Brrrr! It’s Cold Out Here

Hi! How is your day going today? Mine started out as being very cold. It was -9º f windchill when we got out to the truck this morning. Then, for whatever reason, the heater in our truck didn’t work. We all shivered during our 45 minute drive out to the airport. Luckily, the biologists have to keep the animal medicine warm all day long, so they run one of the trucks with the heat blasted up high. Layla and I hung out in the nice, warm truck all day.

She caught up on sleep and I caught up on reading my kindle. I just finished Jack Canfield’s, “The Success Principals” and started Vicki Milazzo’s, “Wicked Success is Inside Every Women.” I started Mr. Canfield’s book back when I was in Nevada and it took me quite a while to finish because it had a lot of questions and exercises throughout the whole book. I highly recommend it to any one at any age because it had a lot of inspirational stories and specific action steps for you to implement into your own life.

On the way to the airport this morning, we saw two buffalo who were sleeping right next to the road. About a half hour later, I drove back to them so I could snap a photo. Look how close I was to this one!

I also saw a heard of antelope. I honestly didn’t know if they were deer or antelope, but my friend answered my question once I posted the photo online.

I have to admit that my workouts have fallen to the wayside during this trip. First, I forgot to pack my tennis shoes. Then, our work schedule included waking up at 5 am and finishing around 7-8pm. By night time, Blake and I barely make it through our showers and crash into bed at night. I know this work schedule isn’t a good excuse, but I took it as a reason to keep up my typical workout routine. I’m not too worried though, because I workout 5-6 days a week whenever I’m at home, so this week on the road is not going to ruin my efforts.

I know the right shoe looks a lot bigger, but I promise it's just the camera angle.

When we were at Scheel’s, a large sporting goods store, the other day I found a pair of clearance Reebok’s for $29.99. Then, when I was checking out, the cashier informed me that they were two different sizes. I tried them on again and barely felt a difference in their size. I asked for a discount and got the originally $99.99 priced shoes for $19.99. This made my coupon-cutting, discount shopping self very happy!

I took my new shoes for a run on the treadmill the other night, but besides my daily walks, that’s been it for exercise. Today, I decided to try out a workout inside the hangar. I brought Blake’s resistance band and did a mix of band exercises, squats and lunges. It felt good to use my muscles instead of just sitting on my rear end all day!

Tonight, once we got back to the hotel, I looked up some more workouts that could be done while I’m waiting for the helicopter at the airport. Here are some of the workouts that I found:

From Renegade Health Show

Tone It Up Baywatch Body Workout

OK, I’m off to bed. This girl is super sleepy from these long, cold days. It’s forecasted to snow 3-5 inches tomorrow. I’m hoping for a weather day, so Blake and I can relax and have some fun.

Pics from the Road

Hi! I wanted to quickly share some photos from the past few days with you. I just downloaded a new iPhone app called, Diptic. It lets you group photos together. My time on my laptop each evening is super short, so I can use my iPhone to save these photos and then upload them to the blog. I hope you enjoy some photos of my trip out here to South Dakota!

This is what a typical morning drive looks like from the back seat. Sometimes I drive, or other times Blake drives. The guys are really messy and throw all their junk onto the dashboard. I am constantly trying to clean out the truck each day.

Here are some of my healthier food choices: Emergen-C to keep my from getting sick, a veggie & cheese snack pack and a chicken salad from our morning truck stop.

Here are some of the animals I’ve seen so far. The photos are blurry because I usually have to zoom in really far to get pictures of them. The ones in the top photo are deer; then there was a really cute bunny rabbit at the airport this morning; the middle photo is of a herd of buffalo in a field across the street from the airport; and there were some sheep next to the road on the way to one of our fuel sites.

Blake has been saying all season how he wanted me to grill hot lunches for him and the workers to help keep them warm and fueled during their long work days. He finally bought a portable grill the other day and we picked up hot dog grilling ingredients. What we didn’t have, were any type of grilling accessories like tongs or a pot for the chili. I ended heating the chili in it’s can and using plastic silverware to turn the hot dogs.

Blake buzzed Layla and I on our walk down the runway this morning. The weather was really bad for flying conditions today. The winds were gusting up to 60 miles/hour. Luckily, everyone was safe and we got about eight hours of work in before calling it a day.

Layla and I got all bundled up for our early morning walk. I got this new cream cable knit earband that’s lined with fleece. It kept my ears warm all day long. Layla wore her fleece jacket. One of the workers told me that jackets and sweaters actually make dogs colder because they interfere with their dog hair keeping them warm. Do you know anything about this?

I’ll try to keep taking new photos. Sorry that some of these turned out kinda blurry. My phone is great for taking photos, but sometimes they just aren’t the best quality. Have a great day!!!

My Eats on the Road

Hi! We’re still in Rapid City, South Dakota. We had weather days on Wednesday and Thursday. This means that the weather was not cooperating and it wasn’t safe to fly the helicopter. Turns out that two days off are exactly what Blake, Layla and I needed.

We took advantage of our time off by sleeping, going to a coffee shop, running errands at Cabelas and Scheels, doing laundry, going out to eat and taking a dip in the hotel hot tub.

Today I’m going to share some of my eats from the road. I know I’ve mentioned that it can be difficult to keep up a healthy diet when traveling for work. South Dakota has proved to be even a little more difficult for me to find healthy, gluten-free foods than it was in Nevada. No worries, I eat a fairly healthy diet year round, so a few days or weeks of eating sub-par nutrition is not going to wreck havoc on my health. I want to show you my semi-healthy meals that I enjoy while eating continental hotel breakfasts, picking up foods at truck stops and going out for nightly restaurant dinners.

Breakfasts

Healthy: Banana from the hotel with a protein bar that I packed.

Not-as-healthy: Scrambled (powdered) eggs and sausage from the hotel breakfast.

Lunches

Healthy: Subway and truck stop salads

Not-as-healthy: Gluten-free BBQ chicken pizza

Snacks

Healthy: Homemade protein bars

Not-as-healthy: mini candy bars

Dinners

Healthy: Salmon, sweet potato (I always forget to ask for no brown sugar) and veggies and grilled shrimp salad with dressing on the side

Not-as-healthy: I almost always have a healthy protein and veggie rich dinner because I feel so much better the next day. There were a few nights when I had just veggies and potatoes and ended up starving the next day. This taught me that I need to have protein with my dinners. *edited to add: I just ordered gluten-free taco pizza for dinner. It’s a childhood favorite of mine :)

Coffee

I can go without eating my normal, healthy meals throughout the day, but I can not survive out here without my morning cup of joe. If we stop at a truck stop, I’ll put some creamer and stevia in my drip coffee, but if we’re at a real coffee house, I’ll order an Americano or a white chocolate mocha. If anyone is into white mochas, I must share that Ghirardelli brand powdered white chocolate makes the best mocha.

Drinks

I forgot to take photos of my drinks. One or two nights out of the week I’ll order a glass of red wine or a “skinny-girl” margarita to enjoy with dinner. I like to think of my wine or margaritas as my “treat” for the day. These are long, hard days out here and sometimes, you need a little something to look forward to in the evening.

As you can see, I try to keep up a semi-healthy diet to feel good and stay healthy while traveling with Blake. By eating my normal, healthy foods most of the time, I still get to enjoy some buttered popcorn if we go to a movie (something I don’t do when Blake’s gone) or eat a few mini candy bars once in a while (again, I don’t buy candy bars to keep in our house.)

Layla also gets a few more out-of-the-norm treats when we’re on the road. We’ll buy her some new type of bones or she gets a few bites of turkey from Blake’s sandwiches. She also gets lots and lots of sleep when we’re out here.

What are your favorite healthy & not so healthy foods to eat while traveling?

Do you have any suggestions for gluten-free snacks that I can pack while I’m in the tuck all day?

Have a great night!

Kilee

Snow Day

Hi! Things are a little more relaxing around here today in Rapid City, South Dakota. The wind and snow kept us from flying the helicopter today. I am very, very happy that today is including a little R&R. I drove the fuel truck the past two days and the weather conditions made it a bit more challenging than usual. I managed to get the truck stuck in the snow three times during the past two days. The first time I got it out myself, the second time a gentleman and his son helped me out and the third time, it took another truck pulling it out of the snow. I AM NOT getting stuck in the snow again – I hope!

