Meri! You literally broke your back, or is that a translation glitch? Be good to yourself as you heal. Lots of healing hugs from me to you! {{{{{Meri}}}}}

It may help you to know that my friend broke her back (slipped on stairs), healed well and was absolutely fine afterwards.

Ohhhhhh you are too sweet <3 <3 I really, really value your support. Makes me go all weepy. :')

And I don't want to sound like a wreck! I seriously stretched (dunno if that's the way you say it) my lower back muscle and it cramped, first thought it was something more serious and that I might need some hospital care but it got a bit better, I could start to walk and after Saturday it started already to heal. So been able to walk and even to ride a bike carefully. Thank you for the encouragement tho! I feel like I've been loaded with bad luck lately tho in the same time I feel like I have no "real" problems. It's the tendency to depreciate (??) own experiences I guess...

Anyway, it's been a major relief to realise about the post traumatic stress syndrome since I was already quite desperate... I've been having numerous symptoms that match and now I have a name for them. And one wouldn't even think that for examplpe hopelessness IS a symptom. I just thought that I've became cynic. Now I know there's still hope for me.

But sorry to bother you excessively with my issues, hope you're doing well on the Zone and everything! By the way, made excellent!! pizza crust out of quinoa, lovely! Just quinoa, water, salt, a bit of dry yeast and a tad oil. Used quinoa flakes that I grinded into meal. Super food, super good. MMmmmmm mmm mm.

All my best for you and thank you so much! Doesn't matter to be on the different side of the world when there are people like you on the other side. <3

Meri...somehow I missed seeing your post until now. I'm glad to hear that your back was feeling better already...I've been worried about you the last couple of days. Take good care of yourself and your emotions will heal along with your body.

Funny you mention about pizza crust....I was looking for a pizza crust recipe some time ago. I make homemade pizza for the kids but was trying to come up with a substitute crust for me....using a portabello mushroom works well...but I would LOVE to have the measurements for your crust...maybe I could try substituting ground oatmeal for the quinoa? Yummmm...sounds devine Meri!

Still having lots of green smoothies...just love them! :-)

Heyyy Jana nice to hear from you :-) I check here almost daily but then sometimes I just forget it for a couple of days and make myself wonder how on earth did that happen :-D My back's better an inch per day, just came from a relaxed, shortish run. Been doing some pullups and mobilizing, biking works also... And learning to live in the moment. Like really. Which is the more accurate cause today, after about hours of work, MY VACATION starts! Fours weeks babies! :-P Unbelievable. I've had such a vacation maybe 10 years ago O_O

And SURE I can give you some instructions, I also use another "fake" pizza crust or a "method" I could explain. Now I don't have the time but in the afternoon I'll promise. My bf LOVES pizza so that's why it's important ;-)

I also love the green smoothie but currently having some fitting in issues with them since i practice (very lightly) the "intermediate fasting" concept which means that I'm always at least 12 hours not eating. Sometimes 14-15 hours, but usually just 13. Suits my schedule and wellbeing the best. Nothing more complicated, I just eat the last time maybe at 7pm and then the next time breakfast at work 8.30am or so. But because I take my breakfast to go the smoothie isn't really an option... BUt I'll figure it out and I might give up this IF, not sure yet. Doesn't feel odd at all, actually, it's nothing like the stoopid (sorry ;-)) "normal" fasting, just fitting in the meals in a bit shorter time.

But I'll get back to you bunnies! Hope everybody else is well also, like Bernie, CC and Sue :-)

Okey, here goes Jana, catch!

Quinoa Crust for Pizza

-approx. 2 dl (about 0,85 cups) quinoa flakes (or meal if you have some)
-salt
-0,5 tsp baking powder
-little oil
-water

Grind the flakes into meal or just use ready quinoa meal. Add a proper amount of salt according to your tastebuds and the baking powder. Add water to make a doughy consistency. Add a bit of oil, and then some more meal if you need to make it "handable" (possible to handle that is, my very own language! (not Finnish tho ;-D) ;-)). Roll on to a baking sheet as thin as possible and pre-cook it in a hot oven for awhile, maybe 10 minutes? Take out, spread your fillings and put it back in the oven for the cheese to melt. WHOOMP There it is :-P Easy peasy and very delicious at least in my opinion (and my bf's and the first person to try it out from my food blog).

The other pizza version I make is a "crustless" pizza. It's something like this.

Crustless pizza

-carrots (or parsnips or what ever root veggie or a bit of several)
-cheese

Grate the carrots and the cheese. Combine. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and pre-cook so it becomes like a "plate". Add tomato sauce and the fillings (maybe some more cheese? :-P) and bake a little more. Use scissors to cut into pieces. Mmmmmmmmm. Goooood.

I usually use some lighter cheese in the crust part (you need the cheese to bind the veggies together) and I might also add some mozzarella or feta or blue cheese on the top. This one works especially well with quite a generous amount of toppings, a lot of veggies for example. I sometimes make the crust and then I cook a sort of a tomato sauce and add the fillings ALREADY into the sauce and then I just top the crust with the foodious sauce and bake. Supergood. Moist. Fresh. Yum.

