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.
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!!!
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!
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.
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:
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.
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!
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!
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 andiheartwellness’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.
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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
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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 atiheartwellnessand 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.
Our first formal dance together. We were dressed as the couple from the movie, “Pearl Harbor”
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!
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.combecause 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.
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!
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!
I am sorry for this post being held up a day or two. I flew to visit Blake in Reno last Friday expecting to visit for a night or two. However, because of some maintenance issues with the helicopter and a lack of a fuel truck driver, I ended up driving the fuel truck to Elko, NV and then to Eureka, NV. We have had very limited cell phone and Wi-fi over the past few days. I love being out on the road with Blake and now have a better understanding of what his days are like when he’s out here working. I can sum it up in three words: long, strenuous and exhausting. He’s up by 5 am each morning and gets done working around 7 pm each night. They only days that he gets off are if there is a “weather day” which means that he can’t fly in the weather conditions.
If Layla was out on the road with us, I would stay for a month or more. However, she is back home in a doggie hotel and I need to make it back home to her. Me getting a flight home right now has become an issue because they’re are no commercial flights out of Eureka and I have to wait until this job is completed (3-5 days) before I can get to a town that has a flight back to Portland.
So, this unexpected trip with limited clothing, lack of fresh, healthy foods and unpredictability of length has made me once again practice my patience and “go with the flow” attitude.
So, we end our month of cleansing with the last few days focusing on transitioning back to a more “everyday” diet. No foods are off limits, but choose wisely about which foods you would like to add back into your diet. I strongly suggest continuing to abstain from refined sugar, trans fats and large amounts of caffeine. With each food that you reintroduce, pay close attention to how your body and mind feels after eating it. If you can, try to only reintroduce one type of food every 3-4 days to fully be able to pinpoint any foods that may not react well with your body.
You may pick and chose any meals that you enjoyed during the cleanse (maybe the green smoothies or large salads for lunch) that you may wish to continue as part of your daily diet. Do not feel pressured to continue as strict of a diet, but remember not to switch gears in the opposite direction and eat a ton of unhealthy foods all at once.
You may want to choose one day of the week where you choose to eat a menu close to one of the cleanse meal plans from the previous weeks or you may want to do another 1-week cleanse some time in the next few months. Please remember to keep a balanced approach and do not risk your health or well-being to participate in an extreme “cleanse” that you know will leave you feeling beat instead of energized.
For those who participated (even for a week or two,) did you feel an improvement in your energy or mood? Did you end up a little lighter than you were on December 31st? Please let me know your personal experience with the cleanse and if you wish that it had been different in any way.
I need to go get ready for dinner and hit the hay before another early wake up call in the morning. I’ll let you know once I’m back home in Oregon. At this rate, it might not be until next week! Take care and be proud of any healthy nutrition or lifestyle choices that you have made this past month!
Hi! I hope that you’re having a great day so far. I wanted to fill you in on some lessons that I learned while visiting Blake in Reno. I tend to do a lot of personal growth and lesson learning when out on the road with Blake. You might remember lessons I shared this past summer and fall while visiting Blake in Alaska. There is something about being out of my comfort zone and having to deal with the unpredictability that comes with his job and being on the road that makes for challenges and learning lessons. I am a strong believer that going through tough situations and challenges helps you to grow as a person and better prepare you for your journey in life.
Sometimes I feel embarrassed to share my stories of when I haven’t acted my best or struggles that I’ve gone through, but I remind myself that I’m here to help others work through these same challenges. I want to inspire you to get back up and keep living your best life. We all hit speed bumps on our roads of personal growth. No one is perfect and the best we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to do better next time.
So, what little lessons did I learn while in Reno?
1. Always, always, always read the label or ask for the ingredients of what you are going to eat.
I was excited to try out some new bars that I had packed for my trip. I thought that I checked the ingredients of these “new-to-me” Cliff MoJo bars. Apparently I was more focused on the macronutrients (they are pretty close to Luna Bars) than examining every ingredient because I ended up eating half of a trail mix bar before I realized that it had pretzel sticks in it. Red-flag gluten alert!!! I was mad at myself because it was a silly mistake to make and I was frightened because I never know if an accidental gluten ingestion will result in any unwanted side effects. Luckily, I was not punished with a gruesome stomachache, but did suffer a possible side effect that I’ll explain in lesson #3.
2. Exercise, even when you are away from home.
I exercise 5-6 days a week. Not because I’m training for a big race or because I need to look amazing for an upcoming photo shoot, (although, I wouldn’t be opposed to those reasons in the future) but because I depend on my workouts to help keep my anxiety and PMS levels down. I’ll write a post in the future about natural ways I have been able to personally reduce my anxiety, but I want to focus on the benefits of working up a sweat when away from home and out of your daily routine.
My sister got my the Insanity DVD’s for Christmas and I started doing them a few weeks ago. I have stuck with the recommended training schedule and have noticed that I feel better when consistantly preforming these high-intensity cardio workouts. I packed my DVD’s and workout clothes for the trip with every intention of preforming the daily workouts. Um… I didn’t really feel like working up a sweat the first few days that I was here. I told myself that I was “on vacation” and that “I deserved a break from my workouts.” I wish that I had just powered through the workouts because I ended up feeling crappy until Monday, when I made myself put in a DVD and do a workout. Ahh, that burst of endorphins was exactly what my body and mind needed. After realizing how important these 30-40 minutes sweat sessions are for my sanity (even though they’re called “Insanity” haha!) I made the choice to continue my regular workout routine.
I had a mini-meltdown in Whole Foods Sunday night. I want to say that it was induced by accidentally eating gluten that afternoon, but I’m not sure if there was a link or not. Here is what happened: we’re reading books and magazines at Barnes and Noble and realize that it’s getting late and we should try to pick up some dinner before heading back to the casino. (We were trying to save money on food after our expensive, amazing dinner at Charlie Palmer.) We hopped in the car and drove around looking for a place to get dinner. I spotted a Whole Foods and decided that hot bar would make a perfect, healthy dinner. We got inside at 8:55 to find the hot bar food was already taken down and a voice over the loud speaker said that they would be closing in five minutes. This is when the anxiety took over and my bad behavior started. It seems so silly now, but at the time I was actually in panic mode.
I complained to Blake that we wasted too much time at the book store, that they didn’t have any food that I wanted to eat and that I was too stressed to find anything to eat in the next five minutes. I could see the tension and anger building in him and decided that we were already at Whole Foods, I should just make do with the salad bar and pick up a rice paper roll since I was craving one. We bought our dinner and some vitamins that Blake needed and headed to the truck. And, the mini-meltdown continued. Blake told me that it took every last bit of his patience not to explode at me in the store, that I was acting like a child and that I could not let little stressors affect me the way that I let them. I started crying like a toddler, was ashamed that I had just acted like one and agreed that I let my anxiety get the best of me during those stressful (?!) five minutes in the store.
What I should have done was stopped my racing mind, taken a deep breath and decided if it was worth the stress of having to find something for dinner in under five minutes or if we should just leave and find another place to eat. Instead, I let my fear and anxiety come over me and acted like a toddler who wasn’t getting her way. Wow, that is embarrassing to admit! I learned a lot from that moment and got what I deserved once we were back at the hotel. My salad tasted gross and my rice paper roll was stale and unappetizing.
So, there you have some of my lessons that I learned while in Reno. I won’t even get started writing about how I have had to ditch my “everything has to go according to planned” attitude for a “go with the flow” one. That’s a whole other post in and of itself! I hope that by me sharing the lessons that I learn, you are able to learn through my mistakes and experiences and hopefully avoid them. I’ll keep sharing them with you because I’m sure there will be more that I’ll learn in the next few month and beyond. Have a great day,
Hi! How is your Wednesday going? Mine is wonderful out here in Reno, Nevada. I flew out Friday evening and my sister was nice enough to watch Layla for the weekend. Now Layla’s at the doggie hotel and I hope she’s on her best behavior! I’m not sure when I’m flying home yet, but possibly tomorrow or Friday. It all depends on when the helicopter maintenance is completed.
I’m really fortunate to be able to visit Blake while he’s out on the road. He travels a lot for his job as a helicopter pilot and is sometimes gone for months at a time. It just so happened that he would be in Reno staying at a casino for a few nights while his helicopter was down for a routine maintenance check. We have taken full advantage of his break here in Reno and turned it into a mini-vacay. But it’s not all fun and games; I have had to help out around the hanger and endure many hours of “guy places” including Cabela’s and a sheep hunting convention. It’s worth it to spend time with Blake. We make a really good team-at home and on the road!
Getting the heli all cleaned up and ready to be worked on by the mechanics
Hanger where the heli is being worked on
There were over 120 booths at this "Sheep Show"
I was really, really excited about all the sheep. Can't you tell?
Whoever said that Reno is like a mini Vegas is right. And like Vegas, Reno has some really good restaurants. Blake and I have always enjoyed eating at nice restaurants. We started going to more “adult-like” restaurants back in high school and college and have enjoyed many memorable meals together. Our dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak House a few nights back has to be one of the top ten meals that we’ve experienced together. If you’ve ever been to Ruth Chris Steak House, it’s like that, but even a little nicer! We ordered a bottle of red wine and started with the seafood platter which included oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, crab legs and calamari salad. It came with five different sauces.
Look how happy Blake is with all that seafood!
Blake ordered a steak for dinner. He let me try some and it was one of the best tasting steaks I’ve ever had. I ordered sautéed mushrooms and grilled vegetables. I shouldn’t have even ordered the veggies because I was already stuffed from the seafood platter, but you know how some waitresses guilt-trip you into ordering more food than you planned to? Yeah, this one made me feel like I was an obnoxious woman who can barely finish a side salad. So, we boxed up our leftovers and skipped dessert. We didn’t even need to order dessert because they brought us a mini platter with candied walnuts, coconut macaroons, chocolate truffles and biscotti. Whew, I was stuffed by the time we left the restaurant.
But, we quickly found a way to work off our dinner — line dancing! The casino had a live country band and a dance floor for line dancing. We were so impressed with the couples out on the dance floor that we vowed to take lessons and go line dancing once we’re back home. I am so excited! Blake already has the cowboy boots and plaid shirts, but we need to pick him up a cowboy hat and I need some cowgirl boots and a cute plaid shirt to wear. I’d really prefer one with ruffles on!
I even tried a few dances out on the dance floor. It was not pretty!
Since we’re staying at a casino and I have never gambled before, we took a few one’s that Blake had in his pocket and hit the casino floor. He gravitated towards slot machines with ‘Wolf” in the title, while I thought the “Sex & the City” machines were more fun. We weren’t too lucky on in terms of gambling.
But, we did end up down in the children’s arcade and I (after too many played token to count) ended up winning a *Bonus* on one of the games. I’m embarrassed to say that I may have gotten a little too excited about all the tickets I won!
Who needs to gamble in a casino when there's an arcade to play in?
I’m going to go do some more loads of laundry. I want to get Blake all caught up before he flies out to Elko, NV. Have a great day and I’ll talk to you later,
Hi from Reno, Nevada! I’m typing this post as we lay in bed with news about the presidential candidates on the television. I am not political at all, but am making an effort to learn about the current candidates and their views. I’ve been taking a few photos with my iPhone since I flew in here and will post some of the fun ones once I’m home in a few days. For now, I’ll leave you with a delicious post-workout smoothie that I made a few days ago.
Blueberry Crisp Protein Smoothie
Serves 1 post-workout woman (or man)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (try to find organic ones if possible)
1/2 frozen banana, broken into pieces
2 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 Tablespoon oats (rolled or quick cook)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
pinch of stevia
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend for about a minute. Enjoy!
I’ve been having fun making all different types of dessert smoothies lately. I might not be baking much, but I’m sure enjoying my “dessert flavored” protein smoothies.
Hello friends! I hope that you are having a beautiful day wherever you are! I woke up to a little snow on the ground. It has been melting all morning and turning into rain. Oh well, the snow was fun while it lasted!
A few months ago, I received a package filled with goodies from the wonderful folks at NuNaturals. I love that NuNaturals is a local company here in Oregon and they strive to produce the best tasting stevia on the market. Today I wanted to share with you my suggestions for using stevia to replace refined sugar and chemically produced sugar substitutes.
I started using stevia back in my college days when I read about the benefits of using it as opposed to the Splenda packets I was pouring into my coffee and oatmeal. I bought a bottle of liquid stevia at the health food store and tried it out – yuck! The aftertaste was worse than Sweet-n-Low or Equal! I took stevia off my shopping list until someone suggested that I give another brand a try. This time I bought SweetLeaf brand Vanilla Stevia Extract and was pleasantly surprized how good it tasted in my morning coffee. I still used Splenda here and there, but got used to using stevia in my coffee.
I don’t feel like writing about all the possible health complications of overusing refined sugar and chemically engineered sugar substitutes, but if you need a refresher course, you can find more info here and here.
I admit that I still use a little organic cane sugar or regular powdered sugar (nothing tastes as good as C&H brand powdered sugar!) in some of my baked goods, but I’m always finding natural ways to reduce my sugar intake. Stevia to the rescue! Processed stevia is derived from the stevia plant. It was actually banned from US shelves as a sweetener (but allowed in dietary supplements) until December of 2008. Now, there is an abundance of stevia brands and products in health food stores and even mainstream grocery stores as well. Let’s get to the ways to add stevia to your diet!
How to Replace Sugar and Sugar Substitutes with Stevia:
1. Use it to sweeten your coffee, tea or sparkling water. I love the liquid vanilla stevia for my morning coffee or one of the quick dissolve tablets for my evening tea. I sometimes like to add a few drops of the regular stevia to my citrus sparkling water to make it taste more like 7-Up.
2. Sprinkle it on your morning oatmeal or cereal. If you love a bowl of comforting, sweet oatmeal or cereal in the morning, sprinkle a packet of stevia on top. I grew up sprinkling Sweet-n-Low on my breakfast cereal (my mom didn’t buy any sugared cereals) so I used to them tasting a little sweeter.
3. Substitute part or all of the sugar in your baking recipes with More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend. Baking with stevia can be tricky because it’s about 200 times sweeter than that same amount of regular sugar. More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend to the rescue! It can be used as a 1:1 replacement for sugar in your baked goods. Because it has about 4 grams or fiber per tablespoon and this can cause a bit of gas for the normal stomach, I tend to replace half of the recipe’s sugar with stevia and use organic cane sugar, sucanat or palm sugar for the other half.
4. Make low-sugar almond milk hot cocoa. I love to steam a mug of vanilla almond milk in the evening and then add the Cocoa Bean Extract liquid stevia. It cures my sweet tooth and doesn’t leave me buzzing around with a sugar high before bed.
Tell me, what are your favorite ways to use stevia? I know there are a ton of great suggestions out there. I have to say that the increase of stevia products on the market has significantly lowered my use of refined sugar and Splenda-like sweeteners.
I was practicing my YouTube skills the other night and filmed Layla before dinner time. She does these fake sneezes when she wants something. She knows that 6pm is her dinner time and starts this little act around 5 each night. She’s been acting like quite the YouTube celebrity since I posted this video of her:
Hi! How is your second week of the cleanse going if you are participating in the January Cleanse/Weight-loss program? I hope that you are enjoying the recipes that I posted last weekend or making up some new ones of your own. You are over half way through week 2 and are doing an amazing job so far. Remember to take it easy on yourself, rest a little more if needed and stay well hydrated.