We are working in Custer State Park near the Black Hills of South Dakota.

I have seen many animals around the park so far including White Tail deer, antelope, wild turkeys, and sheep. I keep looking for buffalo because there are signs around the park saying not to get close to the buffalo. The Rocky Mountain Big Horn sheep I saw were very tame and seemed unfazed when I drove right up to them on the side of the road.

I drove by another group about a mile away from the first one. These ones were pretty tired and were resting in the field when I drove by.

Layla is the best little co-pilot! Her typical day on the road includes waking up at 5:45 am and being too tired to get out of bed. We take her potty and head to the truck at 6:45. She runs around the airport and greets the biologists around 7:30 am. Then, she gets in the truck and sleeps for the hour drive to the first fuel stop. Then she gets out and runs around for awhile. It’s back in the truck for the drive back to the airport. She gets Blake to feed her a few bites of his sandwich around noon. She sleeps in the truck until about 3:00 pm. Then, we go for a walk and wait for Blake to get done flying around 5:00 pm. Doesn’t sound like too bad of a schedule, does it?

After being in the-middle-of-no-where, Nevada during my last trip and not having any restrooms available, I have been a little too happy about the abundance of outhouses and port-a-potties on this job. It’s kinda sad when you are actually happy to have those amenities around!

I filmed a short clip of Blake landing the helicopter in the snow. The wind created by the blades is so strong that it creates a mini snow storm when he lands. Here’s the video I shot of him:

I know these travel posts have nothing to do with health and nutrition. This year has been different than usual for Blake and I because he has been on the road for work almost the entire year. I can honestly say that being apart from each other for long periods of time can be difficult, but doable. I’m lucky that I’m able to fly out and visit him at different job locations. We never quite know where he’s going or for how long he’ll be gone. From my limited visits with him on the road, I see how difficult it can be to stay well-nourished and healthy while traveling for work. I am going to try to offer as many healthy travel tips as I can on this blog, because I’ve developed some healthy (and some not so healthy) habits during my travels with Blake. Thank you for reading my blog during these “on the road” adventures. I’ll be back to more healthy recipes and nutrition fun once I’m home – and who knows when that will be!

Have a great day and I’ll be back in a few days to show you some of my eats on the road.

Much love,

Kilee

(source)

Made it to Rapid City, SD

Hello from the road! I’m back traveling with Blake and this time, I get to bring Layla along. She’s such a good little traveler! She did not make one peep on either of our flights and she sat in her bag during our layover in Denver, Colorado.

Rewind back to Friday, when I was rushing around the house, trying to get everything packed for our trip. Packing when you don’t know exactly where you’ll be going or for how long you’ll be gone is not too easy. I was also trying to fit all of my belongings into one bag and not have it be over the 50 lb. limit. Once I got to my sister’s house and realized my bag was probably over 50 lbs. I started taking out unnecessary items, just to be safe. I’m happy to report that I ended up with a 46.5 lb. bag.

I knew that I would have a lack of healthy foods while on the road, so I made every effort to eat healthy and stay hydrated before I left. On Friday, the ToneItUp girls posted a great recipe on their Facebook and blog with chia seeds, water, a little agave and a squeeze of lime. It was the perfect drink to help me stay hydrated and refreshed before hitting the road.

Once I arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota on Saturday, I was exhausted from not being able to sleep the night before, waking up at 4:15 am and traveling all morning. I took a much needed shower and laid down in the hotel room for a few hours before Blake got back from work. Sunday morning, we were up at 5:45 am and on the road by 6:45. We have about a half hour drive to the State Park airport where the helicopter is sheltered overnight. From there, we drive about 45 minutes to where the fuel stop is located next to a lake. I actually drive near the National monument, Mount Rushmore. I’ve been trying to stop there on our way home at night, but it’s been too dark by the time we’re done. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a photo with Blake and Layla in front of the monument before we leave.

When I’m driving the fuel truck for Blake’s company, half of my day is spend driving to the different fueling locations, getting coffee and food for the workers and making sure that they have all the supplies that they need throughout the day. The other half of the time I can rest in the truck, go for walks or read my Kindle. Yesterday afternoon, Layla and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a stroll down the runway. There were no other airplanes or helicopters, so we were safe to walk right down the middle of it.

Now that I think of it, Layla has walked down many different runways during our adventures to different airports with Blake. We walked the Chena Marina runway in Fairbanks, Alaska a lot this past fall.

The runway was right next to a lake.

When we got back to the fuel truck after our walk, there were about four antelope hanging out outside of the airport. I probably could have gotten closer because they seemed so tame, but I wasn’t going to take a chance. Their coloring blended into the grass really well.

Here’s a photo of Blake landing the helicopter with some of the state biologists on board. The propellors don’t really look like that; it’s just the way that they look when you take a photo of them. The biologists work in four hour shifts. He’ll fly two of them for four hours in the morning and then two new ones will fly with him for four hours during the afternoon. They are surveying the deer population in a part of the Blake Hills right now. I know why they call them the “Black Hills.” When I was flying into Rapid City in the airplane, the hills literally looked black from the sky. When you’re driving through them, you realize that the densely grown dark green trees make them appear black from the sky.

Well, it’s been another long day over here. I’m going to finish getting ready for dinner and go have some Thai food tonight. Dinner time is my main chance to get all my veggies and lean proteins in, so I always try to order an entree that features those two main ingredients. Last night I had a petite sirloin steak and steamed vegetables. I’m thinking a shrimp and veggie stir-fry sounds good for tonight.

Have a great day and I’ll check back in with you as soon as I can.

Take care,

Kilee

Chocolate Nut Butter Crunch Bars

Happy Friday! I am rushing around the house getting ready to take off again. I’ll be flying out of Portland early tomorrow morning and will hopefully be back with Blake by tomorrow evening. My fingers are crossed that it actually works out this time!

In preparation for my trip, I wanted to make some new snacks to take with. Because I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for, I tried to use up any perishable items that we had in the fridge and pantry. I was inspired to make a treat based of my childhood favorite, scotch-a-roo bars. I don’t even know if that’s the proper name? They are basically a peanut butter rice crispy treat with a chocolate butterscotch topping. My version omits the corn syrup, chocolate and butterscotch chips and replaces them with cocoa butter, raw cacoa powder, stevia and butterscotch extract. I should also add that this recipe makes a small serving size, so you can make up a batch and not have a huge tray sitting around on the counter.

Chocolate Nut Butter Crunch Bars

Makes 4 squares

3/4 cup gluten-free Rice Crispies cereal

2 Tablespoons nut butter (I used sunflower butter)

2 Tablespoons cocoa butter

1 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder

3 packets of stevia

1/4 teaspoon butterscotch extract

tiny pinch of salt

Heat the cocoa butter in a double boiler or in the microwave until melted. Stir in the nut butter until it is well combined. Then, stir in the coconut oil, cacao powder, stevia and butterscotch extract. Add the Rice Crispies and salt. Press into a small glass dish and place in the refrigerator. After about an hour remove the dish and slice into small squares.

I also made some homemade snack bars that Blake can take in the helicopter when he’s flying all day. One is cranberry goji berry, another is coconut macaroon and the last is chocolate cherry. I think that my homemade bars are better than any store bought brands, but let’s be honest – most of the time I just stock up on bars at Trader Joe’s.

My goal for today and tomorrow is to stay calm, relaxed and worry-free. Yesterday’s “Melt the Stress Away” post was a good reminder for me. I forgot to post a photo of my new favorite product: CALM. It’s a powdered magnesium that when mixed with water creates a bubbly concoction that is supposed to help you feel calm and sleepy. I like to take it about an hour before bedtime. You can serve it hot or cold and it comes in different flavors. I bought the Raspberry-Lemon and like the taste of it.

Am I the only person who didn’t realize the Trader Joe’s Black Bean and Veggie Enchiladas are actually Amy’s Brand of the same variety? I always waited for Amy’s frozen entrees to go on sale before buying them. Now, I don’t have to because Trader Joe’s sells them for $1.99. Thank you Mr. Joe! I had an enchilada with crumbled goat cheese over some romaine lettuce that somehow didn’t wilt in our fridge over the past week.

Look how cute my cupcake liners look stored in this Mason jar. I’d love to get a big glass jar to store my cupcake liners in. I’ll have to wait on that for now.

