New Things Review

I gave a short list of my fave new things at http://CrystalChick.net.

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Pssst!

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I'm moving on from "I've Never" to bigger and better. Go to CrystalChick.net now!! Update your subscription links!

Weeeee!

Food: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Earlier this week on Facebook (in our "get in shape" group), I posted a photo of my fridge, jam-packed with fresh fruits and veggies. Russ busted me out for having a big mixing bowl right in the middle of it. The mystery item in the mixing bowl was none other than oatmeal raisin cookie dough.



Of course homemade cookies are better for you than store-bought, but to me, they are more dangerous. I could easily eat an entire batch of homemade cookies. I have much more self-control around the store-bought varieties.



The recipe I used is from Smitten Kitchen, and I highly recommend it. The cookies turned out perfectly (despite my crazy-hot oven - that's why mine are a little flatter than hers). If you want to make them for yourself, pop on over to the Smitten Kitchen blog for the recipe. It's very simple & very tasty. (And, if you make it without nuts, it comes out to about 2 Weight Watchers points per cookie.)

365 Photos: Week 3

Oops! I'm a little late posting last weeks photos... here we go!!

Sunday


Monday


Tuesday


Wednesday


Thursday


Friday


Saturday

Friday Five

I am a happy girl with happy food in my stomach. So here's a happy little Friday Five for you all...

1. Tell me a corny joke.
2. What kind of cake do you like on your birthday?
3. You have $10 to spend in the convenience store - what do you buy?
4. You won a $5000 shopping spree at the mall - where do you spend the money?
5. If you could go on a road trip this weekend, where would you go?

My answers...

1. How do catch a unique rabbit? Unique up on it! How do you catch a tame rabbit? The tame way!
2. I like pie or cheesecake for my birthday.
3. Always get a soda (Diet Coke), and usually either chips or candy, but since I have a whole $10 to spend on myself, I'll get both - Funyuns and Hot Tamales. With the money leftover, I'll grab a magazine.
4. I'm picturing the Wolfchase Galleria here b/c that's where I shop most, I'm sure somewhere else like The Avenue might have more options, but I'm gonna use Wolfchase in my fictional shopping spree here. Pottery Barn for home deco, definitely. Clothes from Express or Limited (oh, but I have to get a whole stack of logo tees from Delias), books for J at Borders, video games & movies at FYE. I guess I'd have to pick up some electronics and furniture from the department stores, too!
5. If we're talking about a drive that would definitely take an entire day, I'd love to drive over to North Carolina to visit my grandmother and family. Of course, I'd stop in Knoxville to visit friends. Well, I'd stop at every major city along the way, because that's just what I love to do.

Master Cleanse

I officially started the Master Cleanse last night. I'm going to blog about it here to keep myself in check. I have to do this for 10 days, and I really don't think I'll make it that long, so this will help me through it. (Your encouraging comments would help, too!)

The reason I'm doing the cleanse is that I need a jump start on eating healthier again. I've eaten healthy before and I know the benefits. I know I am experiencing the "benefits" of eating junk right now - I don't sleep good, my memory is shoddy, my concentration is off and I feel tired and lazy. Following the cleanse I will incorporate more fruits & veggies, and less processed foods into my diet again. Along with exercise. I don't plan to exercise while I'm doing the cleanse, though I've heard of people doing it. I just want to focus on "cleaning house" right now.

Naysayers bite your tongues for now please. The next 2 days, I anticipate withdrawal symptoms, which include crankiness. I'm sure I love you, but I won't be able to properly express my love while going through withdrawals. ;) I predict the most difficult days will be 3-5. I think mentally I will crave the chewing that goes along with eating. My co-worker, Jackie, just made an excellent suggestion of chewing on toothpicks. I will definitely be taking her up on that advice.

So, I'll report in tonight or tomorrow with my experiences of the first full day on. If you have ever done the Master Cleanse, please feel free to chime in the comments below. Or just be a cheerleader for me. I brought up the last of my homemade chocolate chip cookies for my co-workers to eat. I didn't want them staring me in the face over the next few days. Where are my cheerleaders?

PS. For those curious about the details of the Master Cleanse (no, not *those* details. ew!), here it is:

THE MASTER CLEANSE OR LEMONADE DIET
Purpose:
To dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion that have formed in any part of the body.
To cleanse the kidneys and the digestive system.
To purify the glands and cells throughout the entire body.
To eliminate all unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles.
To relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries, and blood vessels.
To build a healthy blood stream.
To keep youth and elasticity regardless of our years.

WHEN TO USE IT?
When sickness has developed— for all acute and chronic conditions.
When the digestive system needs a rest and a cleansing.
When overweight has become a problem.
When better assimilation and building of body tissue is needed.

AND HOW OFTEN?
Follow the diet for a minimum of 10 days or more— up to 40 days and beyond may be safely followed for extremely serious cases. The diet has all the nutrition needed during this time. Three to four times a year will do wonders for keeping the body in a normal healthy condition. The diet may be undertaken more frequently for serious conditions.

HOW TO MAKE IT?
2 Tablespoons lemon or limejuice (approx. ½ lemon)
2 Tablespoons genuine maple syrup (Not maple flavored sugar syrup)
1/10 Teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
8 oz water, room temperature
Combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz glass jar w/lid and fill with the water.
Shake it up and drink. (Cold water may be used if preferred.)
Use fresh (organic) lemons or limes only, never canned lemon or limejuice nor frozen lemonade or frozen juice.

For more info, I think this site pretty much has copied the book down word for word. (The book is also available for about $6.50, I picked it up at Whole Foods.)

Edited: 2:13pm
Already throwing in the towel. It's mostly mental. Sure I'm hungry, but I'm just sitting here thinking about all the foods I could be eating (healthy or otherwise) and I'm just done. Not to mention I'm already sick of the smell of this juice. Ha! I'm gonna keep up the juice until dinner time and eat some homemade soup I have leftover from the other day. Thanks for sticking with me for the past 18 hours (yes, I'm counting from when I drank the tea before bed last night. lol. So, now onto phase 2 - Weight Watchers (which is really the only way I can eat a balanced diet).