RedHeads Have More Fun

Today was the day, the day that most of us have grown to fear. During secondary education, it occurred yearly and had the potential to haunt you forever. In post-secondary, it happens at the end of your program. You know that it will be on the wall of your university for years to come...

Yes, I'm talking about graduate photos.

I have some horrific elementary school photos (I wanted to be just like my male cousins, so I had short hair and wore No Fear shirts - I was mistaken for a little boy often). My post-secondary photos from my BScN was pretty, well, "puffy". I was on long-term prednisone, which gave me the dreaded moon face - I looked heavier than I actually was. Every time I look at that photo, I recall a time when I was very unwell. It makes me a little sad to have this permanent reminder, when it is supposed to symbolize my biggest accomplishment.

So, today I wanted to have good photos. Especially for my Mom - she really wants a nice graduate photo of me, so I have to oblige!

Yesterday I got my hair cut and colored. It was nice to have some 'me' time, read some terrible gossip magazines (now I know who Kim Kardashian is), and let someone else wash my hair. 

I was coloring my  hair at home, mostly due to lack of funds for fancy salon fees. I chose a strawberry blonde colour, which was really cute.

However, I was feeling a little washed out and boring. EVERYONE seems to be blonde these days! I didn't feel like my unique sexy self - I felt like I was "cute". 

Like a puppy or cupcake.

So, I went closer to my roots. 

Deep, sexy, and makes my porcelain skin glow!

It is also much shiner and feels so soft. I have to admit I have been doing a lot of hair flipping and twirling.

I also brought my own flowers to the photographers. I don't know about anyone else, but roses are so cliche. AND they used plastic flowers - so tacky!!

I brought a bouquet of purple hydrangeas. I forgot to take a picture, but they looked like this:

I love purple. It's my colour <3

I was happy to get the photos done. I tried to be genuine and smile. I decided not to think too much about it - how I look now is going to represent a happier and healthier place in my life. I know it will shine through.

Speaking of happy and healthy, after the photos were finished I began to develop the worst headache. I became photophobic, my forehead was throbbing, and my jaw felt tight. I quickly went to the lab to get my regular blood-work done, since I was near the lab. Plus, it is close to being time to complete it anyway.

I got there just before the lab closed. Whew!

I know they do a CBC + Differential, so if there is any anemia going on, it will get picked up.

I went straight home after and had a nap. I woke up two hours later feeling worse. My headache was pounding and each movement made it worse. I felt too unwell to even make anything to eat - I've been eating grapes all evening. 

I wish I was with M. As independent as I am, sometimes it's nice to have a wonderful man take care of you when not feeling well. He would have happily made me some delicious food and given me a back rub.

But he's in another province.

 So now there are hash-browns sizzling on the stove.

Raw Food Day

I like vegan raw foods.

I've discovered during my journey into veganism and plant-based foods that raw foods are actually delicious. I've had vegan cakes, crackers, soups, etc... 

They taste great and are very nutritious. However, I don't think I could make this the basis of my dietary choices. I like having the options of cooked foods and, let's face it, sometimes my gut wants warm miso soup or pizza.

Tuesday was my raw food day. I eat raw one day per week - usually after my juice feasting day. There is no rhyme or reason, although I do find that it causes me to be more creative in making delicious raw vegan meals.

To be expected - there was a lot of green juice, tea, and smoothies.

I love my matcha tea - prepared in the traditional manner!

I started my raw day with green juice, plus chia seeds + buckwheat + blueberries. SO delicious!

I was busy studying, so I made a plate of snacks that I munched on during the day:

Grapes, lemon cumin guacamole, and the crackers I made the day before.

Who knew that making crackers would be so simple and tasty?

Supper was actually quite good, it was an idea I got from a raw cooking class I took a few months ago when we made raw marinara paste.

First, I made zucchini noodles with my spiralizer:

Doesn't it look like regular pasta noodles?!

... Add some shredded carrots

... And a dollop of home-made walnut spinach pesto

Then mix!!

