Naked Ed

/hihi How was your weekend? I learnt about a local legend, Naked Ed when we went to watch a friend play guitar at The Great Outdoors Restaurant in High Springs and one of the beverage choices was "Naked Ed's Pale Ale"

Apparently, Naked Ed is a nudist who has been squatting on the tiny bit of land around Lily Spring since 1985. He showed up one day, cleaned the spring up, and  built a little hut for himself by the water. He doesn't own the land, he just cleaned it up. Thankfully, he donned a loincloth to please county officials!!! He is friendly enough and enjoys talking to canoeists and kayakers who paddle the thirty or so feet off the river to reach his spring fed cove.

I like the directions they have pointing to all the local springs!

It was a yummy beer, I only had a few sips of my mans as I had ordered a cocktail called the Louisiana Sweet Tea. I forgot that in the South when they say SWEET Tea they are NOT messing around! It was 'the straw can stand up  by itself' sweet, I had to squeeze lemon into it to make it even remotely palatable!

The Patio Area

I also stuck to my decision to not order a main, but shared an appetizer. We tried out the Fried Green tomatoes, as neither of us had ever had them despite living in Florida for two years! I liked their tart flavor. A fried Green Tomato basically looks like this:

I had two and was happy with that.
Remember the goals I talked about achieving? Well, I started on them already, the first one to tackle was a GOOD nights sleep!

Sleep is so under rated and pushed aside in our busy lives!

 But it REALLY is one of the BEST things you can do for your body!

Id been sleep deprived all of last week and was feeling low and run down. I also really struggled with grogginess, but I felt a lot better on Friday and today, on Monday after NOT taking a melatonin supplement. I think that was the cause!

 Melatonin is a natural hormone released to keep your body clock rhythmic, and when your body releases the the hormone at night it makes you sleepy.

The reason they suggest you drink a cup of warm milk before bed time is to trigger your body's natural release of melatonin. I'd been trying the pill supplements out as a sleep aide, but I think the side effects are too strong.

They would be great for not suffering jet lag though!!

I tried sleep relaxation instead. I went to youtube.com and typed in " sleep relaxation mediation" and listened to a lovely British lady who sounded like Mary Poppins.

She was very good though, as she had me counting backwards in my head which distracted me from what she was saying- which was 'relax your back, your neck, your face' etc and I really did! I like listening to something as it forces me to take my mind of my thoughts, which aren't always relaxing!

http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189101,00.html   <--- article about how to relax before sleep

I like guided relaxation after a stressful day at work as I find I hold tension in parts of my body I'm not even aware of! Like clenching my jaw, or frowning! Releasing that tension really helps get to sleep faster!
 I slept like a teenager (notice use the old cliche of 'like a baby' as anyone who REALLY knows how babies sleep will attest to their frequent waking!!) ;)

I also went to the gym (another goal!) and ran (well jogged- this article on Fit Sugar says I'm a jogger lol

http://www.fitsugar.com/Running-vs-Jogging-162638 


Things I'm loving right now:

Almond Butter

Chobani Mango Yogurt- I had one for a mid afternoon snack and it was amazing!


This party: http://www.eatliverun.com/hits-of-the-party/
Wish I could have done this on the weekend but we were really busy on Saturday and my man worked at the fire station on Sunday :(  The torte looks AMAZING!!!

I did however make an AMAZING mango/peach cheesecake for my man and friends :)



 Well two actually, I had too much filling and thankfully had a granola crust on hand :)

I used this recipe and pre-made crusts:    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mango-cheesecake-10000001120403/

It is a lovely yellow cheesecake, and has a glaze on top from the caramelized organic sugar!

 It has a subtle flavor as I made it with fresh mango. I will try to make it with canned mango puree from an Indian store next time though to see if the flavor is stronger, and also mix it with raspberry swirl next time!

 I'm still going to enjoy having a slice of this creamy delight topped with sliced fresh mango!! When our friends come over I may make a mango sauce with mango and condesned milk =D Hopefully I can control myself and not eat the whole thing before they come over!

http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/amazing-body-makeovers/slide/1
This is an inspiring slideshow of amazing body transformations!

This letter from Tina at to herself at 23: http://weightloss.health.com/
This could have been written to me at 23!

"You know those fat-free cookies and cinnamon pita chips that you love so much? Well, they’re too good to be true. I know it seems like you should focus on eating low-calorie and low-fat foods, but they’re typically made with artificial ingredients and they won’t make you feel as good as eating “real” food does.

 For instance, an apple with lots of fiber and nutrients will satisfy you much more than an apple-cinnamon rice cake. Don’t think this means that you can’t eat your favorite foods anymore. I know you love cupcakes, nachos, and beer, and you can still enjoy them from time to time. OK, this might seem like a “duh” tip, but just eat smaller portions of those foods and it’ll help you lose weight."