kinda busy...

The Green Smoothie Challenge is going good. I am remaining active and eating healthy.
Even between taking CJ to Jr. Lifeguard training and his (many) social activities and playing with my pollywog, I have stayed up on my challenges... which were
1. organize art/school room and paint, paint, paint
2. work-out and get up early
So far so good. The art/school room is a mess. I have slowly been going through my house and continuing my downsizing project. I love it! As I get rid of stuff we don't need or use, and eliminate clutter- I notice my mind feels clear tool. Each room in the house is simple, clutter free and much easier to clean,(yipee) ... with the exception of the art room. Here is an embarrassing picture.

Everything is on the floor as I look for shelving. I need lots of shelf space to store school and art supplies. This is just one corner. I will spare you the rest of the room. It's been difficult to find the shelves I'm looking for so I am going to create my own. I also went to a local shoe store and they gave me a bunch of empty shoe boxes, (who knew- re-use!) I am going to decorate them and they will be my storage bins. I also purchased an Ikea, kids craft table on ebay. Only 24.00- and I sold pollywog's old pack-n-play and highchair for over that amount so I didn't even really spend a penny- I will keep you updated on the progress in this room.
Quick side note- I mentioned selling the highchair b/c pollywog is officially at the big table. It's so cute and she feels so big. She enjoys getting in on the dinner conversation.

I have also been painting ~I am trying to utilize my time wisely and not make excuses. Even when I don't feel like it I make myself and then I start getting into it. My goal is to finish a series by the end of July and show them locally.


I have still not made it to the sunrise cycling class- but- I have been working out and juicing...
speaking of juicing...to ensure the kids get enough fruit and veggies I made my "Famous Popsicles." (okay, they aren't really famous but they should be)
In a blender I mixed bananas, blueberries, mango and sweet potato- and made a set of pops

Also in my juicer I juiced carrots, apples and beets. I swear by this juice. It is high in iron, builds immunity, gives you lots of energy and taste good...No really they do. They make the prettiest frozen pops too.

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer, your children, your special someones, and your days. Tomorrow I hope to share some tips with you and a recipe of this awesome..........you'll have to wait and see :)
I'd love to hear about your summer days... I heard yesterday that the sacred is found in the mundane...mmmm

Dangers of Canned Foods

It seems like there is always something dangerous, when it comes to foods.
I was just reading about canned foods and how they are finding dangerously high levels of toxic BPA. Here is an article that explains it further.
Although, it does seem like dangers are lurking around every corner, and we can't prevent everything...the simple solution is using non-packaged, non-processed foods and getting back to simple eating.
That is what we are trying to do around here.
Now I am going to start buying bags of dried beans and make home-made soups.
I think we are also going to can our own tomatoes this year, and maybe some fruits.
Here is a helpful list I found on this website
In the meantime, there are steps that we can take immediately to lessen our exposure to BPA:

Use a metal or glass water bottle

Limit your use of canned goods or choose canned foods from makers who don't use it, such as Eden Foods

Learn how to cook your own foods that you typically buy in cans -- like beans or chickpeas

Choose soups, milk and soy milk packaged in cardboard "brick" cartons, by Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc, with safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene (#2) that can also be recycled

Use glass food storage containers instead of plastic

Use glass baby bottles or plastic bag inserts made of polyethyelene, or switch to non-clear polypropylene bottles that are labeled #5. Don't buy canned infant formula.

Eat fresh foods in season to reduce your consumption of canned goods

Buy or can your own foods in safe glass jars

Stop using plastic wrap and plastic containers to heat food in microwaves. Ceramic and glass are better.

Throw out any old and scratched plastic bottles or plastic containers

Buy organic wine since many commercial wines can have up to six times the amount of BPA than canned goods

Let your grocer store know you want BPA free cans and are boycotting those products with BPA in them.

and more helpful tips here

Verde- Week One

Before I get to the reason for the title (verde)...I thought I better acknowledge the fact that, yes, I have indeed changed my layout a handful of times, and the name of my blog 3 times.
I decided to go with "Fish Dreams" b/c, for one I often compare my personality to a fish, (wow that makes me sound dull.)- I mean in terms of swimming this way and that...I am always "swimming" opposite directions, as my astrological sign shows, (yep, I'm a Pisces). Secondly, I dream a lot...day dream, night dream...you could say I'm a dreamer (but I'm not the only one...sorry).
Also, I am very visual and the color and lay-outs I tend to obsess over. I have been known to paint a room 3-4 times before feeling satisfied. I cannot promise that I won't change things around here again, but for now, I am good.


Let the Green Smoothie Challenge begin.
The plan is:
Week One: green smoothies for breakfast, healthy eating, no eating after 7, and exercise.
Week Two: same as above, only add a raw meal for lunch too
Week Three: raw food only, no eating after 7, exercise
Week Four: same as week 3
Wrapping up our first week. We have enjoyed the green smoothies (recipes are on Happy Foody blog) with the exception of ones containing parsley. Maybe we got a bad bunch, or have a crappy blender, but in our experience it gave it a bitter taste, and had a yucky consistency. They have given us a jolt of energy in the morning, literally. They make us feel clean, and clear and ready to start our day.
Come lunch time we are ready to eat and for both lunch and dinner we have chosen nutritious foods. Examples of meals this week: smoked salmon and crackers, black beans and rice with veggie toppings, tuna fish, lentil soup, and last night Falafel wrapped in lettuce and topped with mung sprouts, avocado, cucumbers, red and orange bell peppers, tomato and plain yogurt. (yummy) -the left over veggies we added to our smoothies this morning.
We are ready for week 2. I am writing down recipes for raw lunch ideas.