Green Juice and Cookie Dough

August 31, 2012 by

Morning! I was up early once again. Anyone out there get nightmares and then can’t fall back asleep after? I had this dream about all these spiders and when I woke up it was 4 AM, and then I couldn’t fall back asleep. So, I just decided to be proactive and get the started day super early. Fun times.

This post will be super random, so be prepared for that.

To get some more energy, I relied on a morning green drink. I made a “juice” from the following ingredients:

  • 1-2 cups spinach
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 handful kale
  • 1 cup water
  • stevia
  • 1/2 cup ice

I just blended it and didn’t bother to remove the pulp. So it ended up more like a thick juice. How delicious did I just make that sound?;)

I also thought that getting my veggies in mostly from juice will make it easier to add calories without “bulking” up my meals with too many vegetables. Because there is a point where your eating too many veggies and not enough of other nutrients and food groups.

I also attended a fun spin class! I love the energy in these classes, which makes it a bit harder to take it easy while everyone is going hardcore, but I managed alright.

Operation eat more calories has been happening. Still going strong, but must admit it is still really hard to keep up with this process. I just need to keep focusing on the long term goals at hand.

Stress is just getting the best of me at the moment, but I’m going to continue to power through.

[Source]

It feels like I have a million and one things happening, so I’m trying to stay sane and calm and get things done without putting further stress on my body. That is something I could do without.

Right now I’m working on staying present in the moment, meditating each day, taking a step back from my anxiety and connect with my power.

I start to view things in a more positive light when I just connect with myself and I hold the belief that I deserve a successful outcome in life. I’m keeping my mind set on those beliefs.

In the afternoon, I took a break and enjoyed some “cookie dough”. I left the protein powder out of this mixture, because I wasn’t feeling the protein powder yesterday. So I combined the following:

Pumpkin “Cookie Dough”

  • 3/4 cup pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 7 drops liquid stevia
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup oats

I mixed it all up before hand and left it in the fridge to thicken up a bit. Underneath I hid the peanut flour frosting, so I had some enjoyable bites at the end, instead of the usual eating all around the toppings and saving them for last. This made that process easier;)

Delicious.

I chugged some tea before hand, since there was a little chill in the air and I was getting tired at this point in the day.

I also managed to take a picture of my outfit, in case you care.

How about some random news in your Friday?

Since you asked nicely, here are some interesting things I came across this week.

1. Did you hear the news you can now get waffle wasted?

Forget about eating your waffles, drink those bad boys down instead. Not too sure how I feel about waffle flavoured vodka? I mean, waffle? So, does it taste syrupy or like the actual waffle, because I don’t think I’d like that one bit.

2. Oh, and hear is a fun article on 10 reasons why anxiety isn’t so bad after all. I like it.

3. Watch this video on the Pam Scam, its very interesting and eye opening how companies are allowed to “lie” on nutritional labels!

4. CJ shared this article on one of her posts, and I just wanted to share it as well. It is a really sad, yet true article on pre judgements on people suffering from eating disorders.

5. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for some delicious coconut oil!!

Alright, I’m off to get started on this weekend, and hopefully indulge in some wine tonight:)

Any fun news you came across this week?

Do you like green juice?

Happy long weekend!!

{55 Comments }

Meal Questions

August 30, 2012 by

Morning! Or afternoon…or whenever you’re reading this…

This week seems to be passing by slower then most weeks, maybe its because September is rearing its head right now.

And once September hits, it will be October, which will be my birthday…yah, I’m one of those super annoying people who starts counting down their birthday days as soon as the day is over.

Yikes.

* Creamy buckwheat overnight cereal, with pumpkin, banana, egg whites, protein powder, and chia seeds. Topped with peanut flour paste. *

Anyways, since I’m such  a sucker for surveys, I saw the beautiful Sara post this one a few weeks ago and thought it would be a fun post for today.

I also realized I need to finish up those Healthy Living Summit recaps, hopefully I’ll finish that next week ha ha. I didn’t want to post these too soon after the conference, since everyone was doing theirs then and all that reading on people doing the same things can get old fast.

Anyways, now that I’ve got off topic like usual, let’s get to those questions.

Breakfast questions!

1. Favorite cereal as a child?

I feel like I have to call my mom and ask her the answer to this question, because I honestly can’t remember.

I do know that Vector was one of my favourites though, when I was about 10-15. Wow, that cereal addiction actually lasted a really long time. My swim coaches always reccommended that one, so I went with it and loved it.

I wasn’t much of a breakfast eater as a kid, so buying crappy, sugary cereals were about the only way my parents could get me to eat in the mornings. Clearly lots has changed since then!

