Surf city squeeze

I just tried a smoothie from "Surf City Squeeze" at my local mall. The menu said the smoothie I ordered comes with banana, pineapple, orange, spirulina and protein. I asked the lady what kind of protein they use and she told me whey. I ordered the smoothie but asked for no protein. I've had whey protein in the past and actually used to drink it on a regular basis but I'm trying to steer more away from dairy. Spirulina has protein in it too though so it was not a big deal to exclude it.

I have to say I was rather dissapointed as I watched the lady make my smoothie. The "banana" in my shake was nothing more than an inch long slice and the pineapple consisted of just two or three pieces. The worst part was the orange. There was no orange. Instead they poured in some tropicana orange juice from concentrate. I'm not even sure if the juice they used had added sugar in it or not. It may have.

Luckily the lady put in a decent amount of spirulina but the rest of the smoothie was ice. Hardly worth the $5.09 I paid for it I think.

Yet maybe it was worth the price. The drink itself tasted very scrumptious. The pineapple dominated the flavor of the drink and it kind of tasted like a pina colada to me. My mother was with me and I made her try it after some pursuasion. She said it looked rather unappealing because it was green. I thought it just made it look minty... Even though it wasn't. My mom agreed that it was good though.

If you can get over the decieving menu and the high price then this is a smoothie place for you. Personally, I'm going to stick to making my own smoothies at home.

Raw Revolution

I just tried a new food bar called "Raw Revolution." Normally when I want something quick to eat on the run with some protein I grab some Cliff Bars which I absolutely love. When I was in the store today though, I saw the "Raw Revolution" bars next to the cliff bars and decided to give one a try.

The flavor I tried was "Spirulina and Cashew." The label said it has no artificial ingredients, no preservatives, no gluten, no dairy, no refined sugars, no GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), and no soy. It is also Vegan, Organic, Kosher and uncooked.

The ingredients listed are Cashews, dates, agrave nectar, almonds, spirulina, and sprouted flax seeds.

Sounded pretty healthy to me.

The wrapping for the bar completely hid the actual food from view. Probably for good reason. Visually the bar is not very appetizing. It kind of reminded me of shiny green marble.

If you have ever had spirulina before than you know the unusual taste it has. This is exactly what the bar tasted like. Spirulina. Not necessarily bad but just different.

The after-taste was probably the best part. As I bit into the bar the Agrave Nectar came out and tasted very good and sweet.

I would have preferred for their to be more cashews in the bar to give it a little more crunch. For the most part it was soft and gooey. It stuck to my teeth pretty easily which was pretty unappealing.

At $2 a bar I'm not sure these are worth the price. While the ingredients are raw and healthy, it isn't a very appealing option. I would like to try some other flavors first though. The coconut and agrave nectar bar sounds particularly good. I have a feeling that these bars might grow on me if I give them another try.

If you are into raw food, I think this is probably a good bar for you. Otherwise, I would stick with Cliff Bars or whatever other bar you're eating now.

Saying hello

I've never had a blog before but I can't say I never wanted one. I've had friends who used to have live journals or who would write Myspace notes similar to blogs all the time. For whatever reason though, I was never really up to the task of blogging. Until now that is. To be quite honest I am not sure what I will be speaking about in these blogs. I think I may speak largely about my odd quest for for self improvement. To begin this blog then, I am going to talk about self improvement in general.

I have been a Vegetarian now for a little over a year. While in comparison to many Vegetarians I am still a newbie, this year has been a huge accomplishment for me. In my experience with other Vegetarians at my school I have noticed how few of them actually make it past the 6 month mark. In some way I am very surprised that I have made it this long, but in other ways I am not.

Before you start any form of self improvement, it is important to first do your research. I personally know that it can be really easy to want to jump into things and to try incorporating a new habit or lifestyle before really understanding it.

