Day 56 - Vi Shape Rice Pudding Recipe

So I found a recipe yesterday that is an all time favorite of mine, 'Rice Pudding'. I made a few adjustments and came up with a version of my own, that ROCKS!!! It tates way too good to not be passed along.

2 Cups Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 Cups Minute Rice
2 1/2 Cups Milk (I used 1%)
1 Egg
2/3 Cup Vi Shake Mix
2/3 Cup Sunmaid Raisins
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Soak the raisins in hot water prior to beginning, and set aside.
2. Boil 2 Cups of water, add salt.
3. Add rice, boil for 5 minutes (stir frequently) then let stand for 5 minutes.
4. In a small boil froth egg.
5. Add milk, egg, drained raisins, cinnamon and vi shape mix to the rice, mix well.
6. Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand for an hour.

Tastes great warm. Store in air tight container and refridgerate. Tastes amazing cold with a little milk added to it for more of a creamy texture.
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Why I love it???

First of all being a sugar addict, I need to find other ways to satisfy my sweet tooth in the most healthy way possible. Sugar leaves me feeling hungry for more sugar. So when I made this recipe I felt completely satisfied after eating just a small amount, and never felt the urge to binge. The sweetness of it all is in the shake mix that tastes like cake mix... a real treat. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Day 53

There is one more thing that I need to add to my 'DO NOT BUY' list. It doesn't look as scrumptious as a powder doughnut, but looks can be decieving, it is just as addictive. It's one of those items that you convince yourself is healthy, and so you give in, maybe it is good... in moderation, if you can stop at just one. Now I know... That I can't. What on earth am I going on about? I'm referring to 'raisin bread'. I swear there is something in it that makes me want to mow down like I would popcorn at the movie theatre. I ate the whole loaf all to myself in less than 24 hours. Boy oh boy... There is much I need to work on, but I am a work in progress, I always will be. I will never stop trying to improve myself in one way or another. When I accomplish something, there will always be another goal to take it's place.

Day 50

It's day 50 of my 90 Day Body By Vi Challenge!!! That in itself is a celebration! I have indeed come a long way but I still have a long way to go. Now more than ever the world is changing, thousands upon thousands are starting the 90 day challenge each month. In fact, just in August alone there were more than 65,000 people, myself included. The scary thing is that if we don't make changes today, it will have a direct affect on the lives of our children and our children's children. I am emotional about this, it truly tears at my heart strings. I'm not going to lie... I am embarrassed to admit that I am not the greatest cook in the world, and so I rely on pre-packaged convenience foods to feed my family, with the exception of fruits and vegetables. Now, that I am starting to educate myself on nutrition, I realize that the majority of the food we have been consuming are full of chemicals. Chemicals that may later lead to cancer. Those time savers are time stealers!! Anything that saves you time now, but shortens your life span later, is not worth it. Hardly a convenience at all.

I caught a few minutes of Dr. Phil the other day, which was about overweight children. A little boy, at the age of 4 weighed 115 pounds. That's what I weigh as a 27 year old adult. His mom was reaching out for help, stating that his diet is so restricted as to what he can eat, so it can't be the food, it must be a medical condition. They followed his routine for a couple of days, and noticed he was eating adult size portions 6 times a day. His snacks were frequent, and meal sized. Dr. Phil also noticed that the fridge and pantry were pad locked, because this little boy would help himself. It was what he said next that really made me think... 'If you only had healthy food choices in your home, you wouldn't need to lock it up. If he went and ate a bunch of celery, you wouldn't say 'oh my, he's high on celery'.

I'm ready to re-evalute the food that comes into my home.

Day 42

It's day 42!! How on earth has it been 42 days since I started the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge?? That's nearly half way through, which I find absolutely unreal. So just a brief overview of where I began, and how far I've come in just 42 days... I will mention again that I did not start the challenge for the purpose of losing weight. The last time I've stepped on a scale was actually the day I began this challenge (on August 6th)and at that time I weighed 114 lbs. So really it would be a very unrealistic and very unhealthy goal to expect to lose a few pounds. The funny thing though, is that when I mention that I am taking the body by vi challenge, there are a few people I've come across with one eye brow raised. People assume that because I am small... that I am healthy. Well, just to set the record straight... that was not the case. I consumed atleast 800-1000 empty calories of non nutritious junk, every single day. Do you know what that does to a body over 15 years? I experienced intense cravings for sugar. As an addict for 15 years it was all I really thought about when I felt any symptoms of withdrawl coming on. I used sugar as a means of medicating pain physically and emotionally. The physical pain is gone. The headaches, the back pain that I would suffer every morning... The hardest part which I thought would be the cravings when my energy levels plummented is gone. So now I am left with the emotional attachment, which is something that will take much longer than 90 days to overcome seeing as how it has been a subconcious part of my life long before I will ever remember. I am an emotional eater... sadly it is sugar that brings me comfort when I am feelng stressed, angry, sad, or lonely. That is a choice that I need to overcome, now, and even more so after my 90 days are up.

I would like to take a moment to answer a question that I recieved the other day.

'I have a concern; if I take the shakes in the morning and at lunch, would I have to do this for the rest of my life to be able to keep the weight down? Once one goes back to regular eating, does one not put the weight back on?'

The shakes are not a weight loss drink, which can confuse some because people are losing weight. The Body by Vi™ Challenge is not another fad diet. The program is based on nutrition that helps you burn fat and keep lean muscle, boosts your metabolism and helps control hunger. In order to not gain the weight back after taking the 90 day challenge, we really do need to learn about what is good for our bodies and proper nutrition. Just think, if you go back to your old eating habits that made you unhealthy/overweight in the first place, is it really fair to expect that you won't end up right back where you started? BUT...If you commit to the 90 day challenge, and commit to maintaining a healthy life style afterwards, amazing things do happen.

Personally, I love the ViSalus products, otherwise I would not be promoting them. I know that I am a person of convenience... I know that I do not always have the time to make three nutritious meals a day, and I NOW know what a body should feel like with proper nutrition. Would I give that up?? Never.

Day 31

It has been an incredibly busy summer, and I haven't been writing as much as I would've liked to... but this is one journey that needs to be told. I need to make the commitment as much for myself, as I give to other people. Which means re-evaluating my goals, and finding my 'why'. Why have I taken on the challenge of putting my health first for 90 days? I have not taken very good care of my body, and as I've mentioned earlier, more than half of my life has been spent abusing my body with unhealthy food choices. Think for a moment the damage caused by food in our society today. Not only is it a crisis that the world we know today could be very different 10 years from now with high risk problems like obesity, but think about those who are a healthy weight. Just because you are a healthy weight does not make you invincible to the silent deadly toxins that you put in your body. Just because the weight does not show on the outside, does not mean that you are any better on the inside than someone who may be considered obese. In fact... maybe you could be worse. No one is invincible, no matter what your size, gender or race.

I know that by not changing anything, and living today as though there were no tomorrow, would most certainly cause tremendous irrepairable damage for my future. So why put health first? I think the answer is clear: For everyday I am breathing is a gift that no amount of money can buy. Time is of the essense and good health should not be taken for granted.