2. Coffee or Tea? With milk or without?

Well, clearly I’m a coffee lover. If I haven’t made that obvious yet;) I always, always drink coffee black. I’ve actually never even had coffee with cream or sugar added, it just seems so wrong to ruin that coffee flavour. I do like pumpkin lattes and stuff like that though! That is about the only way I’ll drink coffee with added stuff. David’s tea has changed my opinion about tea. I used to think of tea as just mirky, boring hot water, but now I actually really love the taste and will switch to tea after I’ve had my coffee in the morning.

3. The one food you eat most often at breakfast?

Oh boy, I eat so many different food groups at breakfast so this is a hard one. Can I choose eggs, oat bran, and some sort of fruit. I go through a huge carton of egg whites each week, they are probably my favourite protein source (along with the whole egg), since they are just so versatile!

Lunch Questions!

1. Sandwiches are generally considered a “lunch food.” If you had to choose between a grilled cheese and a peanut butter and jelly, which would you pick?

Toughie! While I don’t love peanut butter, I do love almost any other nut butter. And I also love goat cheese. I think I’d go with a peanut butter sandwich though. I’d change it up with cashew butter and homemade strawberry jam! I absolutely love love strawberry jam, no other stands in comparison in my opinion. Now I have a huge craving for strawberry jam, I think I’ll have to make some.

2. You can only put four ingredients in your salad (not including greens); what do you throw in the mix? Additionally, which greens and dressing do you pick?

The base of my salad would have to include a few of my favourite greens, kale (roasted and raw) and spinach. And the four ingredients I’d chose would be avocado, grilled chicken, and goat cheese. For a dressing I’d probably just do some sort of lemon vinaigrette. I love the combination of lemon, avocado, and chicken.

3. One food you can’t live without at lunch?

Definitely some form of vegetable. And some sort of fat like coconut butter, coconut oil, avocado, goat cheese, I could go on. Yikes, I’m no good with these one answer surveys, I’m way too indecisive.

Dinner Questions!

1. It’s the end of the day. You’re tired, hungry, and your fridge is empty. If a fast food (from a chain) is your only option, where do you go and what do you order?

Oh man, this is tough. We don’t have too many options where I live for big fast food chains. I guess I’d have to say subway. And I’d probably get a salad with basically all the vegetables available (except onions, ew), with grilled chicken, and tons of guacamole. The best dressing for anything, ever. I rarely treat myself, but maybe I’d challenge myself with a treat from Dairy Queen, like ice cream!

2. TV/computer on or off while you’re eating?

Well, when I’m with others I clearly am not in front of the TV or computer, that would just be rude. However, when I eat alone I am most of the time always on the computer or watching TV. Oops. I know its not always the best to do this, but whatever it works for me! I get way too bored if I am just sitting with nothing to distract me.

3. The one food you eat most often at dinner?

Most of the time I try and include some sort of protein in my dinner meals, and always include (again) roasted vegetables. How can you possibly chose one thing?!

Dessert Questions!

Choose between these two American desserts: cheesecake or apple pie?

Cheesecake definitely. My mom used to make the best cheesecake when I was a kid. That stuff was pure bliss. And confession: I’ve actually never tried pie in my life. I tried the crust once when I was about 8 and hated it, so that officially turned me off from pie forever.

Choose between these two foreign desserts: tiramisu (Italy) or flan (Spain)?

I’ve actually never had either. However, from reading on the descriptions I’d have to say tiramisu sounds more up my alley in terms of dessert.

Ice cream: cone or cup?

Definitely in a cup! That way you get more ice cream, right?

Grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly?

Answer one of the above questions!

Have an amazing day and don’t forget to enter my coconut oil giveaway!!!

{47 Comments }

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway

August 29, 2012 by

*GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

Congrats to the winner:

Yay, Alexandra!!! E-mail me your contact info asap!

By now, you all know how much I love my coconut products!

Today is your lucky day, if you’re like me and like your coconut oil!

I seriously can’t stop and won’t stop using this coconut oil* in my daily routine!

*[Note that the link is an affiliate link: If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.]

 

[Source]

I like using it to roast ALL my vegetables, make protein bars, coconut “peanut butter”, coconut cookies, its even used as a great hair conditioner and skin moisturizer. Oh man, this stuff is good!

I find some coconut oil products don’t leave behind the subtle sweet and delicious coconut flavour once you cook with it, but this is top notch.

Now, get ready for a fabulous Giveaway!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

The winner will receive 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.

To enter this giveaway:

-Subscribe to The Tropical Tradition’s newsletter here and make sure to leave a comment telling me you did so. (Mandatory)

For additional entries (leave a separate comment for each entry):

*This giveaway is open to Canadian and U.S. residents*

A winner will be chosen on September 7th.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

{88 Comments }

Coconut Milk Goodness and Marinara

August 29, 2012 by

Happy Wednesday all! How is your day going?

Thanks to Jenn for hosting another WIAW.

