YUM!

This is my lunch today and I am eating it right now and I can say that so far it is one of my favorite  things on Ani's 15 day fat blast (also LOVE the banana shake). It is SO SO SO good (cabbage, carrots, almonds, mint, basil, cilantro, cucumer, almonds and apple cider vinaigrette).  DELISH!  I could eat this everyday.

So, here's the update.  It is up and down.  I am almost through day 6 of 15.  Breakfast and lunch are easy peasy for me (smoothies and salads now).   Dinner is TOUGH...really, really tough.  My family is eating regular food and I have blended vegetable soups.  I am really sick of the soups.  Some are good but I am just sick of them.  I get very grumpy and headachy at dinnertime.  I want real food then but with the help/encouragement of Dave and my own stubbornness, I have powered through and stuck to the plan.

Here is the good news.  I already notice a HUGE difference.  My belly is so much flatter.  I feel more confident already.  I have not weighed myself so I don't know if I have lost pounds but I can literally SEE a difference already.  And yes, my clothes fit differently too!


UPDATED: I did go weigh myself and I am down 3 pounds. Although that is less than what the author  predicts by this point in the plan, I am happy with that for now:)  And it feels/looks like more to me.  Both Dave and I had guessed that I was down 5 pounds.

I did take 2 days off exercise.  One day was intentional and then yesterday I did not feel good AT ALL.  I felt flu like a little.  I was sweating and had chills and just felt lousy.  I feel quite sure it was some toxins getting out as I know that happens when you eat this way.  I feel much better today and did my 50 minutes of step aerobics.

Aside from yesterday, my energy has been great lately.  I am not sure if it is the food or the exercise or the combination of both but I am loving having more energy.  I have been exercising for a while now so it must be the combination of the healthy food WITH the exercise.

THANK YOU so much for those of you that have sent me encouraging comments and e-mails. I cannot tell you how much they mean to me.  I seriously was about to quit at the end of day 3 and one comment cheered me on to keep going.  It completely turned me around. This is hard.  I have never eaten raw and vegan before.  I cannot socialize and do this which is also hard.  I usually have lunch with a friend at least once a week and we often have families over for dinner on the weekends. A few people asked me for the recipes.  I cannot possibly post them all but you can get the book here.

If you do get the book, DO NOT get an e-version.  I made that mistake and some of the print is unreadable.  In fact, I am going to request a refund from Nook because I cannot read some of it.  Get the real thing.  I so wish I had.  there are shopping guides and menus that are completely unreadbale on the e-versions.

You can also find some of the recipes are online here.

And I would like to encourage those of you embarking on a new fitness/health journey.  Let me know and I will be sure to visit your blog and leave you some words of encouragement sometimes this week.


P.S.  It helps me to journal about this process...I promise to get back to normal blogging too:)

Mother's Day

Mother's Day got off to a bumpy start in our house (which is unusual for such a day).  Usually, the kiddos let me sleep in a tad and then they excitedly march in with coffee, homemade cards and smiling faces.   That did not happen this year and I really missed it.

We did go to a lovely brunch though.

My handsome bunch.  I feel so blessed.

Brunch was really, really nice.  And the peanuts gave me their lovely cards there. 

Kate painted this lovely heart and it says...I love Mommy because she is happy.  She dictated that to her teachers.  That makes me even happier.  I love that that is her perception because some days I feel like I am just fussing and rushing with the kiddos:)



Harry gave me the most beautiful card about raising a son.  I about cried. He also made me a coupon book good for hugs and kisses (he does not give those away freely or easily) and for lots of other chores and things.


Will also gave me a beautiful card and he made one for me too. He is such a sweetheart! And Dave scheduled a massage for me for next week. Yeah!



Brunch was so delicious.  Our whole family loves food. We really are foodies. They had everything from Alaskan king crab legs (Harry's favorite) to cotton candy (which was a huge hit with Kate)!








Will wanted to try the caviar...



But he did not like it:)  I love that he is always willing to try new things though.