Blake and I don’t have cable, so I watched a ton of TV at his mom’s house (like all day last Saturaday!) Here are some of my thoughts on TV shows and current entertainment news:

“The Bachelor” stresses me out. Seriously! I always feel like I’m a girl on the show and he isn’t giving me enough attention. I actually had a hard time sleeping after watching a ridiculous episode.

It’s really sad that Whitney Houston passed away. I wasn’t too surprised when I heard the news, but it’s still very heartbreaking.

“Revenge” is one of the best ABC shows to come along in awhile.

“The Housewives of Beverly Hills” sometimes look pretty and sometimes look abnormal. I think all the “work” they’ve had done looks weird, but their hair, makeup and clothes look really good!

“Law & Order SVU” is still one of my favorite shows.

I was very surprised to find out that I love Coco (and Ice-T.) They are so cute together. I feel like my personality is very similar to Coco’s.

Watching television for a day straight is a nice luxury, but I think I’d rather read books and magazines with my free time. Oh, and commercials are really, really bad nowadays.

Wow! I feel so up-with-the-times now that I’ve had cable for the past week.

OK, I’m going to get a weights and cardio workout in, take Layla for a walk, load up my car and hit the road. Have a great day!!!

(source)

Melt the Stress Away

Hi! Sorry that I didn’t check in with you yesterday. I was driving back home to Redmond because I needed to pick up some items before taking off to visit Blake in South Dakota. I have to admit that lately I’ve been feeling a little stressed about this trip. Over the years I have gotten so much better about relaxing and going with the flow, but the anxiety still creeps up now and again.

When I drove two and a half hours to Portland last Thursday, I honestly thought that I would be flying out to see Blake by the end of the weekend. I had made Layla her vet appointment and packed my bags for the trip. Well, it ended up that I needed to drive back to Redmond to pick up my passport, an extra suitcase of gear and some of Blake’s belongings. I’m here at home and it feels really nice to be back. It’s so nice and comforting that I’m starting to think about staying home and enjoying my nice, quiet little life that I have over here. However, I really, really want to see Blake. I think I’ll end up flying out this Friday, but I know not to hold my breath!

I stumbled across this video that I had filmed when I was in Nevada a few weeks ago. I thought that it was appropriate to share with you (and myself) today to remind us that we can become less stressed and more easy going with a little work on our part. Let me know if you have any suggestions for handling stress with ease.

To decompress and relax last night, I did a new Tone It Up workout. It’s the new Valentine’s Day one. I like how I can follow along with Karena and Katrina throughout the entire workout.

Then I took a bath and did some laundry. Notice the calm and serene candles that I lit!

My dinner was a random pizza made from items in the fridge: gluten-free brown rice tortilla, pizza sauce, Daya chese, 1 egg, scallion, minced garlic, shredded lettuce and Siratcha sauce. It tasted amazing after a long drive home.

I went to bed early because the night before, I was up past midnight! I had a really fun time going out for dinner and a movie with my friends and sister. I highly recommend “The Vow” to all of my girlie friends. It was a really good Valentine’s Day. I’m happy to report that everyone loved the gluten-free red velvet cupcakes that I made. Layla was my valentine and she was a really good one. She gave me lots of kisses, appreciated the Valentine’s treats I gave her and kept me company all day long.

I’m off to do my weights workout, write out a few new client nutrition plans and pack another suitcase for my (hopeful) trip to South Dakota. Have a great day!

(source)

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Love Day! Today is a day to celebrate all the love in your life, not just a romantic partner. I’m celebrating with my valentine, Layla.

It’s pretty dreary out here in Portland today. This weather is a reminder of why Blake and I moved out to Central Oregon this fall. It hardly ever rains out there.

I’m typing this at the coffee shop near Blake’s mom’s house. I tried a rice milk latte this morning and loved it. It went perfectly with my new protein bar find. It’s by NuGo. I like a few of their bars, and appreciate the nutrition stats of this new one, but it just didn’t do it for me. Pros: 15 grams of protein, only 2 grams of sugar, 9 grams of fiber and I liked the bittersweet chocolate flavor. Cons: Kinda lacked in the overall “wow” factor.

I know that I said I probably wouldn’t bake anything for Valentine’s Day. Typing that statement made me kinda sad. I always bake for Valentine’s Day. To turn my frown upside down, I went to the store and got ingredients to make gluten-free red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Ahh-mazing! What wasn’t amazing was that I ate some of the batter (naughty, naughty Kilee.) Then, for the rest of the night I couldn’t figure out why my stomach hurt so much. My new goal is to be able to bake without picking at the raw batter. This morning, my stomach is still a little “off” from the batter.

I brought some of my cupcakes to my friends, Courtney and McKenzie. And, McKenzie had made us chocolate and Funfetti fudge. Thanks Kenze! I’m going to try some once my stomach is feeling better. We got together at a Thai restaurant in North Portland last night. It was so good to catch up with my friends and spend quality time together. Tonight, I’m getting together with more of my good friends for dinner and a movie. It’s going to be such a fun night – I already know!

Today, whether you have a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a husband, a wife or are single, be sure to share the love. This holiday is not reserved for couples in a relationship. We all have someone that we love in our lives and people who love us. Your goal for today is to share your warm love with as many people as you can. Call your grandparents, give your dog or cat a massage, go out for drinks (a glass of healthy red wine is recommended ladies) with your friends or send an e-card to your parents. Whatever you choose to do, please remember that you are amazing regardless of your relationship status! We all need to share as much love and light up as many hearts as we can today.

On another note, please don’t eat yourself into a sugar coma. This stuff will kill you. Seriously! A little is fine, but do not interpret this holiday to be a sugar-fest-free-for-all! I suggest one peice of dark chocolate or splitting dessert with your dinner date or having a few conversation hearts. Step away from the office treat table. Put that second heart-shaped donut down. You will be thanking me tomorrow.

(source)

Don’t forget that today’s the last day to take advantage of my Valentine’s Day Special. Email me at kilee (at) kileejohnson.com to reserve your spot.

Have a very, very special day today. Love yourself first and allow others into your heart.

Love,

Kilee

(source)

Gratitude Monday

Hi! I’m a little late posting today because I had to finish up some stuff around the house before heading to the coffee shop today.

I thought that I’d already be with Blake by now, but plans have changed. I’m waiting to hear from Blake about when I should fly out there. So far, it’s sounding like it’s going to be a little bit later than originally expected. He also said I should bring my passport – just in case. Seriously? I purposely leave my passport at home because I don’t want to lose it. Looks like someone will be driving back home to pick it up before flying out of Portland. He also mentioned that my suitcase that’s supposed to be with him might not be. I purposely packed my new suitcase to only contain things that weren’t in my suitcase that was left in Nevada. I’m reminding myself that everything will work out just fine.

Since I probably won’t be spending Valentine’s day with my valentine, I have another amazing date planned! Dinner and the movie, “The Vow,” with some of my best friends and sister. Is it bad that I’m almost as excited for my “back-up” date as I was for the one that was originally planned? Nah!  A night out with the girls is just as fun! I’m so thankful that I have so many close friends and family to keep me entertained while Blake is on the road for months at a time.

This brings me to a little Gratitude List that I wanted to share with you today. A gratitude list is a chance for you to write down anything that comes to mind that you are grateful for. I have a list on my iPad that I add one item to each morning. I can’t wait to review it on December 31st this year.

Monday’s Gratitude List

1. I’m thankful that I have gotten/get to see so many of my friends and family this past weekend/week.

2. I’m thankful that Layla is with me. She is my little love bug who listens to my talk all day, takes me for walks, makes me feel like I have someone who depends on me and makes me smile.

3. I’m thankful for my iPhone because it saves me when I need the internet and don’t have access to wi-fi. There have been many times when I needed to book a hotel for Blake in “The Middle of No Where, USA,” find directions to a restaurant or quickly respond to an important email.

4. I’m thankful that I get to travel with Blake. Even if it means waiting a few extra days to fly out to see him.

5. I’m thankful that I feel so happy and healthy.

Are you planning on getting in the kitchen and baking up a Valentine’s Day storm? I don’t think I’ll be baking anything this year, but wanted to share these fabulous recipe lists that were recently posted:

Food Network

Love Veggies & Yoga

Chocolate Covered Katie

What are you thankful for today?