Today I wanted to share some foods that are beneficial for reducing PMS symptoms. Remember to talk with your health care provider if you need any help managing your PMS; these are only nutrient and food suggestions.
I actually experience really bad PMS every month. Some months go better than others. Before I took gluten out of my diet, it was to the point where they diagnosed my symptoms as PMDD. Luckily, after removing the gluten, my symptoms went back to the “normal” PMS ones. Over the years I have seen a definite link between my lifestyle and the severity of my PMS symptoms. These food suggestions have helped me, but everyone is different. Please be gentle and kind to yourself and don’t get upset if these suggestions don’t work for you. Do some research and talk to a health care provider about other options for yourself.
I started to type out exactly what foods to increase and decrease and then came across this great article featuring the work of Joy Bauer, the a lead nutritionist featured in many magazines and talk shows. Here are her suggestions of what to eat and not to eat to avoid PMS:
Many women with PMS define their monthly nutrition needs in terms of their cravings for anything salty or chocolate. Although indulging in chocolate-dipped pretzels might seem like a fantasy come true, they won’t improve your mood or reduce the bloat. There are many better options…
First, try to limit your intake of salt, alcohol and caffeine:
Salt and salty foods. PMS causes bloating and water retention. Salt can cause bloating and water retention. Ergo, salt can make those problems of PMS worse.
Alcohol. Premenstrually, alcohol can cause increased breast tenderness. Also, alcohol can lowerblood sugar, which may make typical PMS mood symptoms worse. If you cannot totally avoid alcohol premenstrually, at least try not to drink to excess.
Caffeine. Some research suggests that the effects of caffeine are magnified premenstrually, leading to greater breast tenderness, more nervousness and potentially more irritability. If these side effects sound familiar, make an effort to limit the amount of caffeinated coffee and tea you drink one week prior to menstruation.
On the other hand, go out of your way to include foods rich in calcium, magnesium, manganese and vitamin B6. And be sure to enjoy a daily cup of chamomile tea. Here’s the scoop:
Calcium Compared with women who don’t have premenstrual symptoms, researchers have found some women with PMS have lower blood levels of calcium around their time of ovulation. And when PMS sufferers take 1000 to 1200 milligrams of calcium supplements daily, their mood and bloating improve after just a few months. I consider calcium-rich foods an absolute must for women with PMS.
Best foods for calcium: Low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, including yogurt (low-fat/nonfat), milk (skim, 1% reduced fat milk), cheese (nonfat/low-fat), and low-fat ice cream; broccoli and kale; and other calcium-fortified foods.
Magnesium Just as was found with calcium, some women with PMS seem to have lower blood levels of magnesium compared with women who did not have PMS symptoms. Women with PMS who ate ample magnesium-rich foods had better mood and less water retention than women who did not get enough magnesium. It is thought that magnesium might help regulate the activity of serotonin, the so-called feel-good neurotransmitter.
Best foods for magnesium:Pumpkin/sunflower seeds, spinach, Swiss chard, wild salmon, lobster, cashews, quinoa, potato (with skin), soybeans, beans, amaranth, peanuts, peanut butter, brown rice, and whole-grain bread.
Vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 is one of the necessary ingredients required by the body to manufacture dopamine, one of the mood neurotransmitters. Research into the effects of vitamin B6 on PMS have been mixed — some show that taking supplements reduces irritability, depression, and breast tenderness, while others don’t find any effect at all. Although the research on supplements is a bit confusing, I highly recommend eating vitamin B6-rich foods because they seem to have helped many of my clients with PMS.
Best foods for vitamin B6: Fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, chick-peas, wild salmon, lean beef, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, white potatoes (w/skin), oatmeal, banana, pistachio nuts and lentils.
Manganese Manganese is found in minute quantities in foods, but that’s OK because we don’t need a lot to stay healthy. If you eat a relatively balanced diet, you’re probably getting enough manganese. But blood levels of manganese vary throughout the menstrual cycle, so it is not surprising that this mineral might be involved in PMS. A handful of studies have suggested that manganese, in combination with calcium, may reduce the irritability, depression and tension associated with PMS. Therefore, I encourage you to go out of your way to incorporate manganese-rich foods, specifically around the time of your PMS.
Best foods for manganese: Pineapple, wheat germ, spinach, collard greens, pecans, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, oats and raspberries.
Drink chamomile tea.
Premenstrually, chamomile tea may be particularly helpful because it contains properties that relieve muscle spasms, and may therefore help reduce the severity of menstrual cramps. In addition, chamomile seems to reduce tension that may lead to anxiety and irritability.
Joy Bauer is the author of the No.1 New York Times best-seller, Joy Bauer’s Food Cures. For more information on healthy eating, visit Joy Bauer’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com
Happy New Year’s Eve! What are your plans for tonight? I can’t believe it, but we are actually going out down town Portland tonight. I’m more of a stay-at-home and make a bunch of good food on New Year’s Eve type of girl. However, Blake doesn’t get to see his friends from high school very much and a bunch of them are getting together in Portland tonight. It will be fun to go out and we’re going to go watch a girl from our high school’s band preform down town. I already picked out my sequin minidress to wear. I call it my “New Year’s” dress because it’s the only night of the year that I’d actually wear it.
I wanted to share my new favorite breakfast smoothie recipe with you. I swear it tastes exactly like a oatmeal raisin cookie is a smoothie form!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Smoothie
Serves 1
1 scoop vanilla protein powder of choice
1 frozen banana
few dashes of cinnamon
2 Tablespoons oats (quick cook or whole, it doesn’t matter)
1 Tablespoon raisins
1/2 – 1 Tablespoon nut butter (I used Artisiana Cashew Butter)
4 drops vanilla stevia (I used NuNaturals brand)
1-2 ice cubes
6-8 ounces unsweetened vanilla almond milk
drop or two of butter extract (optional)
Place all of the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend for about a minute.
I really liked Mastin’s post today on thedailylove.com. As much as I think it’s important to plan ahead and envision an amazing year full of goals and achievements, I think it’s equally important to reflect back on how much you’ve grown and learned this past year. Please take a moment to read his post and think about how far you’ve come this year.
I recognize that this year I have become little more understanding and forgiving of myself and others. I began to accept my weaknesses. I have shifted from a more fearful mindset into a more loving way of looking at my life. I have learned to have faith and trust that everything WILL work out the way that it’s supposed to, even if it seems scary. I am grateful for my health, my relationships with others and my opportunity to connect with others in person and through this blog.
This blog has been a space for me to preform some personal growth and hopefully offer inspiration and support to others trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. There is no ONE perfect way to live a healthy, balanced life, but rather a journey of learning what works and doesn’t work for each one of us. I’m thankful that I have had the opportunity to write out my thoughts, goals and passions here on this blog. I’m thankful to each reader who has taken the time to read what I write or to try out one of my recipes.
I believe that 2012 will be a year of huge personal and societal growth. Let’s reflect back on 2011 and think about how to make 2012 an even better, more exciting year filled with love.
Have fun tonight and please remember to be safe. Do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking or get in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking. Let’s celebrate responsibly.
If you are joining me in the January Cleanse/Weight Loss program, don’t forget to check out tomorrow’s guidelines here.
Hi! I’m sorry that I was MIA for the past week. I rushed out of Redmond to pick up Blake from PDX last Tuesday and left my laptop at home. I was using my iPhone for internet until it informed me that I had used up 75% of the internet service for the month and I didn’t want to go over my allotted amount. After visiting Blake’s family in Portland and both of our families at the coast, we are back in Redmond and are relaxing for the next few days.
I really like the week between Christmas and New Years. For some reason, it’s the only time of the year that I actually feel comfortable relaxing. It seems like everyone else has the same mindset; like we’re all just chillin’ until January 1st and then we’ll tackle our big goals and endeavors. I am trying extra hard to savor this time that Blake and I have together because he was away for work for the past month and he will probably be leaving for another job here shortly.
We spent some of our car ride yesterday talking about our goals for this coming year. I believe that it’s especially important to talk about your long-term goals with your significant other if you are in a committed relationship. This will help the two of you understand what’s important to and what motivates one another.
I realized that in order to accomplish our individual goals, we need to be on the same page as a couple and know how to support one another individually. For example, if you want to open your own coffee shop in town and your parter wants the two of you to travel the globe for six months this year, you may need to reevaluate your goals. It would be very difficult to manage the opening of your shop from halfway around the globe. A possible solution might be to travel for a month or two and then begin the process of opening your coffee shop. Whatever the two of you want to do, talk about your goals and then figure out how to support one another to make them a reality.
I’m going to spend the next few days reflecting on 2011: what my goals were, what did I accomplish, what did I not accomplish, what’s important to me, what do I want to do in 2012, what do I not want to do in 2012. These are all things we can ask ourselves to help make our 2012 goals.
If you want, take these next few days to evaluate your life and priorities and plan out an action plan that can bring your 2012 goals to life. You could even make a new vision board.
I’m putting the finishing touches on the January Cleanse/Weight Loss Plan. I’ll post the plan for Week 1 on Friday. Get excited to eat clean, feel refreshed and energized to start accomplishing your 2012 goals!
Hi! How has your weekend been? Mine has been fabulous! I had lots of fun with my parents and their dog, Madee. Layla was in heaven having company all weekend. The best part of the weekend was decorating the Christmas tree and listening to Celine Dion’s Christmas album (which is my favorite Christmas album.)
It feels so nice and Christmas-y around our house now. We don’t have a lot of decorations, but managed to set up a little display in the living room.
My parents are homebodies like me, so we mostly just stuck around the house and went for long walks. There is a family of five deer that I always see on my walks. They aren’t even scared when Layla and I walk by.
Layla and Madee were pooped by the end of the weekend. Here they are laying on the couch together this morning.
It was really nice to have my parents around and to show them our new neighborhood.
This afternoon I worked on some Christmas presents (I almost always try to make something homemade) and made a batch of pumpkin soup to have on hand for lunch over the next week. Have you seen those dry soup mixes at World Market? My friend Kristyl made the pumpkin soup for our office last year and I loved it, so I picked up the mix yesterday. I followed the recipe on the back of the mix and substituted reduced-fat coconut milk for the heavy cream and added some cooked ground turkey to boost the protein. When the soup was done, I ladeled individual servings into bowls and put them in the fridge so they’d be ready to eat this week.
One of the easiest ways to eat healthy all week long is to cook and prepare most of your food on Sundays and have it ready to grab for the busy workweek. For lunches this week, I’ll heat up a bowl of soup and add a small salad to go with it. I try to keep lots of quick breakfast foods on hand: bananas, blueberries, oatmeal, protein powder, greek yogurt, ground flaxseed, eggs, frozen gluten-free waffles, etc. This way, I can whip up whatever I feel like in the morning and start my day off with a healthy meal. Left-overs make great lunches, so try to double your recipe when preparing dinner. Then, box up the extra serving of food in a portable container and your lunch for tomorrow is done! Dinners in our house are either planned in advance or thrown together with whatever food needs to be used up. Some of my best stir-fry creations have come from using random left-over meats and veggies.
You don’t have to plan out every one of your meals each Sunday, but use this time to shop for groceries, get an idea of what meals you need to prep for that week and make sure that your kitchen is stocked with healthy foods to keep you from calling the pizza man or going through the drive-thru.
I’m meeting a friend from high school for dinner tonight. I’m excited to try out one of the restaurants here in town. I heard that it’s supposed to be really good. Have a good night and remember to stock up your kitchen with some healthy foods for the week ahead.
Take care,
Kilee
Today’s Quote: “Happiness is not a matter of good fortune or worldly possessions. It’s a mental attitude. It comes from appreciating what we have, instead of being miserable about what we don’t have.”
Happy Friday! I’m really excited because my parents are coming to visit. They are bringing us a Christmas tree. My grandpa always helps our local Kiwanas sell Christmas trees each year and they are going to pick one of them up on their way over this afternoon. I’ve been cleaning up and getting our Christmas decorations ready. We don’t have very many, but I know once the tree gets here it will look very Christmas-y and beautiful!
I made myself an iced americano yesterday at 2 pm. Not a smart move. That caffeine kept me up until 1:30 last night! Even though I missed out on 2+ hours of sleep, I did get to watch three episodes of Season Six Grey’s Anatomy. Layla is still recovering from our late night:
So, I haven’t started any holiday baking and don’t have any sweets around the house after I ate half a dozen gluten-free chocolate chip cookies last week – whoops! So, I whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate bites to keep in the freezer. Do you store your chocolate in the freezer? My friend used to do this in college and the idea has stuck with me ever since. I think that freezing it lets you savor it longer, since it’s harder to eat. Because I am the type of girl who doesn’t think twice about eating a whole bar of chocolate (a few months ago, I was going to have one square of a Trader Joe’s salted carmel bar of chocolate. Two minutes later the wrapper was in the trash!) I like to make individually wrapped chocolates to reduce the portion size.
The ingredients are all-natural and healthy. You can add chopped nuts or dried fruit if your heart desires. I like to stick to pure chocolate with a sprinkle of sea salt. If you don’t have the mini cupcake liners, you can always pour the chocolate into a freezable container and break it into smaller pieces.
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (from Mountain Rose Herbs)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Line a mini-muffin pan with 20 liners. In a double boiler or in a microwave safe glass bowl, gently heat the coconut oil and cacao butter until it has melted. Add the honey and stir until combined. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and cacao powder. Stir with a whisk until the cacao powder has dissolved and the honey is thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the cupcake liners. Sprinkle each chocolate with a tiny bit of coarse sea salt. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour, until the chocolates are hard. Store them in a freezer-safe container in the freezer.
These make the perfect “I need chocolate or I am going to die” treats. Let me know if you try them out. I have another recipe idea for a chocolate treat with coconut butter. I’ll have to wait until this stash gets low and I’ll post the recipe when I make it.
Have a great weekend! I’ll post pics of the tree once it’s all decorated. Decorating Christmas trees and sugar cookies tends to bring out a “Not-nice-Martha-Stewart-like” side of me. My parents already said that they’d stay out of my way while I’m decorating, so I think I’ll be able to maintain my kind demeanor. Haha!
Today’s Quote: “Failures are made only by those who fail to dare, not by those who dare to fail.”
Hi! I hope that you are getting excited for the holiday season. Things are going well on the “Healthy Holiday Diet Plan.” I’ve gotten a few emails from some of us who are doing it and everyone seems to be feeling great on the program. It makes me happy to hear that the plan has been easy to stick to and people are feeling energetic and “full” from the meals. Keep up the good work girls!
Since moving to Bend I have changed my workouts and nutrition entirely. Thanks to the help of Cathy Savage Fitness, I have upped my workout intensity and strength training and started to include a lot more protein into my daily eating plan. Here are the changes that I’ve made:
Weight Training 4 days a week – 3 days focusing on specific areas of the body and 1 day total-body workout
Cardio – 2 HIIT for 30 minutes and 3 days 30-40 minutes steady state
Walking – this has stayed the same. Layla gets a 30 min walk each day. We have switched from first thing in the morning to before dinner time. She prefers to sleep next to the fire while I have my coffee each morning.
