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Juicing–the Healthiest Way to Start Your Day

IMG_3717 I started my morning off right today, with a quick ride on my motorcycle (which didn’t last long, because I quickly turned into a popsicle), and then an incredibly healthy green juice for breakfast when I walked in the door.

Beautiful morning, calm mind

Beautiful juice, grateful body

Usually, I’m more of a green smoothie fan, but today I wanted to try something different. I’m fortunate enough to have parents, that bought a nice expensive juicer, and then went on vacation so I could sneak it out the pantry, dust it off, and give it a whirl.

I’m glad I did, because this stuff is very powerful!! It had me zinging off the walls with energy! Very cool!

 

The juicer seems to be something that is brought up in all the natural health books that I read. What is so great about it, and also what makes it different from a green smoothie in a blender, is that it extracts all of the juice from the fiber of the fruit or vegetable, so that way the liquid goodness is absorbed immediately into your body, and it gives a break to all of your digestive organs because it doesn’t have to focus on processing the fiber-y pulp. Major Score!! Instant energy! Happy body!

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In my juice today, I had lots of green yummy things. I followed a recipe from Kris Carr’s wonderful book Crazy Sexy Diet. Out of every health book I’ve read, this is my Go-To. I’d even go as far as saying its my Healthy Living Bible. It has so much goodness packed in one perfectly sized book, and Kris Carr is like, my idol. I first stumbled upon her when I watched her documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, and have fallen quickly and hard, for this spunky health guru. She’s amazing.

Here’s a little bit about her story. At the age of 31 she found out she had stage 4 cancer (there is no stage 5) all over her lungs and liver. She was young and energetic and was an upcoming actress in New York living life the way we all do, with an average American diet, drinking, partying, and being young. But something happened… She got cancer! And it changed her world entirely. Her cancer was so rare, that every doctor she went to see had suggested something entirely different from the last, coming up with a large variety of different solutions – basically guest work (chemo, radiation, multiple organ transplant, etc.), but Kris refused to be used as a lab rat. instead she took matters into her own hands and submerged herself in the self healing, holistic world. After almost 10 years (she just had her 40th b-day, but you’d swear she was still in her 20’s) she managed to throw all of the health care practitioners for a loop, for one, by still being here, and also by being the most healthy and radiate woman you could meet. She’s completely changed her own life. She got the tumors to quit growing. They will never go away, due to the type that they are, but the doctors now say that she can basically look at them as “beauty marks’ as they are no longer a threat to her life, and she’s by far one of the healthiest women you’ll meet. Go Kris!! I Absolutely love her!! If you get the chance pick up her book, Crazy Sexy Diet, she will knock your socks off and have you rolling on the floor laughing. She’s really great.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, I just get so excited. Here is what went into my green juice this morning:IMG_3716

All Organic!!

-5 celery stalks
-1 cucumber
-1 large leaf kale
-1 broccoli stem
-1 pear
-1/2 apple (added at the end, because I thought it needed a tad more sweetness)

This stuff was really neat and very different, but I enjoyed the taste. Very subtle hint of sweet.

It was the perfect way to start this morning. It gave me the energy to start this day with a blog post, and to get my booty out the door early, ready to go. Seriously, I have so much energy, I feel like I could go run a marathon. Lol!!

Have a great Saturday everyone!!!

Next post is on Remie’s wedding. I’m finally getting to the extra good stuff, wedding dresses, dancing, and pretty things.

Artichoke and Sweet Tater’ Chips with Dip!

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Lately I’ve been having a craving for some finger foods!! And dipping and dunking foods are always my favorite! There’s nothing like having fun while eating something delicious, right?!
Well, one of my Go-To fun foods is steamed artichokes and different dipping sauces! YUM! And since I’m a fan of variety, I figured sweet potato fries would be perfect for dipping too! So here are instructions showing you how to steam artichoke, bake some sweet potato “chips’” and also the recipes for 2 different fun and tasty dips to go with!! ENJOY, My Friends!!

Let’s start with steaming artichokes!

The easiest way to steam anything if you don’t have a steamer or rice cooker or anything fancy like that, is to grab a large pot, the lid, and a colander!