(source)

Sunday Favorites

Hi! I’m in Portland right now. It’s actually nice enough to sit outside as I type this at Starbucks.

I wanted to share a few of my new favorites with you. I’m warning you that they have two things in common: almonds and sugar. Since it’s Sunday and my favorite day of the week to treat myself to something special, I thought I’d share with you two “new-to-me gluten-free and dairy-free” treats.

Almond Dream Ice Cream

This tastes better than I imagined it would. Since almond milk is my go-to non-dairy milk and I saw this new ice cream on sale at Fred Meyers, I picked up a pint of the vanilla flavor. It’s delicious! It tastes sweet, rich and almost like regular ice cream. I highly suggest picking up a pint if you see one at the store.

Amaretti Italian Crunchy Almond Cookies

I saw these in the gluten-free bakery section at Whole Foods. They kinda reminded me of almond biscotti. Oh, how I miss my biscotti! I have to say that these cookies made out of almond paste, sugar and egg whites are like little, crunchy bites of heaven. Expect a recipe from me once I’m back in the kitchen!

As for my plans, I don’t have any definite travel dates set yet. It sounds like I’ll be gone a little longer than last time, so I’m glad that Layla will be with us. I’m all packed up and ready to take off when I get the call from Blake. He said it’s super cold where we’re heading, so I picked up a few more wool socks and and undershirts for the trip.

I’ll leave you with a new cooking video that I filmed. One of my goals is to start making more YouTube cooking videos. This was my first attempt. I know rice is easy to cook and that’s why I chose to do a video on black rice. Apparently black rice is being toted as a new “antioxidant” super-food. I’ve always liked ordering it at Thai restaurants because it’s fun to have different colored rice!

FitSugar posted this about black rice:

“Black rice, like brown rice, retains the bran cover that is removed to make white rice. That means the grain is packed with nutritional benefits, including being rich in iron and fiber. Want to know more about this “forbidden” rice, including how it stacks up against brown rice and other cancer-fighting foods? Read more after the break.

Like many other dark red, purple, or blue foods, black rice contains great levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin, which in addition to being a stand up cancer-fighter also plays a role in preventing heart disease and improving memory.

A study earlier this year found that a spoonful of black rice bran contains more anthorcyanin than blueberries but less sugar. In fact, this noir-colored food has a higher concentration of anthocyanins than any other food! In addition, the anthocyanin’s water-solubility means that antioxidants can reach more places in the body than the oil-soluble antioxidants in other foods like brown rice.” – FitSugar

I have a few spots left this month for the Valentine’s Day Special Coaching with Kilee. Feel free to email me to set up your sessions.

I’m meeting my parents for dinner tonight. Have a great night!

Packing Up Again

Hi! What did you think of the couch chat last night? I can’t believe I messed up the posting schedule. Oh well!

I’m packing up my bags (again) and getting ready to head out on the road with Blake (again.)

I don’t know when I’m leaving or for how long, but I am certain about a few things. Layla is coming with this time, I’m packing LOTS of vitamins, E-mergencies, individual packets of protein powder, gluten-free protein bars and Layla’s food and treats.

I also packed my pink Carhartt jacket, hiking boots and Blake’s Valentine’s Day present. I’m so excited to give it to him!!!

Yesterday, I packed our bags in about and hour (I usually have such a hard time staying focused when I’m packing,) drove to Portland and got a vet appointment for Layla to get her health certificate to travel.

Last night, I took Layla for a walk and then met up with Blake’s sister for a pilates class and frozen yogurt. It was so much fun to workout, eat fro-yo and have girl talk! Thanks for the good night Jess!

Since I don’t know when I’m leaving or where I’m going with Blake, I made sure that I had lots of Tone It Up workouts saved on my laptop. I did the new Valentine’s Day one this morning and it burned my muscles!

I was also inspired to create a new little note to myself. There are times when I feel overwhelmed with stress and anxiety and I wanted to make a little, kind reminder to stay calm and go do a meditation. So, I went into Blake’s mom’s studio (she’s an amazing watercolor artist) and took out a piece of paper and some colored pencils. I made this little card to take out when I remind myself to calm down. It felt good to be creative and draw with the colored pencils.

Well, I’m off to Layla’s vet appointment and run some errands before I take off. I’ll keep you posted once I know when I’m leaving and where I’m going. I’m excited for this next adventure with Blake!

(source)

Evening Chat Session

Oops! I thought I had this post set to publish last night. Obviously, it didn’t get posted. We’ll just make it a Friday evening chat session :)

Hi! I thought that I’d start something new around here. I try to check in with everyone  in the morning, but realized that it might be fun to have evening chat sessions from my couch. I filmed this video last night. Let me know what you think!

Here’s my dinner perfection from last night:

Tortilla Pizza

Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Tortilla

Trader Joe’s Pizza sauce

Daya mozzerella cheese

Sliced portabello mushroom

Sliced spinach

clove of garlic, minced

Pecricano Ramona cheese

Preheat oven to 450ºf. Bake for 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil.

I was in heaven! I usually try to have a lean protein and veggie for dinner most nights, but a pizza was needed last night.

I also wanted to share a photo of my favorite candle with you guys. My mom makes homemade soy wax candles with vintage glasses. I love this one that I keep next to my kitchen sink. The great thing about these candles, is that they are refillable. How green!

Good night! I’ll see you tomorrow. I *might* just be leaving on a trip in the next few days. I’ll keep you posted.

- Kilee

***Don’t forget to sign up for my Valentine’s Day Coaching Special! Email me kilee (at) kileejohnson.com for setting up your sessions***

New Makeup

Good morning! Don’t you just love being a girl? Okay, I know. Sometimes I would trade places with a guy for a day or two because their lives seem much less complicated than ours. However, we girls have something that (most) guys don’t have – makeup! I love makeup. I used to study InStyle magazine for hours upon hours and try to do my makeup like the models and celebrities in the magazine. Today I wanted to step out of the health & wellness category and focus on something fun – my new makeup.

I had to buy a few new items over the past week because my makeup bag is still in Nevada with Blake. I didn’t have my luggage when I flew home and sadly all of my everyday makeup, toiletries and jewelry are in my suitcase. No big deal, because I did some “on sale” shopping in the makeup departments at Fred Meyers and Target. I used to buy all my makeup at Nordstrom. That was when I was a teenager and didn’t have any bills! Maybeline and Covergirl are almost just as good as my beloved Stila and Laura Mercier. So, without further ado, here’s my new stash of makeup:

And since I’m sharing some of our favorite new things today, I’ll leave you with my new favorite song:

Have a great day and check back later this evening because I’m going to be doing something new around here… evening chat sessions. Now, if I could just figure out how to do a livestream video on the blog!

Have a great day,

Kilee

(source)

Grain-Free Pumpkin Brownies

Well hello! Are you excited about this grain-free dessert that I promised you. I almost wish I hadn’t  made a full batch of these brownies because every time I went into the kitchen yesterday, I had to sample a bite or two. I have been baking gluten-free desserts for four years now, but haven’t experimented much with grain-free baking. After seeing all of the delicious grain-free recipes over on Detoxinista’s and iheartwellness’ blogs, I was inspired to get started.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tablespoon vanilla

10 drops liquid vanilla stevia

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºf.

Place all of the wet ingredients in a blender and blend on medium speed. Once the wet ingredients are completely blended, add all of the dry ingredients besides the chocolate chips and walnuts. Blend on low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and incorporate them into the batter with a spatula.

Spray an 8″x 8″ or 9″x 9″ metal baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (make sure it does not contain flour.) Pour and spread your batter evenly into the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Once the brownies are baked, allow them to cool for about two hours before slicing and removing them from the pan. I found them a little hard to get out of the pan I used, but I think if you slice them with a sharp knife and then use a spatula to remove them from the pan, they should stay together better than mine did.

Do not try to bake them in a special triangle pan like I did, because they will be a royal pain to get out!

I was curious to see the nutrition stats on this new brownie recipe, so I calculated it out online:

Not too bad for a brownie, right? However, don’t get carried away “testing” these brownies, because half the tray will be gone by the time you know it!

Look at the beautiful sunrise I woke up to this morning:

It snowed a little bit here last night. I was really surprised to see snow when I took Layla potty outside last night. That little sleepyhead is snoring on the couch as I type this. She usually likes to sleep until around 9 or 10 and then get up to start her day. Haha!

