Living on less than a dollar a day!

Well last week I thought I was going to receive a check, and I didn't.  Has anyone been there? If you have, you know it's not a fun experience.  Talk about no food in the fridge other than that little bag of spinach, a cucumber and some almond milk. My freezer had a banana and peach slices, made for some good green smoothies.  Did I mention my pantry had .... about a cup left of Amaranth.  Yes to say the least, my week was not the most food pleasing. 

However, I am able to eat more foods now than I was a year or two ago so I had the privilege to go out and eat with friends a couple nights.  Luckily for me, they decided it was on them.

Still not using a credit card! Woooo!

The great part about going out to eat is the leftovers, I always eat my left overs for lunch or dinner the next day.  Another great way to stock up on meals if you are low on cash and if you still live near home is asking for your parents leftovers.  Or if you aren't stubborn like me (I'm like a bull sometimes, no budging me) you can just ask for some help from parents and get groceries.  I hope you are able to do this. 

In the past week I have been looking up all sorts of diets for $1 a day.  I was just curious about if it is possible here in the U.S. I have a special place in my heart for those in third world countries who live on less than a dollar a day and then it occurred to me, there are probably many of us here in the U.S. that will end up living on a dollar a day due to our economy. 

No need to get all political, just something thought provoking for myself. 

Thus my adventures brought me to a couple people who chose to live on a dollar a day with healthy meals to see if it was possible.

This blogger ate on a dollar a day for a month and lost pounds while at it-

http://mydollaradaychallenge.blogspot.com/

Andrew Hyde has quite a few great ideas, I just modified some of his suggestions for AntiCandida-

http://andrewhy.de/how-to-live-comfortably-on-36-a-month-for-food/

Here's an article on a blogger who "Ate well on just $1 A day"

http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/articles/eating-well-on-1-a-day/

Stone Soup has some budget friendly and healthy meals -

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2012/08/is-this-the-worlds-easiest-shopping-list/#

Have a happy day and I'd invite you to try out one of these challenges if you ever find yourself living on a dollar a day.  Feel free to share your thoughts on a blog or with me!

Going out to eat!

Part of college is going out with friends.  What do  you eat while out with friends on the anti-candida diet.  Other than water.....oh yeah you need to eat right?  Water's always safe!

No really, what can you eat? 

I would say for a general restaurant or fast food place it really depends on what you are able to eat in the stage of your candida.  I was able to eat potatoes so I would get fries each time I was out, it's not the healthiest but at least you can eat along with everyone else.  And always balance this out with some extra probiotic of some sort, be it the capsules if you can take another or an antifungal like garlic, onion, lemon, and more. 

Frozen Yogurt:
When my friends went out for frozen yogurt, I found the best choice was either the lactose free yogurt or the sugar free yogurt.  I haven't tried greek frozen yogurt but if there's that option, I'd try it out.  Portion control is everything here, don't make the bowl full, just fill it a quarter maybe halfway and go light on the fruit, no candy. 

P.S. I just heard that Silk now has Silk Almond Milk Frozen Yogurt, the first dairy free almond milk frozen yogurt at TCBY (I've heard the sales have increased dramatically) check it out: https://www.facebook.com/tcby/app_618870374820011 and there's sweepstakes--makes anything worth trying!

Coffee:
Coffee is a no go, so you already know that going out to coffee would not be the best choice.  But you can always get a green tea and still have a little bit of a caffeine kick. 

Yerba Mate Green Tea is actually really good and gives a great energy jumpstart.  You are able to concentrate and do your homework, but drink it sparingly because it is supplemental energy which is always something to be careful about.

Lunch:
If you're going out for lunch, you can always get a salad and hold the cheese and dressings which will have multiple preservatives.  Sometimes salads will even come with some meat or salmon.  Hold the croutons as well. 

Dinner:
Going rice, rice is generally pretty safe.  I would try for brown rice before the white sticky rice, sticky rice has way too much sugar when it breaks down.  Mongolian Grill or a place such as this where you are able to pick and choose what you put on your rice might be a good choice, just make sure it's the actual restaurant and you hold the oils or dressings.  In some of the smaller scale grills they automatically grill it in oil, so check with them before. 

If you're able find a cute gluten free shop or café, in Portland, there's a few that you can ask whatever you want to be gluten free.

BUDGET TIP: Going out to eat is expensive, just grab a snack with friends and head back to your place!