We have been having lots and lots of doctor appointments and tests for Harry.  I feel so bad for him as there are many more to come.  But one of the things the gastroenterologist and the food allergist have asked us to do...is let Harry have gluten and dairy!!!  Harry has been on a gluten and dairy free diet for most of his life. He has had it on occasion but it has been rare and he has had none for a year.  He needs to eat these so that we can get more accurate test results.  So, most of the food Harry ate was gluten and dairy free but he did have a cream puff and he was in HEAVEN!!!!  Luckily, he has not had any stomach issues as we have slowly added in some gluten and dairy.  This is quite miraculous.  We pray that this continues because in the past even a crumb or drop of gluten and dairy would make him severely ill.



The brunch was at a beautiful hotel and walked around outside afterwards.  There were beautiful black swans.  We did feel sorry for the swans though as their wings are clipped.






Just as we were leaving the hotel, I offered to take a photo of a family and grandparents.  Then I asked them to take one of us as we rarely get all 5 of us in a shot.  A huge gust of wind came and this is what he got....



Like my hair?  Not our best shot and Kate is not even looking:(

After brunch we went to the pool.


Kate being silly with Will's old goggles!

I mostly read my book  at the pool though.  I am reading the Hunger Games trilogy and I simply CANNOT put it down.  I would never in a million years think I could be interested in these books (they have a rather violent plot) but I cannot stop reading them.  I read the first book in a day and am almost done the second one two days later:)  I have so much empathy for the main character and I worry about her when I am not reading.  If you like a page turner, I highly recommend these books.  They are unlike anything I have ever read.

All in all, we had a very nice Mother's Day.  And I am very thankful to my Mother for her love and for teaching me all the values and principles I have today.  I am also thankful to Dave's Mom.  She raised a wonderful son who is now a great husband and father.  I wish she were still here on earth to know our children.

Savory Red Pepper Soup

Despite the name of this recipe, this soup can be on the sweet side depending on the pears you use.

1/2 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (I use earth balance dairy free, soy free spread and olive oil instead)
2 large onions chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
6 red bell peppers, roasted, seeded, and chopped (you can buy these already roasted in jars)
2 firm pears, peeled, cored and chopped (I prefer tart pears)
5 cups chicken stock (not broth)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt
freshly ground pepper
creme fraiche or sour cream for optional garnish

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Add onions and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.  Add carrots and saute an additional 10 minutes. Add potato and red peppers and saute 10 minutes.  Add pears, chicken stock and parsley.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Use an immersion blender  or transfer soup in small bathes to a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth. Reheat.

Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with creme fraiche.

A few notes:

I LOVE this soup.  The kids eat it and they say it is good but it is not their absolute favorite.

It is better on the second day.  It also freezes well.

It is chock full of vitamins and nutrients (A, C, E and B6, potassium, calcium, selenium and fiber).

You can use jarred roasted red peppers.  I have made it both ways and honestly the soup is better if you roast the peppers yourself.  The flavor is richer and more complex.

You can make this vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead or chicken stock.

Recipe from Stop and Smell the Rosemary.

On another note, thank you for sweet and compassionate comments yesterday. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated them. I am better. I have gained perspective. It helps to vent and I know that my problems really are minor in the big scheme of life.  Yesterday, Kate and I were browsing in a gift shop and I picked up Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment.  When I crawled into bed to read yesterday's reading, I was astounded.  In the third sentence it said, "you aren't condemned to grumpydom"  The whole passage is about change and getting out of a rut!  Can you beleive that!?  I rarely even use the word grumpy so I knew that I was meant to see this book and that reading.  It was no coincidence.


I also remembered this quote that I posted a year and a half ago...

"Watch what you say to yourself....for you create your own reality."

Sean Stephenson

I realized that if I go around saying that I am grumpy or in a rut or feeling low energy, I will continue to feel that way.  Only I have the power to get my sunny disposition back.  I believe that.  It is why my photography blog is called "Choosing Happiness."

Anyway, enjoy your weekend and let me know if you try the soup or have a favorite soup recipe to share.

Coke is evil {part 2}

Just kidding in that title:) Thank you for all of the thought provoking comments. I loved hearing all the points of view. They really made me think. It seems that some think I am a Coke prude and some do not. I think it might have been an even split but I did not count. I did want to follow up on a few things.

