Thursday- Day 6

What a gorgeous morning it was. I felt like I was beaming with gratitude. Perhaps it was that it is Thursday, the end of a workweek; or that the air was cool enough for a pleasant walk; or knowing that Week-1 is about over! Whatever the reason I am not complaining. 

It has been a very productive work week as well, and what I want to complete today is obtainable. So after a 20-minute stretching-yoga style practice, I was off to the races. Well, not really, more like off to the kitchen 😊.  Sometimes it feels as if Bill and I are dancing gracefully in the kitchen as we move about to get things done. And we made it out of the house to get our 2.5 miles in at the park before we went to work!  

Cooked up a sweet potato last night to try and make this race a bit smoother. This morning I made a smoothie for breakfast and late morning. It turned out really good. Makes me want to add smoothies back into our repertoire after the 21-days are over. This Sweet Potato Pie smoothie was so filling, I couldn’t eat anything else (Bill had oatmeal). I will have to do some web searches because I need help with new options.  Many smoothie recipes I see call for adding spinach.  I do not wish to do that if I am using milk - whether it be dairy or non-dairy because spinach, while high in nutrients, is not a good option for people with low bone density or osteoporosis.  "Why?" you may ask?

Spinach is one of those greens that is very high in oxalates. A diet high in oxalates can have negative effects (including kidney stones). Oxalate is a chemical that interferes with your body's ability to absorb calcium. Oxalates bind to calcium, and hinders your body from absorbing calcium. Spinach is also best eaten cooked, because cooking destroys much of the chemical.

SMOOTHIE: 2T SP Complete, 2T Whey Pro Complete, 1 1/4 cups Califia coconut milk ( cup was too thick), 1 cup mashed sweet potato, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, pinch of cloves.

I did put off lunch until after my walk at the noon hour. The mid-morning shake again filled me up.  

LUNCH: 1 cup thinly sliced fennel, 1/2 Gala apple in chunks, 1 rib celery, 1 T olive oil, 1/2 T lemon juice, sunflower seeds, 1 cup chopped romaine, freshly ground pepper. 

After they were tossed I placed on a plate for the picture. Then I transferred them to my lunchbox tin over chopped romaine lettuce and whatever kale I had for the garnish on the plate.

Well, supper is about ready.  Put back 2 uncooked quinoa stuffed peppers when I made them Sunday.  Serving them with tomato basil sauce and freshly chopped basil on top.  I suppose I can be kind and give Bill some wonderful Parmigiano Reggiano.

The poem below I wrote in September 2018.  Rereading the words gives this 21-day challenge purpose. Some days one just wonders . . . what is growing older gracefully?? 

SEASONS GRACEFULLY

Growing older gracefully

resting with me

trying to decipher

what it means in my life

in the season ahead.

Autumn approaches

temperatures say otherwise

humid and sultry

nature confused

perhaps as well as me.

A new decade of life

soon to appear

on the horizon

lovingly packing away

many seasons gone by.

Growing older gracefully

how should it be

or perhaps should not be

as growing older

is just a new season.

It cannot be planned

nor anticipated

as it is a moving forward

embracing each day

for whatever it brings.

Growing older gracefully

may just come through

daily acceptance

state of mind

and gratitude.

9/18/18