Vita Mix versus BlendTec

It was really at a toss up between the Vita Mix and Blendtec. I had done a lot of research online and was 99% sure I was going to get the Blendtec, until I came across the type of plastic the jar is made of. Vita Mix's 5200 has a container that is safe and doesn't leach. I was really concerned though that I would miss the automatic blending that happens with the Blendtecs preprogrammed controls. Luckily Costco was having a demo of the new 5200 so when I went, I actually liked the container a whole lot. The handles and the lid were cushioned and very ergonomic. It looked like a high quality appliance and since my background is design, it matters to me just a bit. ;-) When I brought it home, the programmable buttons on Blendtec were no longer a concern as it seems that not everything will blend just right if you don't have the proper proportions of liquid, vs, solids, etc. So doing it with the Vita Mix actually gives you more control, at least this is what I have experienced. What I also liked about the Vita Mix was the recipe book that came with it. Most of the recipes are very healthy, where as when I went to the Blendtec website looking for recipes, the ice creams recipes in particular used things like non-dairy creamer which was a turn off for me. If I'm getting a high powered blender to be healthy, I want to learn how to make healthy treats. So, I have been VERY pleased with my Vita Mix and have been using it EVERY DAY!

No More Refined Sugar

So, its official. I've been able to kick my sugar habit of 36 years! Now that I've made a few raw recipes, using dates, agave, rapadura and stevia...I'm having a ball! I made this raw granola and blueberry granola bars and the results were impressive. They tasted better than the real thing. All those sweeteners aren't cheap like sugar, which is why most everyone probably uses sugar. However, the fact that there is no nutritional value in it, as well as the fact that sugar actually takes stuff from your body...can anyone put a price on that? Is your health REALLY worth saving a few bucks? For me, now that I'm 36 and have my son to live LONG for...absolutely not! Eating this way has been FUN FUN FUN And YUM YUM YUM!

The Walk In v.s. The Vita-Mix Blender

My husband never ceases to amaze me! He's been working mad hours for the last 3 months, transitioning out of his position running a division of a company. Each day, he walks in tired, a bit brain-dead and does his best to interact and give our son all the attention the little guy deserves.

So, today he walks in, and tells me how lucky he is to have a beautiful house, a beautiful wife, and amazing and intelligent child, and to be retiring from running a company division at only 35. The sincerity in his voice made me cry. Our son in his high chair saw Mommy cry and started to wail too. My husband just picked up Tae, walked over to me telling him that sometimes people "happy cry" and we had a group hug.

It completely topped by Vita-Mix Blender purchase earlier which I was going to blog about. In hindsight, its just a blender. An awsome blender, but a blender no less.

Movie: The Great Debaters

JUST saw this!

We just had a long weekend in Long Beach CA. After looking around the complex we stayed at, we noticed they had private theater rooms, so after shopping and dinner at an awesome Sushi place we hit the local Block Buster and rented The Great Debaters and it was wonderful! I love movies like this because they're inspirational, based on a true story and always leave you believing that anything is possible.! I particularly liked the the 14 year old and how he was able to do the last debate with Harvard and how PROUD his father must have been. You could see how his father was so strict and passionate in protecting his son because of the realities that were going on in the day. And to think that his father really had to walk from the South to Massachusetts cause he had no other way to get to school.

I also LOVED the words Denzel Washington had his students repeat louder and louder with a cork in their mouth on the lake. He kept making them say...

Who is the judge?

God is the judge.

Why is God the judge?

Because he decides what is right and wrong, not my opponent.

Who is your opponent?

My opponent does not exist.

Why does your opponent not exist?

Because my opponent is a voice that dissents from the truth.

I continue to watch movies such like this because they uplift the spirit and remind you to focus on where you want to go and give you a glimmer that you can do this too!

We're back in Denver now, but watching that movie in that private viewing area with my Husband and Sister, turning on the lights, talking about the greater meaning of it and life, and ALL the possiblity in it, was worth the flight back to LA alone.

Amazon Herbs MLM

Never heard of Amazon Herb Company before but met a woman who was a friend of a friend who is doing this. From what I gathered, it was a typical MLM marketing health products where the profits were diced and spliced above and below you.

It really made me aware that there is an MLM out there for everyone. Its just a matter of finding the right one. I knew this wasn't going to be for me because I'm not into throwing home parties and deceptively inviting people as she did twice (I guess I'm a bit of a sucker for invites). I also don't like having to move thousands of dollars worth of product to then get a small cut of it it. That feels like sales to me.

More on Eating Raw

So I have been obsessed the last couple of days scouring the internet for all the info I can find on dehydrators and blenders. I'm about to purchase the Vita Mix and Excaliber dehydrator and want to make absolutely sure that I'm getting the best thing out there for this new way of preparing foods. I'm thinking I might get the BlendTec instead of the Vita Mix. Anyways, it's been quite joyful knowing that Tae will be able to eat well from a very early age as well as how much healthier we will all be! I'm really looking forward to being in the mountains for two months and have been VERY busy getting ready for that.

Eating RAW!

So I've decided to incorporate more RAW foods and "cooking" into our lives. Now that I'm a parent and I had Tae at 35, I really want to be as healthy as possible for him. I want to live LONG and HEALTHY so that I can see my grandkids grow up too! My brother has psoriasis and his is INTENSE. It's quite overwhelming actually as its ALL over his body. He doesn't eat that well and I attribute his breakouts to his diet. I have had a small patch that never started to spread until recently. My diets pretty good but I figure its age and diet, thus my desire to go raw. So, I was QUITE blown away by the RAW cookbooks out there. I got Raw Food Real World and Everyday Raw and WOW...the pictures look mouthwatering! I tried my first raw treat, macaroons and they were AMAZING. MUCH better than the real thing, I couldn't believe it! I know now though why most people don't go raw. The PRICE. For my one plate of macaroons it cost about $12. You could probably make the same thing for a third of the price. AM I so glad that money is NOT an issue.