All you need to do is put a few inches of water in the bottom of the pot (say 3-4 inches), place the strainer on top the pot, and the lid on top the colander. And there ya go! Perfect steaming contraption! I just place the artichokes face down, set the stove on medium high, and let them steam with the lid on for 30 to 45 minutes. Just keep checking to see if the artichokes are cooked by trying to pull one of the leaves off the artichoke, and if it comes of with little effort,  its ready to eat! Easy Easy!

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To make the sweet potato chips (or fries!) I slice the washed sweet potato in round, thin, chip like shapes, or in skinny, long fry like shapes. All you need is a sharp knife. I like to leave the skin on because I like the texture, and its easier than to mess with peeling the sweet potatoes. This time I used a mandolin slicer, but I usually just use my knife.

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Next, all you do is spread some olive oil on the bottom of a cooking sheet, place the potato pieces on top, and drizzle a bit more olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix everything thing up until the slices are nicely coated. I use my hands because its simple and I’m a big fan of messy cooking! Smile

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Last step is to bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes. I like mine nice and crispy, so I leave it in close to the whole 45 minutes.

Next is the DIPS!! YAY!!

I have 2 dips that I’m a fan of. Both are vegan. One is healthy!! And the other… not so much!! And its funny because everyone that tries them both really enjoy the healthy one the most!! SCORE!!! But, like I said, variety is fun, so I’ll give you both!

Not-As-Healthy-Tangy-Dip:

1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
2 tsp. Sriracha (or any hot sauce)
1 small juiced lime (or lemon)
1/2 tbsp. curry powder

THAT’S IT!! Just mix and serve!

Healthy-Garlicky-Cheesy-Like-Dip:

1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp Herbes De Provence (or Italian seasoning)
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
squirt or 2 Sriracha (or any hot sauce), to taste

-Sautee garlic in a sauce pan with a tiny bit of water, until browned.
-Add in the remaining ingredients
-Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often
-Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the mixture to thicken (you’ll know when to stop cooking when the mixture has reached a consistency that sticks to the spoon)

(Check out my super kick-ass shirt! I’m so stylin’ when I’m cooking! Smile with tongue out )

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That’s it!!! This is so easy to make and so yummy! Just serve the dips in cute little bowls and go to town! I make it to snack on during movies, football games, or as a dinner itself. It’s always fun!

Check out this craziness below, that I feasted on one Girls Night not that long ago!
NOM! NOM! NOM!

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Can’t go wrong with finger foods and great friends! Smile Enjoy your evening!!! Hopefully you’re grubbing down on this deliciousness! Winking smile

My Thoughts On My Training So Far

I’m using the old-school program I have at work to do this post so please forgive the format. I cant crop or adjust any pictures, so… oh well! :P

I’m at the office this morning after my 7th day of working out. Its been a total of 2 and 1/2 weeks!

Here are my thoughts on the training so far:

I’ve spent many many many dollars on crazy fad diets, diet pills, gym memberships, and everything else they can think of to get you fit. So far, nothing has worked… until I hit the gym with a personal trainer. I know it’s only been 2.5 weeks in and only 7 training days, but, I swear I can already feel the difference. My body aches in all the right ways (even my tushie is aching!), I feel better, stronger, and as if I’ll get results sooner and finally reach my fitness goals. Even though I’m recording all these workouts, I know I’d never get the same results without proper instruction. Having someone watch you while you do each work out is great because you may think you’re doing the move perfectly, when you are actually off just a smidgen, and man, does that smidgen count. “Push your butt out a little further, spread you feet an inch wider, lower your butt an inch closer to the ground.” THOSE INCHES COUNT and make a world of difference, You Can FEEL it!! lol! I think I’ll have “Pull your abs in, back straight, belly button in!” drilled into my head forever by the end of the month. There is nothing like having someone pushing you to do better, just when you think you can’t do anymore. And nothing feels more amazing then when you actually do that extra rep that you thought you’d have to give up on. Even if i dont drop a pound this whole month, I’ll be sticking around for many months with Lauren. I feel so much better and full of energy!