This is her favorite spot in the house
Diet: This has made all the difference in my energy, mood and muscle mass! I now realize that even though I was eating healthy foods, I was not eating them at the correct time or in the proper amounts to fuel my workouts. What has helped for me is eating small meals 5-6 times a day centered around protein. I love my super salads and green smoothies, but they do not contain enough protein alone for building the lean muscle that I desired.
Some of my favorite photos from the past few days include:
Blake's sister's Thanksgiving menu. Dinner was amazing!
Layla slept the whole way home from Thanksgiving weekend
Getting all the ornaments ready for our Christmas tree
I love the weather over here!
My seriously sweaty TIU Tone-N-Pump workout
I have to admit that it was kinda hard to get back into the swing of working out and eating healthy after Thanksgiving weekend, but now that I’m back into my normal routine, it feels fabulous! Remember that each day we wake up, we have a brand new start to live the life we’ve always wanted. It’s all a matter of what you choose to do today. Let’s get out there and start making our dreams become a reality!
Hi! Sorry that I haven’t posted in over a week. I have spent the majority of the past week unpacking and trying to overcome a little cold. My sister came to visit us and helped me organize my closet and bathroom. She was blessed with all of the organizing genetics between the two of us. I’m working on it though! I spent almost a whole day unpacking and organizing the kitchen so that it would be just right. An unorganized kitchen takes some of the fun out of cooking and baking.
I got one of the new iPhone’s for my birthday, so someone has been playing around with Instagram a little too much. Here are some of my favorite things from this past week:
Our first homemade dinner in our new house.
Layla all comfy cozy on the couch.
My sister, Blake and I went out for coffee Sunday morning at Sister's Coffee Company. Americano and espresso beans for the house.
I asked Blake what he wanted for his birthday dessert. He wanted chocolate chip cookies. No surprise there!
Driving into town to run some errands. Layla had to help drive - like always!
My at-home gym. "Newlyweds" is on the TV and I am so happy with this little set-up.
Zevia Root Beef Float that satisfied my sweet tooth.
I’ll try to take some photos of the beautiful scenery to share. It looks a lot different from where I grew up on the Oregon coast or even the Portland area. It’s more “high dessert” like over here. There isn’t as much greenery as the western part of the state, but it rains a lot less. I love it over here and already feel so at home.
Since I had a lot of free time while up in Alaska this past month, I thought about how I should structure this blog. When I started blogging (about two years ago) I just wanted to share my recipes, fitness and health ideas. Blogging eventually lead me back to school to study nutrition. I became so busy between work and studying, that I chose to take some time away from the blog. When I started blogging again, I felt an obligation to write a new post each day. Sometimes, this isn’t possible and I start to feel bad because I want to provide you with fresh, daily content.
When I gave myself permission to take a step back and not worry about posting new content, I felt a bit of relief. I also started to wonder if it was worth continuing the blog? When you write a blog and post your photos online, you are putting yourself out there. You are giving others a chance to judge or mock you. You are sharing parts of yourself or life that you could chose to hide away and protect from other people’s view. Parts of who you are become exposed for anyone to view. But, on the flip side, you can learn and share helpful information that could be useful to others. You might inspire someone to try something new or possibly bring a little joy and positivity to someone else’s day. If you stay true to who you are and post about what you love, I believe that the good will outweigh any possible negativity.
Since I have decided to continue blogging and sharing parts of my life with you, I am struggling with exactly what parts to share. I tend to be inspired and excited by many different things:
Cooking and baking
Exercise
Healthy lifestyle choices
Positive personal development
Spirituality
Graphic design and crafts
and so much more!
It’s hard to decide exactly what to focus on writing about, when I have so many interests. Should I focus on one genre or should I write about whatever comes to mind that day?
If you enjoy reading my blog and want to see more than just random, rambling posts like todays, please let me know what you enjoy reading about the most. I know that this is my blog and I can write about anything I want, but it’s helpful to know what you want to read about. Please leave a comment below of what you would like to see more of on the blog. Thank you!
I’m off to finish a very special project that I have been working on. I’ll be back tomorrow to share it with you. Hint: it involves the holidays and will help keep you away from the loads of cookies and candies that magically appear this time of the year.
Hi! Happy Friday! I’m itching to hit the gym and lift some weights when I get home. It’s been over a month since I’ve lifted weights and I miss that feeling of pumping iron. I enlisted the help of my friend, Gina “The Working Girl Trainer”, for advice on body weight exercises that I can do while on the road. Here are some of her suggestions for exercises to incorporate into your routine when you’re away from the gym. *Remember to always check with you doctor before starting a new exercise routine and if it hurts, don’t do it*
Do you have any favorite exercises that you do when you’re away from the gym? I like to tack on a “5 minute Ab” routine at the end of my workouts. My friend and group exercise class instructor, McKenzie, introduced me to this concept back in college. I position myself next to a clock and do a different ab exercise each minute for five minutes total. Example: 1 minute crunches, 1 minute bicycles, 1 minute extended leg lifts, 1 minute V-sit crunch & 1 minute plank.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is nice enough for Blake’s helicopter flight back to Fairbanks today. He’s been in King Salmon and Cold Bay for the past week. It’s been snowing a lot here lately. The lake is completely frozen over and covered with snow. Here are some pics of Layla from our walk yesterday.
Lake is covered with snow
Those are only paw prints on the lake. I haven't seen any foot prints, so I'm not going to be the first to test it out!
Look at that cute little face dusted with snow!
She NEVER wants to come inside after our walks or playing in the snow. I practically have to drag her inside!
I’m off to do a HIT workout and take Layla for her walk.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time up here in Alaska. I’m very thankful for this opportunity to spend time with Blake, explore this beautiful state and relax in such a peaceful setting.
I got to visit Chena Hot Springs
Fly to Lake Iliamna
Fly back to Fairbanks
and spend a lot of time here at Chena Marina.
We have about a week left up here and even though I’ll miss Alaska, I’m excited for Blake’s and my new adventure. We’re moving from the Portland, Oregon area over to central Oregon. We rented a cozy house in a very peaceful setting. I’m envisioning many nights at home by the fire curled up on the couch with Blake and Layla.
I tent to get excited about things pretty easily. I didn’t realize this trait until Blake told me that it was one of the things that he liked best about me. Here are some of the things that I’m excited about when we get back to Oregon:
Gluten-free baking. I have been experiencing gluten-free baking withdrawals up here! I made a few regular baked goods for Blake and his co-workers, but haven’t spent the extra money to buy the healthy, gluten-free baking ingredients that I use back at home. I can’t wait to bake some pumpkin muffins and ginger molasses cookies when we move into our new place!
Smoothies!!! There haven’t been blenders in any of the places that we’ve stayed. I didn’t realize how much I was addicted to my blender until I didn’t have access to one. I even tried mashing up a banana to add to my protein shake. Didn’t really cut it!
Free weights and working out in a gym. My workouts have been kinda fun lately: running around the lake, rubber bands for stregnth and indoor body-weight circuits. But, I’m itching to get in the gym and lift some real weights.
Friends and family coming to visit. I was extremely apprehensive about moving to central Oregon because I know what it’s like to live far away from family and friends. One of the main reasons why we moved back from Maui was because I missed everyone so much. My hope is that our friends and family will come stay with us often. I can cook some new dinner recipes for them and we can go explore all of the fun things that there are to do around Bend.
Meet new friends. I love making new friends and recognize how important is is to have quality “girl-time” in my weekly schedule. My goal is to find some active girlfriends who can share with me their favorite things to do and places to go. Hopefully they’ll be willing to be taste-testers for my gluten-free recipes because I won’t have my sister around for that anymore :(
Exploring the outdoors. Blake and I love to be outdoors and going new places. I especially like hiking, trail running and stand-up paddleboarding. There are tons of trails over in Central Oregon and plenty of beautiful scenery to enjoy. We might even try rock climbing once the weather gets nicer this Spring.
Have you been over near Bend, Oregon? Do you have any specific things you think I should try out once we move over there? Are there any new, fun things that you’d like to try out where you live?
I’m off to take Layla for her walk and finish some emails. Have a great day today!
Happy Friday! I hope your last day of the work week is going smoothly. I just finished my mug of hot cocoa. I like to heat up 8 ounces of unsweetened almond milk with 2 teaspoons of powdered cocoa and a packet of stevia. It is super cold up here right now. Last night, when we passed on of the thermostats in town, it read 20 degrees!
Yesterday, I mentioned that I wouldn’t have internet access for a few days. Well, I was very clever, and figured out the password for the internet access here in the cabin. Can you imagine being without internet access for an extended period of time? Neither can I – haha!
The water on the lake is starting to freeze over. Yesterday, Layla saw the ducks walking on the icy lake and she tried to walk out onto the lake, but the ice along the edge was so thin that she went right through it and into the water. Don’t worry, her front paws were the only part of her to get wet. It was funny to watch her reaction!
My “winter weather workouts” have dwindled since I slipped and fell on my hip a few days back. I now have a bruise the size of a cantaloupe on my hip and it hurts to do much besides walking. I did a rubber bands arm circuit today and am going to take Layla on a long walk around the lake. When it comes to exercising, I definitely go through phases. During the summer months, I enjoy a more intense routine of 5-6 workouts a week. During the fall and spring, I usually follow a 4-5 day schedule. And, during the middle of the winter, it dwindles down to 3-4 days a week. My goal this winter is to do 5 workouts a week with a mix of weights, cardio and yoga. I’ll need a little extra motivation when the days get shorter and colder, but I feel so much better when I stick to a more consistent workout schedule.
I’m pretty excited because the new rental that Blake and I will be living in has it’s own gym and free yoga classes. We’re moving over to the Central Oregon area and there are no 24-Hour Fitnesses over there. (We buy the 2-year memberships though Costco and still have a year’s worth left to use.)
Preview photo of where we'll be moving too
My favorite types of workouts are strength training circuits, running outside and taking group classes. I’m also looking forward to trying new outdoor winter activities like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. We’ll also be closer to the mountian for skiing and snowboarding.
What are some of your favorite ways to get a workout? Would you rather be inside or outdoors?
I’m off to see if it’s warm enough for our daily walk around the lake. Have a fabulous Friday!!!
Today’s Quote: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland
*Video Bonus* Here’s a 5-Minute Ab workout that I did after my arm circuit today:
Hi! How is your day going so far? Everything is good up here in Alaska. Blake has a job based out of Fairbanks today and then he’s heading back to Dillingham for a few days. It’s been snowing and the roads have been really icy lately. I’m way too scared to drive when the roads are like this, so when he gets done flying tonight, we’re going to go to Fred Meyers and stock up on food and magazines so I don’t have to leave the cabin over the next few days.
Layla’s and my morning walks have gotten shorter and shorter. We are both too cold to go out in the below-freezing temperatures. She refused to even get out of bed for the first hour this morning. I hope that it’s warmer and not too rainy when we get back to Oregon.
Because of the snow and ice, Blake had to prepare his helicopter for this morning’s job last night. This meant that he had to melt the ice off of the blades and body of the helicopter. We heated up tap water and poured it over the blades. Then he took towels to dry the blades off and remove as much ice as possible from the rest of the helicopter.
Layla took this time as an opportunity to play in the snow with her pilot jacket on. We got the jacket for her when she was a lot smaller and now it has a bit of a “sausage” effect on her. She absolutely loves it up here!
When Blake leaves tonight or tomorrow, I won’t have any internet access and doubt that I’ll be driving to the internet cafe because of the icy roads. I’ll try to do a post as soon as I can, but if you don’t hear from me, don’t worry! I’m off to do a rubber band workout and work on some paperwork. I hope that you have a great day today!
Hi! How has your weekend been? Mine has been great. Since you last saw me, Blake and I flew the helicopter to Dillingham.
We were treated to salmon, salad, wild rice and asparagus the night that we flew in.
I stayed there for two nights and hung out with Blake and three biologists when they weren’t out in the field working.
During the day I cleaned the cabin, did laundry, went for a run, grocery shopped at the two grocery stores (you know you’ve been in rural Alaska too long when you’re impressed that a town has TWO grocery stores!) made dinner and cupcakes.
The Scottish biologist called them “fairy cakes.” Isn’t that a cute name for them?
To give you an idea of how expensive groceries are here, let me list the some of the items that we picked up in Dillingham:
Silk Almond Milk: $9.99
16 oz. tub of salsa: $4.99
Honey Chex Mix: $7.99
Box of Funfetti Cake Mix: $4.49
Fuji Apples: $2.99/lbs
Coming from Oregon, these prices were outrageous!
I flew out of Dillingham and into Anchorage Friday morning on Pen Air. The plane was so loud that they gave out complimentary ear plugs! I have never experienced such a loud commercial plane before. Once I landed in Anchorage, I enjoyed having cell phone and wi-fi service until my next flight to Fairbanks.
When I flew into Fairbanks, I picked up Layla from the kennel, bought some groceries and had a nice, relaxing Friday night. Layla has been catching up on some much-needed sleep!
Saturday morning, I took Layla for a walk around the lake, enjoyed my extra-strong cup of coffee and did an outdoor workout.
Since I don’t have access to a gym or free weights (and Blake has his rubber bands with him) I had to get creative with my workout. I found these old rubber tires next to the lake and incorporated them into my workout. Here’s what I did:
30 minute run with Layla – This wasn’t too strenuous since she stops to sniff something every minute or two!
Body weight circuit (3 sets x 12 reps per exercise)
Working out is a little more fun when you have such beautiful scenery to look at!
I have been having tons of relax time with while Blake finished up his job in Dillingham. This has been the perfect time to read some inspiring books on my Kindle, write in my journal (this is a new practice for me,) spend time with Layla and plan some new blog posts. It’s going to be a great week here on the blog!
I’ll be back tomorrow with some tips that I’ve learned about goal-setting. Have a great Sunday!!!
Today’s Quote: “The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.”
- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Something To Do: Sign-up for Oprah’s Lifeclass on OWN’s website. On of my favorites, Mastin Kipp of thedailylove.com will be online Monday 10/10 at 6pm Pacific for a webcast discussion on Ego.
Hi! I’m excited to debut my new video post. I’ve never recorded myself for the blog before, so please excuse any lack of video quality. I promise that I’ll work to improve future videos.
Your assignment today is to take some time to think about what you love doing. It could be as simple as walking down to the coffee shop on Sunday mornings and enjoying your americano while reading the newspaper or as elaborate as planning a five course dinner party for a dozen of your closest friends. Write down a list of activities that bring you joy and happiness in your journal or notebook. The next part of your assignment is to schedule some time to do one of these activities within the next seven days. Open up your planner and write down when you are going to devote some time to doing what you love.
Here is my list that I wrote out today:
For my assignment, I plan to read magazines by buying two new magazines when I go to the grocery store in Fairbanks. If I can find a Barnes and Noble, I’ll sit and read tons of magazines and maybe choose just one to purchase.
It’s that simple! You deserve to take some time devoted to doing whatever makes you happy. Please let me know what you plan on doing and when you’re going to do it.
Take care,
Kilee
Today’s Quote: “Self-love is the source of all our other loves.”
