I wonder if funksta dumps is anything like Ivan Neville’s Dumpsta Funk?! In my case…it certainly is not…there’s no fun, up-beat funkiness happenin’ here right now. I am in the dumps bad…in such a funk…I need to unplug for a while. I can’t seem to eek out the rest of this thesis and I’m in such a state about moving back East that it’s ridiculous. Even I’m fed up with myself! The countdown is on, the good-bye party is planned, and the sentimental last visits to my ‘fave haunts have begun. For the first time in my gypsy, wayward life, I’m seriously hurting at the thought of leaving my life here behind. It’s not that I’m not excited or looking forward to moving “home” on the other coast…but I’m mourning the closing of this chapter here on the left side.

My goofy AB system is reacting in true form. My tummy is upset, I’ve not been sleeping well, I’m cranky and headachy and can’t focus for anything. All of these things have of course led to complete non-compliance and a craving for sweets unlike any I have known in a while. Needless to say, when I succumb to these sugary detours, my already churning stomach and aching head only hurt worse.

Grrr…I’m not going to tell you what my plans are because you already know. If I can scratch up enough motivation, I’ll go to the market, get some bennies and load up on a ‘fridge full of the good stuff, rather than the bad stuff. I don’t enjoy just going through the motions, and I’m barely doing even that now, but I think for the time being…it’s the best I’ve got.

Here’s hoping that y’all’re doing a bit better than me…keep smiling, lean into the breeze and wonder wistful wonders…take care…be well…breathe…

Eeewwww….I smell like a big vinegar factory!! The home remedy for ear infections includes one part vinegar to one part alcohol. This concoction has actually been doing the trick (it’s pretty much the same stuff the pharmacy would give me…), but the smell is not fun!!

Okay, on to BTD news…

No exciting recipes to share; it’s been so hot lately that I’ve been eating PB&J sandwiches, frozen grapes and blueberries, watermelon and taking my superfood. Needless to say, I’ve been “off” on my weekly servings of protein, beans, yogurt and veggies.

Oh wait!! We are having a yummy salad tonight. This is so cool and delicious…enjoy!! Chopped up tomatoes, onions and cilantro with Italian dressing…that’s it…just cool it a while. For a meal-meal I enjoy it with tortillas (spelt or flour), beans and homemade salsa. Yum!!

I’ve got a swimmer’s ear infection. I’ve know it’s been coming for a couple of weeks now, but have been able to keep it at bay. It’s now a full blown infection…swollen ear and face, fever, localized pain…the whole nine yards. I know how it snuck in to become a nasty nuisance in my ear. I ate Doritos on Friday night whilst working on the thesis. I succumbed to PMS, studying blues and junk food habits. And now I have an ear infection. A bad one.

Well done me.

I’m off to take a nap and let the home remedy set in the ear (obviously no pool for me today). I’m loading up on tuna, superfood and other benne’s…trying to give my body defenses to fight this and anything else that might want to rear it’s ugly head. I think that this may be a big enough lesson to treat corn with the respect that it deserves…AVOIDANCE!!

Ugh! Okay, maybe I’m PMSing here, but I am so SICK of packing food everyday to take with me!! I dream to create a life that allows me to go home for lunch and dinner so that the necessity of carrying enough calories daily doesn’t exist! Don’t get me wrong, I love that I DO pack my lunch/dinner/snacks so that I’m not a slave to the fast food scene…my checkbook thanks me for this as well…but I’m just so tired of worrying about what I have, if it’s enough and how to keep it cold.

Sheesh…I suppose that I should be really thankful that I have access to a dishwasher to take care of the Tupperware…rather than having to wash it all by hand. Thank you dear universe for small gifts and extraordinary favors.

I know that the heart of all of this can be summed up in one word: summer. Summer is a time to live by the seat of your pants, to find random adventures off the beaten path, and to get up and go without having to co-ordinate a week’s worth of “stuff.” Basically I’m just bitter and don’t want to cook and prepare several days worth of food in advance just so I can have a lunch bag packed every morning. I want to do that in the fall, when the evenings are cool and standing over the stove isn’t so bad. When the days aren’t so light and the coziness of the kitchen is inviting. Sigh…maybe I just really need something to gripe about and this was it for today!!

Here’s hoping that y’all are packing your lunches with AB friendly foods, that you’re drinking enough water and going slowly enough to enjoy the last precious half of this wonderful summer. Take care, be well and freeze your grapes…they’re so yummy and cool that way!

The universe has undeniably told me today that it is unacceptable to be the cheapskate that I’ve been, regardless of my financial status at the moment (been a mostly unemployed student all year…). If you read my blog ever, you know that I swim. A lot. Like nearly every day. Okay, so I also live in Southern California. The pool’s outside. With chlorine. And lots of sunshine.