My mouth was watering when I was preparing this. I love pesto, so whatever it is prepared with is fine with me. It was just like regular pasta - just prepared cool and raw!

Usually about half of what I eat is raw. Since eating more nutritious raw foods on a regular basis, I have been so much healthier. I've never had so much energy.






Still, I can't wait to warm up the leftover vegan pizza in my fridge for supper tomorrow!!

Grumble Grumble Grumble

It looks like insomnia has bested me again.

Hrmph. 

Insomnia is my hugest hurdle. I have tried addressing it. Several times.

I have an odd effect of ulcerative colitis on my body - I get overheated at night and can't sleep. I am hesitant to say "hot flash" or "night sweats". I don't fit the criteria of a menopausal hot flash (sudden, excruciatingly hot, difficult to relieve in the moment), or night sweats (I don't really sweat). I will either start getting really overheated when I am falling asleep or will wake up feeling like a furnace. The only thing that helps is a cold COLD shower for several minutes. Even then, sometimes I still cannot comfortably get back to sleep.

I've been assessed. I've had blood-work done. I've had a Mantoux test (negative, thank goodness). The conclusion is that having IBD has screwed with my metabolism and it is a/n ______ to me when I want to sleep.

Yea, I cursed. 

It's 2am and I have a hair appointment in the morning. 

Not a happy Red.

Anyway...

Another odd thing, I'm getting random bruises. I'm not normally clumsy or injuring myself, but I've noticed an influx, specifically on my lower extremities.

Normally, I am not concerned. I'm very fair (as you can see from my very pasty leg) and bruise easily from having borderline anemia. However, I had one of my NP instructors tell me that I look "really pale". She's an expert at assessment - if she says I look more pale than normal, I believe her.

I am due for blood-work tomorrow anyway as part of my Remicade routine, so if there are any abnormalities they will be picked up. Hopefully it is nothing, or at most a little iron-deficiency anemia starting to rear its lovely head. 

I have my Remicade infusion next week, so I am hoping that there is nothing to be concerned about. I don't like to extend my infusions because I start to get symptomatic.

... at least I feel well.

Feasting!

Let me explain...

After suffering through years of bowel issues related to my ulcerative colitis, I gained issues with how to eat properly. When I inquired with my Gastroenerologists about diet and healthy eating for my condition, I was told "don't eat foods that make you sick."

Um, but everything makes me sick.

I don't blame the doctors. My recent Gastroenterologist likely saved me from requiring an ileostomy by getting me treated with a biologic agent at a young age (it is preferred not to be started on anyone under the age of 30). Still, diet really does have a major impact on the overall health of a person - especially with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Luckily, fate has placed me in the right place at the right time. 

It seems as though diet and IBD has been a topic of conversation on the interweb lately, and it is interesting to see how each person relates a certain diet to helping with symptoms. I keep my own scientifically and ethically-based thoughts to myself, as I know each person is on his or her own journey. Either way, my own journey led me to a lovely Holistic Nutritionist who - dare I say it- saved my life.

I follow an anti-inflammatory, plant-based, vegan way of life. I don't like to say "diet", because of the first three letters. It is a way of life - I make daily choices based on what I want for my health and body.

And so, I eat plants. Lots of them. Endless amounts of them. I squawk when the grocery store is out of kale.

I also feast - as in a juice feast. Like today.

I began juicing a lot when I first met my Holistic Nutritionist, because my poor gut just couldn't handle raw fruits and veggies. Juicing gave me the nutrients without all of the roughage. Combined with green smoothies, I became much healthier and stronger.

Now, every two weeks, I do a juice feast for one day. No biggie - a lot of organic and fresh juice to give my poor GI tract a break. The mental clarity that comes along the next day doesn't hurt, either.

Today involved a lot of this:

Green or herbal tea

Lemon or cucumber water

Green juice. Lots and lots of green juice.

I make at least 1.5 gallons of green juice in the morning, then store it in the fridge. I made a mixture of juices:

1. Cucumber, celery, carrot, kale, apple, lemon

2. Cucumber, celery, mint leaves, watermelon, beet

3. Cucumber, celery, carrot, parsley

So, I am getting a variety of nutrients and flavors!