I have been reluctant to post anything lately because all of the photos that I took on our four-hour helicopter flight from Fairbanks to Lake Iliamna are on Blake’s super-fancy camera and I can’t get them to upload to my laptop. As soon as I do, I’ll post some of the breathtaking photos from our flight.
We have been staying at a lodge on Lake Iliamna for the past five nights. Because we didn’t know what our accommodations would be like or how Layla would do for that long of a helicopter flight, we booked her a stay at a kennel in Fairbanks.
Our little trouble-maker is right where she belongs - behind bars!
They even have a “Muttesorie” school for her to go to during the day. We called and checked on her and they said that she was having a blast playing with the other dogs and behaving like a good girl. I’m not sure if I believe them about her good behavior, but feel relieved about her excellent report.
Today I wanted to talk about a lesson that I learned during our first few days here.
We were picked up at the airport by one of Blake’s co-workers and driven to the “lodge” where we’d be staying. I was expecting a resort-like place with a lobby, restaurant and lounge and hot tub because that is the only type of “lodge” that I have been to. However, we pulled up to a large, house-looking building that had antlers hanging from the front. As we walked through the narrow hallway and to our room, I quickly decided that I was not going to like it here because A) it had not been remodeled for at least 25 years, B) it lacked a fancy restaurant and spa and C) it felt like the set of a horror film.
Me, being a brat because I was freezing cold and judgmental.
I whispered my disappointment in our accommodations to Blake who told me to relax and appreciate this new experience. As we headed upstairs and sat down for our late dinner of salad, sauteed vegetables, sausage and pasta, I became anxious because I assumed there would be little to no gluten-free food choices. I explained to the lodge owner that I wasn’t trying to be impolite by not eating the pasta, but that I was gluten-intolerant. He asked me to explain what that meant and would try to accommodate my dietary restriction.
The "game room"
He then proudly showed us the “game room” that displayed at least 20 different types of mounted animals from a famous hunter’s personal collection. By that time, I was grossed out by the dead animals, old decor and amount of sausage that I had just consumed. I decided that I was going to have to suffer through a week with slow Internet, being by myself in a creepy place and being isolated from any modern-day town. (The village is about a mile away and consists of a trading post.)
Blake’s food and lodging is covered by the company he works for, but he is paying $150/day to cover my food and lodging. I told him that he was being “ripped-off” for paying that much given the condition of this place and the few gluten-free food choices that I had. His response was that he “wasn’t paying for some grand hotel for me, he was paying for me to be with him.” Hmm… I hadn’t thought about it that way. I was too busy complaining about everything that wasn’t “perfect” that I forgot to be grateful for the fact that we were together and Blake was willing to shell out some serious cash for me to be able to stay with him. Right then, I started to become embarrassed of my childish behavior.
The next day, I went for a long walk around the lake and spent some time reading books and magazines. I started to feel relaxed and comfortable. The lodge owner was kind enough to make me a chicken and vegetable soup from scratch along with a salad as my lunchtime meal. He asked what kinds of gluten-free foods that he could prepare for me. He then built me a fire in the “game room” and encouraged me to watch the T.V. and relax by the fire.
While on my run that evening, I was blown away by how judgemental I had been. Within 30 seconds of arriving at the lodge, I decided that I didn’t like it and thought that it was creepy. I’m embarrassed by my snap judgements. The lesson that I learned that day is, You don’t have to actually like something, but do not be so quick to place judgement on it. I don’t particularly enjoy where we are staying, but I should not have judged it the way that I did on our first night here.
Posing along the river in my new pink Carhartt jacket
Me falling down the super-steep trail that led to the river below.
I have so much to be grateful for at this moment; Blake and I get to spend time together while he’s not working, I have all day to do what I want to do, I’m healthy and able to go for runs and do outdoor workouts, I have plenty of clothes to keep me warm, Layla is being well taken care of, etc.
Readers, please learn from my mistake. Do not be so quick to judge someone, something, someplace. It’s alright if you eventually decide that you don’t care for it, but give it a chance.
Today’s quote was featured by Mastin on thedailylove.com this morning,
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
- Mother Teresa, was a modern day Saint and Catholic Nun.
I forgot to mention that there was a mouse in our room too! Of course, Blake was not phased by this, but I was horrified. The lodge owner offered for us to move rooms and that he would catch the mouse. Blake refused and eventually him and the lodge owner chased the mouse into another room and set out a trap for him.
It turns out that the left-over food that we had thrown in our trash was too appealing to the little mouse. So basically, Blake and I created our own problem, then freaked out over it and then it was solved. So many life lessons being learned on this trip!
Have a great day and I hope that you enjoy some of the photos that I’m sharing with you from our adventures up here!
Hello from Alaska! After a whirlwind experience of packing up our townhouse, moving our belongings into storage with the help of family, running last minute errands and flying from PDX to Fairbanks, Alaska with Layla in tow, I am finally with Blake!
If anyone has gone months without seeing their significant other, you know how at peace you feel when the two of you are reunited. Blake was so excited to have both of “his girls” with him again and I was relieved that we actually survived the drive from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs. Apparently, there are plenty of moose encounters on the highways up here.
The night that I flew into town, Blake was finishing up a job near Chena Hot Springs was staying at Chena Hot Springs Resort. We were lucky enough to stay an extra night at the resort and have a whole day of rest and relaxation before heading back to Fairbanks. Layla loved running up and down the runway:
My favorite part of our stay was wading around in the natural hot springs. The last night that we were there, Blake and I shared a delicious steamed clam and crab dinner and then took a dip in the hot springs. They were the perfect temperature and it was neat how you could feel the hotter parts of the mineral water where they emerged from the ground.
This photograph was taken during the day. It's really pretty and lit up with colored lights in the evening.
We didn’t get a chance to tour their world-famous ice museum. We had to depart before their first tour was taking place.
So far I haven’t had too hard of a time finding gluten-free dining options. As long as I’m able to explain to waiters that I have a gluten-intolerance and need my food to be free from flour and soy sauce, I’m good to go. I also packed a ton of gluten-free protein bars, apples and bananas, so I can always eat those if we’re somewhere without gluten-free options.
I’m going to be traveling around for the next month. Some areas have Internet while others do not. I’ll be posting whenever I have service. So long for now,
Kilee
Today’s Quote: “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
Good morning everyone! I have been wanting to share this exciting news with you for a while now, but thought that it would be best to wait until it was 100% for sure happening. I am leaving on Monday to go travel and work with Blake in Alaska for about a month. As you may have noticed, Blake has been gone since May. He is a helicopter pilot and works up in Alaska during the summer time. He was supposed to be home by the end of September, but got scheduled to work through the end of October. We had already given our 30-day notice to move out of the townhouse that we rent and didn’t want for me to have to find a new place to rent and move all of our stuff into a new rental. So, we decided to make October into an “Alaskan Adventure.”
Look who I have waiting for me up in Fairbanks!
I gave my 2-week notice at the health center where I work, packed up our belongings and am moving them into storage tomorrow. This coming Monday, Layla and I are flying up to Fairbanks to be with Blake. I’m super excited about this coming month. Blake’s job allows him to work all over the state of Alaska. He has a few different jobs booked in beautiful locations and I fell very blessed to get to experience a slice of Alaska. Where will we go once we’re back in the lower 48? I don’t know yet! I believe that it will all work out the way that it’s meant to. Therefore, I’m not worried about it.
What does this mean for the blog? It means that I will probably be posting more :) It also means that my content will likely be focused around photos from where we are traveling and lessons that I learn along the way. I have already learned so much over the past year and can’t wait to see what’s in store for me learn next!
I’m creating a 21-day challenge for us to do together. More details will be posted in the coming week. Don’t forget to “like” Whole Nutrition on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter.
Today’s Quote: “Training yourself to live in the present – without regretting the past or fearing the future – is a recipe for a happy life.”
Hi! I hope that you are having a fabulous day so far! I wanted to share some inspiring lessons that I’ve learned from stand up paddleboarding (SUP) over the past few years.
Suzie was recently featured in the July issue of Self magazine.
I was introduced to SUP by the lovely, Suzie Coney, of Suzie Trains Maui. She was my trainer when I lived on Maui and she taught free women’s SUP workshops on the weekends. All that you had to do was bring your board and paddle and she would instruct us on proper warm-up exercises and SUP techniques. I gained some major confidence and camaraderie with the other women out there on the water. I want to thank Suzie for introducing me to such an exciting and invigorating sport!
Life Lessons I’ve learned from Stand Up Paddleboarding
This is true at every point in your life. We are constantly “falling off our board,” whether it’s not getting the job we applied for, being dumped by our significant other or eating a bag of Oreos after we swore off of junk food. What’s important is that we pick ourselves up and get back on our “board.”
When I first started SUP, I was in the water half of the time that I was out there. Instead of calling it quits and swimming back to shore, I pulled myself out of the water and back onto my board. I continued to work on my balance and learn the best ways to maneuver my board in the choppy waters. The last time that I went SUP on my trip to Maui, I went out for about 30 minutes without falling once!
I know that we all have times when we’re feeling down or have gotten off track. My best advice is to stick with our goal, get back up, and keep working towards it. Our hard work will pay off!
2. Keep your eyes ahead, not beneath you
This one is especially important, both when your on the water and in life, when your striving towards large goals. I realized that when I looked at the ocean beneath my board, I was more likely to be wobbly and lose my balance than when I focused on a point in the distance. I liken this to staying focused on your overall life goals instead of worrying about the issues that arise on a daily basis. There will always be little problems that come up along the way, but if we work through them, everything will all work out.
Next time you find yourself panicked about a current “crisis” remind yourself that “this too shall pass” and that you will eventually achieve your goal.
This is one that I am constantly working on! When you are out in the choppy ocean waters, your board is continually bobbing up and down with the waves of the ocean. If your legs are locked straight, you are more likely to get tossed off your board. However, if you slightly bend your legs and allow the board to rock beneath you with ease, you are less likely lose your balance.
In life, it is easy to get caught up in the day to day drama, but if you roll with the punches and don’t worry too much about the little things, it will all work out.
There you go. These are my life lessons learned through my experience with stand up paddleboarding. Readers, I have 2 challenges for you: apply one of these lessons to your week this week and if you have the opportunity to try SUP, do it!
Have a great day today!
Much love,
Kilee
Today’s Quote: “When we learn to trust the Universe, we shall be happy, prosperous and well.”
Hi! I’m excited to share a new recipe with you. My dear friend, McKenzie (who also eats gluten-free) came over for dinner, wine and girl talk the other night. I wanted to treat her to a decadent gluten-free meal. I had been dying to try some of the gluten-free Pappardelles pasta that my co-worker had given me for my birthday. This dish is perfect when you’re craving pasta and want a delicious, but not overly-rich creamy pasta. I used lots of fresh vegetables, but feel free to substitute them for vegetables that you have on hand or even toss in some grilled chicken slices or sauteed shrimp. We started out with some honey mustard spinach salad that McKenzie had brought over.
Gluten-Free Pasta Primavera
Serves 4
1 lb. Pappardelle’s Della Terra Trumpet Trio Pasta (or another gluten-free pasta)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 cups fresh vegetables cut into 1″ pieces (I used onion, bella mushrooms, broccoli, grape tomatoes & asparagus)
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon organic salted butter
5 oz. log of herbed chèvre
1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss your vegetables with the olive oil, seasoning and garlic. Line a baking pan with foil and spread your vegetables in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring the vegetables once. Once the vegetables are done, set them aside.
While your vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain your pasta. Melt the butter in the pasta pot. Add the chèvre and Pecorino Romano. Stir the sauce until the cheeses have melted. Add the pasta and vegetables to the pot. Stir until combined. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional Pecorino Romano. Enjoy with a glass of wine (if you are 21 or older) and the company of good friends and family.
I’m off to bed for the night. Let me know if you try out this pasta dish. I promise that it won’t disappoint!
Today’s Quote: “Whatever results you’re getting, be they rich or poor, good or bad, positive or negative, always remember that your outer world is simply a reflection of your inner world. If things aren’t going well in your outer life, it’s because things aren’t going well in your inner life. It’s that simple.”
Aloha! I’m back from the islands. My sister and I stayed with our friend who lives in Paia for 4 nights this past weekend. We had so much fun hanging out and catching up with our friends back on Maui. Highlights of our trip included:
Beach days: Sugar Cove, Shark Pit and Kamole 1
Pregnancy Yoga Class
Dinner at Milagros
Gelato from One Gelato (Lilikoi & Coconut taste amazing together)
Having Lilikoi for breakfast every morning
Listening to my “Everything is Energy” podcasts on my morning walks
Warm weather (75-85 the whole time we were there)
My new floppy beach hat
Nightly barbecues
Last morning latte at Cafe Des Amis
It was a super fun! I feel very fortunate to have spent time with my friends and relax on the island for awhile. I’ll be back with some lessons and a new recipe. Take care,
Kilee
Today’s quote: “We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden”
Hi everyone! I just wanted to write a quick post to say that I’m leaving to visit my friend on Maui until Monday. I’m not bringing my laptop with me (gasp!) and will try to check me email while I’m there. Have a great rest of the week and I’ll be back blogging on Tuesday or Wednesday. Take care & keep up your healthy habbits! Love,
Kilee
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Good morning everyone! Are you enjoying your long weekend? I sure am. Yesterday was a very good “Kilee” day. I took Layla on her morning walk, had my carrot cake protein pancake and coffee while working on the computer.
Check out that cute mug. I got it for Blake because it reminded me of Alaska and Layla. (Sometimes she resembles a bear!)
Then I went to Costco to pick up my toiletries. I find that Costco has the best deal on all of my “necessities” – Cetaphil, Secret Clinical Strength (this is seriously the only deoderant that works for me. I’ve tried all the “natural ones” and they just don’t cut it) Venus disposable razors and pretty pink lip gloss. The only downside to shopping at Costco – opening up their ridiculous cardboard and plastic packaging. I even bought a set of heavy duty scissors yesterday because we didn’t have any at the house.
After my little venture to Costco, I went on an amazing run at a park near our home.
Once I was home, I inhaled an extra large chicken and romaine salad, then picked up the house and finally busted out this Tone It Up workout.
I am rather cheap when it comes to buying most everyday items. I have learned that you should not buy the least expensive exercise ball because it will end up deflating easily and the foot pump that comes with it barely pumps any air when used. With that being said, when this one goes ka-put, I will be buying one that costs more than $9.99!
I went tanning to make up for my lack of being in the sun all day and headed over to my sister’s “PJ” themed birthday party. I even packed my “lean & green” quinoa burger and steamed spinach so I could have it for dinner while at the party. Very exciting, I know :)
While on my run yesterday, I listened to a Everything is Energy podcast with Joan Borysenko. She spoke of the importance of starting our day in the best mindset possible. In order to shift our energy into a positive place, recommends doing something that inspires and invigorates us first thing each morning. What works for one person might not inspire another person, so be authentic to your true self.
Examples of uplifting activities include:
Taking a walk
Listening to your favorite music
Writing in your journal
Doing a meditation
Going for a run or bike ride
Working on a craft project
The key is to start your day doing something you love and create positive energy. I can tell a big difference on the days that I go for a walk with Layla first thing in the morning versus when I have to rush and forgo our morning exercise.