I’m going to go doing my treadmill workout at the gym, run some errands in town that I forgot to do yesterday (sometimes I get flustered and sidetracked when I’m running errands only to end  back up at the house with only half of my items completed!) and work on some client nutrition plans at Starbucks.

Have a great day today!!!

Much love,

Kilee

(source)

Valentine’s Day Special

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the sweet comments and emails that I received over the past two days. I’m honored to share my story with you and hope that I can help as many women as possible overcome personal struggles. We all deserve to be happy & healthy.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I wanted to celebrate the LOVE around here by offering a Valentine’s Day Special:

See what other women have been sharing about my coaching and nutrition programs:

We can set up your session through Skype, FaceTime or over the phone, whichever you prefer. In addition to our time spent chatting, you’ll receive personalized food and recipe recommendations along with personal growth exercises to practice on your own. I’m here to help you overcome any obstacles that you are currently facing in regards to your health and well being.

Please email me (kilee@kileejohnson.com) to set up your Valentine’s Day Coaching Special by February 14th.

I’ll be back in a little later this morning with a new grain-free dessert recipe. I got all creative in the kitchen yesterday :)

Have a great day today,

Kilee

(source)

My Story…Continued

Now that I’ve spilled all my bad habits, struggles and woes, I want to share with you how I overcame these adversities. It took time, patience, forgiveness, dedication and support. I took small steps and little by little I started to feel, look and act like the Kilee you know today. Here is an abbreviated version of how I stepped into my healthy, happy self:

Started to Do Things I’m Good At

I have always had a passion for cooking and started to research recipes online and create delectable dinners for Blake and I each night. I would look at all types of recipes, go to the store after work to buy the necessary ingredients and race home to make our elaborate dinner night after night. I don’t remember having too many left-overs because we would almost always eat up whatever I cooked and I wanted to try a new recipe the next night. I was so happy cooking in the kitchen!

At work, I utilized my graphic design skills and started to develop magazine AD campaigns for the company. I remember feeling so proud of my work and knowing that my skills were helping the company attract new customers. I started seeing myself as a valuable employee and possessing skills that not a lot of people had. This boosted my self esteem and gave me a greater sense of purpose.

Signed Up to Work With a Personal Trainer

I truly believe that my self confidence took a turn for the better when I started to work out with the lovely, Suzie Conney of Suzie Trains Maui. I have always loved to work out, but found myself skipping workouts or not knowing what to do to shed fat and build lean muscle.  Suzie did more than just show me what exercises to do at the gym. She introduced me to stand up paddle boarding (which is one of my favorite activities ever,) she helped me see myself as a capable, strong woman and she encouraged me to do the things I love. I am forever grateful for her kind heart and inspiring presence.

Began Listening to Personal Development Audio Books

I love to read and have many, many health and nutrition books. However, there is such convenience that comes with audio books. You can listen to them in the car, while you work out or in bed at night. I credit Blake to introducing me to the amazing works of Anthony Robins, Brian Tracy and Napoleon Hill. I started to see the connection between what you think and what happens in your life. I also started reading books by powerful female authors including Louise Hay, Debbie Ford and Gabrielle Bernstien. Reading about how these authors had overcome challenges and created their best life inspired me to start creating mine.

Learned New Coping Skills

Something that I didn’t realize was that I had never developed healthy coping skills. I had such a sheltered childhood that I rarely had anything to get upset about. I remember a few occasions where I did something wrong and ended up sobbing uncontrollably. Fast forward to being 22 years old and feeling really upset and unsure about your life. I didn’t know how to cope with issues that would come up or feelings that I had. I instantly wanted sugar to numb whatever pain I was feeling. What helped me adopt new coping skills was first recognizing that I was feeling upset. Telling myself that I could choose to accept that these emotions were coming up and then try to work through them.

It was not easy. I still sometimes have a tendency to want a cookie when uneasy feelings start to emerge. But, I’ve now mastered new coping skills to work through these fears. I also like to get out of my fearful mindset by calling a friend on the phone, taking a bath, reminding myself of all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for or taking out my journal and writing about any feelings or thoughts that come up. Also, becoming more forgiving of myself and others has been very helpful. As I started to accept my faults and not hold others to such high standards, I started to be okay with things not being “perfect.”

Telling Myself That I Am Amazing

As corny as this statement sounds, it has done wonders for my self esteem and poor body image. When I first heard about positive affirmations, I thought that they sounded ridiculous and self-absorbed. I decided to try them anyway. I would tell myself, “I am beautiful inside and out. I am so talented. I am happy and healthy, etc.” At first, I thought I sounded silly and didn’t think much about them. Then over time, I started to believe these statements that I was telling myself. One of the best, easiest, and cheapest ways to start feeling better about yourself is to tell yourself three positive affirmations while standing in front of the mirror each morning. You are amazing! Now, go tell that to yourself.

Quit Eating Gluten

This was the single best decision that I have made for my health. I know that not everyone has a difficult time digesting gluten, but I had multiple ailments that were healed by removing gluten from my diet. Daily stomach aches that started around 10 every morning, a bloated stomach that resembled being 4-5 months along, anxiety and overwhelming feelings that something was wrong with me, mental fog, acne, embarrassing gas and about 10-15 unhealthy pounds of fat.

The first day that I stopped eating gluten was the first day in ages that I didn’t get a stomach ache! A few weeks later I realized my stomach wasn’t bloated and I wasn’t gassy like I used to be. A few more weeks went by and my anxiety and fearful thoughts stopped. A few months later I realized I had lost 10 pounds without dieting. After six months had passed, I was amazed at how “clear” my thoughts were. This was so such a weird feeling to experience. It literally felt like my thoughts were behind a fog that had slowly lifted. By this point, I knew there was no way that I could go back to eating gluten. It just didn’t agree with my body chemistry.

Getting Out of the House to Go Have Fun

It seems so simple, but when you feel so low and bad about yourself, pulling yourself together to get out of the house can be such a challenge. I was always able to get up and go to work throughout the week, I’m thankful for that. But, on my days off, I could not bring myself to get dressed and go out to enjoy myself. I felt like I didn’t “deserve” to have fun and go do new fun things. I was able to work through this by reminding myself that we all deserve to have fun and enjoy ourselves on our days off. I’d make plans to go for a walk with a friend or rent a board and go paddle boarding. I knew that I would have fun and feel better about myself if I got outside and did something. By reminding myself of how good I would feel later on if I just got out and did something, I was motivated to slip on my flip flops and head out the door.

As you can see, it was not one thing that helped me overcome my issues. I had to start being kind to myself, learn to love myself the way I was and continue to work on overcoming my struggles. It didn’t happen overnight, but day by day, I started to feel healthier and happier. I think when I realized that I was in control of my thoughts and could create my best life, I stepped up to the plate and started to make positive changes in my life. I know that if you are struggling with any of the issues that I had, you too can overcome them. I have faith that you have the power to work through any negative traits starting today. You can choose to overcome them.

One of the best ways to start working through an issue is to first admit to yourself that you have one. You’re not a bad or damaged person. You’re real. We all have negative issues that weight us down. Then reach out and learn how you can work through it. Buy a book, talk to a mentor or someone who has overcome what you’re going through, hire a counselor or coach. Whatever you do, don’t sit around and wallow in your own self pity!

I feel a lot better and more open with you now that I’ve shared how I was able to overcome these negative issues and live my best healthy, happy life. My life purpose is to help other women create their own happy, healthy life and I feel lucky to get to share my life and the lessons I learn with you through this blog.

Layla says, "Hi!" She's happy to be back home.

Have a great day and feel free to comment below or email me with any personal issues that you are in the process of working through. I’m here to help you lead your healthy, happy life!

Much love,

Kilee

Don’t forget to comment on *this* post if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook to be entered in the GIVEAWAY!

My Story: Part 1

Hi! Happy Monday. Did you go to a Super Bowl party? Did you get outside and go for a walk? Did you prepare your healthy meals for the week? Whatever you did, I hope you had an enjoyable day. I was chatting with the lovely Kris at iheartwellness and we were talking about how I could share my gifts and talents with even more people than I currently do. I know in my heart that I am here on this earth to help other women feel their best and to help others overcome challenges that I have struggled with in the past.