First, I did not mean to accuse anyone specifically of being a bad parent. I make a TON of parenting mistakes (probably daily). I am nowhere near perfect and I know that. In fact, I think I share a lot of my parenting blunders right here on the blog. I know we are all doing the best we can. I do still think though that is is not a good parenting decision to offer kids COKE (and I mean COKE/Pepsi or caffeinated beverages specifically here). The reason is that caffeine is a DRUG! It is addictive. Many of the commenters said "I am a diet Coke addict." Why would we give our kids an addictive drug? Would you give them coffee? So, while I don't approve of that decision, I will not judge anyone. Really, no one needs that. And some of my best friends give their kids Coke and I still love them!

I know that caffeine is very addictive because I am having to wean my self slowly off of the one cup of coffee I have daily. Otherwise, I will get withdrawal headaches. Why start our children down that path? Sure, they may go there on their own someday but I would like to stave that off if I can. So, I am not sure I made that clear last night but that is one of my big problems with Coke...it's addictive caffeinated nature.

Secondly, a few people e-mailed or commented about how being overly restrictive with food choices (or anything really) can backfire too. GREAT point. I am extraordinarily cognizant of this and think about it a lot. My kids eat healthy because we MUST do so. We don't have a choice which is probably a good thing because I don't have a ton of will power. I would probably make less healthy choices if it did not affect us so much. But we are allergic to junk food. Our family has a combination of the following food allergies (wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, nuts and pineapple). For us, that excludes ice cream, cakes, cookies, crackers, doughnuts, pizza, and almost all fast food. So, I do worry that my children will sneak foods eventually that will make them sick. I do worry that they will feel deprived. I do worry that they will rebel and for Harry the consequences could be life threatening.

We try to balance that by letting them have a gluten free doughnut for breakfast once a week. Coconut milk ice cream is a favorite for dessert sometimes (coconut bliss brand is our favorite dairy, soy and gluten free ice cream). Last night (before I wrote that post) I took one of my children to Baskin Robbins for ice cream while the other two were out with Dave (one who is not allergic to it). We do have potato chips and Fritos (they are corn, salt and oil) sometimes and while those are not healthy snacks...they make my kids feel "normal." I have even managed to find gluten free graham crackers and chocolate so Harry can have s'mores. I say all that to tell you that I am not a food Nazi. I do allow my children some choice and some yummy options. Yes, for the most part we eat healthy. We started that way because we had to but now we see all of the benefits.

Additionally, Dave packs the kids lunches everyday (with their help). But once a week we let Will make his own choices and buy his lunch at school. He has the freedom to choose what he buys and he could be buying slurpees for all I know. I do think it is important to let him spread his wings a bit. That is something I am REALLY working on as I readjust my parenting for the teenage years (more on that soon).

I ate poorly as a child. My parents did not know better and I do not blame them at all. In college, I ate a philly cheeesteak, french fries and a soft pretzel with processed melted cheese every single day. It is a miracle I was not overweight. I did not know better. But when we know better we do better. And now I know better.

I know that my kids are going to make poor choices sometimes and they will learn from them (I hope). We all do. I did. I experimented with breaking rules and unhealthy choices. I just feel passionately that we should have the healthiest foods available for our kids and we should

"train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22:5-7

I know it does not always hold true but shouldn't we at least try?

Oh and one more thing...it is not lost on me that even though we eat pretty healthy, we get lots of colds and viruses. That bothers me a lot. I feel so frustrated by that fact sometimes. Our doctors have told me that just becuase someone gets a lot of colds and viruses does not mean they are unhealthy. And the oppostie is true as well. Just because someone does not get lots of colds and flus does not mean they are healthy either. Overall health includes things like blood pressure and cholesterol and heart rate, aerobic capacity and body fat.

Blogger is not letting me post, comment or moderate ...I keep getting a "bad request message" I am also not able to spell check so I apologize for any typos.

Am I a Coke prude?

