Here we go a concoction of my own…trying to hit 2 fruits and 3 veggies.
Apples, raw, with skin [Includes USDA commodity food A343]
1.0 x 1 medium (3” dia) (182g)
Carrots, raw [Includes USDA commodity food A099]
1.0 x 1 cup strips or slices (122g)
Ginger root, raw
2.0 x 1 tsp (2g)
Melons, cantaloupe, raw [includes USDA commodity food A415]
1.0 x 1 cup, balls (177g)
Parsley, raw
0.5 x 1 cup (60g)
Spinach, raw
2.0 x 1 cup (30g)
While it certainly is easy to pick 2 random fruits and 3 veggies, throw them in a blender and deuce out there really is more to it than that. High blood pressure (which I do have), antioxidants, kidney stones are just a few of the speed bumps that should you slow down and do some research about could be very beneficial in the long run. But that’s just what I think. I’m no authority – just some guy trying to get just a bit healthier.
2 months ago
So I’m not the healthy person I’d like to be. It’s a double edged sword - no energy or drive means I conveniently don’t exercise, but if I did live better I’d have that energy and drive. And life’s only about to get crazier with the addition of my little girl due in 24 days.
So what to do? A Holistic Health Counselor and friend was recently blogging about his detox week and while I don’t question the undeniable health benefits it was just a bit extreme for me at this point (I mean come on…i’m still detoxing/paying for that double quarter pounder this weekend) so I replied asking for a newbies smoothie. Ridgefield Wellness came back with this Basic Morning Smoothie Recipe and I got to tell you I was pleasently surprised. Tastes good, and easy to prepare (i’m going to try making it earlier tomorrow and leaving it in the freezer, or just use ice to make it a cooler morning start).
When I first read the basic morning smoothie recipe I thought “how much is it going to cost me to eat a healthy breakfast” because as we all know “healthy living just costs to much” - BUT IT DOESN’T! At least not this recipe. Not including the blender the cost for at least a weeks worth of this smoothie is only $16.50 (2.35 a day - how much is your coffee from starbucks?) and all the ingredients were found at Walmart.
I’m going to give this smoothie the week. I’m going to eat a sensible lunch and dinner for the week. I’m going to get heatlhy one week at a time.
Done and Done - give this smoothie a try and check out Ridgefield Wellness (@ridgefieldwellness) for some honest inspiration for healthy living.
*Just in case this came off an infomercial that wasn’t my intention. You can of course Google “healthy breakfast smoothies” for many suggestions or Let me Google that for you.
2 months ago
With the birth of Ryder I saw new life spring into my dad’s step (the whole family of course not just him - but this is about my dad). And over the course of Ryder’s almost 2.5 years I’ve seen my dad spend countless hours on the floor rolling around with him, crawling into tents, and even 20 minute horsey rides (I’m usually done after about 5 minutes). One thing I have noticed is that some of the physical activity seems to be dropping off. Not because my dad doesn’t want to but because he’s getting older. My superman is getting older and it’s not fair.
He’s actually laid up right now in the hospitol in excrutiating back pain. Right now on morphine but this morning not able to hold his weight up. Besides the horror when anyone goes to the hospitol this isn’t new for may dad. He’s had this pain for months and no Dr has been able to find anything wrong with him. It’s so frustrating that my dad has recently had thoughts that the pain is cancer or some other horrible illness - he just doesn’t know.
I don’t even let my dad pick up heavy things now…it’s so weird. obviously things could be much worse and there is so much to be grateful for it’s just uncomfortable that the man who raised, provided, protected me is now ailing due to age. And what goes through the person who this is happening to - it must be so difficult to know this time last year you could do “x” and if attempted now you’d be in pain for a week.
To make it worse I know it has to be killing him that he may not be able to do all the flips and jumps he did with Ryder with his first granddaughter.
It really puts age into perspective; and health for that matter. So, on the inside I’m terrified the Drs are going to find something terribly wrong with my dad but I’m praying for the best…like a hangnail or something. No matter what happens my dad will always be my dad, and my dad will be the same amazing strong, proud, father and grandfather to his family that he has always been.
Time is finite. Health declines. But family and love for another never goes away.
3 months ago
So this weekend my parents threw us a baby shower (Alexis Grace is now due 05/13) and it was great. We hadn’t seen the entire family for some time (most all were there) so it was good to have everyone under one roof laughing and having a good time. It ended up the ladies took over the house and the guys were outside playing pool and basketball -good times for all.
The day started off making final preparations: cleaning the pool, setting the pool table up, grilling the hot dogs and hamburgers and doing a some woodworking.