Reader Homework: Think about what inspires and invigorates you. Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual. Write yourself a post-it note to remind you to do this activity first things tomorrow morning. When you wake up tomorrow, do your activity and pay attention to how you feel the rest of the day. I bet that you will have an extra good day because you started it with one of your uplifting and energizing activities!
Be sure to sign up for Tone It Up’s Fall Fitness Challenge! I’m going to be participating and strongly encourage you to join in on the fun! You can sign up here.
Today’s Quote: “Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.”
Hi! How is everyone doing? It’s almost our holiday weekend! I wanted to share my new recipe that I made the other night when I was trying to use up the last of my quinoa salad. I love being resourceful in the kitchen and using whatever is in the fridge instead of heading to the grocery store. I took out some ground organic beef and lamb that I had in the freezer from this dinner and pureed the quinoa salad before mixing them together.
“Left-Over Quinoa Salad” Burgers
Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free
Loosely based off the Garden Beef Burgers in the Better Homes and Garden Cook Book
Makes 4-6 burgers
1 cup quinoa salad (I used this one, but any quinoa/bean/veggie one should work)
1/2 lb. organic ground beef
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1 organic egg or 3 Tablespoons egg whites
1 Tablespoon catsup + more for cooking
1 teaspoon worchestire sauce
1 teaspoon dried onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat your broiler. Position your oven rack so that the burgers will be about 3-4″ from the broiler. Puree the quiona salad in a food processor, blender or magic bullet. Add the egg, catsup, worchestire sauce, dried onion, garlic salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. In a medium size bowl, mash the ground beef and lamb with a spoon or your hands until fully mixed. Add the quinoa salad mixture to the meat. Mix until well combined.
Spray a roasting rack with cooking spray. (I don’t have a roasting rack, but I placed a cookie rack on top of a baking pan.) Divide your hamburger mixture into 4-6 sections. Using your hands, shape each section into a 1/2″ thick patty. Place on the roasting pan. Broil for 8 minutes. Flip the burgers. Brush with a little catsup. Back an additional 4-6 minutes. Serve on lettuce or with gluten-free buns. I enjoyed mine with a large serving of green beans and extra catsup.
I must be on a burger kick lately because tonight, when I went out to dinner with my cousin and my friend (and his girlfriend) I ordered another burger, sans-bun.
We ate at Noble Rot, which is a rooftop restaurant and wine bar that has their own rooftop garden. It was a spectacular dinner with good food and good friends. There was even a firework show while we were eating our dessert – flowerless chocolate tarte!
Now that I spent the past week celebrating my birthday and eating a little more indulgently than usual, I need to get my rear in gear because I leave for Maui in 1 week! My sister and I are staying with one of my friends that I met when Blake and I lived there. I’m excited because she’s pregnant with a little baby girl and I get to go to one of her ultrasound appointments while I’m there!
My game-plan for the week:
Sticking with my “O-blood type” style of eating
Working out with my favorite “Tone It Up” workouts
A few more HIT cardio sessions
Substituting chocolate and sweets with tea (this one is the hardest for me)
It will all be worth it when I’m in the sun, a week from now. Do you have any fitness goals right now? Mine is to continue my same level of exercise and healthy eating that I have enjoyed this Summer throughout the Fall and Winter. I don’t know about you, but when January hits, my workout motivation drops pretty low. Add my gluten-free sweet tooth to the mix and I have a lot of work to do come Spring Break time – haha!
Today’s Quote: “Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement comes apparent failure and discouragement”
Hi! Did you miss me? Sorry about the week-long absence. I have been busy having fun in the beautiful sunshine that Oregon’s been having lately. I even took a long 4-day weekend off from work to celebrate my birthday weekend! Here’s a re-cap:
Layla and I all dressed up to go out for dinner:
My dinner & dessert from Manzana Grill in Lake Oswego:
A beautiful and thoughtful gift basket from my friend, McKenzie:
My sister and I driving to hang out with some family friends at their house in Black Butte:
The forest fire that was happening while we ate dinner in Black Butte:
My lamb burger (minus the bun) with green salad. I snuck some of my sister’s fries without remembering that they were beer battered. Luckily I didn’t get sick from the possible gluten!
Now onto more important things, like what I whipped up for dinner this evening. I had three crookneck squashes grown by the doctor’s wife to use up. I decided that a quinoa salad that incorporated squash would make a delightful new dish. I poked around my fridge and threw in some random ingredients and called it a meal. While cooking my dinner tonight, I concluded that I am an intuitive cook. After reading my friend, Kris’ post about listening to your “gut” or intuition, I thought about the importance of trusting your own intuition. I hardly ever follow a recipe or even execute a meal the way that I intend to. Instead, I go with the flow and listen to my intuition while I am preparing my meals. I’m glad that I do, because tonight’s meal turned out delicious!
Summer Squash Quinoa Salad
Serves 4
2-3 crookneck squash, sliced into 1/4″ slices
2 teaspoons dried herb mixture (I used Mountain Rose Thai Herb blend but you could use Italian or Greek too)
1 cup broccoli, roasted or steamed
1 cup uncooked quinoa
4 cups chicken ore vegetable broth
5 oz. chevre cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons Wickle’s Wicked Pepper Rings and Chilies (or any sweet sliced pepper rings)
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tablespoons olive oil + more for grilling the squash
1-2 Tablespoons Bragg’s Aminos or sea salt to taste
Toss the squash in a little olive oil and the dried spices. Heat a skillet to medium heat. In single-layer batches, grill the squash for roughly 1-2 minutes per side. Place the cooked squash on a cutting board until all of the squash is prepared. Slice into 1″ pieces. Transfer squash to a large bowl.
Soak the quinoa in warm water for approximately 10 minutes. Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. Drain the quinoa and add to the boiling broth. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 12-15 minutes, until the quinoa is fully cooked. Drain any remaining liquids and allow the quinoa to cool. Once cool, add the quinoa and broccoli to the squash in the bowl.
Chop the sweet peppers and chillies. Add them to the bowl along with the crumbled chevre. Pour the lemon juice, olive oil and Bragg’s aminos over the mixture and lightly toss. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. This salad will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Serve cold and enjoy!
I’m going to go watch Most Eligible Dallas on Bravo. Anyone else loving that new reality show? Have a great night!
Today’s Quote: “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”
Hey guys! How is your weekend going? Mine has been wonderful! I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with some of my closest friends and family. My friend, Laura (remember her beautiful bridal shower) got married. I was lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaids. But, I was so excited for all of the festivities, that I forgot my camera! Oh well, I’m sure that there will be plenty of photos from the wedding that will be passed around. My mom snapped this one of me while I was walking through the buffet:
I’m very thankful that I got to spend so much time with my good friends this past summer. The wedding was like an A-list celebrity wedding. Laura & her family planned and designed the entire event down the the smallest of details. If the wedding is featured on any of the bridal blogs, I’ll be sure to post a link!
Today I wanted to feature one of my favorite styles of eating: Eat Right for Your Blood Type. I loosely followed this diet around the same time that I found out that I was gluten-intolerant. I felt really good while I was focusing my meals around the foods that are most beneficial for my O-blood type. Recently, I was reminded about this style of eating and am choosing to integrate it back into my diet. This means, I’ll be focusing on lots of vegetables, lean animal proteins, olive oil & fruit. I’ll be avoiding all of the natural “offenders” that I usually do: trans-fats, refined sugar, gluten, cow dairy, processed foods, genetically modified foods, etc. I’ll also be avoiding most grains, beans, dairy and citrus fruits.
The theory behind the diet is that certain foods are beneficial or harmful to our bodies based upon our individual blood-types (O, A, B & AB.) The lectins in certain foods can negatively interact with the cells in your body depending on your blood type.
A protein substance commonly found in foods that binds with glycoproteins and glycolipids on the surface of animal cells causing agglutination.
In lay language, this translates to very tiny molecules found in foods that selectively cause blood and other body tissues to stick together. A lectin that causes the tissues of a person of one blood type to stick together will not necessarily have the same effect on a person of a different blood type.
Here are brief descriptions of the four blood types from WebMD:
If you’re blood type O (“for old,” as in humanity’s oldest blood line) your digestive tract retains the memory of ancient times, says D’Adamo, so you’re metabolism will benefit from lean meats, poultry, and fish. You’re advised to restrict grains, breads, and legumes, and to enjoy vigorous exercise.
Type A (“for agrarian”) flourishes on vegetarian diets, “the inheritance of their more settled and less warlike farmer ancestors,” says D’Adamo. The type A diet contains soy proteins, grains, and organic vegetables and encourages gentle exercise.
The nomadic blood type B has a tolerant digestive system and can enjoy low-fat dairy, meat, and produce but, among other things, should avoid wheat, corn, and lentils, D’Adamo says. If you’re type B, it’s recommended you exercise moderately.
The “modern” blood type AB has a sensitive digestive tract and should avoid chicken, beef, and pork but enjoy seafood, tofu, dairy, and most produce. The fitness regimen for ABs is calming exercises.
You can learn more about Dr. D’Adamo’s Eat Right for Your Blood Type and his most recent dietary recommendations tailored around even more specifics than blood type alone on his website: http://www.dadamo.com/
Readers: What’s your blood type? Have you ever tried the “Eat Right for Your Blood Type” diet?
Today’s Quote: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
- I Cor. 13. The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament, often referred to simply as 1 Corinthians.
Hi! I hope that your week is going well so far. We made it through Monday already! I was very refreshed when I headed back to work today. All that Alaskan air and quality time with Blake must have allowed me to recharge my batteries. I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos with you from my week up in Northern Alaska.
It was almost always cloudy. I liked being able to watch Blake work while I was there.
Captain Kilee
The scenery mostly looked like this - lots of rolling rills covered with mossy tundra.
I was all bundled up most of the time. I wish I had remembered my ear/headband because my ears were so cold!
Nearby beach town called Shishmaref. It was literally build on the sand!
These little boys were so excited to see us landing. They came running up to the helicopter.
We saw some moose and caribou from the helicopter. I didn't get many good photos though.
I love my pilot!
I don't know if I mentioned this, but I did A LOT of baking while I was up there. I think the crew was sad when I left.
I had such a great week and had lots of time to relax, read and reflect. It was wonderful!!!
This book gave a very thorough and scientific explanation of how female brains function differently than our male counterparts. It even gives reasons why women are more susceptible to depression and anxiety. I really liked how the author reminded me to listen to and honor my intuition on a daily basis. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to study the female brain, emotions and depression/anxiety disorders.
I wanted to read this book after listening to a podcast with Lisa Oz (wife of the Dr. Oz.) She shares advice, exercises and personal anecdotes from her life to inspire us readers to create better relationships on our own lives. I wholeheartedly agree with her when she writes about how creating positive relationships with others comes from having a healthy relationship with ourselves, which comes from having a meaningful relationship with a higher power. I’m inspired to try some of her techniques and be more conscious of how I interact with others, myself and the divine.
Things I baked while I was up there:
Trail Mix Cookies
Chocolate Applesauce Cake
Vanilla Cupcakes
Strawberry Crisp
Homemade Vanilla Ice cream
Banana Bread
Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
and maybe more … but I forgot already!
What I learned/was reminded of while I was up there:
I love cooking and baking for others with all my heart
Wherever Blake and I are feels like home; because we’re together
I can survive in the Alaskan wilderness (if you count tents with stoves, electricity & running water)
It’s good for me to relax a little more than I do on a day-to-day basis
I do best following my O-Blood type diet (more about this in a later post)
Every single person is brought in and out of your life at a certain time for a special reason. Pay attention and learn from each individual that you meet.
Almost nothing goes 100% as planned. You have to roll with it and enjoy what life throws at you!
Well, that’s a re-cap of my fun vacation up to visit Blake. We talked about all three of us (Layla, Blake & I) moving up to Alaska for a Summer season. Do you think we could survive a whole Summer living together in a tent?!?
“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Don’t search for answers now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything.”
I’m sitting in the Nome, Alaska airport right now, waiting for my flight back home. The past 36 hours were a bit stressful because we weren’t sure if I was going to be able to catch my original flight back home. The camp where I was staying was completely fogged in and the cargo plane that I was supposed to take out of camp, decided that it wasn’t safe to fly due to the weather conditions. Normally, I would have been elated to have more time to spend with Blake, but Layla was waiting for me to pick her up from the doggie hotel and I was scheduled to work Saturday and Sunday. I got all worked up about how I had these responsibilities and felt helpless being stuck in the middle of nowhere without cell phone service.
I wasn't going anywhere in this fog!
Luckily, Blake is my calm companion and reassured me that Layla would be fine spending another night at the doggie hotel, someone would be able to cover my shift and I would be able to get my flight changed. Guess what, all of these things took ending up working out. I used the emergency land line to make my calls, let my family know that I wouldn’t be flying back on time & was able to get Alaska Airlines to waive their “change-ticket” fee. I had got myself all worked up because I was afraid and anxious that things weren’t working out how I had planned.
This seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life. I am a planner. I like to know what is going to happen, when it will happen and avoid any problems that may take place. Guess what? The universe has more power than us “planners.” I felt so helpless being stuck at camp because there was nothing that I could do about the foggy, windy, rainy weather. All that I could do was try to keep a positive outlook and hope that I would be able to make it home safely.
Looking back at how I handled the situation, I wish that I had remained more calm and trusted that I would make it out of camp when the timing was right. I wish that I wouldn’t have acted upset towards Blake and instead been sweet and endearing during our extra time together. What I can do now is reflect on how I handled the situation and better prepare myself for the next time that things don’t go as planned.
What did I do with my extra 24 hours at camp? Since I missed dinner while making all of my phone calls, I went to the kitchen and cooked up some home made broccoli and potato soup. Few things calm my nerves as much as chopping vegetables and preparing a soup from scratch. My soup turned out delicious and I curled up on the cot with Blake and watched “The King’s Speech.” Did anyone else find it kind of boring? We turned it off half-way through. I slept in this morning, went for a run, took a shower and packed up my bags. I also spent a lot of time envisioning myself making it out of camp safely and flying back home.
Blake inspecting the plane before I was supposed to take off
The cargo plane was supposed to make it into camp today, but once again was unable to due to weather. Blake and I had to make the decision of whether or not I should fly back to Nome in a small 2-person Cessna plane with one of the camp owners. We both thought that it was risky, but also didn’t know when the cargo plane would actually make it into camp. After hours of watching the weather and debating if it was worth it, we secured my seat with Alaska Air and took the scariest flight of my life.
Now, I am not a bad flier. I have (up until now) never been scared to go in an airplane or helicopter. By the looks of the foggy weather and the tiny airplane, I was more scared for that half hour flight than almost anything in my life. I trusted that the pilot wouldn’t fly if he didn’t have full faith that we would land safely, but this little voice in my head kept telling me that it was too risky. On the flip side, I wanted to get back home so I could pick up Layla and make it to work on Sunday. I climbed into that little plane and envisioned us safely landing in Nome.
Do see what the fuel gage said!?!