In order to better help you and other women, I think it’s best if I go back and share my personal story. It’s something that I have put off for quite a while because it’s frightening to me to share the low points of my 26 years on this planet. But, if I can help other women see that I’ve been there and have overcome these obstacles and now lead an amazing, healthy, happy life, it’s worth it. This isn’t a weight-loss story or a tale of how I overcame substance abuse. It’s my story of how I took control of my health and happiness naturally. I’m going to spread this out over two posts because I have so much to share and don’t want to overwhelm you.

I loved arts and crafts projects

I got started baking at a young age

Childhood

I was always a very creative and outgoing child. I loved to be in front of the camera, had a lot of friends and was always busy with my arts and craft projects. My life was idealistic and I was lucky to have such a great family and support system. Something changed when I was in the 5th grade; my best friend had recently moved to a new school and the friends that I had school started to distance themselves from me and made fun of me. I didn’t understand why they suddenly didn’t like me and I started to feel alienated at school.

The following year, my family moved to a new town and I attended a new middle school. I felt like I was being “passed” around the playground by different cliques of students and didn’t really connect with any of my new classmates. I focused on my studies and was always in the accelerated learning classes. My 7th grade year, I was in a math class with all 8th-graders, the class above mine. I started to make a few new friends and felt like I connected with them a little better than with my fellow classmates. In my final year of middle school, the class above mine was already at the high school and I remember making a few new friends within my class, but never feeling like I really “fit in” with everyone.

High School

Running cross country and track became my main focus outside of my classes at the high school. I loved running and dedicated myself to being disciplined when it came to training for races. I made friends right away with two girls on the cross country team, twin sisters. They were in the class above mine and we have been close friends ever since. I was even a bridesmaid in Laura’s wedding this past summer. Back to high school! The first three years went pretty smoothly. I excelled in school and always received “A’s” in my classes. My perfectionism was in full swing all throughout high school. I thought I had to be “perfect” at everything or people would not approve of me. I would get so stressed if I got a poor grade on an assignment, if I didn’t meet my goal time in a race or if my hair didn’t look good that day. I honestly thought that if I could be just like Martha Stewart, my life would be perfect! I now see the irony in this thought.

I had my two friends, Lindsey & Laura, and we did everything together. I still didn’t feel that close or comfortable with most of the other students, but it didn’t really bother me too much.

Sophomore year of high school, I had the BIGGEST crush on Blake, but never got up the nerve to talk to him. He now says that he had no idea I even liked him. Junior year, we somehow got hooked up to go to a formal dance together and I knew that this was my chance to test the waters to see if he liked me. We started hanging out and within a month or two, we were dating. Sometimes, I wish we started dating when we were older because he remembers all these embarrassing things that I said and did back in high school!

Fast forward to Senior year. I turned into a little stress ball! Lindsey and Laura moved to California for college, Blake moved two hours away to live with him mom and I felt like no one liked me. I now see this feeling as a theme that started back in 5th grade and continued up until a few years ago, but I’m over that now. All of a sudden I felt depressed. I started crying all. the. time. I felt sick to my stomach for weeks at a time. I had anxiety about how well I would do in my races, if I would get good enough grades to be awarded college scholarships and if Blake was dating other girls at his new school. I missed Blake, Lindsey and Laura so much and I honestly felt like no one else liked me.

I ended up not doing track my senior year because I felt so miserable and didn’t want to added pressure of competing in track meets. I graduated as one of our classes valedictorians and remember feeling embarrassed to speak in front of all my classmates. However, I was so thankful to be headed off to college and leaving my small, hometown behind.

My “Core” friends: Courtney & McKenzie

College

I told myself before I took off for college that I was going to a) make lots of new friends and b) be more easy going than I had been throughout high school. It’s amazing what what you can achieve when you make yourself believe things because I made some amazing friends my first day there and felt a little more relaxed about things than I had in high school.

My new friends, challenging classes and fun social life made college a lot more enjoyable than high school. Though, one thing was missing from new life: Blake. Seriously! I think I had to tell every guy that I dated in college about him and I ended up visiting him a few times throughout college. Finally, right before my senior year of college, we got back together and I traveled to Maui any chance I got to visit him. This is also when my anxiety hit an all-time high. I was so convinced that I had to look like a super-model for Blake to want to keep me as his girl friend. (Long story, but I got over it.) I also started to stay in a lot more instead of going out to parties with my friends. I felt like I didn’t “deserve” to go out and have fun because I didn’t look good enough or feel good enough about myself. (Again, I got over this.) The year drug on as I cried and cried, resorted to anti-anxiety pills and started to see a student counselor to help me work through some of my issues. I’m also lucky because Blake was so supportive of my craziness throughout the whole year.

On one of my many hikes on Maui

Layla got all wet from going in the water during this hike.

Post-College

I made it through my senior year of college (I’m seeing a theme with these rough senior years in school) and moved to Maui as soon as I graduated. I thought that my life would be perfect now that I was living with Blake in a tropical paradise. I got a rude awakening! Yes, I was so happy to be with Blake and the sun and beaches were amazing, but I started to experience some major issues within my life:

PMDD

I finally started putting 2 & 2 together. I was an emotional wreck the week before my period. I would spend my days off in bed crying all day. This leads to a very puffy face and unproductive day! I felt like I didn’t deserve to go to the beach or go shopping in the cute shops. I don’t know where those feelings were coming from. My mind would race about all the things that were “wrong” with me. Some mornings, I felt so bad about myself that Blake would sit down and try to “coach” me through these feelings. Let’s just say that the week before my period was especially dreaded each month.

Poor Body Image

I’m like every other girl out there. We look at the celebrities and models in the magazines and wish that our body looked more like theirs. I was working out less and less and my stomach was becoming more and more bloated from the foods that I was eating. I was so embarrassed of how I looked and didn’t want to be seen in my day to day attire let alone a swimsuit. I’d sometimes cry before we went kite boarding and make Blake promise that I looked good enough to go to the beach with him.

Bingeing and Purging

I had bouts of time where I would feel so overwhelmed with my negative emotions and feelings that I would crave the comfort of sugary foods. I remember eating a bowl of ice cream or a plate of cookies and then feeling so bad about myself that I would make myself throw up. I later learned that I was lacking healthy coping skills and this practice was my way of trying to make myself feel better. Luckily, my experience with bingeing and purging was off-and-on and there were oftentimes months between my episodes. I have felt so embarrassed by this piece of my past, that I almost chose not to share it. However, I know that there are other women out there who are going through the same struggles that I have gone through and I want to help them see that they can overcome anything!

Low Self Confidence

There were times when I lived on Maui that felt like I was just following in the shadows of Blake. He had a successful helicopter tour company, he was a pilot, he knew a lot of people around the island, he was my boss at work and he had a whole life set up for himself before I moved there. I gave up on my passions in life and this lead to me forgetting my strengths and what I’m good at. I lost a piece of myself by choosing not to follow my own dreams, stay creative and pursue my own passions. I started to feel worse and worse about myself.

Negative Mindset & Complaining

This lack of confidence, poor body image and overall negativity on my part manifested itself into me becoming a huge complainer. I was always able to stay positive and kind at work and in public, but behind closed doors, I was a complaining machine. I complained to Blake about everything. “All we do is stuff for you and your business. I look fat. I don’t want to go here or there. I just want you to come home and spend time with me.” This behavior went on for a good year or two, I’m very embarrassed to report. Looking back, I now understand that it was all because I wasn’t happy with myself and my choices and I was taking it out on poor Blake.

Gluten-Intolerance

I had always had an upset stomach. Like literally, every single day my stomach would hurt. I also had a bloated stomach that got progressively larger as the day went on. I had really bad, embarrassing gas. My anxiety was starting to flare up. I had this weird mental fog (that I didn’t even realize until I cut the gluten out and my mind became so much clearer.) I was crying all the time. My facial acne was getting worse each month. Let’s just say that I was not cute or fun to be around. I was eating what I thought were healthy foods: whole grain cereals, turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta dinners. I had heard about gluten-intolerance from a friend and even tried a gluten-free diet back in college. What I didn’t know at that time, was that gluten is a tricky little bugger that is in tons of unsuspecting foods. My health and well-being was getting progressively worse as I continued to consume gluten in my diet.