My morning started off with a spin class, modified of course, because I’m still not able to push too hard. Frustrating at times, but I realize its needed right now.

After stretching and showering it was time to eat.

Breakfast was overnight oat bran.

Breakfast – 8:

This batch had:

  • 1/2 cup oat bran
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 1/2 tablespoon of both chia and hemp seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • stevia
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin
  • topped with peanut flour paste made with 2 tablespoons peanut flour, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, and about 1.5 tablespoons almond milk

I love the coconut oil and peanut flour combination together. Tastes more flavourful!

Things this morning have been productive, and filled with things I’ve had on my to-do list for a while now.

Shortly after breakfast, I made a morning run to Starbucks and went home to enjoy my coffee with a side of book reading. I’m really enjoying Gone Girl. It takes me a really good book to truly get lost in it, and this book is managing to do just that.

I’m going to need to be on the lookout for a new book soon, because I have a feeling this one will be finished within the next day or two.

Lunch – 12:

I quickly made up a lunch to consume before heading to the mall. I didn’t picture it, since I was in a rush, but it was essentially a brown rice tortilla, with goat cheese, spinach, zucchini, and an egg/egg white mixture for protein.

No exciting finds at the mall to share, unfortunately. Sad times when that happens.

Snack – 3:30:

I returned home and made Kristin’s Low Calorie Ice Cream, but mine was made with a mixture of protein powder, and coconut milk (so much better than the almond milk version I made before).

Love. Topped with the rest of the strawberries I had on hand.

Um, next time I’ll actually manage to photograph a picture of the “ice cream”. I’m really smart sometimes.

A quick trip to the grocery store was followed, since I ran out of broccoli slaw, bananas, and eggs. All necessities around here!

Dinner – 5:

When I got home for dinner, I wasn’t feeling all that inspired so I just threw together some extra marinara sauce I had on hand from the other night, along with a coconut crusted turkey burger, zucchini, roasted broccoli slaw, and a little quinoa. Side of avocado for dipping purposes.

Easy Marinara

  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 ounces) tomato paste
  • 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until combined together. Lower the heat to the low setting and add in the nutritional yeast. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the seasonings. Let sit for 5 minutes, until thickened.

And serve!

This is so simple and the nutritional yeast adds a nice nutritional punch as well as great flavour!

I’m quite positive the rest of the night will include some trashy TV viewing, in the form of the Bachelor Pad. Classy action over here.

Snack – 8:

Followed by leftover roasted kabocha squash with coconut butter. This squash will never get old. I just love this stuff.

I have a lot on my mind right now, so winding down with some mindless TV sounds pretty good right about now.

Make sure to come back later for that fun giveaway I told you about on Monday:)

What books are you currently reading? Recommendations?

Hope you all have a happy Wednesday!

*Also just wanted to mention I’ve become a FitKit Ambassador and have my first article posted. Check it out!

{44 Comments }

Are You Eating Enough?

August 28, 2012 by

Good Morning! Happy Tuesday!

Hopefully everyone had a fantastic Monday, mine was pretty low key! I can’t believe we are nearing the end of August, crazy talk! Things are going well this morning, I’ve already got my workout done and over with, so now the day is free.

Recently, I’ve come to a decision that it is essential for me to increase my intake of calories. I think this is something that is really hard for my head to wrap around, as my mind gets filled with a lot of insecurities as I think of this process. However, I know the signs that I am eating too little, and the cold hard truth is that I suffer from a lot of the signs I’ve experienced in the past.

* This may look like an odd combo, but I swear its awesome. For lunch yesterday I had 2 slices of ezekiel bread, with creamy almond butter, an egg, 2 egg whites, and spinach. So tasty. *

It may not be as significant as the warning signs were when I was seriously ill, but they are still there and there are still changes needed to me dealt with if I want to recover from certain problems I’m still suffering with.

A lot of the time people may not even be aware of the fact that they need to increase calories, our bodies want to preverse themselves and hold onto every calorie we feed them. There are many signs we need to be aware of if calorie restriction is a problem.

You may even be at a normal weight and not realize your body is suffering. Calorie restriction can be a problem for any person, and can certainly happen to people even if they aren’t extremely thin. And that is a confusing thing for people to see and accept.

* I still have been loving blended cottage cheese as a snack, this had cottage cheese, stevia, 2% greek yogurt, and coconut flour. *

I don’t believe in low calorie diets. I believe in eating what you are craving, consuming whole, unprocessed foods (for the most part), with some daily indulgences. Moderation is key in our lifestyle, if we want to stay sane;)

There are many consequences of eating too few calories and the one’s that stand out the most for me include:

Unclear thinking. When I’m not listening to my body, and don’t give it the right amount of food, it starts to fight back.

