This is a story about my snowy drama in Northstar.
Thankfully it ends well.
Thanks to the generosity from the Northstar team, Vegas and I were able to sneak in one more snowboarding trip this season. Remember that Northstar travel guide I wrote last month? We re-lived it… but bigger with a TON more snow, new-to-us food stops, and a bit of drama.
This is how my Monday started out in the parking lot…
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Life is a jungle gym.
Did anyone else read Lean In?
In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg refers to your career being a jungle gym rather than a ladder. The same goes for life. The secret, in my opinion, is to be flexible and not to let things get too under your skin.
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Learning lessons is a theme in my life lately.
Some I’d rather not learn, but that’s another story.
Despite having done this cleanse 3 times before, I’m learning a whole new lesson with this one. It’s about protein. I had NO idea how much energy and strength I was getting from all the protein I took in! The first 10 days of the cleanse are meat-free. It also eliminates common allergens, so I can’t even replace that protein with soy, dairy or eggs.
I have a delicious, clean pea protein powder from Growing Naturals that accounts for most of my intake. I also have some from quinoa, lentils, and seeds… but that’s really not much. With the “rules” of the cleanse, I end up eating about half my normal amount of protein and twice the carbs. Carbs give energy, right? Notsomuch. I’m tired. I’m sleeping more and having to lift lighter. Apparently carbs give energy when you have enough protein.
I did get through my back and tri workout. Fueled by dates and tahini, I took a moment to twerk in the empty squat rack for Arman and Lucie. Refueled with a protein smoothie made with strawberries, raspberries, basil, coconut, and spinach.
Lesson two is hunger. I’m a bottomless veggie pit. I eat stacks of vegetables (and fruit), but they don’t have the same staying power that protein does. Kudos to the vegan body builders out there… I have no idea how they do it!
Curious about protein? Click here for a piece I wrote for Growing Naturals on the importance of protein before and after a workout. And then check out these 30 High Protein Breakfasts from many of my FitFluential friends!
This WIAW is the end of my first week on the 21 day cleanse. I’m definitely in a good groove, but anxious to add some lean protein in on Friday!
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
People turn their noses up at the word “cleanse.”
Yet they embrace the McDonald’s…
This cleanse is my favorite because you can eat. Don’t get me wrong, I do miss peanut butter and meat. However, judging from the way my body has responded, I needed the break. I’ll refrain from the TMI, but let’s just say I’m definitely cleaner!
The other awesome thing about this cleanse is the creativity it inspires. Check out of some the fun stuff I’ve made in the past few days!
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You can’t out crunch a bad diet.
Where’s the chocolate-lovers ab diet?!
Today’s Work It Out post is a little different. Usually I feature a new workout technique, but this post-Thanksgiving week I’m being a little selfish. I need to Work It Out in the Kitchen. Like many others, I indulged throughout the Thanksgiving holiday. No regrets – it was fantastic – but now I need to reset and not let that sweet tooth take over all the way into the new year.
When I start with the sweet tooth and red wine other indulgences it quickly becomes a habit. At one point I was eating dessert after every meal… including breakfast. What works for me is to go cold turkey (pun intended) to reset myself. I’ve done this in the past through my favorite cleanse, but I haven’t gotten to the “emergency” point yet. This time around I’m going back to the basics.
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Leading up to Christmas I’m going to be doing a Kitchen Workout in addition to my normal routine. This isn’t about weight loss (my new diet is actually focused on gaining – more on that tomorrow). The Kitchen Workout is about eating to fuel your body properly. Eating clean makes me feel energized, keeps my skin clear, and improves my ability to focus.
The following guidelines are what works for me. For example, I know that I can’t have just a little sugar and stop. Therefore, I’m cutting it out. I also know that I can’t be too strict on myself or I’ll go full-speed in the opposite direction. A Saturday “cheat day” will be employed. 🙂
A good support/accountability network is a big part of staying on track! Feel free to steal the #KitchenWorkout graphic and show your clean eating pride! I’ll be sharing some new recipes, as well as more tips for holiday survival.
To get started, check out these posts for more ideas on eating clean:
For some initial food ideas? Here are a few clean recipes that won’t leave you feeling like you’re missing anything:
Crab Eggs Benedict, Lightened Up
Grilled PB&J with Tofu Peanut Butter
Mexican Crustless Chickpea (Vegan) Quiche
Fig and Edamame Kamut Berries with Sriracha-Lime Vinaigrette
150 Calorie Microwave Chocolate Protein Cake
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The holidays have begun! I’ve been invited to a cookie swap… I’m taking my granola cookies so I know I have a healthier option. Can’t wait to see if anyone knows they are better for you!
Did anyone try the bicep moves Jody shared last week?