Here’s to a better version of me!!!

Thanks Lauren!!

I wanted to post a link to Lauren’s website, just in case anyone was interested and wanted to check it out:

http://femalesintrainingstudio.com/

Here is an update from today’s workout:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know you can’t read that picture so here is what it says:

Circuit Training: 50 seconds of the workout, 10 seconds to move to the next station, repeat circuit twice

DB Squat, High Knees, Triceps Press, V Plank Burpee, Shoulder Pushup, Jump Rope, Medicine Ball Squat, Cross Over Mt. Sprints

Abs Work:

Butterfly Kicks, Side Plank, Other Side Plank, Sit Ups with both arms and Legs straight up in the air, Bicycle Crunches, Hold Boat Pose while crossing elbows left to right.

Repeat twice

Cardio: walk at a speed of 3.0 for 60 seconds, run at a speed of 5.5 for 60 seconds, alternating for 15 minutes.

Having a beautiful, energy filled day, everyone!

Play Dirty!

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Did a 5k run this past Saturday with a handful of my favorite peeps. We ran our butts off, climbed over walls, jumped over mud pits, climbed through tunnels and under ropes, all while trudging through the sloshy, dirty dirty dirty mud! We ran through pitch black warehouses, climbed over huge hay stacks and climbed up and over 20 ft rope walls. And the whole time we were hauling ass for over 3 miles! BooYea!! We bad!!

Can’t wait for the Warrior Dash next October, which is 10x the amount of hard-core-age and filled with mega hard obstacles! I’m talking barbed wire, jumping over flames, swimming through mud, 30ft high walls to climb, and jumping through wrecked cars! Can’t wait for that one again! Here are a few pictures from that race! We were COVERED in mud!! Check out Shontel’s head in the last pic!

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Wish I could find the album with my action pictures jumping over flames and crossing the finish line!! It was totally bad ass! I’ll keep digging! But YES!! Do this amazingness if you get the opportunity! SO MUCH FUN!

Anyways!

Here are the last 2 updates from last Friday and Monday’s (this morning!) training!

Friday!  We ran though this routine 3 or 4 times I cant remember! There were other moves added, but I cant remember! Sheesh! that’s why I have to keep these posts coming on time! hehehehe!

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Monday!

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We ran though this routine twice, including 20lbs bars in squats, 10-15lbs bars in the lounges, and 2 10lb dumb bells in the other moves. Youchies!

And for cardio she had us speed jump rope, on 20 seconds, off 20 seconds for 6 minutes straight!

Man, it feels Gooooooooooood!!! I ‘m starting to feel like one sexy kitten! Well… more so than usual… Winking smile heheheh!

Have a stupendous day!! ha! Yes, Stupendous!!! that’s a fun word!! Love you guys!

F.I.T. Day 4

photo(33)No sleep, 7am workout. Pooped! Here’s the routine!

Squat Press with two 8lb dumb bells, Walking Lunges, and Burpees
10 each and repeat for 10 minutes

Next, Jump Squats, Plank Pick Ups, and Full Sit Ups
10 each and repeat for 10 minutes

Last, Burpees 5 each, and TRX machine rows 15 each, repeat for 5 minutes

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Food Journal:
Hemp Protein Shake
Broccoli Crunch
Tofu, Broccoli Stir-fry
GIRLS NIGHT! Steamed Artichoke with 2 dips, sweet potato fries, focaccia bread with artichoke, fried plantain

I walked around the shopping center near my work today during my lunch break and I came across Earth Savers. On the window they had one of my favorite quotes, which I thought was neat, so I snapped a shot. :) And check out the feast I got to indulge in tonight! I love Wednesday’s Girl’s Night!! Off to bed! Sweetest Dreams!

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Females in Training–3rd Workout!

This past Monday was my third training day with F.I.T.! I’ll do a quick run through as I know the explanations get boring! Here are my notes and journal entries!

photo(30)I don’t know why these came out so blurry! I’ll use my camera instead of my phone next time. It says I had a protein shake right after my workout, crackers for snacks, bruschetta and hummus on cucumber slices for lunch and a snack later,and tofu, broccoli, brown rice stir fry for dinner. And also that I felt Wonderful! And Energized! Open-mouthed smile

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The next entry (to the right) is a break down of my workout, which I know you cant read. I texted the breakdown earlier so I wouldn’t forget exactly what I did!

