Hey! Hey! I’ve been hard at work attempting to become a self-hosted site and the time has come. This blog is now moving to BananaBuzzbomb.com. Although I still have some work to do, it is now live and kicking.
Please update your readers, favorites, subscriptions, or what have you. I hope you continue along on my journey!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
You all know I’m up for any challenge. Most recently some of my fellow FitFluential Ambassadors have started a Hand Stand Challenge…and I was tagged by Chis Donnelly! Here are my results:
Now it’s my turn to tag. I tag:
NYCRunningMama, StuftMama, KeelieSheridan, and AlexandraFunFit.
Make sure to follow our fun on YouTube!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
I’ve brought this up in a previous post, however with the abundance of 2011 Recap blog posts some of us, including myself, need a friendly reminder to stop comparing our athletic ability to that of someone else. It’s important to realize that we are at a different stage, on a different journey, with possibly a different destination or goal. Look to others for inspiration and remember that you may be providing inspiration to others yourself!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
If you’ve read my blog you know that I tout the benefits of staying active. For me it’s usually swimming, running, or biking. It’s kept me healthy and sane. (No anti-depressants for me!) I often find that the time I spent working out clears my head and helps me make decisions. It’s no surprise I sometimes have my best ideas while out pounding pavement.
Today was one such run. However, in addition to a mind-clearing decision-making run, I was also paid in another way. Want to know how??
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
I know that when I posted about the Party Potatoes I said, “Don’t expect recipes on this blog.” That may be changing. I’m still not a person that cooks, nor do I see it really happening in the future, but I have a few things I want to try out. So, you MAY be seeing more. No promises!
Over the past several days I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the overabundance of my bananas. I had 2 shelves, 4 filled bags, and 2 cookie sheets of frozen bananas in the freezer. That was my normal inventory….and that was even without buying any this week. Needless to say I needed to start moving them. Although I do not plan on giving up bananas 100% (I love them far too much!) I seriously want to cut back in the immediate future.
What can I do with all of these bananas??
I attempted to call the local soup kitchen/food bank to see if they’d be interested. I could only find one in our hometown and they are closed on the weekend. What?! The next closest place is 25 minutes away. (Although I can’t do anything about this now I’m making mental note of that…maybe I can change that in the future, even if it’s 10 years from now. Dunno how, but maybe. What would you think about that? A vegan soup kitchen? Now there’s an idea!)
Thankfully I had a couple people say they were willing to take some off of my hands. As for the rest…I was able to combine the cookie sheets and thanks to my cousin Jacki’s idea of mashing them and freezing, I used my food processor to blend a bunch to store in bowls and freeze.
Now, here’s a “recipe” for you! Banana ice cream!! 
There are a few ways you can do this:
-Either way, start out with RIPE (banana bread making ripeness) bananas.
-You can freeze them whole and when you want “ice cream” throw them in a blender, add water or your choice of milk, and blend. (You need the liquid in order to get things moving). Make sure to not use too much liquid or it won’t be ice creamy enough and more like a smoothie.
or
-Throw your fresh ripe bananas in a food processor (no additional liquids needed). Allow them to process for several minutes. Stop the processor and pulse it a bit to reduce the amount of chunks that are left. Pour into a bowl and freeze. Now you have ready-made banana ice cream!
-In either of these circumstances you can throw a bit o’ cocoa powder in for a chocolate covered banana taste. Or use agave, honey, or other fresh fruit as a topping when served.
Yum!
Be Grateful and Keep Smiling =)
Update: Thanks to a friend on Facebook I was directed to our local homeless shelter (I knew there was one but didn’t know where) and they said “yes” to my donation in a heartbeat! The bananas are delivered and I know someone’s hungry tummy will be filled with yummy, banana, goodness.
It’s been awhile since I’ve given any poo updates. Yes, feces. I haven’t posted an update because, well, there really hasn’t been one. Following my colonoscopy that found no abnormalities I went 100% low fat raw vegan. The first few days were grand. Defecating just like I had been early on in my adventure into living a LFRV life. However, within several days that quickly came to an end. My stool wasn’t moving as regularly as it should, bad gas, and thin stools….again.
I’ve been having some serious heart to heart talks with myself in regards to this for the past several months. Alas, I believe it is time for this leg in my journey of life to end. After 2 years it is with sadness that I will walk away from trying to live a 100% LFRV lifestyle. I can hear the arguments on both sides of the coin…especially those that doubted the lifestyle to begin with. All I can say is don’t knock it til you try it. I’m an advocate for finding the lifestyle that fits you and your body. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. And vice versa. I truly believe this is a lifestyle that many people can/will thrive on….even myself. It’s been proven to be successful for me, but something has recently changed.