Are you making an effort to keep it clean over the holiday season?
The human body is pretty incredible.
25 days ago (pre-cleanse) I was nowhere near the abs I wanted. My diet was not terrible, but could use improvement. I was lifting weights, but had hit a plateau with my upper body and all but neglecting legs. It was time to take the next step in building a better me.
The pictures below are my progress:
The top pic is upper body. I’ve managed to up my weight on many exercises, not the least of which is lat raises. Those has always been a weak point for me.
The bottom left ab pic was taken at week 2 of the cleanse and the right was taken yesterday (11 days later… I promise I washed this outfit in that time). I wish I’d had a before! I’ve ALWAYS wanted 6-pack abs and I’m so close right now it hurts.
This is thanks to 25 days of pushing harder and building a solid foundation with a clean, plant-based diet. It can be done!
I also have to make a confession – I almost didn’t post the ab pic. In fact, yesterday I posted it on Instagram and purposefully didn’t like it to Twitter. I was scared to share my progress with a larger audience!
Then I remembered this post by Lindsay where she showed off her incredible abdominals. She posted her post-baby ab pic to celebrate hard work, to motivate, and because she was PROUD. And she should take pride in her hard work paying off!
Change is hard! It’s overwhelming to begin cleaning up your diet.
In the spirit of building, here’s how I built a healthy lunchtime wrap. At least it was supposed to be a wrap… I got a little carried away with the fillings. 🙂
Prep veggies and slather a tortilla with spread. I used my Raw Sweet Potato Hummus.
Layer your veggies on the tortilla.
My Fillings:
Attempt to wrap the monstrosity up! I had to eat the carrots in the side to make way for the lentils.
Devour.
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Tomorrow I am trying out CrossFit for the first time! I love a new workout. 🙂
Have you ever tried CrossFit? Do you have any tips to share?
Celebrate Friday with some self-love – What accomplishment are you proud of?
There is a new addition in my family.
Hang with me and you’ll see what the addition is and why I went for it…
Friday night we had another cleanse buddies dinner. My friend Kathleen decided to begin the cleanse on Friday, so Mallory and I had a great time re-hashing our experiences with her. (Click here for the “rules” and post #1.)
My first experience doing this cleanse was in November of 2010. It was HARD. My eating habits were not clean – I ate too many burgers, drank too much booze, and had a sugar addiction. Needless to say, the first few days were a shock to my body. I was tried, cold, and grouchy. And constipated.
1 week before the 2010 cleanse
This time around I didn’t have as difficult a time. My eating habits had remained fairly clean since that first cleanse; however, I noticed some old habits beginning to creep in and wanted to give my body a little reminder of how good clean feels.
Some observations:
The most common question I’ve been asked is surrounding how time-consuming making all of this food is. The short answer is that yes, it takes more time.
The longer answer is that it isn’t that hard if you PLAN. I have a full-time job and am perpetually running late – I’m not someone who has hours to spend on cooking during the week. My cleanse-buddy has a full-time job, a 7 month old baby, and a husband that travels all week. If we can eat clean, you can too!
Here are some ways to make clean eating easier, whether you are cleansing or simply trying to eat better.
Preparation tips:
A HUGE bonus to the cleanse was cost savings. My pre-cleanse spending habits cost me about $300 more each week than I spent on the cleanse. That means I’ve saved $900 in 3 weeks.
My bad influence friend Kathleen suggested that I take that some of that money and use it on something to help me maintain a healthy lifestyle.
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Aaaaaand that brings me to the new addition.
I got a VITAMIX!!! I’ve had it for 2 days and it has already changed my life. They are pricy…. but I think it’s going to be worth every penny.
Saturday night I celebrated with Sweet Potato Ice Cream.
Vitamix > Magic Bullet
Sunday morning I celebrated with a thick Carrot-Mango-Ginger Smoothie. I’ve never had such a smooth, delicious breakfast. I’ll be adding ginger to everything I can now; it added a great zing without overshadowing the sweetness from the carrot and the mango.
Check out the recipe at the bottom of this post. I’m dying of happiness.
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This week was a little ADD in terms of workouts. I didn’t have a clear focus of what I wanted to do and have (once again) been slacking on cardio. I find it really hard to do without being able to run!
I DID do my final BodyRock fit test. Extreme soreness had me waiting a couple of days, and clearly I didn’t stick to the 30 days exactly. Each move is done for 50 seconds, with a 10 second rest in between. I didn’t really except to see much more progress… but I did make a little more! Funny thing is that I’m getting worse at burpees. I blame the push-ups leading in to them.
There were a couple of fun new workouts this week. Atlanta Fitness Diva gym contacted me asking if I’d like to try a workout. Of course I would! That took place Thursday and kicked my butt. Literally. We focused on glutes and I am STILL sore. They are a but pricey to join, but I really enjoyed the small-group circuits we did.