I need a reality check, people. I will start with a disclaimer that I have never ever had a Coke or Pepsi! Ever! I am a water drinker. I also like unsweetened iced tea with lemon and one cup of coffee a day (which the doc is making me give up now too!!! insert cuss word here...).

Anyway, back to my point. When I was picking Will up from his middle school youth group at our church last night, I noticed several bottles of Coke and Dr. Pepper and one or two bottles of Sprite. This made me CRAZY! Parents provide the snacks and drinks and I was a little (okay, a lot) upset that parents would bring Coke as the drink for kids. When Will came out I was THRILLED to see he had the Sprite in his cup but I was still upset.

Really? Do 11, 12 and 13 year old kids need caffeine on a school night? Do they need all that sugar or caffeine ever? I think it is kind of bad parenting to give kids Coke. I really do. Yes, I know there are bigger issues that we face as we parent teens but this is still not good.

I am strongly opposed to kids drinking soda on a regular basis but we do allow our kids Izze or Sprite as a very special treat. I did ask the youth director (who is single, young and does not have kids yet) about this and she said..."Oh you must be like my sister. She only lets her kids eat healthy, organic stuff too." I never mentioned organic. I just don't think they need COKE! I started to wonder if I am the weird one here.

I told Will when we got home that I was proud of him for choosing the Sprite. He said, "Mom I don't want to drink Coke. You told me it can eat the paint off stuff." Yes, I do tell them that. It can. And if it can eat through paint...what do you think it does to your insides? or your teeth? As an aside, none of my kids has ever had a cavity. Nor have I.

So, then I asked a few parents (casually) if their kids drink caffeinated sodas and a lot of them do. I begin to wonder...am I a Coke prude? Does everyone else think it is okay to give kids, huge amounts of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, aspartame and caffeine?

So, anyway, I am curious if I am just overreacting here? You can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings. And it won't change my decision that when it is my turn to bring drinks and snacks....I am bringing bottled water and Izze. Seriously, how can we expect kids to make good and healthy choices if we don't give them good and healthy options? Okay stepping off my soapbox now!

What is Izze?

70 percent pure fruit juice and a splash of sparkling water, with no added sugar, caffeine or preservatives.

And just what is so unhealthy about Coke? Well, read here.

How's the diet going, you ask?

Sidenote:I have received some comments and e-mails suggesting other diets or a second opinion. This diet is not for weight loss (although most people DO lose weight on it). It is not a fad diet. It is a medical diet designed to eradicate a very specific problem that was diagnosed with extensive blood work. It is killing off bad stuff in my body that likely occurred from too many antibiotics over the past few years. (I had pneumonia (twice), sinus infections, strep, salmonella). It is normal to feel bad on this diet as there is die-off of candida in my body. I sincerely appreciate the kind suggestions but I must finish this diet:) I am sure when it is all over, I will feel much better and be much healthier. I just need to complain while I am doing it:)

I thought I would do weekly updates (for my own memory sake) and because several people have e-mailed or commented regarding their interest. I have been eating completely sugar and yeast free for 3 weeks now. That means not one drop of alcohol, not one crumb of any type of bread, cracker, cake, cookie or chip (even gluten free). Not one piece of fruit. Not one drop of vinegar or butter or milk. No mayonnaise, mustard or ketchup. No tabasco or salsa and chips. No cheese. I LOATHE this diet. I really, truly despise it.

I mentioned last week that I felt good but my skin was bad. Well, this week, my skin got worse (but is finally getting better.) And I did not feel well. I had headaches and grumps and slight flu like symptoms which is likely due to the candida medication I began this week. With this eating plan, you starve the candida for 2 weeks then take anti-candida meds for several weeks. All of this is normal but not pleasant.

At one point last week, I thought to myself ....you know if I lose that 5-10 lbs and my skin looks great and I feel energized and healthy...maybe I will continue eating this way for longer. Well, all I can say is the lack of food, chocolate and wine must have made me delusional because I cannot wait to go back to normal eating. This is SO hard. Giving up shopping for 6 weeks for Lent was a piece of cake compared to this! I eat gluten free anyway and pretty healthy but this is so much harder. There is so little I can eat. I do think I have lost some weight though (we don't own a scale, never have~long story).