My mom had painted her kitchen 2 weeks before but before that they installed sliding doors to the backyard through the kitchen and because of the alarm door sensor wires had to remove the frame around the door. Because of the painting they didn’t put the frames up so that brings us to this past Saturday.
My dad has so many tools so to finish this project we opted for power and set up his compressor. He’s got a bad back so I did the lifting and after the compressor was full he instructed me to plug the air cable which I promptly did to my father’s surprise. Yeah, surprise - I got one of those “you were able to do it?” which my response was “Dad, I’m 30!” almost 31.
I guess it’s true that you’re always your parent’s child.
4 months ago
OK - so I’ve really been half-assing this eating better thing but I really think it is becasse I’m not working out. For me throwing away a 30 minute run is reason enough to eat right for the day. The weather is getting better but it’s still too dark to exercise in the am so I figured I could use lent to help me out here.
Being a non practicing, but believing catholic I’ve never really been motivated by lent and the sorts. And seeing that this past Wed and today were meat days for me it’s probably too late for my Lent certificate of completion (I think you can send away for those). So under the cover of Lent I’ve decided to take these next few weeks (not sure how long) and make a healthy choice.
I AM GIVING UP PIZZA AND HAMBURGERS FOR LENT
I figure between God and health I should be able to stick it out right?
p.s. Thank you Ferrari’s Pizza for my last taste of pizza for the next few weeks.
4 months ago
A kid came by months ago raising money selling newspaper subscriptions so I obliged. I guess as a parent now I can sympathise and really do not mind helping kids out with school type fundraisers. I was hesitant though - I don’t read the newspaper outside of the one you get from USA Today at hotels (actually stopped even doing that after seeing some hotels charge you for it) but I saw this as a growth opportunity and also a way to stay up to date with local news outside of the local tv news (local tv news = 15 minutes of news repeated from 5-6 and then again from 9-10).
Turned out I only opened the ad sections which included the comics. Oh those comincs…memories or reading them on Sunday’s when my dad would be drinking his coffee and reading the grown up stuff. So I was excited to see how blondie, rose is rose, garfield, dennis the menace and the rest of the crew were doing now as an adult. NOTHING - they SUCK. Comics are stupid! Really dumb, boring wastes of time and not funny at all. Granted I read at a 6th grade level I could be to intellectul but I don’t think so - they just suck.
It will be interesting in a few years when Ryder starts reading what he thinks about the comics. I’d be willing to bet the novelty and excitement has more to do with children being excite to participate rather than the content. Even then shouldn’t they offer enciteful content for the kids to keep the interested?
That being said I no longer receive the paper. My paid 8 week subscription has ended (only after another 8 weeks of the DMN still delivering) and now the only thing I miss is knowing what Target and Best Buy have on sell week to week.
4 months ago
Holy Crap! It’s recently dawned on me that it’s almost my birthday. It’s been years since I thought of a birthday as being a big deal but this one is sticking out a bit more.
31
Just recently I have connected with a lot of old HS friends and have been dumbfounded to see how much they have changed - Married, kids, successful jobs, cruises. I really hope that despite distance (in some instances) we can keep in touch and pickup where we left off.
1 thing that was so delicately pointed out to me last evening as I was sharing the additions of my Facebook friend list with my wife is that I’ve also made those gigantic changes. Have I really changed that much to?
I’ve said it many times that since college (and really HS) the John you see today is the John you knew back then but when I was ragging on a friend to my wife about him cruising and having a kid vs his old life my wife stopped me cold in my tracks and said “you cruise [been on 4 or so in that last 6 years] and have 2 kids [1 on the way].”
So now the whole bday thing means a bit more to me now. This “me” that I have been trying to hold onto to; the me I have been so proud didn’t change like too many of my then close friends ended up.
It’s inevitable though I guess. Especially when you throw a family into the mix. I’ll always wear my bead Jim Morrison necklace but there will be times that I wear it in the first row at a ballet recital. Or, very soon to come if not already passed, can’t watch Coming to America while the boy parrot is up and playing in the living room (actually saw it last night - I forgot how awesome and rated R that movie is).
So I guess the moral of the story is that there will always be a bit of the old John in me but with every year that passes the new John isn’t someone to shy away from.
Now lets go get a beer and watch dazed and confused.
4 months ago
Yeah - i’m thinking about doing it. Not so much because someone pissed me off but my intention of connecting via Facebook was to do just that - Connect. And in at least 1 instance someone from along time ago accepted my friend request but i’m not sure why as my communication attempts have gone unanswered (be it awhile back).
So what happens when you break up with someone via facebook? What happens if you see them in person? If you have told someone you are dead to me online what happens in the 3D world?
