My One Hundredth Post! Happy Birthday Veggies:)

This is my one hundredth post at Baltimore Bliss. It was around this time last year that I became a vegetarian. Its funny that I took a step further recently by transitioning into a vegan diet. I am dedicated to continuing this journey. Next year, I'll be writing my 200th post and remarking upon the new healthy lifestyle choices I've discovered. It just keeps getting better.

Thank god for blogs. Sometimes I get a little blue, unmotivated, blah, whatever you want to call it. After reading a few entries by bloggers like Kris Carr, Bueller, LolaBloom, Bunny Berry, the crew at We Like It Raw, and many many more, my mood lifts and I feel motivated to get off my butt and do something productive (or at least be more positive and thankful)!

I think there is a Vitamix in my future...My hubby knows that it is at the top of my birthday wish list, so I'll let you know in a few weeks if he delivers! Hopefully, I'll be in Green Smoothie heaven soon:)

It is my fourth day on Natalia Rose's 21 day Life Force Energy Plan. So far, so good. I am keeping a food/mood journal and I hope that this exercise will help me realize patterns in eating and how certain foods and habits effect my well being. I am sticking to Rose's food combining guidelines, which has helped with digestion and general comfort throughout the day. Although breathing exercises are something that I became familiar with through yoga, the fact that these exercises are part of her plan help me to make time for them throughout the day. I am also paying special attention to my sleeping patterns and the amount of time between meals. Overall, my diet has become more raw and vegan over the past few days. I have integrated 70% organic dark chocolate into my diet because Rose states that 50 grams per day is ok...we'll see. Its difficult for me to stop at 50g! I am eating more fruit in the morning also.

Its too soon to tell how this new lifestyle has effected me, but I'll let you know over the coming weeks!

ps- Oprah is doing a 21-day vegan cleanse, check it out!

Thanks Allie's Answers!

Thanks Allie's Answers for honoring Baltimore Bliss with the Blog of Distinction Award! I would like to share the love by honoring my favorite blogs (Allie's Answers would be one of my honorees, if she hadn't already received it!):

Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer blog is filled with information on caring for your mind, body, and the planet! Her writing is fun and inspiring to read and she has interesting guest bloggers!

Debbie Does Raw gives readers a first hand look at the raw food experience. Debbie writes about her journey with raw foods, organic products, current issues effecting our food, recipes, and more!

Radical Radiance is filled with information on juice feasting and raw foods. Courtney also talks about positive thinking and spirituality. She lives at the Tree of Life and writes about the latest happenings at this phenomenal place!

We Like It Raw is chock full of support and resources for raw food living. If you are interested in the leaders of the raw food world, many of them blog here and share their experiences and tips!

Here is my menu so far today:
6:30am-Water, lemon, stevia
Fasting Yogi Tea
10:00am-Green Juice (same as yesterday afternoon's juice:))

Last night's meditation:
Jon Kabat-Zinn's Body Scan Meditation
This morning's meditation:
Wayne Dyer's Morning Meditation

Addiction Part II

I'm feeling better today than I have in about a week. The culprit: sugar overload (and me of course). For a while I had my sugar addiction under relative control with dark chocolate, but in reality, I was still overdoing it. The first few bites were never enough! Once I had some, I couldn't eat enough of it! I know it sounds crazy-Chocolate? Get a real problem, right? Unfortunately, these are the same emotions, thoughts, and actions I experienced with cigarettes and alcohol. Just because the substance is "less harmful", the internal struggle still drives you bonkers. Needless to say, I was down in the dumps for days as I "sugar crashed" and beat myself up, over and over again. Bottom line: refined sugar (and even too much natural sugar) makes me feel like crap, so I need to take it out of my life. That means brownies, cookies, muffins, pies, ice cream, and the list goes on.

Here is the catch, I recently ordered a food dehydrator in hopes that I can make some sweet treats that won't turn me into an obsessive maniac. I've read about these healthier options on the We Like it Raw blog. Its worth a try, right? The dehydrator should be here in a few days. I'll keep you posted on this little experiment. In the meantime, I'm steering clear of all sugary sweet delights and cutting back on my fruit intake. More veggies!! David Wolfe's website has a nice overview of sugar here.