I may wake up in a “mental fog” and not be able to quite shake it for days, I also suffer from headaches and concentrating on daily tasks. Its more difficult to focus on things happening in my life and don’t have the motivation to do things I normally love doing.

* I topped the cottage cheese mixture with fresh strawberries, please berry season don’t leave! *

Food obsession. As much as I love creating recipes, and planning my meals. There comes a point when that is too much. If your thinking about food all day, everyday than I believe that is a problem.

If I find myself thinking about my next meal as soon as I’ve just finished one, its time for me to step back and reevaluate my eating habits, and realize I am clearly not nourishing myself because I am obsessing about food.

If you can only concentrate on food and fitness, there may be a problem with this thinking. You begin to become so interested in food, yet can’t get yourself to eat what your body craves. And you lose interest in things you enjoyed before.

Workout progress declines. When I switch fitness routines, especially increasing strength training I first may notice I’m improving a lot and gaining more strength. When my workouts start to suffer, from not being able to lift as much weight, complete cardio how I’m used to, or start dreading workouts then usually this is a sign I am restricting calories more than usual.

My body can’t keep up with the things I’m demanding it to keep up with, so I will start to lose motivation to even want to workout, or I become more obsessed that I need to workout every single day, no matter how I am feeling. And those things make me feel more anxious.

* My favourite roasted vegetable method is getting a mixture of nutritional yeast, coconut oil, paprika, and a little sprinkle red pepper flakes. Roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Perfect everytime. This was also had with a hidden turkey burger and my favourite marinara that I will share tomorrow. *

Becoming anxious, moody, or emotional. This can be a red flag to me, since I’m normally pretty positive and upbeat. When I’m not eating enough, I can become extremely emotional, crying at almost anything, or I get anxious over very small things.

When I deny myself food, there is a noticeable change in the way I normally act. If you are feeling shaky, emotional, or more anxious these are clear signs that you need more fuel!

Not sleeping. It is almost impossible for me to have a good nights rest if my body is asking for more food. I may not feel hungry, but I won’t be able to sleep well. I will toss and turn all night, won’t be able to fall asleep, or wake up continuously throughout the night.

This is why I chose to eat a large snack before bed, sometimes my night snacks are bigger than my breakfasts. Seriously.

* I’ve been relaxing every night with a cup of tea, thanks to some fabulous suggestions from Meg. Who’s basically the queen of tea. David’s tea is my jam. *

Losing hunger signals. The weird thing about eating a low amount of calories, is that our bodies will adapt to this and not allow us to feel hunger. When I was at my lowest weight, hardly eating anything I never felt hungry, and felt that I could live that way forever.

This is simply our bodies signs its shutting down. Its not a normal thing to never feel hunger, because we need food for energy and to thrive. Extreme hunger may result in nausea or even stomach bloating.

When your body is functioning normally, it will ask for food. Unfortunately there are more serious effects of lowering calories too far. Such as osteopenia, bone loss in general, anemia, and thyroid problems. In return, your metabolism slows to maintain needed energy, because it is stuck in “survival mode” and will only trust you when you simply eat more food.

Other problems like only eating “safe foods”, constant mirror checking, food rituals, becoming influenced in “fad diets”, and obsessively measuring or weighing food and yourself are huge red flags.

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Everyone’s calorie intake differs, some people function on a lot of calories, other people don’t. If someone is eating a lower calorie diet, don’t feel the need to follow it. Eat what is right for your body, not anyone else’s. Your body will tell you when it is suffering and when it needs more energy.

Sorry for the lengthy post, sheesh I seem to do that a lot! Spiel over for today, I’m sure I’ll have another one soon;)

Have you ever suffered from any of these signs from calorie restriction? Any more you can add to the list.

Do you tend to push you body too far?

Are you able to eat intuitively without relying on these unfortunate side effects?

I hope you all have an amazing day!

{68 Comments }

Coconut Flour Cookie

August 27, 2012 by

Good Morning Monday!

I’m going to take a break from recapping the Healthy Living Summit today, back at it tomorrow. If you missed my two previous posts about it see them here:
Day 1 – HLS Summit
Day 1 – Cocktail Party

I also want to start with thanking you all for you support and comments on my reflections post. It was so great to hear from so many of you and hear that positive feedback.

This weekend was a weird one, since it didn’t quite feel like the weekend for some crazy reason. I woke up on Friday and definitely thought it was still Wednesday. Odd.

A weird weekend deserves coffee…but I say that everyday, so I guess its no different.

It was slightly embarrassing when I went back to Starbucks after being in Boston and the employees asked where I went, because they hadn’t seen me in a while.

This is embarrassing due to the fact that I was only gone for 5 days. Yikes.

I finally made my way to the grocery store, after spending days with barely anything and stocked up on 3′s of everything.

3 cartons of Almond Milk.

3 cartons of free run egg whites.