While flying, I decided that I should probably learn how to land planes and get some lessons from Blake on how to land helicopters so in the face of an emergency, I’d know what to do. We made it to Nome, safe and sound. I was relieved and felt that this experience was a lesson that the universe was offering for me to learn and grow from.
Lessons that I learned over the past 36 hours:
Just because you plan something, doesn’t mean that it will actually happen
How you react to a situation creates your experience, not the actual situation itself
Things that feel like a big deal to you in the present moment, will end up working themselves out and most likely forgotten in the future
I try to learn from my mistakes and experiences so that I don’t repeat them in the future. I’m only human and therefore, will never be perfect. This trip was exhilarating, rejuvenating and taught me a few life lessons. Maybe I’ll go back to Alaska next summer? Only time can tell.
Readers: What is a life-lesson that you’ve recently learned?
Today’s Quote: “There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.”
Hi everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts this week. I was very busy while on vacation up here in Alaska. Between my morning workouts, helping the camp cook, baking treats for the crew, helping Blake with stuff and working on my own projects, I kept a full schedule. Today is my last day here. It’s really foggy and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to make it out of camp and back to Nome to catch my flight tonight. My fingers are crossed that the weather clears.
Yeah, I'm not going anywhere in this weather!
Today I thought that it would be fun to talk a little bit about how I stayed active while up here in Northern Alaska. It was very chilly most of the time. Think: layers of clothes and outdoor gear with gloves and Ugg boots each day. I wish that I remembered my Under Armour ear/headband to keep my ears warm, but I didn’t realize that it would be so cold!
Most mornings, I grabbed my cup of coffee and set out on a walk around the camp. I didn’t venture out of camp because the terrain is so uneven and knowing me, I would have twisted an ankle. Plus, there is some wildlife out here and I didn’t want to cross paths with any unfriendly creatures.
Every other day, I went for a 30 minute run up and down the runway. Again, this was the best place to run because the ground was the most even. I would then do some lunges, squats, pushups and crunches or use Blake’s exercise bands.
One day, I was inspired to do some yoga in the tent. It ended up being quite the hot & sweaty session because our tent had the heater on.
My "make shift" yoga mat - fuel spill mats
Yoga download from Self.com
Another day, Blake and I hiked down to the creek. When we got about 10 minutes outside of camp, he informed me that he had forgot his protection gun and hoped we didn’t run into any bears. Thanks for scaring me! I was a bit on edge during that hike.
As you can see, I did some fun outdoor (and indoor) workouts. I loved listening to podcasts that I had downloaded onto my ipod. Most of them were focused on energy healing, female intuition and positive thinking. It was so inspirational to be listening to the podcasts, working out and viewing the breathtaking landscape. This will be a trip that I will never forget!
I’ll be back tomorrow with lots of photos from this past week. The internet speed up here is about as fast as was in the 1990′s and goes down when the weather’s bad. Have a great day and hopefully, the next time I talk with you, I’ll be back in the lower 48!
Aloha, er I mean, “aang” as the native Alaskans say. I made it through my four flights yesterday. PDX→Anchorage→Kotzebue→Nome→Camp. When we flew into the camp, it was like nothing that I have ever seen before. There is no sign of civilization for miles upon miles. The camp consists of 20 large steel and canvas tents, dirt runway and two outhouses. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I will be using one of these for a whole week, but seeing Blake for the first time in three months makes is all worth it!
Flying into Nome
Cargo Plane that I took into camp
"Stuff" that the plane was hauling into camp
Extra big smile because I was excited to see Blake
We flew for about 30 minutes and looked at all types of terrain
More of the flight into camp
My nerves were pretty high during my travels. Once I settled into camp and laid down inside the tent while it rained outside, I started to relax and really enjoy being in the wilderness. My plans for the week include hiking with Blake when he’s not working, helping the camp cook with preparing meals and baking some treats for the crew, catching up on the work projects that I have been putting off and exploring a place that very few people ever get to experience.
I’m sure that my eats and exercise will be a little out of the norm for this week, but I’m going to roll with it because that’s all that I can do. As long as I can squeeze in some salads and a run or two, I know that I’ll keep feeling good.
I hope that you have a great week and I’ll check-in as much as possible.
Signing off from the “middle-of-no-where-Alaska,”
Kilee
Today’s Quote:”Aim for success, not perfection. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make yourself a happier and more productive person.”
- Dr. David M. Burns, received his doctorate in medicine at Harvard Medical School in 1972 and worked out of UCSD.
Hey! How’s your week going so far? The past week has had it’s ups and downs for me. The up being that I am taking off for a vacation right now and the down being that I was scheduled to leave last Friday and the trip ended up getting postponed. Everything happens for a reason; I’m trusting that this week will be a better week for my travels.
Where am I going for the next week? Let’s see if this will help you guess:
I’m headed to Alaska. Blake’s been working up there since May and I have been planning a trip up to visit him all summer. After several delays and flight changes, I am sitting at PDX getting ready to board my flight. Tomorrow morning I’ll arrive in Nome and then take a charter plane into the camp where he’s stationed. I had to sign a confidentiality agreement to be able to stay there, so I will not be posting any photos of the camp itself. I will try to post any photos that we take outside of the camp.
When I was imagining what the camp looked like, I was picturing something like this:
Let me just say that packing to visit Blake on Maui was a little more fun than packing to visit Alaska. Dirty hiking boots, old jeans and sweatshirts vs. sundresses, sandals and bikinis? I got little more excited to pack after picking up some new outdoor clothes on sale at REI. Layla decided to sleep on them while I was packing.
I also took this as an opportunity to try some new protein bars, Vega protein and powdered greens since I have no idea how much of the food flown into camp will be gluten-free.
I should have internet access while I’m up there, but if you don’t hear from me for the next week, you know where I am.
Have a great day and I’m sure that I’ll have many adventures to share with you after this trip!
Readers: Have you ever been to Alaska? Where have you been and what is it like?
Today’s Quote: “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.”
Sundays are the perfect day to kick back, leisurely drink a second cup of coffee and walk around farmers markets. That’s exactly what this blogger did today. I forgot to bring my camera to the Montavilla Farmers Market this morning.
I met up with my cousin and his girlfriend (my friend & running buddy) and we walked around to all of the different booths. I sampled everything from gluten-free granola to keilbasa to peaches. My stomach really prefers when I practice proper food-combining, but who can pass up free food samples?
After walking around the market, we tried a new-to-me pizza place, Flying-Pie, for lunch.
Tonya and I split a vegetarian gluten-free pizza and Nick got a slice of pepperoni/sausage/olive/pineapple pizza. We all agreed that was it was good, but not the best pizza we’ve ever had.
I spent the rest of the day grocery shopping (and forgetting basil so I had to go back to the store,) cleaning up the house and making dinner. I made a nice little Greek feast for us (Nick and Tonya) this evening.
So there you have my exciting eats of the day. I also indulged in my sister’s rice crispy treats before and after dinner. I asked for her recipe and she look at me like I was crazy. I never make rice crispy treats and apparently, they taste best when you don’t follow a recipe, but merely melt the butter and mini-marshmallows, stir in your cereal and spread them into a cake pan. The secret is to not smash them down, but to “let them breath.” However she made them, they tasted good!
Have a great, relaxing night. Take care! I’m going to wake up and take Layla on a 30 minute run first thing tomorrow morning.
Good night!
Kilee
Today’s Quote: “You never find yourself until you face the truth.”
Hi! How is your weekend going? Mine has been good. Pretty low-key around here. I took Layla for her morning walk around the neighborhood, had my coffee and breakfast and then devoted a good three hours to this:
My new inspiration board. A few months ago, I posted about my inspiration board and how to make one. For the past two weeks, I’ve had this little voice in the back of my head nagging me to make a new one. My life feels like it’s at a cross-roads right now and I need a little direction. So what did I do? I spent some extra time writing in my journal. I have never been a religious journal writer. Mine is usually just filled with to-do lists and goals that I want to work on. Whenever I start to feel like I need to re-evaulate where my life’s going, I spend a little more time reflecting in my journal. Recent entries may or may not have included my thoughts on:
Things that make me happy
Where I see myself in 1, 3, and 5 years. 10 years always seems so far away!
New ideas for Whole Nutrition
Feelings that I have been carrying around with me for awhile that I want to work through
My core values. What makes me me?
Get the picture? After spending that time reflecting, I knew that I needed a new vision board. I bought a foam board and some art supplies at Target. (Back to school prices are the best! $1 for Crayola markers right now.) I went through a giant stack of magazines; cutting out images that inspired me. (Mom – thank you for always sending me your old ones!) And used rubber cement to glue it all together. Instead of writing down individual goals to paste onto it, I tried to categorize different areas of my life: relationships, career, happiness, health & spirituality. It’s funny because once you paste all the images up in the different categories, you see that they all correlate with one another.
Feeling very accomplished after completing my board, I set off to tackle my 6-mile run in the sunshine. I chugged a coconut water before hand and grabbed my iPod. Usually I wait until after a long run to drink my coconut water, but I was feeling low-blood-sugar-like beforehand and didn’t want to wait another hour or so for a snack to digest. What do you do? Drink your electrolyte drink before, after or during a long workout?
My post-workout smoothie was gag-worthy. I must have been somewhat delirious after my run because I thought that powdered greens, cod liver oil, maca and mesquite powders, coconut milk, whey protein powder, cherries, almond butter and ice would be a palatable smoothie. I was wrong. I drank it anyway because I can’t stand to waste my expensive, health foods.
Dinner tonight was one of my “clean out the fridge” stir-fries. I chopped up some onion, mushrooms, carrots, sugar snap peas, spinach, edamame and Southwest Sunshine Burger and cooked it over medium-high heat in a skillet. When it was done, I squeezed some fresh lemon on top with a splash of Braggs aminos. Delish!
I’m going to go read some books that I downloaded on my Kindle. Have a great night!
Readers: Have you made your inspiration board yet? If you have, do you look at it daily?
Today’s Quote: ”About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.”
Hello! How’s your day going today? I am feeling good thanks to another fabulous Tone It Up workout that I did this evening. It’s funny how I can feel so lazy and “blah” and then once I do my workout, I’ll feel totally refreshed and energized. One of my favorite benefits of exercise is how good I feel after I do it.
I know I’ve been away from the blog for the past few days. Sorry! I have been battling a cold/allergies and I have to practice what I preach, “relax and sleep when you’re not feeling well.” It’s so much easier to tell others to do things than to do them ourselves, right? Well, I’m back and I’ve had some time to think about today’s post. I wanted to share with you some tips that I’ve developed from personal experience.
How to Get Yourself Out of a Bummer Mood
If you are anything like me, there are some days when you feel upset about everything. You got into work late, you had to deal with a cranky person on the phone, you’re unhappy with your job, you can’t find a boyfriend/girlfriend or you’re upset with your partner, you don’t have enough money to buy a new iPad. Have you had any days like this? I admit that some days it seems like my problems outweigh my blessings. Deep down, I know this isn’t true, but it’s how I feel at that moment in time. Usually I can make myself snap out of this mindset by reminding myself how fortunate I am to be loved by my family and friends and how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, nutritious food in my fridge and a healthy body. However, there are still some days when I need to take a little more action to get myself out of my “bummer mood.”
Here are my favorite tips for shifting your mindset when you’re not feeling your best:
1. Write it down. When it feels like everything is going wrong in my life, I take out a piece of paper and make a list of everything that is bothering me. Once I have my list written down I come up with a possible solution for each situation.
Example: 1. My computer keeps crashing and I don’t know how to fix it. Solution: call the computer repair shop and see what they suggest.
Just like that, I already feel better knowing that I have an action step to take and it’s as simple as picking up the phone and calling someone for assistance. Sometimes your issue can be larger than a computer repair.
Example: 2. I have no friends. Solution: get myself out of the house and try new things.
Attracting new friends can seem like a daunting task until you step outside of your comfort zone and put yourself in a new setting. Sign up for a running club, take a class at your local community college, or volunteer with an organization. These are all great settings to meet new people with similar interests.
2. Call a friend and make plans. Last Sunday I was at home and felt really lonely. What I wanted was a big batch of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. However, I knew that a sweet treat wasn’t going to cure my loneliness at the time. Instead, I texted some of my close friends to see if they wanted to come over for dinner that night. They said that they could use a study break and would love to come over. Instantly I felt better because I now had to plan a menu, prepare a meal and enjoy dinner with some of my friends. Next time you’re feeling blue, invite someone to do something. If they can’t, find someone who can. I will literally call all the contacts on my phone until I can make plans with someone.
3. Do a 5-min meditation. Lately, when I get home from work, I feel exhausted and worn out. All I want to do is plop down on the couch and turn on the T.V. A great alternative that I’ve put to use is to go in my room, shut my door and do a 5-10 minute guided meditation. I simply type “guided meditation” into youtube.com. I lay down, close my eyes and follow along to the meditation. When I’m done with my meditation, I feel relaxed and ready to ease into my evening. A 5-minute meditation can turn a “blah” mood into a good mood.
4. Eat a protein/carbohydrate combo. I do not always advocate turning to food to improve your mood. However, if you haven’t eaten in the past four hours and feel a little “low,” try pairing a lean protein with a high-fiber carbohydrate. Some snack combo examples include: 3 slices of organic turkey breast with a handful of baby carrots, 2 Tablespoons of almond butter with an organic apple, a scoop of protein powder blended with 1/2 cup frozen berries, 1 cup almond milk and 2 ice cubes. I promise that you will be feeling energized within 20 minutes. If a snack-size amount of food won’t cut it, go ahead and make a balanced meal with some lean protein, healthy carbohydrate and a little fat. Just remember to keep it light and don’t use this as an excuse to sneak some chips or candy. These will leave you feeling worse than before you ate them.
You already know how much I love my ToneItUp workouts :)
5. Commit to your favorite workout. Nothing makes me feel as good as a sweaty workout. Well, almost nothing ;) Sometimes when I score a really great deal on a new outfit, I feel pretty darn good! The reason why exercise can boost our mood is because our bodies release a type of “feel-good” endorphin during exercise.
What are endorphins?
“Endorphins are defined as hormone-like substances that are produced in the brain and function as the body’s natural painkillers. During exercise, these endorphins are released, and this can produce feelings of euphoria and a general state of well-being. The endorphins produced can be so powerful that they actually mask pain. Physically active people recover from mild depression more quickly and physical activity is strongly correlated with good mental health as people age.”
Don’t feel like working out? My top three tips for motivating myself to do a workout include: telling myself that I only have to do it for 10 minutes. If I still don’t feel like working out after 10 minutes, I can stop. Most of the time, I already feel good after 10 minutes, so I continue on with my workout.
Another thing I do is ask myself why type of workout I absolutely do not feel like doing. Then I give myself permission not to do it and instead think of one that I do feel like doing. For example, if a 3-mile run sounds awful, but a weight training circuit sounds better, skip the run and do the weight workout.
My third way of motivating myself to do a workout is to watch a few workout videos on youtube. Once I see someone else working out and looking like they’re enjoying their workout, it usually motivates me to join in and bust out a workout.
There you go! These are my time-tested tips for getting yourself out of a bummer mood. I want to clarify that I am not trying to offer these to support people with depression (you should seek medical support if you think you suffer from depression) and am solely trying to offer suggestions for those who have the occasional “bad mood.”