I do know that I am blessed to have food. And I am blessed to have access to excellent medical care that has guided me to this temporary eating plan. But good Lord...I cannot wait to eat like a normal human being again. I know I should not complain. But you see, I am a foodie. I love food. I am cooking all of this stuff for my family and I cannot eat it. It stinks. I hope I make it. I have 3 more weeks to go. Then I can gradually add in normal food. I might "gradually" add in a big chocolate cupcake on June 21st!

And yes, I complain about this eating plan to my family every. single. day. I am weak.

We had friends over for dinner tonight and Dave made this beautiful blueberry pie (at my suggestion~no one else should suffer just because of my diet). It was tough...

Look at that homemade, buttery, flaky crust...sigh.

Thanks for the suggestions about summer. They were great. If you did not read my last post, please do and add your suggestions. Colleen, I would end everyday with a glass of wine if I could but I can't!!!

Even Keel

Several people have asked how the diet is coming along. Just to re-cap for those who missed it. I was diagnosed with a very serious case of adrenal exhaustion (and low thyroid, low B-12 and a few hormonal imbalances that result from these other issues). So, in addition to several other treatments, my doctor recommended a sugar free, yeast free diet for at least 6 weeks. This diet helps to clean up the gut and kill off Candida overgrowth. It is also just a good detoxifying kind of diet because you cannot eat processed foods. I eat eggs, veggies, beans, quinoa, and lean protein such as fish, chicken, turkey and a little beef and pork.

So, the first week was HARD. Really, really hard. I had mood swings, headaches and I felt grumpy and hungry the whole time. I also had an adverse reaction to my thyroid medication that was likely initiated by low blood sugar too. I felt like I was having a heart attack, blacked out and could not breathe. It was AWFUL!!!

However, after 7 days on this diet, I began to feel incredible. My moods have evened out. I am no longer hungry. I feel calm and patient throughout the day. I am not craving sugar or flours at all. I even have taken the boys for gelato twice and it did not bother me that I could not have some. I still have fatigue (which is more likely due to my adrenals and B-12 deficiency) but even that has improved. My energy is better than it has been in a few years! I have now been on the diet 11 days and I am really happy with it. I still don't think I am losing weight which surprises me because I am eating SO much healthier than before. As I said before, I don't really have a weight issue but I certainly have 5-10 pounds of flab that I would not mind losing. I cannot exercise yet because my cortisol levels were so low but should be able to very soon.

The only major drawback of this diet so far is that my skin is really awful. I am not sure if it is detoxing or it is breaking out in reaction to the thyroid and adrenal changes and medications but my skin is definitely not doing well. If anyone know more about this, please let me know. I am hoping it will correct quickly.

So, the thing I missed the most were lattes. But I have devised a latte that I am allowed on this diet. It is coffee, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and a touch of agave nectar (that is allowed:) that I heat and whip up with my aerolatte. It makes a delicious latte. The aerolatte is the best invention ever! It works best when the milk is warm/hot for lattes. I have had mine for years and we use it everyday. I mix Harry's weight gain shakes with it too.

Another new food for me is quinoa. I had tried quinoa before but did not love it. Since I cannot have any rice or grains on this diet except quinoa, I am eating this a lot. My favorite way to prepare it is as a hot breakfast cereal. I cook 1/2 cup quinoa with 1/2 cup almond milk and a 1/2 cup of water. Then I add raw almonds (I toast them for a few minutes in the oven), a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and a drizzle of agave and it is DELICIOUS!!! And a small bowl keeps me full until lunch! I have never been a hot cereal fan but this is so good. In a few weeks, when I am allowed to eat fruit again, I might add some berries and maybe even some unsweetened coconut.

If you have not tried quinoa before, give it a try. Although it is an ancient food, it is the HOT new complete protein health food. ALL the nutrition blogs are gaga over it. It is gluten-free, a complete protein, easy to digest and low glycemic!

I have also learned to eat this for breakfast. It is wild caught sockeye salmon with red onions on top. It is actually really good. Just kind of weird for breakfast.

Seriously, it is hard to be creative on this diet with breakfast. I am not a huge egg eater (only veggie omelets for me) so I have to think out of the box.

