You know it's going to be a good day when the first thing you hear
Photo Credit: Mayo Clinic
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before you even open your eyes, is a kitty cat purring happily beside your pillow
I smelled my husband's coffee as he quietly moved about. Working his way through our morning list of chores, making just enough of a stir to ensure I wouldn't go back to sleep. “Remember, you wanted to make it out of the house on time. It's weigh-in day.”
Oh yes
I lingered a minute more, pulling the covers to my chin. The purring got louder as I scratched Lucy's tummy. Will there ever come a time when the scale won't invoke a deep sense of dread, ingrained in my spirit after decades of dieting
Can I truly rise above defining myself by the number it displays?
I'm now two full weeks into Venice Nutrition's 8-Week run, and this is a good time for a gentle reminder of my definition of success
Gone are caffeine, sugar, wine, red meat, dairy, and gluten. I've eaten as clean as I can not just a few days, but two WEEKS. I haven't quit, even during the first four days, when my body felt like .. death
Today I'm lighter on my feet, my mind isn't foggy, I'm sleeping better, and I just .. plain .. feel good again
If you follow The Veggies, much has been written about my love affair with sweets, with most alternatives rooted in Greek yogurt. As I've moved away from dairy for the next couple of months, it's time to expand my horizons again. This time with the addition of superfoods
Hemp is a seed that's not only high in protein but considered complete (containing all 9 of the essential amino acids). It's also a perfect balance of omega fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6).
I've slowly been experimenting with hemp hearts (hulled seeds). They're fairly benign. To date, sprinkling them in smoothies and over greek yogurt, not really sure where to go from there. That is until I ran across this beautiful idea.
Here, the original authors used them to form the base of a sauce. Dates added for a natural sweetener, vanilla to round out the taste, water to thin it out. When drizzled over fruit (or roasted fruit) it's just the hint of sweet I've needed to feel satisfied.
I have a feeling the same idea (using them as a base to form a sauce, maybe with a blended veggie?) will be on the horizon this coming week.
My coach smiled as she recorded my numbers: down 7 pounds and 2% body comp. A pleasant p.s. to add to the list of successes .. much more to come
(To read about the beginning of my journey on the 8-Week Run)
Enjoy!
xoxo
ps:
To read more about the benefits of hemp seed
I'm excited to try this idea for making the most of your vanilla beans
— —
~ Adapted from Earth Sprout
Hemp Heart Vanilla Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- ¾ cup + 1-2 Tbsp water, depending on how thin you would like it to be
- 6 large Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the hemp hearts, dates, water, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- (Soaking the hemp seeds for an hour or so will help soften them and make the blending a bit easier)
- Add the seeds from the vanilla bean and pulse a couple more times, until they're mixed throughout.
- Drizzle warm or cold over fruit
1 Comment
I definitely need to try a cleanse. Not to control my weight but do live a healthier lifestyle and have more energy. The hemp heart vanilla sauce looks so good!