Any idea where I’m going with this?

My one piece suit is getting holes in it from overuse and overexposure. So I wore my two piece (trainer, not a bikini!) underneath trying to eek out a few extra swims without having to purchase a new suit. That didn’t work out so well today b/c the little holes in my butt turned into a gigantic tear (thankfully the two piece bottom was there so my bottom wasn’t!). I decided, what the hey…I’ll bare my big white tummy to the world and finish the last hour of my set in the two piece. Except that the top’s too big…so the friction of swimming sets my bosom’s dangerously close to the outside of the swimsuit!!

Dog’gonnit…clearly this means that I need to go bathing suit shopping this evening if I want to be in the liquid tomorrow. Drat…

What does this have to do with the BTD? Nothing…I just needed to vent a little!!

There’s not much news on the BTD front…I’ve remained compliant and bought more Superfood (Dr. Shulze) this weekend and feel like a superhero again. I thought that I’d double my money and get some tuna steaks on the way home tonight. I promised a recipe a while back, so here’s one from dinner yesterday. Totally AB compliant and very yummy! Hope you try it! It’s quick and easy…

Stir Fry over Rice Noodles

(You can use any compliant veggies you like…these are what I picked…the colors are extraordinary!)

Asian Eggplant, Snow Peas, Yellow Squash, Mexican Squash, Red Cabbage, Onion, Garlic, Olive Oil, Vegetarian stir-fry sauce, Veg. Hoisin sauce, Veg. Soy Sauce, Veg. Bullion, Hot Sauce, Rice Noodles

Start with the olive oil and a hot pan. Add onions and garlic. Sauté. Add eggplant, then squash. Sauté. Add cabbage and peas. While sautéing, mix bullion with some hot water to “melt.” Through in pan, add bits to taste of the other sauces. As this is cooking, boil water for noodles. When all is done, enjoy stir-fry over noodles! The liquid from cooking is plenty for flavor…if you need more, use soy sauce and hot sauce to taste.

Compliant eating and be well…

I’m a much happier little minx now that I’ve not pressured myself to bare all food choices ahead of time onto the computer. Haven’t done anything extraordinary in the culinary world this week yet, but will post a recipe as soon as one comes to me! Went to the market yesterday and stocked up on squash, greens (collard this time), parsley (5 bunches!!), sweet potatoes, sweet onions, eggplant (going to make spicy garlic eggplant soon—this will be the recipe that I post for ‘ya), cucumbers, cauliflower, apples, grapes (still freezing them…yum), and plums. I also bought red beans for a change rather than pinto and hope to be around either tonight or tomorrow morning to cook them up. A yummy bean recipe is to add garlic, onions and bullion seasoning into the water when there’s just a half hour or so left to the cooking…I’ve gotten away from adding cheese when the beans are flavorful alone. Try it…you’ll like it!

Have a great day, enjoy your weekend and come back to visit soon!

Be well…

It’s only been two hours since I posted the blog with my weekly menu (thus far) and I’m just sick over it. I know that I’m an oddball to begin with, but bear with me. My tummy simply churned over the cooking of breakfast and lunch (only the things that I said I’d make) and I’m sweating over the thought of HAVING to make Cauliflower tonight b/c it’s what I had written.

My soul writhes in agony as the onslaught of committed food choices fly in every direction sending my pea brain into a scattered, disoriented mess. I am none with the universe…my connection has been severed. This is not good.

So for me, not you…I’m gonna write out a recipe a week (or so) that I’ve been really happy with and you (if you so choose) can follow along with that. My tender tummy and heart simply cannot abide the laundry list menu…too confining!

With love in my flaky AB nature…be well…

Ahhhh…lazy Sundays! I have completely forgotten my responsibility to myself as a mature, BTD-aware AB individual. We AB’s grow best in sunshine, love, laughter, gentleness, rest, self-reflection and flexibility. Sunshine I’ve got now that I’m back in Cali…love and laughter are part and parcel of my home…but gentleness, rest, self-reflection and flexibility…those I haven’t been so easy to come by lately.

I’ve been so consumed with taking care of everyTHING else besides myself that my SELF has gotten a bit lost in the process over these past six weeks or so.

It’s finally caught up to me. I’ve had a headache every day straight for three days now, my eyes are burning and bloodshot like a drunk, my heart pounds like it’s been broken, my body is rigid and tight…the list seems endless. I should have taken a nap earlier this afternoon, but instead tried to push through and do more work. Now I’ve got a crink in my neck and I’m a useless, sad sack.