Lack of Life Passion

I have always known that I was meant to accomplish great feats. I’m a hard worker and will bust my butt to get the job done. What was going on back then was that I wasn’t pursuing any of my passions. I wasn’t making homemade cards or creating new workouts. I didn’t know that I could inspire and help other women to feel their best and live their healthy, happy life. I was literally just plugging along, working for Blake’s company and not making an effort to do the things that bring me joy.

Are you depressed yet? Seriously, reading the struggles that I’ve gone through and remembering how I felt during those times is painful. I promise that I have a happy ending to my story. It’s coming up in tomorrow’s post. As embarrassing as it is for me to share my weakest moments, I know that I am able to help other women overcome these painful issues and live a life full of health, self-confidence, positivity and happiness.

I’ll be back tomorrow with all the information about how I overcame each and every one of these issues. Do you ever feel better when you tell others about your past or what you’ve overcome?  I’m hoping I feel better once I hit “Publish!”

Don’t forget to comment on *this* post if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook to be entered in the giveaway!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Shake & Gluten-Free Cookie Review

Hi! How is everyone’s weekend going? Mine has been wonderful. I got a lot done around the house and blog yesterday. I added a new “Newsletter Sign-Up” over to the right in the side bar. You can also sign-up to receive my weekly newsletter *here*. It will be filled with gluten-free recipes, healthy lifestyle tips and ways to feel your best. Be sure to sign up and I’ll keep you up to date with my weekly tips and recipes.

Today is a treat type of day. It’s Sunday, the day that I’m most likely to bake some gluten-free cookies or make an elaborate dinner. However, today’s recipe and cookie review require almost no time in the kitchen. That’s right! You don’t have to bake your own gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. You can just pop into your local Trader Joe’s for a batch of their New Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies or you can blend up your own chocolate chip protein shake at home in your blender.

Chocolate Chip Protein Shake

Serves 1 girl (or guy) who’s craving a chocolate chip cookie, but needs to drink a protein shake

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (whey or brown rice)

1 heaping tablespoon oats (rolled or quick-cook)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon butter extract

1/2 – 1 frozen banana cut into chunks

3-4 ice cubes

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

pinch of sea salt

pinch of baking soda (optional, but it creates more of a cookie dough flavor)

1 tablespoon milk, semi or dark chocolate chips

Place all of the ingredients besides that chocolate chips in the blender and blend on high for one minute. Once the shake is well blended, add the chocolate chips and blend for about 15-20 seconds on medium speed. Enjoy your shake!

Product Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have to start out this review by sharing that the cashier at Trader Joe’s informed me that these cookies are better than the regular flour chocolate chip cookies they sell. This made me happy to hear. I was also happy to read on the nutrition label that there are no weird ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, rice flour, butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, xantham gum & water. Those are the exact ingredients that I use in my chocolate chip cookie recipe! Now I can have the convenience of a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie without having to go in the kitchen and bake up a batch myself.

Because these have regular sugar and chocolate chips, I consider these more of a special treat than an everyday type of snack. The calorie content is pretty low: 70 calories per cookie. Seeing that I eat at least a cookie’s worth of batter plus a few baked cookies when I bake them, the 70 calories for one cookie is a bargain compared to the amount of calories consumed when baking cookies.

The cookies taste amazing! They are crispy and have the perfect amount of sweetness, saltiness and crunch. I usually prefer soft and cake-like cookies, but these are right up there with the Nestle Tollhouse gluten-free version I bake at home. The only downside to these cookies is that they are addicting (is that a downside?) and you might be inclined to go back for seconds or thirds. One thing that I like about the packaging is that there are two plastic trays with seven cookies each sealed in plastic wrap. This means that if you open one bag, the other bag of cookies stays sealed and fresh.

I highly recommend these gluten-free cookies from Trader Joes to anyone – gluten-free or not.

Has anyone tried these cookies? What do you think?

Don’t forget that I’m hosting a giveaway contest once my Facebook & Twitter accounts hit 100 followers each. If you follow me on either social media sites, leave a comment *here* and you’ll be entered to win a batch of gluten-free cookies, NuNaturals Stevia & Artisana Nut Butter, plus an assortment of my favorite gluten-free protein bars.

Have fun today whether you’re watching the Super Bowl or just hanging out!

(source)

Gluten-Free Superfood No-Bake Cookies + Giveaway Announcement

Welcome to Superbowl Weekend! Since I am not one bit interested in the Superbowl, I will be doing what a lot girls like to do when football games are on TV – reading magazines! I have never been a big sports fan and eating a bunch of chips and dip does not set well with my stomach anyway. So, I’ll be laying low, indulging in some girlie magazines and maybe cooking something in the kitchen. Speaking of cooking, I finally went to the grocery store today and stocked up on some much needed fresh produce. I feel like the only vegetables I ate over the past two weeks were either iceberg lettuce or steamed vegetables with dinner. I’m envisioning lots of green smoothies and salads in my future :)

I was excited to get back in the kitchen and whip up a healthy treat to share with you. Has anyone tried those Brookside dark chocolate pomegranate candies that they sell at Costco? I think I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s too? Anyways, I wanted to combine them with some gluten-free Rice Crispies that I picked up at the store today. Here is your super-easy, quick gluten-free treat recipe:

Gluten-Free Superfood No-Bake Cookies

Makes 8 cookies

1 cup gluten-free Rice Crispies cereal

2 Tablespoons chopped dried cherries

2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons brown rice syrup

1 Tablespoon honey (or brown rice syrup. I just like the flavor and the health benefits of honey)

1/4 cup almond butter (or your favorite nut butter)

2 Tablespoons organic brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 Brookside dark chocolate pomegranate or acai candies or Trader Joe’s Superfruit candies

Pinch of sea salt

In a medium size bowl, mix the Rice Crispies, dried cherries and sliced almonds.

I am the only one who thought Rice Crispies were already gluten-free? I guess there is malt extract in the regular variety? These new ones are made with brown rice too!

In a small saucepan or microwave-safe dish, combine the brown rice syrup, honey and almond butter. Heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble or microwave on high for roughly 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and salt and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture over the contents of the bowl and use a spatula or your hands to combine. Roll into 8 small balls and set on a piece of parchment paper. Push a chocolate covered candy into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, but they might harden over time.

Okay, well I’m off to take Layla for her walk and get together with one of my friends here in Redmond. Have a great day and let me know if you try the new cookie recipe. It’s super easy and takes maybe 5-10 minutes!

*** Giveaway Alert ***

As you may know, I have Facebook and Twitter accounts set up for the blog. Once each account hits 100 followers, I will draw a number and send a gluten-free gift pack to the winner. It will include a batch of gluten-free cookies, NuNaturals Stevia, Artisiana nut butter and an assortment of my favorite gluten-free protein bars. I’ll even throw Layla in there too! Haha – that would never happen!!! All you have to do is *like* my Facebook and/or Twitter accounts and leave a comment below stating that you did so. Feel free to leave two comments if you follow both accounts. I’ll announce the winner here on the blog, Twitter and Facebook once the drawing takes place. Any questions, just ask!

(source)

11 Questions Post

Happy Friday! Today we are going to do something a little different than usual. The lovely Kris at iheartwellness tagged me to play a little game that’s been floating around the blogsphere lately. Since I had a lot of free time on my recent trip, I sat down in the truck one day and had some fun answering these questions and thinking up some new ones.

11 Random Facts About Moi

1 .   I  love my morning cup of coffee with stevia and non-dairy creamer. I’ve tried to ditch the  creamer for years, but it’s just not as enjoyable!

2 .   I   have my ears pierced twice, but only wear earrings in my bottom holes..

3 .   I   always knock on wood when I say something that I don’t want to happen.

4 .   My boyfriend, Blake, is my high school sweetheart.

5 .   I would rather wear cute workout clothes than any other type of clothing.

6 .   I get extremely cranky if I go too long without food.

7 .   I am a crazy dog mom who worries about her little girl all the time.

8 .   My two favorite types of radio stations are country and 80′s soft rock.

9 .    I get really excited to go out to dinner at a good restaurant.

1 0 .   I believe that everyone would benefit from taking a daily probiotic, multivitamin and E-mergency.

1 1 .   I have never been outside of the USA & Canada, but dream of traveling the globe.

H e r e   a r e   K r i s ‘   q u e s t i o n s   a n d   a n s w e r s :

1 .   W h a t   i s   o n e   t h i n g   t h a t   y o u   a b s o l u t e l y   l o v e   a b o u t   y o u r s e l f ?