Normally my juice feasting day is a happy one, but I had something delicious in the dehydrator that made my apartment smell amazing. So tempting..

Tomorrow is my raw food day, so I was preparing crackers for tomorrow. I made two types, the first is a sweet carrot and flax cracker...

The second is a flax seed, sunflower seed, garlic and Italian seasoning cracker, which have the most amazing savory smell...

I just want to throw some cashew cheese and sundried tomatoes on them...

Alas, it will have to wait until tomorrow...

Don't I look so excited about it?

Until then, I have to get back to studying. Yay.

Let me add the disclaimer that I don't do this for weight loss at all - I like being curvy! This is all for GI health, and it is done in conjunction with my Holistic Nutritionist and family practitioner. Thus, if you want to do this yourself - I recommend you find a like-minded Holistic Nutritionist to assist you!

Tantalizing Thursday

Before anyone makes a smart-ass comment (love you, friends!), I know it's not Thursday. 

I am too busy to post my eats during the day, and I was studying last night.

Forgive me?

Good! 

Now lets look at what a gluten-free, vegan northern girl chows down on!

After I wake up, I always start my day with lemon and cayenne pepper in hot water. It wakes me up and gets my metabolism purring...

My camera insisted on focusing on the dishtowel...

Followed by Yogi green tea and words of wisdom. 

Tea is so insightful.

Thanks, tea!

Then I sat down to meditate for 15 minutes. 

I'm trying to wrangle all the buzzing thoughts in my mind. Graduation, exams, employment...

Namaste.

Breakfast:

A green juice with one beet (beet, romaine lettuce, kale, celery, apples)

My new favorite cereal - Holy Crap! It's organic chia seeds, hemp hearts, buckwheat, cranberries, cinnamon, raisins, and apple bits. All I do is add 1/4 cup water to 2tbsp cereal, then it thickens up in a few minutes. It is delicious, and is high in omega-3/iron/fiber. I think it is a well-balanced breakfast!

Plus, when people ask what I eat for breakfast I can say "HOLY CRAP!

I am not a coffee, soda, or energy drink person.

I stay hydrated with water + lemon/cucumber. I can't say exactly how much water I drink, but I fill my water jug in the fridge at least three times daily. 

Lots of water yesterday!

I do have a vice, and that is tea.

Loose tea, green tea, herbal tea, medicinal tea....

Yesterday I drank loose green tea combined with loose white-mango tea. It was perfectly sweet and strong at the same time!

I collect tea sets. Now you know. 

This one was a gift from Japan. <3 Love.

I was busy studying for the CNPE, and luckily I had prepared some snacks the night before that were FINALLY finished!

Kale chips are the best - these one were mild with extra "cheese".

Snacked on kale chips and organic apples while studying away...

Fortunately, I have someone to keep me accountable for my studying:

Lunch:

(Bet you can't guess the main ingredient...)

Ingredients: BROCCOLI, raspberries, strawberries, spinach, unsweetened almond milk, vega vanilla almondilla smoothie powder, agave nectar, flaxseed oil.

Having a great blender makes a huge difference. You'd never know that there are greens in there - all I could taste was sweet fruit!

After a few more hours of studying, I was feeling the hunger pangs. I knew dinner would take at least an hour to be completed, so I had another green juice to satiate me.

It's my summertime favorite - which I know isn't the season, but I was able to purchase decent watermelon so I'm celebrating early.

The juice has watermelon, cucumber, mint leaves, celery, and kale.

This was a brand-new meal I am attempting (aka I was too lazy to get groceries and needed to use what I have).

I made a quinoa-black bean-carrot-cumin-sweet potato mixture and formed it into patties, then put them into the oven for 45 minutes. There was a myriad of other ingredients, I basically tossed in what I thought would taste delicious.

I made an avocado kale salad and placed the patty atop:

This wasn't complete without a few dollops of wasabi-green tea hot sauce!