And 3 containers of coconut flour. I also picked up zucchinis, tomatoes, the last of fresh looking strawberries (sadness), broccoli slaw, goat cheese, and kabocha squash.

I’m not too sure why I do this. I guess to make sure I never run out.

I also am very obsessed with the silk almond milk brand, so when I see it at the grocery store I need to stock up on it. They barely ever have it available, so I was pretty pumped up about that.

Please tell me other people do this too.

I also made a lovely coconut cookie. It was delicious. And I guess since I’m tempting you with these lovely images, I’ll give you the recipe;)

If you haven’t yet noticed, I can find just about any excuse to eat coconut. I love it in oil, milk, flour, and buttered form.

I swear it’s the perfect food. A few people have asked me about coconut products, so I’m working on a post about that for you.

*******

Since I love my coconut, I decided to make it the star of this recipe.

I highly suggest that if you haven’t bought coconut flour yet that you simply need to. It is such a versatile ingredient and loaded with fiber.

This took quite a few tries to make it right, the first; too dry, the second; let’s not even talk about it, looks like third time’s the charm!

Coconut Flour Single Cookie

  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons applesauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • vanilla stevia drops (adapted to your sweetness preference; or use agave, sugar, splenda, etc.)
  • 1 egg white

* the batter *

I’d recommend using the coconut oil (or any other oil), so it stays moist, but if you want to make it fat free you could just use extra applesauce or greek yogurt if you wanted.

Mix wet ingredients, then dry, and add the dry into the wet. Combine well and place on a slightly greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 10-12 minutes until cooked.

Allow to cool and now dig in!

This also happen to be gluten free and sugar free. You could also make it grain free and swap out the brown rice flour with peanut flour, protein powder, or flax seed.

Yum.

Since you can’t possibly eat a naked cookie, I topped this with 1/4 cup greek yogurt mixed with 2 tablespoons peanut flour, and some frozen blueberries.

Do you like coconut flour?

What is your favourite recipe with coconut?

Hope you all have a fantastic Monday and go check out Katie’s marvelous Monday post for some great inspiration!

Oh, and make sure to stay tuned later today where I may or may not be hosting a giveaway that includes coconut;)

{51 Comments }

HLS Highlights – Cocktail Party

August 25, 2012 by

If you missed out on Part 1 see it here.

After dinner, we caught a cab back over to the hotel to attend the cocktail party.

The party was held at the hotel, in a small area for us all to socialize in and was sponsored by Rebootizer, who also gave us some pretty neat glasses I have stacked in my room at the moment.

* Heather and I *

Right when we got there, Heather, Cait, and I headed straight for the fun photo items including wigs, glasses, and hats.

Yep, we’re pretty cool cats.

I think we ended up staying around the photo booth for a good 30 minutes, before we finally decided to move along and get to chat with other people.

* Cait and I being super awesome. And Juliette, Tessa, Jocelyn, and Kaitlin.*

The night was filled with silly pictures, meeting blog friends, making real life friends, and discussing the night away.

Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from the photo booth area and grabbed ourselves a glass of pinot grigio, as we must.

I don’t believe the guy who took our photo really knew what was going on.

He decided it would be a good idea to kneel on the floor to get a great, blurry shot of us at the best angle ever;)

* Sara, Me, and Heather *

It was so fun to get to know the bloggers behind the blogs you read daily, and and see their real personality shine through.

It can’t really be described, but its nice to know these ladies didn’t turn out to be old, creepy men sitting behind the computer pretending to be them…

I feel like every conversation I had with anyone flowed effortlessly, and that we had tons to talk about.

* Tessa, Kaitlin, and I – photo from Kaitlin *

We were each given 1 drink ticket each, so the night didn’t get too crazy.

The party ended pretty early, at 10 and we just headed back to the hotel room to get a good night rest before the activities on schedule for Saturday.

I definitely wanted to get to bed early anyways, as I was still tired from travelling and I knew Saturday would be a jam packed day.

The night ended in friendships I know will last a lifetime. And the cocktail party was a nice icebreaker to start the weekend off fabulously!

What’s your favourite type of wine?

Have you ever met any bloggers before?

Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful Saturday!

{32 Comments }

HLS Highlights Day 1

August 24, 2012 by

Good Morning and Happy Friday! I can’t believe the weekend is here already. Crazy talk.

Get ready for a picture heavy post!

I’m really happy I  made the decision to head over to Boston on Thursday night. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I quickly ate a dinner I had bought at the airport and passed out, since I had been up since 4.

* I packed little pre-portioned bags mixed with oats, chia seeds, and flax seeds so I could have them for quick breakfasts in the morning. I just ran water through the coffee maker in our hotel room so the hot water could soak up in the oats overnight, and I just picked up a few bananas at the hotel so I could add them in as well. Served with a little protein frosting on top. And it was perfect fuel for the morning. *

I woke up quite early, and decided to get in a little movement, since I had plans to take the next 3 days off. I just did a quick pilates workout in the hotel (I’m still doing the low intense exercise thing at the moment).