Hope these ones will make your weekend even more glorious! :-D

MY VACATION JUST STARTED, off to the gym (just a little mobilizing) and then off to a summer cabin with my two best girl friends. Ain't life beautiful. <3 Kisses!

Meri! If you're online during vacation and see this, have a GREAT 4 WEEKS! :-)

Thank you so much for the recipes Meri. I can't wait to try them.

Four weeks vacation...you lucky girl!!!! I hope you have a fabulous time with your friends at the cottage...ahhh I remember those days :-)

Two weeks to go, still! I loooove vacation :-D <3 (sorry, Bernie :-/) Just wanted to see how you all are doing... Gonna have a look at the accountability thread to find out :-)

Enjoy the lake Meri! Good to hear from you!

Glad you are having a wonderful time! I am having a tough start to the week, but hopefully things will level out soon. And, I have a week off next week!

Ohhhhhh one should never praise too much what she has; for then it's taken away! Nooooo!!!! :-D ...just meant to say that I'm currently having a bad inflammation (bacteria infection) and forced to eat a loadful of meds and antibiotics for it.... But it's so bad I'm willing to do anything to cure it! But I'll manage. :-)

And otherwise life's good: my boyfriend got really interested in the Zone and is listening to two Sears' books in audio books as we speak. It's so much easier to arrange everything when you have the support from somebody you're living with. And I just received my book, Mindless eating by Brian Wansink, dunno if you've heard of him? Basically he's revealed the psychology of how much (or what or when etc.) we eat and what influences in it. Like for example if you use a bigger plate, you eat more. Or if you put the candy bowl ahed of you instead you would hid it inside a coffin or ut it just a bit further you would eat less of those candies. But these are just basic examples, now I'm off to read the book!

hopefully all the fish oil works together with the antibiotics to heal me <3

Be good, be well.

I have heard of that book, definitely is one that I need to read! One of my biggest downfalls is mindless eating.

Hi Meri! Hope your infection clears up quickly...and that it isn't taking too much away from your vacation.

Its great that your BF is interested in the Zone as well....and a healthy lifestyle. You are right, it makes it easier when you have support of those around you.

I just got back from a weeks vacation...it was wonderful!....FOUR weeks would be better ;-)

Meri, no more accidents or infections, ok? :-) I'm sure you know this, but get plenty of probiotics into you to prevent the nasty side effects of the antibiotics.

Jana, Welcome back. Glad you had a good vacation!

Thanks Sue! Vacations are nice but I was glad to get back to my food processor so I could make some green smoothies!! I missed them more than anything while I was away ;-)

I'm off to France in a few hours fellow sisters! So baguettes and cheeeese (think of Wallace from Wallace and Gromit), here I come :-D Also red wine but that only on Wednesday since these antibiotics (that kicked in!) have a strong antabus reaction. Already managed to get it after tasting beef in a red wine sauce. An experience I have to say ;-)

Sue, I PROMISE to be perfectly healthy and accident free for the next 10 years! Back to my old self again :-) Usually I'm never ill and this only feels like too much because there was also the accident and the back... Not really illlnesses. Have to rationalize it to accept it. ;-) And sure I'm eating my probiotics and extra fish oil as well :-)

CC, the book is BrILLIANT! I have to give you some briefings of the psychology after I come back.

Jana, vacation RULES! And my bf also work outs a lot and is interested in the healthy lifestyle but the execution (re nutrition) is harder for him for some reason than for me... Or staying in moderation accually. But the Wansink book also enlightens this, because, like we know, people have different stories in their childhoold (and adulthood) regarding eating and food.... So so so interesting.

And another new thing; have you heard about the Biosignature by Charles Poliquin? I only learned about it a month ago or so and yesterday went to get measured, too interesting (this as well ;-)), it tells about the hormonal balance (or imbalance) of the body. My weakest point was to have too much estrogen which is prolly due to the hormonal contraception but also all the estrogen in the plastic wrappings, cosmetics etc. The next was the grow hormone that could be a bit higher, and the third was stress hormone cortisol but that wasn't bad. But for example my tolerance for carbs is excellent (tho my diet includes very little of them which can also be seen in the measurements), Poliquin has a word for my kind of people: carb bitches! Could get away by eating more carbs that is. Good quality of course. Fat% by the pinchers (they pinch from 9 different spots to measure the hormones) was 17%.

Okayyyyy... sorry if I constantly bug you with new things, just that it's so interesting! Nice to share :-) Oh oh and have you all been in the blood test to see your arachnid acid/EPA relations? Or any of you? Is it worth it? My bf consideres that.

Anyway hope you feel goody good and hope Bernie is still around... See you after a week! :-) (And pardon the CAPS... just get easily excited O_O)

Have a fantastic time in France Meri! What a wonderful vacation! Glad you are feeling like yourself again.