Readers: What are your favorite ways to improve your mood when you’re feeling down?
Today’s Quote: “The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.”
- Carolyn Myss
I snapped this photo last Friday after running along with Portland waterfront with my friend, McKenzie.
Hi everyone! I’m happy to report that after a day home from work and spent in bed with Layla, I’m back to feeling good. Sometimes I think that exercise can pull you out of feeling sick. (Not always. Listen to your body. My body said “no exercise” the past two days, so I didn’t, but today was another story.) This morning Layla and I went on our morning walk and then after work I took her on a 25-minute run and then I did a 20-minute yoga podcast off of iTunes. She did not participate in the yoga session because she’d rather fling her bones around and run up and down the stairs.
I finished my yoga with a chakra-meditation and I have to say that I am feeling quite energized. I’ve read a bit about balancing one’s chakras, but have never fully practiced it until now. Don’t worry; I’m not going to get too “woo-woo” as Blake would say. I’m just working on my meditation and spiritulaity practices.
Onto my recipe of the day. I created this salad because I love kale salads and wanted to make one with a cheesey flavor. Nutritional yeast is great for vegans or people like me who mostly avoid dairy products. Make sure that you actually massage the kale or it won’t taste as good!
Gluten-Free Vegan Cheesey Kale Salad
Serves 2-4
1 bunch kale (I don’t know the exact variety I used, but it was green and firm)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Dressing:
1/4 cup Veganaise (or organic mayo if you choose)
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 Tablespoon filtered water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (I always use Braggs brand)
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Chipolte blend
1/4 teaspoon coarse red sea salt
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Wash and dry the kale leaves. Remove the tough stems from the kale. Slice the kale leaves into 1/4″ slices. Place them in a salad bowl.
To make the salad dressing: place all of your ingredients in your Magic Bullet, blender or food processor. Blend until well combined. Pour the salad dressing over the kale. Now, it’s time to roll up your sleves and get a little messy. Begin to massage the kale until it starts to lose some of it’s firmness (about a minute or two.) Add the shredded carrots and sliced tomatoes and toss. Refridgerate until ready to serve. This salad makes about two meal-sized salads or four side salads.
I have copied many of New Season’s Market’s salad recipes. Let’s see if I can get them to copy this one of mine ;) And, I will end this post by showing that even healthy chefs like myself, will sometimes randomly throw items together and call it dinner. Tonight I enjoyed my cheesey kale salad with a brown rice tortilla filled with sliced turkey, Trader Joe’s masala lentil dip and whole seed mustard. Random, but tasty. Tip: I always heat my brown rice tortillas in a skillet before eating them because it gives them a softer texture than straight out of the bag.
Let me know if you try the salad out. I promise that it’s a keeper. Have a great day today!
Take care,
Kilee
Healthy Eating Tip: If you frequently crave chocolate, keep a bag of dark chocolate chips in the refrigerator. When a craving hits and you truly *need* chocolate, reach for a few chocolate chips. This should satisfy your craving. However, you need to exercise self-control and not continue to reach for more. Remind yourself that they will be there for you the next time that a craving hits.
Hi! I hope that you are feeling well and staying active so far this week. I’ve found that the move active I am, the better I feel. Is this the same for you? My Monday has been pretty standard. Some of the highlights include:
A 30-minute walk with Layla this morning.
Bringing the vegan, gluten-free chocolate cake that I baked last night into work for our boss’ birthday.
Mailing off the Purebars and some gluten-free “Super-Charge-Me” cookies to giveaway winner, Faith.
Salad bar, rosemary steak & Kombucha from New Seasons for dinner.
Now I’m curled up on the couch with Layla and my mug of cinnamon tea, watching The Bachelorette. Who else loves Ben?!
Yes, Layla has a no-bark collar because she has a few issues to work out
Tonight's Tea Bag Quote: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." - Galileo Gaililei
Recently I’ve been taking some time to think about what makes me feel good about myself. I’ve always been somewhat in tune with how sleep, diet, exercise and relationships affect my mood. Something that I hadn’t thought about is how my communication with my friends and loved ones can make me feel about myself.
In today’s modern world it’s so easy to loose direct contact with the ones we care about. 100 years ago, you had to either pay a visit to your friends and family or write them a letter. Today’s means of contact are much less personable. Texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc. take the meaningful and personal connections out of our communications. For example: texts make it much harder to understand where someone is coming from because they lack voice inflections, Facebook makes it way too easy to feel like an outsider peering into someones life & I’m still confused about how to be personable on Twitter (although I do have an account.)
What I’m trying to get at here is that it’s easy to feel disconnected from our friends and family nowadays. Technology and social media have made it so convenient to “stay in touch” but they’ve also made it more difficult to have meaningful, human interactions with others.
I’ve noticed that I feel amazing when I spend actual time with my friends and family members. I also like to set aside some time to call people when I’m not driving or multi-tasking so that I can give them my full attention. I enjoy hand writing thank-you cards to let people know that I truly appreciate their gifts and kindness. None of these gestures involve social media.
On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve noticed that I feel uneasy when I can’t decipher what someone means by a text. I feel isolated when I’m by myself looking at people’s party photos on Facebook. I feel unexciting when I scroll through 10 blogs back to back with eventful posts. I think that we as humas crave meaningful interactions with others.
Does anyone else feel this way? It’s something that I’ve just recently noticed as a theme in my life. Therefore, I plan to:
1. Spend as much of my free time with my friends and family as possible
2. Call my friends and family who I can’t meet up with when I have a free afternoon
3. Stop scrolling through Facebook & Google Reader on a daily basis. I’ll try it every other day for now!
Readers: How do you feel about your connections with others? Do you ever notice that you feel better or worse with different types of communication?
Today’s Quote: “Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment.”
My mom, sister and I helped Laura and her family assemble her wedding invitations. Later that night I drove back to the coast with my mom. Yesterday I had a perfect Saturday at home: coffee talk with my mom (in bed,) shopping at the Seaside outlet mall (new shampoo and workout shoes,) and a 7 mile run on the beach. It was the typical rainy coastal weather and my beach run looked like this:
Then I got to go out for dinner with my parents. Our waiter was one of my friends from highschool whom I had not seen in about seven years. It was really good to see her and we had a wonderful dinner.
My dinner consisted of: a glass of Pinot, side salad with balsamic vinegarette, hazlenut crusted salmon drizzled with brown sugar butter sauce and vegetables. It ate and loved every last bite. :)
My dad and I then drove back up to Portland and called it a night. Today is another rainy day. I’m going to be prepping for the week and getting caught up on laundry.
This morning I spent some time working on my personal development. Every 3-4 months I like to devote some extra time to focus on “checking-in” with myself and evaluating my goals. I learned about Christine Hassler, “Quarter-Life Crisis Coach” though my favorite blog: TheDailyLove.com. (*If you haven’t already done so, go sign up for their daily newsletter & then meet me back here*) I subscribed to her Transform 20 Something Coaching Kit:
These complimentary coaching tools are designed to:
Remind you that you are exactly where you need to be and what you are experiencing is 100% normal
Support you in discovering who you really are
Offer you insight into your own experience
Provide you with information and tools to gain direction and clarity you can utilize immediately
And much more…
I also listened to The Feminine Power Teleseminar Replay here. It was lead by Katherine Woodward Thomas & Claire Zammit. Here’s a description of the 75-minute teleseminar:
THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Why most popular approaches to transforming core beliefs don’t work for women, and the brand new, leading edge process that really does
Liberate yourself and others from the tyranny of old disempowering patterns, graduating forever from the dynamics of the past
How to have a generative, empowered relationship with your feelings and emotions, and why you absolutely must know how to do this in order to realize your greater potentials
THE POWER TO REALIZE YOUR DESTINY
Experience the joy of being radically alive and dynamically engaged in the co-creative process of life
Master the ability to discern your inner guidance such that you begin navigating life from an assured sense that you are on your “destiny path”
Learn how to access the unlimited support and resources of All of Creation to cause the full flourishing of life everywhere you go
THE POWER TO TRANSFORM THE WORLD
Learn why we cannot be become ourselves by ourselves, and how to create evolutionary partnerships that will unleash the full realization of your unique gifts and contributions
How to harness the power of the collective field to cause unprecedented transformations in our lives and in our world
How to become a powerful agent of change and consciously join with others to co-create the future of our world
Don’t these tools sounds amazing? I highly recommend both of them. I’m off to work on my “Quarter-Life Crisis” & “Unleashing My Feminine Power.” Have a great Sunday!
Today’s Quote: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
Today I wanted to feature my friend Laura’s bridal shower. Remember a few weeks ago when I was making mini quiches? Her shower was recently feature on the blog, Hostess with the Mostess. The amazing fête was planned by Lindsey, Laura’s twin sister and our friend, Jessica of Modern Moments Design designed the invitations and printed decorations. It was amazing to say the least. Lindsey and Laura need to start their own business because they are the most talented decorators/hostesses/interior designers I know! These photos speak for themselves.
Lindsey, the bride, Laura and I
Are you speechless of how beautiful it was? You can see more of the professional photos here. I’m thankful that I got to spend time with my friends and celebrate Laura’s upcoming wedding. I didn’t get to try my quiches (the crust had flour,) but some of the shower guests assured me that they tasted good. I advise anyone preparing mini quiches the day before an event to place a paper towel in the the container that they’re storing them in. This will help keep the quiches from absorbing moisture becoming soggy.
I did help myself to quite a few of the coconut french macarons. Such a delish gluten-free treat! What’s your favorite party treat to enjoy?
Today’s Quote: “You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”
Hi! I hope that you are thoroughly enjoying your week this week. I have to admit that I’ve been feeling pretty sleepy after last weekend. This afternoon at work I started to think about things that I really enjoy doing and make me feel like “me.” Cooking dinner came to mind. I’m not sure about your summer cooking regime, but mine includes throwing a salad together or heating up random ingredients in a skillet. Tonight was going to be different. I decided to find a recipe that looked tasty, go grocery shopping for the ingredients, put my comfy clothes on, pour a glass of red wine and cook a real meal.
Luckily, Megan at Healthy Hoggin posted a delicious sounding broccoli soup recipe here. I headed to Trader Joe’s with my shopping list in hand and loaded up the basket. I tend to always grab the little hand basket and about half-way through my shopping trip wish that I had taken a shopping cart instead! Here were all of my ingredients and impulse purchases:
Zico Chololate Coconut Water (my friend, Gina, raved about this and I have yet to try it,) Charles Shaw Cabernet Savonion, Organic Broccoli Slaw, Organic Broccoli Florets, Crunchy Curls Lentil & Potato Chips, Graprefruit, Lemon, Lime, Bananas, Orgainic Eggs, Cafe-free Egg Whites, Mix of Chopped Onion, Carrots & Celery, Hummus Dressing, Mandala Lentil Dip, Organic Blueberries, Organic Grape Tomatoes, Oragnic Greek Yogurt, Raw Goat’s Milk Cheddar, Nitrate-free Turkey Breast, Brown Rice Wraps (refridgerate these – mine started to mold when left out on the counter,) Greek Salad & most importantly, Layla’s bones.
Isn’t it fun to see what other people buy at the grocery store? My sister rolled her eyes as I took the photo of my Trader Joe’s loot. Okay, back to dinner. I followed Megan’s recipe as closely as I can follow a recipe (I like the bend the rules, alot) and it still turned out delicious.
My mug of soup was topped with a little freshly group white pepper, a pinch of Hawaiian Red Sea Salt and a drizzle of Organic Garlic Olive Oil. I added a side salad with my new hummus dressing. I urge you to try this healthy, brocolli soup recipe when you have about an hour’s time to cook dinnner.
Let’s take a little T.V. break. I DVR most of the shows that I watch, so I’m probably not caught up with you. But, here are the shows I’m loving this summer: The Voice (I’m not done, so don’t spoil who wins,) The Bachelorette (Ben’s my favorite) & The Kardashians (classic.) What are you favorite shows this summer?
Edited to show Layla’s contribution to dinner clean-up:
Hey! How is your week going so far? Mine has been a little sleepy after Laura’s Bachelorette weekend in Black Butte. I had so much fun hanging out with the girls and soaking up the sun. The weekend ended up being full of physical activities (which I loved!) Friday morning, my friend Rachael and I went for what was supposed to be an hour-long run. Neither one of us has spent much time in Black Butte and we ended up getting lost and walked around for two hours after our run. Luckily our friends found us and drove us home.
Saturday morning, my friend Marci (who’s a personal trainer) led me in a hard-core full body weight workout. It kicked my butt and I had so much fun working out with her. She is in amazing shape and gave me some great tips. Later that night, I got my second workout of the day in the form of a scavenger hunt. This was one of the highlights of the weekend. We were split into four teams and the clues for the scavenger hunt were answers to questions about Laura and her fiancé. We sprinted around the pool area while breaking a sweat.
After only getting four hours of sleep Saturday night, we all needed a little R&R on Sunday. Luckily the sun was out all three days and we got to lay out by the pool each day that we were there. It was such a fun weekend!
The celebrations didn’t end this weekend – my friend and co-worker, Kristyl’s birthday was Monday. Earlier this year she found a cake recipe that she wanted me to bake for our office birthday lunch. Everyone at work loved it! (I didn’t try it because it was not gluten-free.) The recipe can be found here at the Health Magazine website.
While baking the cake, my kitchen went from this:
to this:
My tips for keeping a clean kitchen while doing a lot of cooking and baking are to:
Clean up as you cook.
Try to reuse the same bowl or utensil by rinsing it off instead of taking out a new one.
Immediately put used dishes and utensils into soapy water in the sink.
Wash dishes while your food is baking in the oven or cooking on the stove.
Wait to wipe down the counters until everything is washed and put away.
Lastly, sweep the floors once everything else is cleaned up and you are done in the kitchen.
I’m off to get ready for work and go for a 5-mile run tonight with my friend, Tonya. Have a great day!!!
Today’s Quote:
“Don’t take anything personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”
- Don Miguel Ruiz, is a best-selling author and speaker.
Happy 4th of July Weekend! I hope that you are having a fabulous weekend so far. I started off my Friday with a 6 mile run after work and then headed to my friend, McKenzie’s house for a delicious gluten-free dinner. She made gluten-free pasta with grape tomatoes, broccoli and chicken sausage and served it with a spinach salad and some yummy wine. To top it all off, she baked strawberry shortcake with Pamela’s baking mix, fresh strawberries from the farm near her house and homemade whipped cream. It was an amazing, relaxing, fun and much-needed girlie evening. Love you Kenze!
This 4th of July, I will not be cooking or baking anything, but I have a little menu planned for what I would have made if I were to be hosting a party. Here’s what my party menu would include:
Don’t all of these recipes sound delicious? I have a nice, fun-filled weekend planned. After I finish up with work tomorrow, I’m dropping Layla off at the doggie hotel and headed home to Gearhart, OR for the 4th. I’ll be following some of my tips while celebrating this patriotic holiday. I hope that you have a happy & safe 4th of July.