I will admit that I was much more loyal to the lifestyle early on, however I repeatedly gave it a go (100%) most recently only to be met with issues. Advocates for this diet recommend 3000+ calories a day and not limiting your calories. In other words eat all of the raw fruits and veggies you want. Of course there are more specific guidelines, which I’m not going to go into, but I will say I followed those guidelines. Once again, it worked….in the beginning. I thrived greatly. But something has changed. I’m retaining my feces for far too long, have wicked gas, and am gaining weight like I never have. I’d be lying to say that weight isn’t a concern. Chances are this may be water weight, but it’s still a concern. After coming off of weighing myself day in and day out prior to following this lifestyle, I haven’t weighed myself regularly in a long time. I did so today only to find that I’ve gained a significant amount of weight recently. Nothing on the lines of obese, but significant and I take note of that. I knew this just in my body structure and the way my clothing fits. The most important thing though, I don’t feel like I’m thriving any longer. And as I head toward my biggest training and racing season to date (still small by some standards) it’s most important that I’m healthy and thriving.
Although I’m going to step away from the LFRV lifestyle, so many ideas have been invaluable, and there are many things/ideas that I’m taking with me and will continue to do. For instance, the ideas of simplifying your life and eating whole foods. There’s so much more I’m taking with me, but I’d be here for a while if I wrote them all down. Heck, remember, it’s through this part of my life journey that I had the guts to quit my job and move on!
As my blog states, we are ever-changing. This is just another leg in my lifelong journey.
A few questions people will ask, I’m sure. “What about living shampoo/product free? Will you continue to do so?” Yes, I’ve been shampoo/product free for 7+ months. It will be interesting to see how my hair does being away from LFRV. It is my hope to continue caring for my hygiene in the same way I have been.
I’m sure many people will also ask, “Well, what about veganism? Are you staying vegan?” Yes, that’s a non-negotiable issue. I’m vegan for health issues, but more importantly, it’s a moral issue for me. This will not change. Also, I am not closing the door to the idea of living a low fat raw vegan lifestyle. There may be a time when I revisit the idea.
“What about my nickname ‘Banana Buzzbomb’? Will this change?” ‘Buzzbomb’ is for sure staying. As for ‘Banana’? Dunno yet. I have been told by many people that when they think/see a banana, they do think of me. It’s kind of my trademark. And I can’t just be plain ol’ Buzzbomb since I’m looking to purchase my own domain and Buzzbomb.com is already taken.
What are your thoughts on my nickname? Should I drop “Banana”? If so, what word should replace it?
Be Grateful and Keep Smiling =)
Well over a month ago I surprisingly won a Twitter contest from Sportswear. Winter has finally arrived and I thought I’d try out my new products! I received a Women’s Lush Plush Jacket, Men’s Hexaholic Down Jackets, and a Women’s Midweight Baselayer top and bottom. Today I’ll review the Baselayer and will do a review on the jackets soon.
Please note: Although I received “free” products, Columbia did not require nor request reviews or feedback from me. I just thought I’d pass along information about my experience with the products.
The Baselayer pieces arrived separately in these plastic tube-like boxes. Although I’m not a huge fan of packaging things in plastic due to the effects it has on the Earth, these boxes are pretty cool. I have no idea what I will do with them, but I foresee them having a second use around my home. I can hope others will have the same idea. With that being said, while checking out my local Dick’s Sporting Goods I saw that their offered Baselayers weren’t in boxes, but hanging up on hangers. I’m unsure what the usual packaging is for this product. 
The Baselayers have Omni-Heat Thermal Reflective technology. They claim this helps to regulate your body temperature, by using the metallic dots on the inside of the cloth, to reflect your created heat back to you. It supposedly makes you 20% warmer than a baselayer without the technology. It also has Omni-wick technology that wicks away the moisture to keep you dry during activity. Most all active gear has some sort of this technology and I see it almost as a requirement nowadays. Here’s the inside of the bottoms.
Immediately upon touching the fabric and sliding the tights on I fell in love with the fabric. So soft and smooth…dare I say buttery? It’s kind of hard to explain. I actually had a minor freak out moment, “Is there silk in these??” (Being a vegan I do not wear silk.) But the tag quickly put me at ease: 86% polyester/14% elastane. Whew! I was so comfy I could see myself wearing these at pajamas. The fit was formfitting but not too tight and they didn’t fit me oddly like so many baselayers do (too tight in the calves and huge around the waist.) The top is extra long, which I see as a good thing. Better to cover the bum or remain tucked in, depending on what way you like to wear it. The waist band has kind of a fluffy/plush feel to it, which provides comfort. Lastly, Columbia also uses flat-lock stitching on both pieces. This minimizes friction with the skin = little to no chafing. Win! According to the box each piece costs $60.00. Upon further review I see that they also have solid colors that cost $55.00 or the heavyweight for $65.00
My parents added to my Columbia Omni-Heat collection for Christmas by giving me the Hit The Trail Gloves. I’ve been in search of some running gloves other than my typical stretch knit gloves. The gloves also have the Omni-Heat technology along with Omni-Shield (resists light rain and stains). They are thinner, not bulky at all, and retail for $30.00
Here’s a picture with one glove inside-out.
So how did these products do in action?? Check out the video to find out!
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