The cumin combined with the other ingredients were perfect - it was crunchy, full of flavor, and was filling. It went well with the avocado salad and hot sauce. Thankfully, there were a lot of leftovers, so I think I will try the next one with avocado slices and roasted tomatoes!

And before bed, I was craving a sweet snack to I indulged:

Another delectable day!

Stay tuned next week - I think "Tantalizing Thursdays" may have a regular spot on my blog!

A Little Bit of Healing, and a Little Bit of Rock 'n Roll

I am a member of a little community of Crazy Sexy people, who also overcome the struggles with chronic illness through holistic means. 

It's my favorite internet space, I have found endless words of wisdom and stories similar to the journey I have been trudging along. It makes me feel a little less alone and a little more special. It's like being the only redheaded person at the playground, then another little redheaded child comes to play and you have a new bestie!

 Being a little different due to chronic illness can be completely isolating, but even having an internet outlet of those who can empathize has opened up my ability to share honestly about my disease and its impact on my life.

I recently followed a post asking about our happy days (or in my world "My Ideal Daily Routine"), and I mentioned about my own...

It got me thinking...

Healing is really an all-encompassing and subjective necessity. Everyone can do something daily that is healing to the mind and body. It doesn't require extensive time or a high expense, but it has to be meaningful to the individual. Most of us (myself pervious included) rush through our day with the idea of doing TASKS - errands to run, emails to send out, a job to do, food to get in our bellies. We force ourself to eat "healthy", even if we really hate the food being presented to us. We go for a run even though we want to fall into a bush and stay there until a handsome man comes to carry us home (at least that was my experience!).

In today's go-go-go society, healing is pushed into the periphery of the view of self. However, we do need to care for ourselves to prevent disease, intolerable stress, and a little daily joy. 

We need to do some HEALING, but many don't know how.

To anyone who knows me well, my favorite way to meditate and have a moment of freedom (and in my opinion, healing) is well known. Here's a hint:

So, this led me to considering how essential it is to have a daily routine of healing, something you are passionate about and makes you feel well. Nothing forced or stressful - but joyful.

There are so many options for healing:

• Meditation
• Physical activity
• Listening to music    

♫Hey good-looking, why the frown? You always look better when it's upside down. You say you've got nowhere that you're going to, can I go nowhere with you?♫

• Yoga
• Eating a plant-based meal
• Juicing
• Cuddling your pet
• Turning off the TV for a day
• Writing in a journal
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Drinking tea outside
• Reading a book about mediation/healing/veganism...
• Etc etc etc...

I feel that promoting daily healing is essential to any holistic practice, and I put it forth on the boards:

And I am putting it forth to everyone else: 

What can you do daily that is healing?

I am going to head out on my own little healing journey for today:

The Ice Road

Spring is here, which means....

My birthday!

I am now a 27-year old lady.

I'm thisclose to completing my Master of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner degree. I am 18-months in remission of refractory ulcerative colitis. I am leaving a life with compassion and joy. Best of all, I am healthier than I've ever been. 

... and happier!

I look forward to what the future is going to present to me. I am overwhelmed with the possibility and opportunities. Who knows where I may end up in a years time?

To celebrate a new season, I headed out for some winter biking. There is still enough snow and slush that I can use my studded winter tires... not for much longer, though!

En route, I came across this cute little fella. He was balking and staring at traffic. I had to stop and take his picture - so cute!

A winter bike ride isn't complete without hitting the ice road, which is now mostly slush at the entrance onto the ice.

For those not used to ice roads, this may look a little shocking. It doesn't prevent me from carrying my bike across!

I swear, there is still thick ice under there!!

It was amazingly beautiful out. I am so grateful that I am able to fully appreciate a day like today. Nothing is better than being physically active and healthy!

The Ice Castle is all torn down. It was a main attraction at the Long John Jamboree, and was impressive in its entirety. Now it's like a northern Pompeii.

So refreshing and liberating to be out on the ice, on my favorite form of transportation

If I can squeeze in a few more rides on the ice road before the season ends, I am going to take it. 

I want to have at least one moment every day where I feel free - and biking the ice road is going to be my moment until the ice is melted away.