all you need. No developer, toner or harsh chemicals.

The henna powder mixed with water. 

The directions were simple. Mix the henna powder with water until you get a thick consistency, slightly like mud. Cover your entire head and leave on for one hour. Henna will only make your hair darker. So I choose a color that was only a shade lighter than what I already had.

Henna head.

The back.

 The henna felt like dirt or mud on my head. It was very earthy and sandy. However, there was no bad smell, no sting or burn either. I let it sit for 1.5 hours. After that, I rinsed it out in the bathtub. Big mistake! It clumps like mud and almost clogged the drain. I would suggest going outside and getting the big clumps out before you use the a sink or tub.

The results.

And the results! Shiny, soft, henna-dyed hair with a touch of red. It wasn't a dramatic change, but gave me the color boost I needed. Also, it didn't cover my roots as well as I wanted. I think next time I will try putting some henna on the roots for an hour and then pulling the rest through for another hour. Overall, I was happy with how it turned out. Yay for henna! :)

Green Smoothie Recipe: Orange Dream

Here is another of my favorite smoothie recipes thus far:

You Will Need:
1 orange
1/2 c pineapple
1 peach
1 cup of spinach
1-2 kale leaves
2 c water

Blend all ingredients together. Blend well-on high for at least 45 sec. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Take A Peek Inside My Fridge

If you guessed that it was full of fruits and veggies, you would be right!!

Green Smoothie Recipe: Tropical Treat

This has been one of my favorite green smoothies so far.

You Will Need:
 2 cups of water
1 mango (approx 1 cup)
1 cup of pineapple
1 cup of spinach
1/4 cup of parsley
a splash of lemon juice

Put all ingredients in the blender, fruit first. Blend for a good 45 sec. Enjoy!

My Green Smoothie/Juicing Detox Plan

After watching Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, I decided I wanted to start juicing too. Well, blending anyway. I do not own a  juicer, but I have found a blender works just fine. Why? Many reasons: to detox, for better health, more energy, weight loss and feeling more well overall. It's also a challenge. How long can I go without eating? I am going to try 15 days. Today is Day #2. So far, so good. I feel good. I slept really well last night. I did feel some hunger pains yesterday, but I would just make another batch of juice. I think the more I do it, the more my body with get used to it.

If you haven't seen the doc, you should check it out. It really hits home and shows you how successful juicing can be. There is also an online community to help you should you decide to juice, Join the reboot. There are different programs. Choose the best one for you. The best part? It's free!

Even with changing my eating habits and eating more clean, I still wasn't eating enough vegetables. Juicing makes it so easy to do. You don't have to sit down and eat a big salad or worry about making healthy veggie side dishes. Cooking also destroys some of the nutrients in food. Juicing is more effective because it tears up the cells in the fruits and veggies, enabling a much quicker uptake. Plus, the chlorophyll resembles our blood cells. It's like recharging your blood-making it healthier and more natural. What's not to like??

Portlandia

What an amazing vacation. Truly relaxing and fun, as a vacation should be. I love this city so much. It feels like home. Here are some photos from my trip:

Aerial view of Mt. Hood.

Waterfront park.

Gorgeous day.

Burnside Bridge.

A Warning To Older College Students W/ Transfer Credits

I wanted to share this information with you because it's something I wish I had known when starting school. I am an older adult student, starting school this fall for an AS degree. I have attended college before, and came with 55 transfer credits on my record. These were basic gen ed courses, as I switched my major a few times. I never thought these courses would hinder me, as I needed some of them to count toward my AS degree. I was totally unaware of the SAP policy my school has in place. (Check your school, as every one is different.) SAP stands for satisfactory academic progress, of which there are two main components, grades and time frame. If you don't meet a certain GPA or finish your degree withing a certain number of attempted credits, you will be disqualified for financial aid.
Like I said, each school is different. My school has a cap of 93 credit limits. So I only get 93 credits at an "attempt" of finishing a degree. All of my transfer credits are included in that. So with my 20+ credits I have taken at the current school while waiting to start the program, I am nearly at 93.  This does not seem fair to me. I wasn't attempting a degree at my current school when I took these 55 credits. So now I have to appeal this policy in the fall so that I will be eligible for aid. I am not looking forward to it.
My point being: check your financial aid policy and know what you are getting into. I would have done some things differently if I was aware of this. The major blow for me? I was approved for the first time ever for a pell grant. Now I might risk losing it because of the maximum time frame. I was so upset when I found this out. I don't have extra money for college, and I really need financial aid, even if it is a loan. Sometimes life can just really suck. Plus, the decision of the appeal is final. I still have two more years in school that I have to figure out how to pay for.