I knew there were a few events planned for Friday, and I really wanted to go to both the Flour Bakery meetup and the Whole Foods lunch. I talked to a few of my blogging friends and ultimately decided to attend the Whole Foods lunch, we all met in the lobby to make the walk on over. It was about a 15 minute walk, where I made the bad decision to wear wedges (I just hate flat shoes!).

* (From Katie) - the group headed to Whole Foods *

When we got to Whole Foods I was SO excited, like so pumped up it was borderline sad. I’ve never been to a Whole Foods before, since the closest one is over in Vancouver. Come on WF, get yourself over to Victoria!

Anyways, after I finished jumping up and down with joy, we made our way to the salad bar, even though I really just wanted to look around.

* Amy, Min, Katie, and Me – Photo from Min*

I met Amy and Min for the first time and were such lovely and sweet girls! It was such a pleasure to meet you guys:)

This is where my first bound of anxiety came up about food choices. I looked over the items, and started freaking out about certains foods, wondering whether this or that was cooked in oil, how much, all blah eating disorder nonsense. I think I was probably the last one to finish putting my salad together since I was procrastinating adding anything “new” to it. Eventually, I decided, and ate away happily. It ended up being delicious!

* My first Whole Foods salad; with tofu, romaine, kale, roasted zucchini and red peppers, cucumber, edamame, and hummus *

The company was the best part, obviously!

After our meal, Meg, Chelsea, Lindsay, and I decided to walk on over to Newbury Street and do a little shopping. We obviously had to stop off in Lululemon.

Back at the hotel, we all made sure to check in and pick up our swag! It was wonderful.

Tons of samples along with new Reebok shoes! I was pretty pumped about getting a pair of these babys. I went back up to my room to unpack the swag, snack on an apple and a homemade protein bar I brought along, and get ready for dinner that evening.

We didn’t know what the food situation would be like at the cocktail party later on, so a group of us decided to go on over to Figs and try out their dinner. It was a really cute, very small restaurant. Where they made amazing looking pizzas.

I looked at the menu and I’ll be honest in saying my dinner choice was based out of fear of ordering something different and “unsafe”.

I stuck with a salad, dressing on the side, and grilled chicken. I can’t judge the restaurant based on the food choices I made, I mean does a plain salad with grilled chicken taste much different between each restaurant? Probably not.

Everyone else said their meals were delicious though! So, I take that as a good sign.

Poor Heather though, they didn’t have anything vegan so she couldn’t enjoy a meal with us! Anyways, I ended up having a minor (major) freakout over the fact that the chicken was cooked in oil and I ended up asking the server about it. After talking to her and the others, I decided to eat it anyways, even though my head screamed at me to not finish it.

It was so much fun to actually get to sit down with all these ladies and talk about everything. We all got along famously and had such a blast. I knew that we would all connect right away, and we basically blabbed the whole time and I just adored getting to know each of these ladies better. They are all such amazing and kind-hearted people!

After we finished up dinner, we were all set to head back to the hotel for the Cocktail party. More on that next! This is getting way too long!

Do you have a Whole Foods where you live? Favourite things to buy there?:)

What do you usually order when you go out to eat? Or does it depend where you go?

Hope you all have fun plans for the weekend!

{35 Comments }

Healthy Living Summit Reflections

August 23, 2012 by

Good Morning!

I feel like this week has just flown by! No complaints there. I guess going to Boston and not arriving home until Monday night (technically Tuesday morning) made the week pass by faster.

As promised my recaps from Boston will start today, I will be talking about my reflections from the entire conference today and than probably doing the daily recaps from there. I just felt I wanted this recap to be very honest and go from there!

* Before I get started, I need to talk about my breakfast this morning! I received a sample pack of Love Grown Foods granola at the Summit and made a pancake out of it using the sample package of apple walnut delight, an egg, a few tablespoons pumpkin, stevia, baking powder, and a handful of blueberries, cooked in coconut oil. Holy delicious. This was so awesome! Must eat this again. Now, I just need to find this granola in stores. I topped this with creamy almond butter, and it ended up being a super filling breakfast *

When I decided to purchase a ticket to the Healthy Living Summit, I was immediately excited. You don’t often get presented with the chance to go on a trip with a ton of other Healthy Living Bloggers to discuss you passion of blogging, social media, food, and fitness. So when the chance arrose I knew I wanted to take this opportunity and really connect with some of the people who I have become close with through this blog.

I knew that this trip to Boston would be a huge challenge for me. For one, I hate stepping outside of my confort zone, I don’t do it often and only create discomfort in my life is if I “have to”. I thought by the time the Summit rolled around I would magically be fixed and I wouldn’t be having such hesitations.