So, if you haven’t felt it yet…here comes another try at remembering what’s best for ME and following through with it. After a quick snooze, I’ll be taking a calming shower with lavender, incense and gentle tunes. Then it’s off to the market for AB compliant foods and a plan for how to TREAT myself well until I FEEL well. I’ll stay in pool, but add weights and LOTS of stretching. Beyond that, I’ll be nicer to me and not think/say all the mean, rotten things that I’ve been thinking/saying. I think to clear out the rubbish from my brain, I ought to do a bit of journaling as well.

My promise to you…out there in cyberland…I’ll give you the first week’s “menu” including food and activity lists. Feel free to join me or to partake of various items here and there…I intend for it to be 80-100% compliant depending on the availability of food and my budget for the week.

Until next blog…be well…

I am lost, mesmerized by the unending inky blackness outside my shower’s window…enchanted by the glowing silver of a crescent moon. My child’s anticipation motors the body onward through the rituals of cleansing, rinsing, cleansing as my adult heart thumps slowly to wakefulness. Too early for that strange brew concocted with coffee beans…necessary to take the lemons with a gentler warmth today. I rise into this lingering dawn with the dream of one nearly perfect, exciting day to come…

Hey y’all…here I am back in Cali for the time being and I am so happy to be in my own comfy bed with the feather mattress (think Heavenly Bed by Westin or whichever hotel does it). There’s also something to be said for one’s own shower, kitchen, backyard…et cetera!! And my comadre and compadre are the best part of all to being back in Cali…oh yes, I can’t forget to be thankful for MY pool and MY pool buddies!! And…while I’m not thrilled to be back in the traffic of LOS ANGELES, I am ever-so-happy that my ’86 Honda CRX with 249,000+ miles on it started on the FIFTH try after sitting dormant for six long, hot Californian weeks.

Ahhhh….home…or at least home on this coast…

Life on the BTD is going…I certainly have not been as compliant as I could be, but with the impending routine of a stable several weeks, I’ll be back on track. I have not had the bad avoids of chix and corn…just more sweets than my body can manage. I’ve also been pretty heavy on the coffee and will be trying to wean back off of it by substituting green tea. I’ve been in the pool both days since being “home” and am loving the workouts. I’ll get into the weight room tomorrow (Friday) and begin that as a normal routine for this last bit of weight loss and muscle re-defining! I’ve got the WHOLE project to finish for the Master’s degree, and so will be on campus DAILY for the time being…hence the extra workouts…study breaks and all that!!

Hope that this blog finds y’all well and happy…I haven’t forgotten about that promised AB compliant gumbo from back in April…that’ll be yet another study break project! Take care…

Lake Michigan is so cool! Coastie bro (who may become an AB BTD convert soon…) and I drove from Albany to Chicago area in one straight shot…14 hours in the car…ouch! We’re still a bit “hungover” from the drive, but got a good night’s sleep last night. I’ll be here with him for the next week or so and am loving some of the private time whilst he is on duty. I realized that I had not been alone-alone for about five weeks. Sheesh…I may be people-oriented and social by nature, but goodness knows that I need my ME time too!! Tee hee…

Okay, enough personal chatter. Below are answers to questions that have been sent to the comments section. Hope you are all doing well and be sure to write back with progress, news, insights, rambling…whatever! I love reading your mail.

Pat H: Thank you for the compliments! I don’t think that you’re a nut!! I agree with you about being cautious when adding herbal supplements into your diet. To be honest, I’ve not added anything but food yet and have lost weight, felt wonderful and been healthy just the same. Definitely run your plans by your doc…more than one opinion is always wise. I never got a recipe for pineapple muffins, but was told that one can substitute pineapples in any fruit muffin recipe (being careful of extra liquid), and they’ll be yummy! Best of luck to you, healthy eating and congrats on staying so spry at 70…may you have many wonderful decades to come!

Ashley N: I’m not sure exactly what seems extreme to you about the ER4YT books, but they are nice in that there are food list and serving size recommendations. My favorite remains the Cook Right 4 Your Type book b/c it has the lists and recipes. If you don’t want to buy anything, go to the library, or scroll down in this site to the typebase programs. Hit the Recipe one and hit index. There you can scroll through all the recipes and pick out the AB ones that look yummy to you. From that you’ll get an idea of what the bennies and avoids are.

Dan B. from BC, Canada: Cravings for sweets are my biggest downfall!! I am a sugar nut!! I have found however, that the more compliant I am with bennies and neutrals, the fewer cravings that I have. Your yogi is a wise individual as serving sizes are critical. We need to eat enough to be fueled, but not so much as to put us into a coma, no? As far as brain-food, you’ll just have to play around with the bennies and see which ones make your body the happiest. My body loves ahi and mahi mahi tuna, collard greens, garlic, parsley, rice, lemons, cherries and plums. Good luck with your recovery (be careful!!) and be well!

Take care everybodee and be well…