We like that you share so many new ideas with us...we find it interesting too! I'll keep my eye out for the 'Mindless Eating' book it sounds like a great read. The Biosignature...'carb bitches'...that's hilarious!!!...do they call you that because the people who can't eat so many carbs are jealous?? LOL!! 17% BF is impressive...I assume you aren't trying to loose any weight, just trying to eat as healthy as possible??

Last night I tried a variation of your pizza crust...I used steel cut oats instead of the quinoa and reduced the recipe to be only 2 blocks for the crust. It was good but wasn't very big so I added it to some regular pizza dough to stretch it out a bit....I'm going to give it some more thought as to stretch it out in a more Zone-friendly way as my tummy rebelled to the wheat in the regular crust afterwards. I've learned that my stomach is extremely sensitive to grains etc...it loves the Zone!

I recently had some blood work done but didn't hear the AA/EPA results yet. The only thing I heard back from the nurse is that I was anemic again and have to take B12 supplements. The rest of the results I will talk to the Dr about at my next appointment which isn't until October.

Hope you have a fantastic time in France!!!

France, fantastic! I'm jealous, lol! Have fun eating French food! You can eat like the French do, a little bit of everything. You've heard of about the "French Paradox", right? Yes, I've had the AA/EPA test and it's very worth it. You find out precisely how well you're controlling your inflammation. Not only that, once you have your AA/EPA result, then you know how much fish oil to take, whether you need to change anything in your diet, etc. It's one of the most important tests to have done.

Meri .... I am fine !! thanks for asking... still around but just on weekends...

I feel green... reading about vacations.... ohhh I need at least one day... (i have I signed by my boss, but just can not take it,,,, so much to do at work... but the day will come, when I can take vacations!!!))

Jana ... I miss those green blends too.... and also I like Meri new ideas to look for.
I am taking currenlty Chia... have you heard about it??? and canary grass??

do any of you have hear about them??
I must go now... my kid is needing my help.... regards

Bernie, careful with chia seeds because they contain omega 6 fat.

Meri, definitely give me a briefing about that book. Perhaps you will have to start a new thread for it?!?

Well, I think I am vacationed out. Sad to see it end, but must return to the real world and get back to work, kids back to school.

Last week, we went to 2 waterparks, did some school shopping, spent one day lazying around, then Thursday-Sunday camping. Thursday and Friday were nice, but the weather turned on us, Saturday was cold and rainy, and we had 40 degree temps (unheard of here in August) overnight. Only 60's for temps today, but my youngest daughter and I still went swimming! Brrrrr!

Bernie....gotta love the green smoothies!

CC...Glad to hear you had a nice and busy vacation...yes those weekend temperatures were crazy weren't they? DH turned off the pool yesterday...figure the swimming season is done with the super cold temperatures both during the day and night. Hasn't been the best summer weather-wise....oh well, we'll just have to look forward to next year now!

Wow, I was surprised that our outdoor aquatic center has already closed for the season and has drained out all of the water! Must be the earliest closing in history! Now, if I am going to do my lap swimming, I am limited to 3 days per week rather than every morning.

My DH would disagree with the summer we have had, he says that he has really enjoyed it! And, we have only had our central air on for a few days all summer.

Ding ding, I'm back! ...and too shy to start a new thread regarding Mindless Eating O_O Hehehee :-D

Good to hear from you Bernie, and Jana and Sue and CC! France was brilliant fun, food and feisty :-P Been eating a loooooot of cheeses. And everything else by the way. Happily. Ever after ;-) Oh well, now it's nice to be back at work and eating my routine foods.

Anyway I thought I'd summarize you some of the "hints" from the mindless eating to eat mindlessly less... If you're interested? It's nothing magical but still it's good to give it a thought I think. And I definetely recommend to read the book, it's fun and interesting, and usable fact in the same time. Was also impressed by the Omega Rx Zone, been boosting the fish oil for all my family members, friends, colleagues and the people I train. Just heavy stuff.

And oh yes the French Paradox! :-D Never heard it by that name but I suppose it's due to the same phenomenon as "why French women don't get fat". And that's my specialty, I'm a nibbler. Meganibbler. People call me Nibbler or actually Närppä in Finnish ;-) JUst when we were visiting the summer cottage the last time my bf's mom had commented on him that "I knew that Meri was in the house when I saw the donut that was eaten just a bit" SO I'M FAMOUS! :-D Hihihihhehehee. But I DO eat megalomaniac amounts of veggies, that's where nobody comes even CLOSE! Loving the salad buffets... ;-)

Okay, gotta take the doggy out, but I'll get back to you <3 (btw. I'm currently trying to minimize the "external sources of estrogen" in my diet such as eliminating the plastic boxes and not drinking from a plastic bottle... Xenoestrogents they might be called? Should decrease my estrogen level maybe a bit tho the worst is the hormonal contraception and I'm stuck with that... Even if I didn't wanted to)