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I’ll type it out here, really quick, just in case I need them later on. I know these must get boring! I did 20 sec of push ups, 20 sec of holding plank, 20 sec of rest, repeat 8 times. Next, same routine, (20/20/20) X8 but swapping out jump-ups (squat down and then jump up with both feet on to a raised platform) & burpees (look these up on YouTube, they SUCK!). Next it was (40/40/40/rest 40) x4. Over Head Stretch was lying on your back, hold 10lbs weight straight in front of you and then raise it above your head until right before you touch the ground, lift back up, and then drop forward to your waist, with control and back up again. Forehead touch is, while still lying on your back, hold 10lbs weight straight above your face and then bending elbows lower  the weight to your forehead and back up again. lower leg lift and drop is while still on your back, holding same weight straight up above your chest, lift and drop both legs together down to the floor and then up in the air again. I know, its had to imagine without visuals, but I’m just trying to get a description out so I can have an idea for later use.

Cardio/Treadmill Intervals:

Minutes:                 Incline:                      Speed:

1-2                             2                                 3.5
2-4                             5                                 3.8
4-6                             7                                 3.2
6-8                             7                                 3.8
8-10                           9                                 3.8
11-13                         9                                 4.0
13-15                         9                                 3.2
15-18                         0                                 2.8

This Training day was this past Monday (yesterday) morning from 7am to 8 am.
I headed to my parents and hopped into the shower before I made it to work at 8:45pm fully energized and ready to go! Morning work outs are MUCH muchmuchmuch better! I felt amazing and bright and aware the entire day, and was able to go to sleep at a great time with little effort!

Not much happened today, Tuesday, besides a hectic, crazy busy day at work. Boring stuff. No workout. So here is my food journal for today!

photo(29)BLUR Translation: Handful raisins and almonds, tofu, broccoli, brown rice stir fry, basmati rice with Tomato and basil, 4oz (or less) chocolate wine. Also, Today about my health I feel: Tired, Healthy, but long day at work.

 

Have a great night everyone! Bed time for me!! Hugs!

Broccoli Crunch!

Remember how I told you I stumbled across a dish in the grocery store that looked so amazing but wasn’t vegan friendly in the slightest (Bacon Bits Galore, bleh!)? WELL, here is my version of the dish that I created that turned out better than I could have hoped for! Its so simple and very delicious!

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Here is the Broccoli Crunch recipe, as promised!

1/2 bunch of broccoli, chopped in bite-sized bits (I prefer teeny tiny bits!)
1 handful of nuts of your choice (sunflower or walnuts <—My Fav!)
1 handful of raisins
2 globs of vegan mayo
(to taste! and by glob, I mean hefty spoon full, lol)
Many squirts of Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, (I‘d say 4 Tbsps. but taste as you go!)
1/2 white onion, chopped in tiny pieces
A pinch of Sea Salt

Ok! I know this ingredient list and the proportion instructions is quite vague, BUT its really one of those dishes where you add the ingredients in to the amount to which you prefer! Like I’m a HUGE fan of having raisins in this dish so I kept finding myself adding more and more! Also, the walnuts I used added a satisfying crunch that I couldn’t get enough of so I kept breaking up more walnuts and tossing the pieces in! This whole dish is based off of your taste and texture preference, but honestly, the more the merrier in this situation! It all tastes so good together! IMG_2344

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  I thought you might like a picture of what I used for my dressing so here is a picture. I added a bit of salt to balance out the sweet and it worked out perfectly! 

With the ingredient list all you need to do is chop chop chop the broccoli and onions, crunch crunch crunch up the walnuts, and toss everything in a big bowl.

After that, glob and squirt in the dressing and mayo and stir stir stir until everything is well mixed and coated!

 

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AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!!