* Me, Chelsea, and Lindsay - photo from Meg *

I was actually extremely excited, but I was very anxious about what was to come up. I knew that I would be eating different foods that I didn’t have control over preparing, that I would be socializing a lot, and that I would be uncomfortable with the idea of travelling by myself.

If you haven’t already read Tessa’s post on her recap, I urge you to do so. It was a great recap and I can relate to a lot of her thoughts that she explained! I was worried others would be judging me on factors like “I am too fat, ugly, etc.” These are all horrible things to be thinking, but in honesty I was concerned about what other people would think of me.

* Whole Foods salads – the best! Meg, Cait, Heather, and I – photo from Heather *

When I first walked down to the lobby to meet the others I was so nervous to finally be meeting some amazing people! I wanted to meet the bloggers who share the same passions in life. Who get equally excited about new workouts, recipes, and fun ingredients;) Its a very unique situation and I was immediately relieved when I walked out of the elevator and was greeted with hugs and excitement!

All of the concerns I had previously washed away and I felt like I really connected with all the people who I talked with. I finally had other people to discuss creative recipes with, workouts, blogging, and even getting into deep conversations about experiences with eating disorders and issues we’ve had surrounding this.

* Sara, Me, and Heather *

Blogging has really changed my life for the better. I get to write about my experiences with anorexia and dealing with recovery, while sharing a passion for health and fitness that others may find weird. While meeting and talking with all these fabulous people was super awesome, I experienced some not-so-awesome feelings.

I was quite surprised when I saw a few people who were very, very tiny. From what is presented in some blogs, it makes them come off as they are recovered and doing fine, or others who have not even said they have eating issues, but are still quite ill looking.

* Cait, Me, and Heather representing after the Reebok sponsored crossfit workout *

I’m not one to judge so who knows if they even realize they are in a place where others are aware of their sick like appearance. Its a hard thing to acknowledge and accept, because you don’t know if you are in a place to say something to them. It is their journey and not mine to get involved with.

I’m probably in the minority with stating I do not mind if people give their opinions about me, saying that I need to work on things, or to give me constructive criticism. The only way I can truly get better is if I allow people to give their criticisms and really take them into account and try and change to better myself as a person! I value what other people say about me.

I had plans to go into Boston and enjoy my time away from home and my routine, but sadly I did not. I ultimately got very stressed out, and ended up skimping on meals and snacks and not allowing myself to indulge in any new foods while I was away. Sadly, I let comparisons enter into my mind and felt I was “too big” compared to other people and that I didn’t deserve to indulge in treats.

* Heather, Brittany, Me, and Tessa after our WOD *

In no way did I want to look like I did back in those horrible times, but I did allow the anxiety and negative thoughts to overcome and make choices based on what was safe for my eating disorder. I wanted to enjoy myself and the interactions with people at HLS, so I decided early on I wasn’t going to work out.

I am very happy with this decision to take those 4 days off from working out, as to develop more of a connection with people and the city. I didn’t want my mind to be consumed with what workout routine I’d be doing in the morning and I didn’t let it.  We can’t undo all the progress in fitness we have made in 34days, so I didn’t find it a big deal to skip out on the workouts.

Attending Healthy Living Summit, I assumed the food would be amazing, so didn’t pack too much. I honestly thought they would have more nutritious options that focused on all types of dietary needs. Sadly, there weren’t too many options that I would have liked anyways. A lot of the things were heavily processed. While I have no problem in indulging in these things occasionally, I don’t think I would enjoy to eat this way for every meal. And that is just my opinion.

* Last picture I got at the Summit :( *

I do wish that I let go of my “clean eating obsession” and allowed myself to enjoy the delicious food Boston has. A lot of the people whom I went out with ate amazing meals, while I stuck with my “safe options”. Its something I clearly need to work on, and that is one of the realizations I have made once coming home.

The best part about this conference though was not the food or the workouts obviously, it was making true connections with the people I have communicated with on my blog for the past months. From this experience, I have truly met some of my greatest friends and could not ask for a better weekend with people I truly and deeply care about.

I connected with every person I met with and was so sad when it was time to leave. The relationships I have built with people are one of a kind and I feel that I am great friends with many people in this community. I felt everybody was genuine, kind, and just felt blessed that I was able to be experiencing this.

* Meg and I *

This weekend has changed my life and perspective for the better, I learned I want to, more than anything truly get over this disease and that I have made some of the greatest friends a girl could ever ask for. I only wish the conference lasted longer than the 3 days! I could have easily spent the next 3 weeks in the same room with these people and building even stronger friendships with them. I also have amazing and supportive people who are helping me through this hard and lengthy journey and really appreciate them throughout this difficult time!