The Breakfast Diet

I am beginning to realize I have a slight indulgence on breakfast foods.  Their fast, easy to make, and filling.  Most days I'll eat breakfast, then eat lunch, then come back home from work and eat another breakfast type meal.  Then dinner of course. 

Typical morning breakfast:

Hot Cereal
Gluten free oatmeal
Ground Flax
Almond Milk
Walnuts
Apples

Typical Lunch Breakfast (I suppose ...brunch if I must call it that)

Omelete
Eggs
Onions
Red Pepper
Spinach
Avocado

Typical afternoon breakfast:

Parfait
Yogurt
Raspberries
Crisp Rice Cereal

Typical evening breakfast:

Buckwheat Pancakes
Buckwheat Flour
Baking Powder
Egg
Almond Milk
Butter
Nut Butter and Agave

Typical Snack Breakfast

Banana Toast
Gluten Free Toast
Almond Butter
Banana (if not too sweet)

If you like breakfast a lot like I do, try these out anytime of the day.  They are all delicious, I wouldn't recommend making them your daily diet but every now and then it's alright to have a yummy breakfast instead of a regular meal. 

I really should be....

I am a big health nut, I rarely let any bad food come into my body, yet when it comes to fitness, I am the farthest from it.  I wish I could say I do yoga every other day and enjoy long runs around town, but it's just not true.  I struggle with the fitness part of my health and I really want to turn it around. I feel having an active daily routine would be a huge help not only with my digestive system, but my mental and emotional states as well. 

I have tried numerous plans and tried planners and videos, buying the cute clothing.  I did start a routine for a couple months last fall in 2012, then got injured and slacked for the past year. 

My motivation comes from climbing Mt. Adams with the leadership team at my college last year about this time.  The feeling when it was all over of exertion, physical ability, and over all strength was riveting and addicting I wanted more.  Due to lack of motivation and no one keeping me accountable, quite frankly lack of neeeeeed as was needed during my hike, I've stopped. 

I love hiking, dancing, and walking.  I regularly walk 1/2 mile to a mile a couple times a week, go swing dancing once a week and hike once a month or so.  Getting out of the house is not only good for your lungs in the fresh air, but your soul and your social appetite.

Life Gaiam.com says there's five ways to stay motivated to exercise regularly:

1. Change your perspective
2. Set a Goal
3. Set a regular work out time
4. Think fun and variety
5. Reach out to others for support

Here's my chart:

Day	Exercise	Stretch	Time	Goal
Mon	Walk	Thighs	30 min	Gain more leg strength
Tues	Yoga	Arms	30 min	Flexibility
Wed	Swing	Calves	2 hours	Gain more leg strength
Thurs	Zumba	Arms	1 hour	New
Fri	Walk	Thighs	30 min	Gain more leg strength
Sat	Hike	Body	2 hours	Go on all day hike in spring 2014
Sun

Here's an example chart for you:

Day	Exercise	Stretch	Time	Goal
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun

Cooking on a Budget

Budgeting isn't the most fun, especially while worrying about your health, and your assignments... All that to say, there is a way to go shopping for food and not spend a fortune on all the food that it takes to eat the anti-candida way.  Luckily we can't have all that junk with sweetner and preservatives  and such so our favorite section in the grocery store is... THE BULK section.  Grab a bag and have a party.  I specifically buy nutmix in bulk, rice noodles, rice, lentils, carob powder. millet, buckwheat, various seeds.  All these things are great for the baked goods and snacks you need and a lot cheaper than name brand snacks. 

Learning to buy products in bulk and then just cook and bake sweets, treats, and snacks ahead of time will save you lots of money. 

I enjoy making cake in a mug for an afternoon snack, or on my way to class. 

All you need is a mug, just like this one shown below:

1/2 t Baking powder
1/2 C Teff Flour
1/4 C Water

Stir the contents in your mug until paste like, add more water as needed not too wet, not too dry.

Put mug in microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. 

Top with butter, cinnamon and some agave or stevia.  OR a dash of homemade sherbet.

This is the cheapest version as well as the fastest.  So when I'm lazy and I need something to curb the lion snarling in my stomach while trying to pound out an essay this is what I go for.  You can also make a brownie in a mug as well as many others. This is perfect for the college student because you can make it right in your microwave. 

Happy Candida Fighting, you can do it!