For instance, a few years back I tried to become a Lucid Dreamer. For those that don't know, a lucid dream is one where a person is aware that they are dreaming while it is happening. This often allows them to interact with the dream and to possibly manipulate it. That is lucid dreaming in a nutshell. It is also about all I knew about being a lucid dreamer when I tried to become one . I was under-informed and therefore was unsuccessful in my attempt.

I think my lack of knowledge about lucid dreaming also pointed out another major flaw in my attempt. I didn't want it bad enough. Sure I thought lucid dreaming was cool. Yet I was unwilling to put in the time to do the proper research needed. I think this stemmed from a lack of true desire to become a lucid dreamer.

I was able to become a Vegetarian because I really wanted it. My interest was originally sparked through my desire to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. I was well on my way towards becoming an environmentalist so I was already well informed about the negative environmental impact eating meat had. I knew it was something I wanted to do.

Adjustment to a new lifestyle also benefits from interaction with someone who has already made the same adjustment. I was lucky enough to have a close friend who had been a vegetarian for years before I was. Her support and knowledge were both very beneficial to me.

Verbally acknowledging your goals to another is also very important. By verbally expressing to someone else that I wanted to become a vegetarian it helped to make it a reality. This was no longer a thought it my own head. In a way, explaining my goal to friends who supported me gave me permission to change my lifestyle.

As with any new lifestyle, becoming a Vegetarian took a period of adjustment. The easiest way I found to adjust, is to work out the kinks before you get in too deep. I began to pick one or two days each week where I would not eat meat. This allowed me to explore vegetarian options and forced me to figure out how the lifestyle works. It was not overwhelming at all because I had not ascribed to the label yet. If I needed to, I could still eat meat.

After a few weeks of eating Vegetarian once a week and doing extensive research I knew I was ready. The real question was, "When do I begin this?" It felt weird to just jump into things one day. I felt like it would be strange to simply wake up one morning and never eat meat again.

Luckily the question of "When do I begin?" came at the perfect time. I was home from school for a week on a short break. I had not discussed becoming a Vegetarian with my family, but I had told some friends of mine what I was planning on doing. Mostly they tried to talk me out of it but I already had my mind set and by the end of the conversation I had their support. So on my way back to school I stopped at a rest stop and enjoyed the last piece of meat I have ever eaten. (If you exclude that incident where my sister let me finish her "cheese quesadilla" that was really a chicken quesadilla).

The reason the switch was so easy for me was because I was already making somewhat of an adjustment in my life. I was going back to school after being on vacation. That physical transition helped me transition to a vegetarian. I did the same thing when i first came to college. On my way to college with my parents I had my last glass of soda. I have not had any since then. If I had just woken up one day and said "From now on, I will not drink any more soda," I think I would have failed. But because I could visualize my transition by attaching it to something that was visible it made it all the more easier.

In the weeks that followed I just took things one day at a time. I did not try to go overboard and attempt to cut out meat, dairy and eggs all at once. In fact when I began I still ate fish for a couple of months. It was a nice way to transition into the lifestyle. When I was comfortable enough with that, I moved forward and cut fish out of my diet. Pretty soon I think I may try cutting dairy from my diet as well. All one day at a time though.

In closing here are the steps I have noticed that help me make a change in my lifestyle:

1. RESEARCH, research, research!

2. WANT to make the change.

3. VOICE your desirable lifestyle change to someone else who will support you.

4. CONNECT with individuals who have made similar lifestyle adjustments.

5. TRY it for a few days to see how it works. Work out the kinks before you make the complete transition.

6. Find the right time and Go For It. Remember though, there is no right time like the present time. While these "times of transitions" that I spoke of can make it easier, don't put off your change forever because you are waiting for the right one. If you really feel ready then just go for it.

My success in becoming a Vegetarian has in many ways empowered me. It has shown me that I can change my lifestyle for the better. All it takes is a little will power and some determination. I hope this blog can provide to whoever reads it a better understanding of how to better your own life.