I love my commitment to treat others the way that I would like to be treated. It’s such a simple, beneficial way to live your life.

2 .   W h a t   i s   a   p a s s i o n   o f   y o u r s   t h a t   y o u   w a n t   t o   s h a r e   w i t h   t h e   w o r l d ?

A passion of mine that I want to share with the world is my love of cooking and using healthy ingredients that help us feel and look our best.

3 .   W h a t   i s   y o u r   f a v o r i t e   s n a c k   f o o d   o f   a l l   t i m e ?

That is a tough one! For healthy snacks, I love Fuji apples and for less healthy snacks, I really like kettle corn. The freshly popped type that you can get at street fairs is my favorite.

4 .   W h a t   i s   y o u r   f a v o r i t e   v a c a t i o n   s p o t ?

Even though we lived on Maui for a few years, it is still one of my favorite vacations spots because the island has a special feeling that is indescribable. I even posted some of my Maui restaurant recommendations here.

5 .   D o   y o u   p r e f e r   a n   e v e n i n g   i n   o r   a   n i g h t   o u t   o n   t h e   t o w n ?

Definitely a night in with Blake, but an occasional night out on the town is fun too.

6 .   H o w   m a n y   h o u r s   d o   y o u   s l e e p   a   n i g h t ?

7-8 usually, but 8-9 is even better!

7 .   W h a t   d o   y o u   d o   f o r   a   l i v i n g ?

I am a nutritional consultant and gluten-free cookbook author. I help women learn how to make food choices that benefit  their health and  well-being. We work together to make healthy lifestyle choices  and realistic meal plans.

8 .   H o w   l o n g   h a v e   y o u   b l o g g e d   a n d   w h y   d i d   y o u   s t a r t ?

I started blogging in 2010 and took a few months off during  the 2010-2011 fall and winter. I started a blog because I wanted to connect with other like-minded people and share my gluten-free recipes with others.

9 .   W h a t   i s   y o u r   f a v o r i t e   s i t e   t o   v i s i t   d a i l y ?

I love looking at foodgawker.com because the photographs are beautiful and the food always inspires  me to get in the kitchen.

1 0 .   W h a t   i s   y o u r   g u i l t y   l i t t l e   p l e a s u r e ?

Well,  I don’t feel that guilty about my little pleasures as long as I don’t overindulge.  I eat self-serve frozen yogurt about once a week and I love Sour Patch Kids candies. I have found an amazing, healthy replacement   for SPK candy – golden berries. They are these little sweet and sour dried berries, similar to raisins. Yum! I love them and they supply a good amount of vitamin A.

1 1 .   O n e   w o r d   t h a t   p e o p l e   w o u l d   u s e   t o   d e s c r i b e   y o u ?

Kind. I hope to be remembered as a kind-hearted human being.

Okay bloggers, I’m challenging you to these 11  questions. Please tell us 11 random facts about yourself, answer the following questions, tag 11 new bloggers and come up with 11 new questions for them.

McKenzie @ Life on Glory Acres

Drew@ Imbibing in the Bay

Hayley @ Things That Make Hayley Happy

Suzie @ SuzieTrainsMaui

Gina @ Fitnessista

Heather @ Heather Eats Almond Butter

Naomi @ One Fit Foodie

Angela @ Hol:Fit

Lisa @ With Style & Grace

Jill @ Hey That Tastes Good

Allie @ Sorry, I Can’t Eat That

11 New Questions:

1. What is the first thing that you do when you wake up in the morning?

2. What is the scariest thing that you have ever done?

3. What do you want to accomplish in 2012?

4. If you could trade a day in the life with anyone, who would that be?

5. What makes you really, really excited?

6. What is your favorite dessert?

7. If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

8. What is the nicest thing that someone has done for you?

9. When do you feel your most relaxed?

10. What is a habit of yours that you would like to discontinue?

11. How would you like to be remembered once you leave this earth?

Wow! That was a lot of Q & A! I’m going to be updating my Facebook & Twitter accounts today. Be sure to *follow* me to stay up with the latest news. Sometimes it’s easier to post something on Facebook or Twitter than to write a whole new blogpost. Stay tuned for more fun recipes and updates!

Take care,

Kilee

(source)

Healthy Foods to Eat On The Road

Hi! I’m so happy to be back home in Redmond. I picked up Layla from the doggie hotel. We were going to spend the night at my sister’s house in Portland, but I kept missing the exit I wanted to take and ended up south of Wilsonville. By that time, I called my dad and had him check the roads to drive home through Salem and they were fine. Wahoo – I drove home last night and I’m glad I did because poor Layla was sick half the night :(

She’s feeling better today. We already went for our walk and she’s slept the rest of the day away. I wanted to share two new videos that I filmed while on my trip. Are you sick of my videos yet? They are about how to eat some-what healthy while your only food options are from truck stops and mini-marts. Again, these are not foods that I necessarily eat every day, but when you are very limited while on the road, these are some healthier options.

What are your favorite go-to foods when you need to pick something up at a truck stop or mini-mart?

Have a great day,

Kilee

(source)

Pics From the Road

Good morning! I am so happy to tell you that I will be flying back to Portland today. It has been an unexpectedly long trip out here to Nevada and I want to thank you for hanging in there with me throughout this journey. I was really excited to call the doggie hotel and tell them that I would be picking up Layla tonight. I hear that she has a new boyfriend – a papillon named, Maximilian. My sister is picking me up from the airport and then it’s straight to pick up Layla.

I took a bunch of photos and videos out here on the road. Even though I was in Reno, Elko and Eureka, Nevada, the landscape pretty much looked the same outside of the cities.

One thing that was new to me was “basque” style dining. It’s where they bring a ton of different side dishes to the table and serve them family style. Then everyone orders a main entree and leaves the restaurant stuffed to the brim with all types of foods. I usually just ordered the side dishes and a baked potato or had a few bites of Blake’s steak because all the side dishes were a meal in and of themselves. There is a specific type of salad dressing that all the restaurants use called “basque” dressing. It’s a white mayonnaise/vinegar/garlic/hard boiled egg based dressing that is addicting. I’m going to try to recreate it at home. The dinners always started with a big pot of soup and bread, then salad, then green beans, potatoes, beans, and spaghetti plus whatever entree you order. The two restaurants that I ate at in Elko were The Star Hotel and Toki Ona. They were both delicious!
I did a lot of driving in areas with hardly any radio. This gave me plenty of time to think about things and reflect on the multiple lessons that I learned throughout this trip. I would say the most beneficial life lesson that I learned and practiced on this trip was “attitude is everything.” It is safe to say that almost everything that could go wrong, went wrong on the job that Blake is on right now. I wasn’t even supposed to be with him at the job site, but it ended up that way. Instead of complaining and being in a bad mood the whole time, I practiced staying calm, nice and upbeat. It really helped keep up the moral of our group and I believe that little things went smoother because of our positive attitude.

For example, we checked into one of our hotels to find out that the heater in our room wasn’t working. We kindly asked the hotel manager to look at it and he brought us a portable heater plus extra blankets for the bed. When we got back to the room the next night, the heater was fixed plus we still had the portable heater for extra warmth.

Another example is when I was without my luggage and my cell phone battery was dying. Two different people that I was around offered to let me use their chargers to recharge my phone. I made a lot of new friends on this trip by staying in a good mood and being friendly to everyone around me. However, I did still have a few breaking points, but I learned from those too.

Something that I reminded myself throughout the trip was that the universe does not hand you more than you can handle. There were times when I was scared driving in four wheel drive, swerving down a muddy road, but I reminded myself that all would be okay and I would be safe. There were also times when I had to have one of the guys hop in and drive too, but I am now confident in my off-road driving and backing up a trailer skills.

I’m not going to go into all the details of what went wrong, but let’s just say that my patience was tested and I was outside of my comfort zone for a good part of the past week. I’m so thankful that I got to spend this time on the road and job site with Blake and I have an even greater appreciation of what he does for his job. The only thing that could have made this trip complete would have been if little miss Layla was out there with us. I’ll bring her out on my next trip!

I also want to share two of the videos that I filmed recently. I’m getting a lot more used to filming videos now. I’ll be back with some healthy eating videos that I made over the past few days. Take care and I’ll be posting from home next time I see you!

Much love,
Kilee