I could be making a big deal about nothing but I really expected more from this person (There definitely is 1 more I’m contemplating but they have 1 more chance). Actually I may lean up my friend list anyway. I’m too old to be trying to have hundreds of Facebook friends (another post on the age thing coming soon). I only want those who I care to see what’s going on with them.
Crap but what about those professional contacts? My intention was to have Linkedin serve that purpose and facebook be fun but there are some professional peeps made it over that could go but now i’ll have to keep for fear of them taking offense.
OK so we are going to go with this - i’ll Facebook email the 1 person on the chopping block and see what happens. The message will be sent with a timebomb attached and upon detonation each party will have 1 less friend. As far as leaning up my list I just did a quick glance and there are 5-7 people that could go but I guess it doesn’t hurt to keep’em.
4 months ago
@tinybuddha “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” ~Buddha
Another spectacular quote from @tinybuddha. Especially if you look at it from a parents point of view. In simplest terms if I share my disdain for onions with Ryder then he likely will emulate. If he is allowed to form his own convictions he will grow into the person he was intended to become.
Taking the quote a step further we need to remember that life is what we make of it. Being pissed off or accepting a crappy situation only buries you further in anger or self doubt. And overtime that situation can beat the life out of you accepting a new black hole of an existence.
There are certainly tough times that we encounter on a regular basis but remembering “The mind is everything” and that we control so much more really is the spoon of sugar to make the medicine go down.
4 months ago
So it struck me recently that I am the out of focus guy. You know that person in the back of pictures that’s there but kinda out of place, fuzzy?
Why do I feel like that? It’s simple - I don’t think I know who I am or I’m not the person I feel I should be.
I know who I want to be and in some cases I am that person (loving, devoted husband and caring nuturing father) but there are these grandiose asperations for more and I feel out of focus.
Health and activity wise i’m out of control. Don’t take me wrong i’m not a blimp or anything but I look in the mirror and it is not the man I want to see also pictures don’t lie. But I strugle to find the time and energy to be healtier and exercise. By the time I get home and either cook or watch the baby, bath or play, and put the kiddo down it’s nighttime or I’m too exhausted. Mornings are out cause the kiddo is an early riser. And weekends are insane; but still is running 2 times a week really going to do anything (actually yes - I should squeesze something in then right)?
I want to be green to protect the earth for my children and grandchildren (after that I won’t know them so their on their own) - that I think I am doing well with but could be doing more.
I want friends/stengthen existing relationships (this really connects best to the out of fucus guy reference). It seems the older I get the further from existing friends I get. Also our lives are so busy it makes getting together hard.
So somehow I need to find a way to get in focus. With one on the way life’s not going to get any easier and I guess I should look at this as Mandatory Things That I Need. I deserve it, other people/parents have been successful in many ways and lived to tell about it (what was that guys name Charles Manson?) So why can’t I?
This now begins the Dawn of Me!
4 months ago
I am so upset. I have no idea where my classic is. I’ve checked all the normal haunts but nothing. I don’t even use it that often but it’s so upsetting all the music and pictures and movies that are gone - and of course not to mention the 300 dollars down the drain. I was really hoping to hang on to it a bit longer cause I was waiting for the touch to get bigger but crap this sucks!
5 months ago
So I spent some time over the last weeks searching for old friends on facebook and was pretty successful. I found most of the old crew and was hapily surprised at how well these folks have been doing and how much some of them have changed (at least by their pics). But this also showed me that I really didn’t make many friends while I was at A&M, at least not good friends and the same was true while I was at UCONN and it makes me sad.
Maybe that’s why I related so well to shows like the OC, how I met your mother, and the such (don’t get me wrong those shows also just rocked) - I long for those types of relationships and I really do not see any bromances blossoming anytime soon. My fault yes, I don’t try but it seems so hard.
Also i’m not one to change - I really pride myself as staying true to myself over the last 10 years or so. I’ve seen the rock of gibralter crumble and won’t let that happen to me. I’ve also got an amazing SO that accepts me as I am with no pressure or reccomendation to change. “So what do we do? What do we do?”
5 months ago
So 2009 is just around the corner and I really want to make some positive changes for the new year. More than just resolutions - I want to make positive, productive live improving changes.
Technically there is nothing wrong or a catalyst for these changes I just think the time is right - better now than May when the sleepless nights of baby #2 gets in motion. Hopefully by then my positive changes would be set well in motion it will not be difficult to maintain them.
Nothing crazy - eat better, get back out again exercising, use time wiser, make our home cozier with little improvements (including the garage!) and of course spend
quality time with Pam and Ryder and Alexis Grace when she arrives in May.
6 months ago
If the weather could only be like this always, there would be no hate or war
6 months ago