I am sure most of you were not interested in all of this in the least but I want to journal this so I remember the process and it might help one of you who asked:) Happy Weekend everyone! Today is Harry's award ceremony and Sunday is Kate's dance recital!

I am tired and hungry and I have a headache!

I started my yeast-free, sugar-free diet today. It is part of my adrenal recovery. I can eat...... ummm meat (some), fish, veggies and nuts. No fruit, no corn, no rice or potatoes. No vinegar (which is in ALL the good salad dressings). No chocolate, no butter or dairy. No wine!

I have eaten more today than I have ever eaten (a spinach, red pepper and onion omelet, celery sticks with organic sugar-free peanut butter, a salad with turkey, avocado, cucumber, and peppers, hummus and veggies, some radishes, and some raw cashews, and a chicken breast, raw broccoli and quinoa). That is a lot of food for me. But I feel really hungry and kind of sick. I have a headache and chills. Seriously. So, my huge mega Mother's Day post is going to have to wait. I am about 1/2 way done. Hopefully tomorrow will be better?

P.S. I am super behind on answering e-mails. If I owe you one, please remind me.

Harry, Harry, he's our man! {Sunday Snapshot}

I know boasting is wrong. I know this. I told Dave I feel bad even posting this. But this is our scrapbook because I am not organized and have not put a photo in an album in about 5 years....So, I need to record some of Harry's momentous accomplishments lest I forget them. I forget everything these days;( And I am so proud of my son. So, please forgive me.

First, Harry and a classmate won 1st place of all the 3rd graders at his school (over 125 kiddos) at the Invention Fair. They invented a mini hand heater (to keep your hands warm at sporting events). Harry worked so hard on this project. He was 100% self motivated and really spent a lot of time on all of the steps over the course of the project. Dave and I did very little to oversee this project.

When he brought the project to school one Monday morning....I am not gonna lie, I did not think he would make it too far. Let's just say that it seemed pretty obvious (to me) that a lot of the displays and projects were "helped by Mom and Dad." Harry's project definitely looked like it was done by a 3rd grader. One girl in Harry's class "invented" a moving robot?!

Anyway, the judges were obviously impressed with the boys presentation skills, their idea and the fact that they actually did the project! Now their project goes onto a larger competition! I am SO proud of all of your hard work and organization, Harry, you are wise beyond your years!

Harry's project. Sorry for the awful photos. I only had my I-phone and was being jostled by elementary kiddos.

The gold medal they won!

Also, this weekend Harry won 1st place in the state championships for Judo. He is ranked #1 in our state in his weight/age class in Judo. He also earned another belt promotion with this win! Again, he is very determined and very dedicated and confident. Here is one of his matches or as Dave likes to say, this is what a state champ looks like...

Finally, I am going to take a little blogging break. I have a lot of projects and things going on around my house and I need to spend less time on the computer so I can be more productive. See you all in a week or so.

P.S. I am watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution while I write this post and I am appalled~REALLY APPALLED at what is being served in American public schools for lunch! I have thought of this before but since we pack our kids lunches (and by "we", I mean Dave), I don't dwell on it. But really, garbage in, garbage out folks. This needs to change!!!!!!!!!!! We cannot continue to feed our kids processed junk. You can sign his petition to get more real wholesome food and less processed food in American schools. Okay, getting off my nutrition soapbox now:)

Got Soup?

{image from Country Living}

As I sit here on this brisk Saturday morning making my grocery list for the week, I find myself wanting to make soup. Several of you mentioned soups and stews in your comments as something you crave when it is cold (aside from all the chocolate). So, I got to thinking...why don't we share our favorite soup recipes? I have already shared my favorite soup recipe here. But I will share another favorite today. I have never used Mr. Linky before so I hope you will all participate.

Chicken and Orzo Vegetable Soup

7 cups chicken stock

6 minced garlic cloves

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium parsnips, diced

2 medium celery stalks , diced

1 medium onion, diced

3 tbs fresh lemon juice

10 ounces orzo pasta

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into small strips.