The other new addition was the GAINfitness app. Cait @ Beyond Bananas posted about it last week. This app will let you tell it time, equipment available, and what you want to focus on and then put together a workout for you. All you do it hit “start” and it walks you through with a timer for rest periods! Check out Cait’s post for a more thorough explanation.
Workout Recap (2/20 – 2/26)
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Place everything in blender and mix to combine.
Top as desired (I sprinkled some flax and cinnamon), and enjoy!
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Sunday I was honored to make the FoodBuzz Top 9 for my Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes. Thank you for the Buzz, and welcome new friends! 🙂
Also, it’s time for the February edition of Spicie Foodie’s Your Best Recipe. Click the badge for more info on joining, and be sure to check back when recipes are posted on March 1st!
Do you have a Vitamix? Please share recipes! 🙂
Do you have any tips for eating well?
This has been the LONGEST week.
Maybe because I know I’m 3 days from NUT BUTTER?! That’s really been the biggest hole in my life. That and oatmeal, but going without oats has been a little easier since Atlanta has turned into San Diego with 65-70 degree temps.
Spiced Almond Butter
As I think about what foods will and will not enter back into my life after Sunday, I am thinking more and more about what it means to eat clean on a daily basis. Should I cut out meat completely? Dairy products? Eggs?
After the first Standard Process Cleanse I did in November of 2010, I drastically reduced my intake of red meat and sugar. It has made a HUGE difference in the way that I feel. Red meat and I don’t process well together. Does that mean I won’t help myself to a bite of the tasty burger you ordered? Nooooo… I quite like Sarah‘s concept of being “vegan with benefits.” Maybe we can start a movement, Miss. Smart?
Sugar will remain an item I try to avoid. There are so many great alternatives out there, you don’t really need it!
Candy @ Healthy in Candyland just wrote a great post on sugar and my favorite alternative – Xylitol. Apparently it could have anti-aging properties!
Check out my Chewy Granola Cookies for a great start to using xylitol in baking!
How will I eat on post-cleanse on Monday? I don’t yet know what the right answer is for me. I do know that I will enter into the non-cleanse world by reintroducing one “new” food at a time, and pay close attention to what my body says about it.
Cleanse or no cleanse, I WILL be making many of this week’s French vegan dishes again!
I ran into my friend and his partner in Whole Foods last night, and they shared with me that my Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Oven-Roasted Tomatoes were on their menu! Keith (the “chef”) posted this pic later:
The two meat-eaters served vegan stuffed tomatoes with homemade organic Shepherd’s Pie with grass-fed Georgia beef and sweet potatoes, paired with a Vintage 2008 South Australian Shiraz.
Keith’s quote: “Props on the Vegan Goat Cheese girl! To die for!!!”
The next party dish I want to share is this Eggplant Bruschetta – installment #3 in the Vegan French Book Club Dinner Series (don’t you love how I made it so official-sounding?).
It was created a traditional bruschetta in mind, only the eggplant replaces the baguette to create a light, flavorful finger food.
Healthy and full of flavor, it was also the easiest dish.
Remember this Provençal Tomato Spread? I saved some and blended it with extra basil and olive oil to make a creamy sun-dried tomato-olive topping that was reminiscent of SDT pesto. It took less than 5 minutes. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.
Topped with a little basil for color!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray liberally with olive oil. Place eggplant rounds in a single layer on sheet. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roast for 15 to 20 mins. Flip each piece, checking to be sure the undersides have browned and become and a bit puffy. If they’re not, cook a bit longer.
Once flipped, sprinkle them with more pepper and some garlic powder. Place pan back in the oven for ~15 mins, until the undersides brown to match the tops.
Meanwhile, blend 1/2 C of the Provençal Tomato Spread with basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add more olive oil (I added 2 tsp), if desired.
When the eggplant is cooked, arrange on a platter. Top each disk with 1-2 tsp of the purred provencal spread and a small bail leaf. Eat immediately.
Serves 8-10 as appetizers.
Note: Some people swear you don’t have to do this, but I always lay my sliced eggplant out, sprinkle generously with salt, and allow to sit for 10-15 mins. This helps remove some of the bitterness and excess moisture. If you do this, wipe off the excess moisture with a paper towel and proceed to bake as instructed.
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3 days to go on the Standard Process Cleanse – I can’t believe it’s almost over! Like I said above, the idea is to add back one food at a time to see what you may be sensitive to…. I’m thinking nuts are coming back first! That’s what she said.
What would you add back first post-cleanse?
Have you ever considered a vegan or vegetarian diet? What pushed you to do it or held you back?
