So on Tuesday I hennaed my hair and there was still a bit left. I decided to ask if my hubby wanted to cover his grays and I was surprised he said yes. So here is a picture of him all lathered in henna and smiling nice for the camera!

I have a pretty awesome guy for a husband, willing to try most things, including henna on the hair!

I will be sure to get a shot of him all done; I need to trim his hair a bit so as soon as I do that I will post a picture of how it came out. It is a nice dark red that looks gorgeous with his blue eyes!

I wish I had a before picture, but his hair was a good mixture of white and gray, he used to be a light brown so this is not really too far off of his previous natural hair color.

I bought a new book the other day and all I have to say is you really should check it out.

I have been hearing a lot about this person Tosca Reno and her idea of clean eating and I loved how she put things and to me, it just all made sense. All the chemicals and garbage we are fed in this country really has taken it’s toll just look around at all the health issues many of us face on a daily basis. I know for me growing up a lot of dinners came from a box, veggies were almost nonexistent and junk food was a plenty. My Mom worked hard and long hours as a single Mom and I know she did the best she could with what she had, knowledge included. We have really learned a lot over the years just how really awful this stuff, the stuff we have a hard time pronouncing let alone knowing exactly what it is, does to our bodies and none of it is good.

I know we only have one answer to all the health issues we face ultimately and that time will be here soon, but until then I just need to do the best I can to be sure I am eating and taking care of myself the best I can and that goes for my family as well, after all my hubby put that responsibility in my hands and I want to do the best I can by them.

I look forward to the time when fresh fruits and veggies will be in abundance and the toxins that are in the water, soil and air will be a thing of the past along with all the imperfect ailments that plague us today.

(Isaiah 65:21-22) ²¹ And they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat [their] fruitage. ²² They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full.

I am taking things day by day, meal by meal. Some days have been better than others. Last week I was able to get 2 walks in and I am determined to get in more this week and do strength training. More movement I know will reward me in time on the scale. I need to move through this and take into account any inches lost at the end of the month as well. It is the overall picture I need to remember to look at, but keep my focus on the step right in front of me. When I reach the top of my mountain I know it is going to look so beautiful from the top, my goal. I can’t wait to get there, but I know in order for me to get there I need to continue to be persistent in my changes, one meal at a time.

I have made changes, positive ones, and I need to remember them, not all the mistakes I have made along the way. Looking at things in a more positive light is not a strong point of mine, one I am working on along this journey. I know a more positive outlook certainly will help me, but when you see this huge task in front of you it can at times be so hard to look at the positives.

So assessing what I have been doing long term and the past few weeks I can find good things, I walked, so I moved more, I have logged my food some days, so I am aware of how I am doing, I have met most of my healthy guidelines, most days, I can clearly see where I need to make improvements.

Today is a new day, I have many opportunities today to make healthy choices, ones that will take me one step closer to the top of this mountain I am climbing and today, I am ready to move ahead some more.

Our share for the week from the Washington farm. A nice assortment of veggie goodies. More patty pan squash, I need to figure out what I am going to do with these little flying saucer creatures. Beautiful tomatoes and cucumbers, string beans, more squash and zucchini, swiss chard and cabbage.

I love the summer squash and will absolutely miss it when it stops coming in, but it is looking and feeling a bit like fall and am looking forward to the fall flavors coming out soon as well.

I want to be absolutely sure I get the kids apple picking this year, we have not gone since moving here and we miss it very much, so I need to be looking for an orchard that we can go picking for very soon and find out when the apples are ready for picking.

Today was a nice breakfast of about 1/2c plain fat free yogurt topped with a sliced banana, 1t agave syrup and 2t ground flax seed. I accompanied that with the usual coffee.

Lunch was really good. I stir fried some fresh onions and added turkey kielbasa. I then put these in frankfurter roll and accompanied it with cucumber and squash.

I had a matzo cracker with a T of peanut butter with a few cups of water.

Dinner was meatloaf, potato salad and summer squash mix.

Snack was 2 glasses of our daily red and a bowl of popcorn.

So the day began well with a banana, zucchini bread and the coffee for breakfast, but then we decided to go to lunch out at a local diner. I ordered what I thought would be a healthy meal. Hmmm guess again. I ordered a quesadilla with spinach and mushrooms but it was dripping with grease! The sides were brown rice and vegetables. I failed to ask what type of veggies and the “vegetables” were or I should say was coleslaw! UGH!!! Then to top it off they were out of brown rice so I got white rice. Now it only got better. The waitress got my youngest sons order wrong and it took forever to get it right and he happens to be the slowest eater in the family. So we all sat for about 45 minutes waiting on him to get done. So the supposed to nice family outing for lunch turned a bit on the stressed and not so happy outing.

I completely was disappointed, so Dudley’s will not be visited anytime soon by this family and it is too bad too because we do live in such a small area I scratch my head at times and the poor service we get. Oh well live and learn.

Dinner was much much better though. Lobster rolls, fresh cucumber and carrots and sweet watermelon.

Snack was a nice glass of our daily red and bowl of popcorn.

Over all a nice day.

The morning started with coffee, watermelon and zucchini bread.  For lunch I had veggie Joes, a slice of zucchini bread and squash with a drizzle of olive oil.

Dinner was a wonderful taco salad made with meatless taco meat. Then I went downhill! I visited a local bookstore with café’ only to cave into a peanut butter bar!!

No more of that!

When I got home I had a nice glass of wine with my hubby and a bowl of air popped popcorn with a little grape seed oil drizzled over it.

While I was out I bought a new book. “The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids: Simple Strategies for Lasting Health and Fitness” I LOVE it! I love her ideas and the recipes for the most part sound really good.

I look forward to her suggestions of transforming how my family and I eat and be active.

Summer Squash

Patti-pan Squash

Cucumbers
Green Onions

Napa or “Chinese” Cabbage
Lettuce 

POTATOES!
TOMATOES!

Sage

We read about the coral in the red sea and the scriptures that show us how precious coral is but not as much as other qualities. We followed up with a fish design.

Austin is beginning his design.

Robbie is hard at work making his fish look beautiful.

Carefully placing glue and “scales” on his fish