New Heights

I know, I know, I know.  It's been five months since I've blogged.  Does that mean my life has been boring and uneventful?  Probably not.  It just means that nothing that has happened has been worthy of sharing with my friends and people who might now know me too well.  Things that maybe others in my family don't necessarily want all of creation reading about. 

So things are about to change.

I've decided to take my blog to new heights.   What with my passion for a healthy eating lifestyle and time spent in the kitchen, maybe other people would appreciate reading about it, maybe trying some of the recipes and perhaps if I'm lucky, I might pique someone else's interest in trying this lifestyle that has brought me into what I consider optimum health.

This will be new and different for me.  Feel free to tell me how to make my posts better, more interesting.  I think I will have to put new batteries in the camera and have it handy in the kitchen to capture my creations.  I will need to come up with a blogging schedule so I'm not driving myself crazy.  I have a friend who posts on her blog Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That makes a lot of sense to me.  So since today is Monday, consider this the first of more to come!

So walk with me... out of "my midlife mumblings" into something new.  I figured I would find something to distract myself from the deep hole of midlife and I have now come to the realization that the kitchen is that distraction.  I think keep the name of my blog the same as I'm sure I will fall back into mumbling (go figure, Jan mumbling?  Say it isn't so) but I hope to share with you ways to enhance your life through the world of nutrition.

For those of you who don't know of that which I speak, for about 18 months I have been eating a plant-based diet.  Yes, nothing from an animal (except once in a while when it's completely unavoidable).  Definitely a vegetarian diet, and 99% vegan.  In the last couple of months it's been easier to go completely vegan as I don't stray as much from the plant-based concept.  In that 18 months I have lost 47 pounds and created for myself an amazing feeling of health and wellness.  I have learned a lot about the nutritional benefits of food, what causes our bodies to work in the best way possible and what hurts us the most.  I've become so passionate about this way of life, I've enrolled in a self-paced certificate program through the Nutrition Education Institute presented by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  I attended a three-day Immersion in San Francisco at the beginning of this month and learned even more.  I was on track to take my first exam at the end of December, but since it's self-paced, I being the queen of procrastination have not been as diligent as of late to read and study.  One thing about goals, you just erase them and move them on the calendar!  I'm aiming for the end of January now.  Hopefully when I am completely finished with the program I will have the knowledge and tools to coach people through this lifestyle.  I currently have a few people that I mentor, but to have more experience working with clients will enable me to perhaps move into a new realm of
consulting and coaching.  This blog is just one step on my journey there.

I will wrap up today's post with a bit of healthy eating advice.  Replace one meal a day with a huge salad of mixed greens and vegetables... add 1/2 cup of your favorite beans, 1 tablespoon of unsalted, raw nuts and some raw sunflower seeds with an oil-free dressing and you will be miles ahead of most people and well on your way to a healthy lifestyle. 

I will post a dressing recipe on Wednesday.