Fun in the kitchen...

I've finally gotten my breakfast/snack bar recipe to a point that I'm happy with it. It is a no-bake one.. I've tried baking it but its worse that way. It chunks off a little bit but I can live with it. You'll notice that they are a little dark in color.. that's mostly because of the hemp fiber protein powder. When you open the jar it looks like a scoop of dirt & moss but luckily it has no spell. Be forewarned though, if you use it in shakes they will look like frothy mud. :)

I'm calling them my Protein Fiber Flax Peanutbutter Bars.
Here's the recipe:



Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups All Bran (the bran buds kind, not the twigs)
1 cup Rice Crispies
1 cup oats
1/4 cup ground golden flax
1/4 cup Hemp Fiber Protein Powder (found it @ Wholefoods)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Put the brown sugar, butter, vanilla & peanut butter in a large plastic bowl and put them in the microwave for just over a minute so things melt. Remove the bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Microwave everything for another minute and a half and then press in a 13x9x2 pan greased with cooking spray. Refrigerate and cut into bars. Store in a plastic container in the fridge.



I have my shake recipe done as well but was just informed by my new Dr that I won't be drinking soy milk anymore and yogurt is out too. Sooo... I'm going to get some rice milk and try a few things and post that once I've confirmed it is still good within the new approved guidelines.

Tea good.. soy bad...

So...

Today is the 1st day of the rest of my life.. or something like that. I have multiple areas with varying pain issues... some from my own stupidity (no I will not elaborate) other that just came about from other things. So because I haven't been sleeping well and my sore/stiff neck/headache type things have gotten worse lately I decided to try an acupuncturist to see if they could at least fix my neck, stop the headaches and help me sleep.



I found this Dr. on citysearch, she had a huge number of reviews and everyone spoke very well of her and how much she helped them... so.. I chose her.

At my 1st appointment today we went over everything... medical history, pain, stress, eating/drinking, lifestyle, brain workings and lots more.. there weren't any needles yet but this is part of the big plan as it stands now.

1. I'd been using soy light milk for my shakes because I can't handle milk anymore... she says no more soy. Its way over processed and not good for you. So I'm going to try ride milk and almond dream instead. (Reviews to follow on that subject).

2. Soda is out, completely. I had been laying off the aspartame ones and drinking the Splenda ones.. she said no. Soda is alot of crap that your body has to process and Splenda is just more crap. So today out.. tea in.. unsweetened just tea. As I type I'm actually sitting here with my funky New York mug drinking warm green tea.. and I haven't died yet.. go figure huh?

3. No more dairy. Not that I could handle much but I like cheese and have been putting yogurt in my shakes.. so the yogurt is out and I threw the cheese out... Shelby was not happy about that. She says that dairy slows your metabolism down and its not helping me at all. So out with the dairy...

4. No more ceiling fan... I generally leave it on at night so the dogs don't get overheated, she said this is a problem and can contribute significantly to neck problems... so off it goes. Also on my nighttime list... wearing the wrist splint to help with my carpal tunnel and the boot (every night) to keep my plantar fascia stretched out.

5. Mind/body, etc... I'd already looked into this and am going to sign up for classes with the town but she strongly suggested yoga/ etc (I'm also going to try tai chi) to strengthen the mind/body connection. I will be the 1st to say I'm not big on the whole spirituality of the universe and such but I can see the big picture from what she is putting out here and can reasonably agree with doing it from a logical standpoint... so once the classes start, I'll be there.

So.. this is the big plan... all of the above along with 1 visit a week for the next 4 weeks. Then we sit down and look at things for where they are, what has changed etc. I will let you know :)