Oh boy, this was a long post! I didn’t mean for it to be so lengthy so thank you if you actually read all of that! Don’t blame you if you didn’t though;)

Tomorrow I will actually recap the days and share more of the daily musings at the conference!

Have you ever been in surroundings that were hard for you to deal with?

Do you ever experience forms of disordered eating?

What was the best part of being at the Healthy Living Summit for you, if you attended?

Tell me something exciting about your weekend, if you didn’t attend!

I hope everyone has an amazing day!! I just want to thank everyone for reading and being part of this journey with me:) You all are truly amazing people!

{68 Comments }

Back To The Basics

August 22, 2012 by

Good Morning!

Haven’t been posting as much this week, since I spent the whole day travelling Thursday and Monday, and wanted to “unplug” the whole weekend in Boston, so I could really experience the Healthy Living Summit, without feeling that I had to blog about it right away. I’m sure you’ve seen a whole bunch of recaps anyways, so I’ll save mine…at least for today!

Phew, Monday was a LONG day. Emotionally and a little physically draining. I have learned a lot about myself this past weekend, which I’ll discuss further in another post. I didn’t get home on Monday until about 1 (so 4 AM Boston time) in the morning after having missed one of my flights and was just dead exhausted at this point. Why is it so hard to adjust to time changes?! I had the laziest day ever today, but still filled with yummy eats.

As much as I loved the conference, there’s nothing better than returning home to your own bed to sleep in! And return to the structure of regular meals, as well. Thanks again to Jenn, for putting together What I Ate Wednesday. Let’s get started.

Breakfast – 8:

My day started off fabulously with the return of oat bran. I clearly went without it in Boston, but was happy to have it back again this morning.

I cooked up a bowl of oat bran, which included 1/3 cup oat bran, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/2 banana, 2 tablespoons pumpkin, cinnamon, stevia, and topped with cashew butter and a little circle of frozen blueberries for fun times.

I realized this morning how much I missed nut butter while being away!

I’m super thankful I have today off work, I would probably be dead on the floor if I went back today. Unfortunately, I didn’t really sleep in, so mostly lounged around pretty much all day. Whyyyy can’t I sleep lately?!

I enjoyed the peaceful morning, sipping my coffee, and relaxing. Its totally fine if I don’t even move off my couch today, right? Must my life be so difficult.

Lunch came shortly after, and I happily welcomed firing up the oven again for some roasted kabocha squash. My favourite veggie ever.

Lunch – 12:

I always sprinkle it with a little cinnamon before putting it in the oven, tastes so good baked together. I know Tessa agrees with me on our obsession with this magical squash.

I ate this up alongside a tablespoon of heaven, that is coconut butter. We all know I love that stuff, and its just so dang good with squash. Okay, it could probably taste good with mud, but its one of my favourite things to pair squash or sweet potato with.

I also had an egg on the side, that I just microwaved quickly, which was ugly so you don’t need to see that one.

At this point, I finally got started on unpacking my luggage and getting started on laundry. Not the most fun stuff to come home to, but must be done.

Snack – 3:

Todays afternoon snack was a small serving of 2% greek yogurt, nuttzo peanut free nut butter (SO tasty!), and an apple.

I was going to workout, but was just so tired I figured it was best if I just skipped today and hopefully have more energy tomorrow.

Instead, I painted my nails, so they look lovely. OPI for the win.

The worst part, is when you try and paint your nails with your other hand. Now it just looks like I stabbed my fingers with knives or something. Clearly a wise colour for the steady hand challenged.

Dinner – 5:15:

Tonights dinner was super simple, just stole a few of my parents leftover veggies, since I have yet to go produce shopping yet…oopsy. Its a sad, sad sight in my fridge right now.

Guess that’s on the agenda tomorrow!

I just tossed up some chopped tempeh, zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli slaw with a mixture of nutritional yeast, coconut oil, a little almond flour, and red pepper flakes.

Then, I threw them in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. Delicious.

A serving of avocado on the side as well.

Now, I’m catching up on the classiest show in town, Bachelor Pad. This show makes me feel super good about my choices in life.

Snack – 8:

Earlier I made a protein muffin (this way), but with a mix of teff and coconut flour. And have plans on having that later with some coconut flour frosting. And then I’ll probably head to bed. Have to be up early for tomorrow!

*******

Tomorrow I definitely want to start recapping my time at the Healthy Living Summit, and want to sum up the fact that I had a lot of fun, but also found myself really comparing and putting judgment on myself based on how others looked compared to me. Even looking at this post, I’ve realized it’s probably not enough food for me and I need to make a big change. Like I said, I’ll be discussing this more tomorrow though, I don’t want this pos to be too long.

What’s the thing you miss most after you go on vacation?

Favourite thing you ate today?

Hope everyone has a great day!

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