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I know you can’t SEE how wonderful this truly is in real life, but WOW, I promise, it wont disappoint! ::I’d totally be drooling on myself if I opened my mouth right now::

I chowed down on this for dinner that night, lunch the next day, and then dinner again that night. I know, over kill, right?! But no!!! This stuff is SO GOOD! I couldn’t get tired of it. The crunch, the sweetness, and the fact that I getting my broccoli fill was all I needed to hunker down and zone in to my food for a moment of extreme joy and appreciation! LOL, seriously! It’s satisfying! If you give this one a whirl, leave me a comment and let me know how you like it!

So, question of the day! Is there a household recipe that was inspired by something you saw somewhere and then went home and recreated ?!

SmileSmileSmileSmile

I’ve Been in Colorado!

I have much to fill you in on, but I’ve been enjoying my vacation in Fort Collins, CO! SO! Many posts to come! A few topics being my 26th Birthday Shenanigans, The New Orleans Red Dress Run, and the amazing that is Colorado! Here is a little teaser! :) IMG_1356IMG_1747

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Mexican Bean Salad!

I’ve recently come cross the most amazing dish and I would love to share this with everyone! Its so light and refreshing! And so very yummy! Addicting almost!

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I was looking for a new recipe that was light and healthy and something that I could keep in the fridge that was easy enough for me to just grab and go. Plugged in “Top Vegan Recipes” in Google, and voila! Mexican Bean Salad! There were several “top” dishes, but out of them all this was the only one that caught my eye enough to give it a try.

And I’m so glad that I did! I loved everything about this dish! The flavors are perfect together and the lightness of the entire salad is so perfect and appealing. You feel GOOD after eating this!

Here goes:

In a large bowl mix together:

1 can each of black beans,
1 can kidney beans,
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed!

Chop and add

1 green bell pepper,
1 red bell pepper,
1 purple onion,
1 10 oz. pack of frozen corn. Set aside!

Look how pretty! Its like a veg food rainbow!! Ooooooo! Aaahhhhhhh!!!

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In a small bowl, whisk together:

1/2 cup olive oil,
1/2 cup red wine vinegar,
2 Tbsp. lime juice,
1 Tbsp. lemon juice,
2 Tbsp. sugar,
1 tsp. salt,
1/2 tsp. minced garlic,
1/4 cup chopped cilantro,
1/2 tsp. cumin,
1/2 Tbsp. black pepper.
Add hot sauce (I used the roster sauce, yum!) and chili powder to taste!

Look how gorgeous! Would you ever think food could look so pretty and uplifting?! I love it!

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This recipe makes a HUGE bowl of this stuff! I wish I would have snapped a photo of my holding the bowl so you could see how large it actually is! I was feeding off this dish for a few days and It tasted wonderful every time!

*Today I am grateful for telephones, as I was able to catch up with a good friend that I miss that is living in Cali and also my brother Daniel in Colorado! Daniel has been gone for about a month now! Can you believe it?! I miss him and his girlfriend Paula already! Hmm, I’ve always wanted to visit Colorado! I think its about time I mark that one off the “Will Do” list! Winking smile 

Easy Avocado, Tomato, Onion Salad

This is a salad that I just threw together that came out absolutely delicious and surprisingly satisfying. It consists of 1 onion, 1 avocado, and 1 tomato. This makes enough for 2 people to have a nice lite meal.

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Basically you just chop everything in tiny bite sized pieces.

I used my go-to dressing that is tasty and actually quite good for you. Its 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, and 8 squirts Braggs Amino Acids. I just eye-ball the measurements and add each to taste. This dressing is quite strong so a little goes a long way.

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I hope you give this one a try, as its very simple to make and is packed with a ton of wonderful vitamins and minerals! It’ll give your body an extra boost of happy! Red heart 

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So, since this post is pretty short, I thought I’d add in a bit of brain splewdge on where I am at right now in my little world, in reference to mental clarity and life in general…

Um, on second thought… Lets not over think it…!

Silly me! Smile with tongue out

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!! I’ll fill you in on how mine went in an upcoming post. I’ll give you a teaser though, it has to do with growing my own wheat grass and also an at home intense yoga meditation retreat!!! WooHoo!! It was a perfect weekend! My brain feels so refreshed!