Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

Welcome to Banned Books Week! I love reading banned books. My favorite banned book is The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I don't know if  it's because of the mystique of the book being banned or is it just the rebellion in me to go against the grain. So what's all the hoopla with Banned Books Week?

Well, September 30th through October 6th, marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week which is an annual endeavor to bring awareness to the issue of censorship. The occasion is sponsored by various organizations, including booksellers, The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, The American Library Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. People all over the country will observe this special observance in many ways, including discussions, panels, forums, public readings and yes...blog hops.

In my support of Banned Books Week, I'm participating in a giveaway. It runs from September 28 - October 6th, 2012. It's open to U.S. residents and international participants.

Rules:
Fill out the rafflecopter form.

Up for grabs:
(1) $20 Amazon gift card or up to $20 in purchases from the Book Depository.

Thanks to I Read Banned Books and I'm A Reader, Not a Writer for hosting this hop. Don't forget to hop on over to the other blogs participating and hosting their own giveaway. There are nearly 150 blogs offering free items for their giveaway. For a list of the blogs participating, click HERE. Or scroll down for a complete list. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read Banned Books Week Giveaway Winners

To our Read Banned Books Week Winners

Taking Time to Be a Healthier Me

The week has flown by so quickly. I've been making a few changes this week. I've been writing more this week. I've also been eating more veggies and fruit and less carbs. I sure missed my sweets but after a few days the cravings went away. Surprisingly because I thought I would have a Krispy Kreme doughnut meltdown. I don't eat a lot of meat, so I didn't have to change that part of my diet. And I joined Weight Watchers. So keeping my fingers crossed that I get svelt, sexy and delicious real soon. I made a promise to myself to be super duper fine by 40, so that gives me one year to get that accomplished. So I've started my own Operation Get it Right, Get it Tight program.

I'm a spiritual person and I pray often for guidance and assurance in my daily life and decisions. But when it comes to dieting, I am weak against the temptation for food. So a friend suggested two books, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food. And the second book, Craving God: A 21 Day Devotional Challenge. I can say both have been really good in assisting me so far on my eating healthier journey. I bought them on Kindle. The 21 Devotional is Free on Kindle. But I'm thinking of buying them both in paperback so I can write in them. They have helped me alot so far. I've cut out a lot of sugar and I'm learning to say no to things that are not healthy for my body and spirit. I'm not saying these books are for you and I don't know everyone's beliefs, but if you're a spiritual or religious person, these books are great if you want to lose weight.

I also got a new smoothie book called Smoothie Heaven, which I have been using to make smoothies everyday. I also found some good smoothie recipes online for health and healing. Some taste wonderful, some need some tweaking. But I will start posting some great ones throughout the week for anyone that might want to try one.

Here are two smoothie recipes that were pretty good.

Grape-Strawberry Smoothie


I add a scoop of protein powder to all my smoothies and add an extra 1/3 cup of liquid. But this is the original recipe below.

2/3 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup grape juice
2 scoops of frozen raspberry yogurt
2 tsp of honey or agave syrup (I use raw honey from a local bee farm)
few drops of vanilla extract

Blend and process until smooth. Sift through a strainer into a glass. (Here, I would add my powder and extra juice after sifting and re-blend and pour into glass. Add more liquid if necessary.


Mocha Muscle Builder

1 cup soy milk or any milk you prefer
1/3 cup brewed coffee
1 tbsp all natural peanut butter
1 small banana ripe
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
Ice Cubes
Place all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth.

Thought for the day from Craving God:

"We were made for more! More than this failure...More than this cycle...more than being ruled by our taste buds, body image, rationalizations, and guilt."

Have a wonderful Thursday. Cheers to being healthier!

What are some tips and advice you have for being healthier?

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Don't forget to enter the Read Banned Books Week Giveaway and Hop. I am giving away six (6) gifts to six (6) winners. More more info about my giveaway click the photo below.  Or scroll down through the previous posts. Good Luck!

Blessings!