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/4 cup fresh dill (or 3/4 tbs dried)

1/4 flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup regular parsley

1/4 cup fresh mint

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot combine chicken stock, garlic,carrots, parsnips, celery and onion. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn heat back to high and add lemon juice and orzo, cook 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through and pasta is cooked (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat and add in remaining ingredients.

NOTE: I made this tonight and used gluten free pasta. We also grilled the chicken breasts (2), diced them and added it to the soup at the last minute. If you use GF pasta, increase the chicken stock to 8 cups:) It was delicious. Everyone loved it (even Harry and he despises all soups). I will add though that while I LOVE the dill, my boys prefer it without dill.

My friend, Kristin used to make this for me and she gave me the recipe. In fact, the first time she made it for me was when Will was born 12 and 1/2 years ago. I don't make it often because orzo is not gluten free. But I think I will try to substitute rice or another gf pasta soon. It is so good!!!! The fresh dill makes this soup.

Be sure to share your favorite soup recipe and link that post below. I look forward to reading them:)

P.S. The giveaway is coming soon...I just thought this was timely.

As promised, my newest obsession...

My secret weapon

(there I am reflected in the middle of the juicer:o)

Snekcip (a loyal reader) keeps me on my toes here...she reminded me that y'all were waiting to find out my new discovery.  

Well, there is a story. All summer I had been having major stomach pain.  I was convinced that I had an ulcer or stomach cancer (yes, I can be a hypochondriac).  The pain would wake me in the middle of the night. I could not eat.  I could NOT get in to see a doctor or a gastroenterologist.  It was awful.  I finally got an appointment to see a general practitioner who did a blood test for h.pylori (which was negative) and then he handed me a pack of prilosec and told me most Americans are taking it now. As you might suspect, I am not big on drugs, so I decided to take a more natural approach (surprised?).  First, I gave up caffeine.  That was hard.  I LOVE coffee but I had read that it is AWFUL for your stomach. Then, I began reading about juicing.  

I considered buying a juicer but I don't LOVE vegetables or fruit so I thought it might be a waste of money.  Around this time, we left for the beach.  The first thing I saw in Seaside was a raw organic juice bar.  I decided right then and there that I would try one everyday on vacation. Each morning Will and I went to the juice bar and I tried a few veggie juices (with an apple or lemon  too). Well,  I felt GREAT.  I had no headaches from caffeine withdrawal.  I had more energy than I have had in years. I was in a great mood all week.  And my stomach pain COMPLETELY disappeared.  

When we returned from Seaside, I immediately bought a juicer and I have been juicing about twice a day.  I feel so much better.  Here is a list of benefits that I have noticed immedately:

~my skin is better

~the whites of my eyes are brighter

~I am sleeping better

~I have MUCH more energy ( I cannot overstate this one)!

~my moods are more stable (except on the days I did not juice due to being away).

~my stomach feels great

~we don't own a scale but my clothes are looser so I think I am losing some weight.

~I am craving more healthy foods all around.  I want salads all the time.

I LOVE my juicer.  If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them but as I have only been doing this about a month, I am not an expert at all.

I want to share a book with you that I LOVE if you are interested in nutrition.  It is called Food as Medicine: How to use diet, vitamins, Juices and herbs for  a healthier, happier and longer life.

It has very specific suggestions for what to eat, juice and supplements for various illnesses (cancer, diabetes, stomach issues, ulcers, hormonal problems, aging, skin problems, allergies, ADD, asthma, etc).  I can not recommend this book highly enough. 

Green Goddess Juice 

(celery, cucumber, parsley, fresh greens ~I rotate kale, spinach, watercress, red leaf lettuce etc~, an apple and half a lemon)

Carrot, apple, ginger juice

Beet and veggie juice

I just want to end by saying that juicing is a commitment of both time and money.  The good juicers are expensive (about $300) and you need to use fresh, organic produce .  It takes me about 20-30 minutes to prepare a juice and clean up.  It is very worth the time and the money for me...but I want to be very realistic here. There are SO SO many health benefits of juicing.  I did not want to go into it all here but you can google "health benefits of juicing" and you will be amazed.