Hi! How are you doing today? I’m feeling fabulous right now! I woke up early, took Layla for her morning walk, worked at the health center, got all my appointments made, worked out, made one of my Gluten-Free Lean Cuisine dinners, and now I’m sipping my Blue Sky Cherry Vanilla Creme soda as I type this. And, The Bachelorette is on right now, so I guess you could say I’m multitasking.
Today I was driving home thinking about how I had crossed almost all of my to-do’s off of my daily list. This lead to me start thinking about how I am a “go-getter” and am constantly working towards my goals. This trait can be seen as a good or a bad thing. For this post, we’ll focus on the positive aspect of it.
What makes someone an achiever? Why do some people have the ambition and drive to go after their dreams and not give up? Why do others choose not to set goals and work towards them? Does everyone desire to achieve great things, but only some act on it? What differentiates the achievers from the slackers?
I am no expert at achieving goals, but have achieved some goals throughout my life. I strongly believe that regular goal-setting is detrimental to being successful in life. If you don’t decide where you want to go in life, how are you going to get there? Set goals to help you create your life map.
Here are my top 5 personal tips for achieving your goals:
1. Write them down. I know that this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the simple act of taking out a pen and writing your goals down on paper makes you 99 times more likely to achieve them.
2. Post them up. Remember that inspiration board post that I did a while back? The point of creating an inspiration board is to look at it and be inspired each day. By writing down your goals and pasting them to your inspiration board, you are constantly reminded of your goals.
3. Just Do It. The Nike tag line is not just for athletes; it’s for all of us. Procrastination can get the best of all of us, but only you can push past it. Instead of making up excuses of why you “can’t” do something, make an action plan and “just do it.”
4. Be kind to yourself. It’s easy to let self-doubt and negative emotions get the best of you. Instead of thinking about your weaknesses and what you haven’t yet achieved, focus on your strengths and how you’ve already started working towards your goals. Remember that positive thinking creates positive results. Being kind to yourself will enable you to achieve your goals and feel great while you are doing it.
5. Reach out for support. This is such an important step. We as human are becoming more and more isolated as time goes by and technology changes. You need to reach out to others and share your goals with them. By interacting and socializing with your peers and mentors, you will have more support for working towards your goals.
Some great websites with goal setting tools include:
Lululemon Goaltender- This application lets you set goals for a year, 5 years and 10 years from now. It even emails you to check on your status with each goal.
Tim Ferris’ Dreamline Worksheet – This excel worksheet allows you to set personal and business goals and create the steps to make them attainable. I highly recommend both of his books for getting you motivated to set some goals.
Acompl.sh.com – This site used to be named 101 in 365, but they recently changed their name. They offer a place to store 101 goals that you would like to accomplish over the next year. The goals can be big or small, but you want to cross them off your list within the next 365 days.
What are your top tips for achieving your goals? One of my goals is writing my blog posts on a daily schedule. I haven’t achieved it yet, but I’m working on it ;)
Today’s Quote:
“People who fail to achieve their goals usually get stopped by frustration. They allow frustration to keep them from taking the necessary actions that would support them in achieving their desire. You get through this roadblock by plowing through frustration, taking each setback as feedback you can learn from, and pushing ahead. I doubt you’ll find many successful people who have not experienced this. All successful people learn that success is buried on the other side of frustration.”
Hi! I hope that you are enjoying some fun activities this weekend. I am typing this post at my kitchen table while my mini-quiches are baking in the oven. I call this my “happy place” because I’m in the kitchen baking and on my computer at the same time. Two of my favorites in one!
I’m making mini asperagus mushroom quiches based off of this recipe by Martha Stewart. The quiches are not gluten-free. They are for one of my best friend’s bridal shower tomorrow and I have never made gluten-free quiches before and know that this is not the time to “experiment” with a gluten-free recipe.
My friend’s twin sister got an adorable mini-quiche pan at Williams-Sonoma for me to use and it worked perfectly for the recipe. You can find it here. I used puff-pastry dough from the freezer section, and substituted sautéed mushrooms for the ham that the recipe called for. Too bad I won’t be able to test them before the shower. I’ll just have to trust that they taste amazing. Martha Stewart, is usually a reliable source for recipes.
I wanted to share a recent find with you. While reading The Oregonian FoodDay this week, I saw something featured that I have been waiting for: oven-safe, glass food storage containers with snap-on lids. Perfect! They are by Ziplock and you can find them here. The reasons why I have been wanting glass, oven-safe storage containers are because we do not have a microwave at our house, it’s easier to store my left-overs in the same container that I use to reheat them and because I avoid plastics with BPA.
Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor found in some plastics, which can mimic the body’s own hormones and may lead to negative health effects. Early development appears to be the period of greatest sensitivity to its effects. Regulatory bodies have determined safety levels for humans, but those safety levels are currently being questioned or under review as a result of new scientific studies. (source)
The Environmental Working Group lists these studies showing the adverse health effects of BPA:
A study showing that BPA exposures lead to an error in cell division called aneuploidy that causes spontaneous miscarriages, cancer, and birth defects in people, including Down Syndrome (Hunt et al. 2003).
An investigation demonstrating that low doses of BPA spur both the formation and growth of fat cells, the two factors that drive obesity in humans (Masumo et al. 2002).
A study linking low doses of BPA to insulin resistance, a risk factor for Type II diabetes (Alonso-Magdalena et al. 2006).
A preliminary investigation linking BPA exposures to recurrent miscarriage in a small group of Japanese women, made potentially pivotal by its concordance with lab studies of BPA-induced chromosome damage that could well cause miscarriage (Sugiura-Ogasawara 2005). (source)
Be sure to avoid plastics marked with the numbers #3 & #7, most canned foods (the plastic lining contains BPA), all microwavable frozen entrees packaged in plastic. When selecting water bottles, choose stainless steel, glass or BPA-free plastics. If you are a parent, make sure that your baby bottles are labeled “BPA-free.”
I just wanted to touch on some of the dangers of BPA. At the health clinic where I work, we have a test that actually shows the levels of BPA in your body along with other environmental toxins. It’s scary to see how high a lot of people’s toxic levels are. With that to think about, I’m going to go get a run in and finish up the quiches for tomorrow’s party. Have a great day!
Today’s Quote: “There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.”
Hi! I hope that everyone enjoyed the maple syrup information yesterday. Tonight’s post is going to feature one of my favorite things: Inspiration Boards.
Inspirations boards are a collage of images, quotes and written goals that inspire you to achieve your dreams. You can clip photos from magazines that inspire you to be a better version of yourself. You can write down quotes that are meaningful to you. It’s helpful to write out individual goals that you want to achieve.
I started making inspiration boards back in middle school and hanging them up in my closet so that I would see them each morning when I got dressed. Then in high school, I made collages out of magazine clippings and put them inside the covers of my binders. Fast forward to now … and I have a little inspiration board in my room. It serves as my daily reminder to work towards my goals, stay positive and create the life that I want to live.
You may have seen Gina’s Inspiration Boards a while back. She kinda reminded me about my love of inspiration boards. Another great post on making inspiration boards is on the Lululemon blog. A few months ago I gathered up the magazine clippings that I had set aside and tacked them up on my bulletin board along with some of my handwritten goals. This summer I’m making working out, taking Layla for lots of walks and getting enough rest a priority, so I wrote myself a little reminder about these too.
So, what’s going on your inspiration board? You can make one to hang up on your wall or if you want to make one on your computer, check out Oprah’s Dream Board Maker online.
I’m going to be sending mine to Karena and Katrina at ToneItUp for their post that they’re doing on inspiration boards. We’re all here to support each other and encourage one another to create our own dream life! Feel free to send me a picture of yours if you make one. Take care, Kilee
Hey! How has your weekend been? Mine has been fabulous! The weather has been beautiful in the pacific northwest. I started off the weekend with a little “Mexican Night” at our place with some family and friends.
Then, I stayed with my parents at the coast Friday night and got to spend lots of time walking on the beach with Layla. It has been such a nice, fun weekend!
Today I wanted to do a little feature on one of my favorite sweeteners: maple syrup. I use 100% all-natural maple syrup in some of my baked goods and on my gluten-free protein pancakes. Other sweeteners that I use include raw honey, stevia, sucanat, evaporated cane juice and occasionally agave nectar. I have taken HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and refined sugar completely out of my diet because of the health dangers of each of these common sweeteners. Some of the reasons why I choose not to consume HFCS include:
It contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals. It actually does the opposite, it robs micro-nutrients from your body. The fructose in HFCS is different from the natural fructose you get when you eat a small piece of whole fruit, which contains the nutrients needed for your body to assimilate sugar.
It is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which may increase your risk of developing corn food allergies. The problem with corn allergies are that once you have a corn allergy from GMO corn you will have an allergy to even healthy organic corn products.
It does not stimulate insulin production or enhance, leptin, a hormone involved in appetite regulation. Because insulin and leptin act as key signals in regulating how much food you eat, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased food consumption and weight gain. (source)
The reason why I choose not to consume regular, white sugar is because I have noticed a strong relationship between my increased sugar intake and my anxiety/bad moods. I LOVE sweets, but over the years have realized that anytime I eat an abundance of white sugar, I get anxious and depressed feeling. Other reasons why you might not want to eat refined sugar include:
Sugar can suppress the immune system. There is scientific data showing an increase in sugar intake to a decrease in the bodies ability to ward off illness. Think about the cold/flu season – Halloween to Easter. Do you eat more sugar during these holiday months?
Sugar feeds cancer cells. This is very scary for our growing cancer epidemic. We are all born with some cancerous cells, but the more sugar that we feed our bodies, the more rapidly the cancer cells can grow.
Sugar increases your chance of having candida. Candida is a naturally occurring yeast in our bodies. If it has the opportunity to overgrow, it can create a leu of health problems and takes a lot of work to get it back down to a normal amount. (source)
Now that we have talked about some of the reasons why HFCS and refined sugar are bad for our health, let’s focus on a replacement sweetener for the two of them: 100% pure maple syrup. Maple syrup is one of nature’s sweeteners. It is harvested from maple trees primarily in North America. It’s calorie content is similar to refined sugar, but it boasts some nutrition stats that refined sugar lacks:
The zinc found in maple syrup can help to protect your heart by acting as an antioxidant and decreasing the progression of atherosclerosis – the thickening of artery walls.
Two teaspoons of maple syrup contain 20% of your recommended daily supply of manganese. This trace mineral is an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses.
Maple syrup is much less refined than regular, white sugar. Our body can easily identify and metabolize it for energy. (source)
Food-grade maple syrup is broken down into different grades. In general, the lighter the color of maple syrup, the more delicate the flavor. The United States has some basic grading standards based on color and flavor.
US Grades of Maple Syrup
US Grade AA Light Amber (Fancy)
A light amber colored syrup with a mild flavor, usually made from the first brief flows of the season. Considered the highest grade.
US Grade A Medium Amber
Medium amber color and pronounced maple flavor. A good general usage syrup delicate enough to be used with subtle flavors but is generally used as a table syrup.
US Grade A Dark Amber
Deep color with a flavor likened to caramel. Some find it a bit too strong in flavor for general usage but it can be used like Medium Amber grade.
US Grade B
Very dark amber, less sweet with a robust, molasses-like flavor recommended primarily for baking. This is the least expensive variety. Also known as Grade C in Vermont.
Individual states also have their own grading standards. Canadian Grades also differ which can add to the confusion. Check the label to find out the manufacturing location. (source)
Almost all pancake syrups (like Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth’s) are actually corn syrup and/or high fructose corn syrup with artificial maple flavoring. Throw these bottles away and replace them with 100% pure maple syrup!
We have looked at some of the health benefits of using maple syrup instead of HFCS or refined sugar and the different grades of maple syrup. Let’s talk about how to use it in our kitchens.
To replace sugar in a baked good recipe: start out using ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid by 3 tablespoons to compensate for its liquid state. Taste how the recipe turns out and alter the amount if needed the next time that you make it.
Use on top of pancakes, waffles, french toast or any other breakfast that you would reach for a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth’s.
I would tell you to use it in place of sugar in your coffee or tea, but I like to use stevia as a non-sugar sweetener for these beverages. I’ll do an “ingredient spotlight” on stevia in the near future.
Some recipes that call for maple syrup that I want to try out:
I want to remind you that just because maple syrup in an all-natural sweetener, that does not give you the freedom to over-indulge and use gobs of it day in and day out. Try to limit your daily consumption of sugar and sweeteners to less than 100 calories or approximately 2 tablespoons worth of maple syrup. As with everything else in our healthy diet, eat it in moderation.
I hope this helps you better understand maple syrup in contrast to HFCS and refined sugar and inspires you to try it out in a recipe. Let me know if you have any other uses or recipes that call for maple syrup. I’m going to lay low and relax tonight. Have a nice evening!
Today’s Quote: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
Hi! How is your day going so far? Mine has been wonderful; partly because I realized we were already half way through the week. Gotta love Monday holidays! I thought that it might be fun to show you my meals today because I just happen to have my camera sitting on the kitchen table all day. These are all one-dish meals that I threw together in 15 minutes or less.
Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito Scramble
I cooked organic scrambled eggs, cut-up brown rice tortilla, veggies with Mexican blend Mrs. Dash and topped it with some pico de gallo. A very healthy and filling way to start my day!
Lunch: Salad
Arugula and mixed greens with chickpeas and my new tahini-lemon dressing recipe.
Dinner: Orange Chicken Stir-Fry
Organic chicken breast with veggies and a little oriental orange sauce that I mixed up.
I spent a total of less than an hour in the kitchen today and enjoyed three homemade meals. As you can see, eating healthy, gluten-free meals can be easy, quick and oh so good!
Tonight I want to feature some of my favorite websites that inspire me to be my best each day. I think that I’ve mentioned some of these in the past, but they are each so fabulous, that I want to remind everyone to check them out!
I subscribe to their daily newsletter and it truly is one of the best parts of my day. Mastin Kipp writes amazing and inspirational advice and I love the quotes section of the newsletter. This is one to check out a.s.a.p. and sign up for the daily newseltter. I promise that it will add joy and happiness to your day!
These are my favorite celebrity trainers! I wish that I could work out with them everyday. Karena and Katrina are so positive and fun to listen to. They have awesome workout videos that are set on the California beach. One day, I’m going to go visit their studio and work out with the ToneItUp team!
Kris Britton has a lovely blog dedicated to allergy-free recipes and inspiration to follow your passion. She is always coming up with new yummy, allergy-free recipes. She also offers a lot of advice for following your passion and living your dream. And, she sells her gluten-free cookies on Etsy. She is one busy girl!
What are some of your favorite websites? I’d love to hear what ones you check out regularly. I’m off to clean up the house for a little get-together that we’re hosting tomorrow night. Have a great evening!
Today’s Quote: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
… without spending all of your free time in the kitchen.
Hi! I hope that your week is moving along smoothly. I am getting excited because I’ll be teaching a healthy cooking workshop this Friday at the health center where I work. The focus of the class is on fresh springtime greens. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Today I want to focus on something that is very important to me: home cooked dinners. It is so nourishing to sit down at the table with your family, significant other or roommate and enjoy a home cooked meal. The ritual of preparing the food, sharing it with others and unwinding from the hustle and bustle of the day is very special. I find that I’m happiest when I turn on some Frank Sinatra, maybe pour a glass of Cabernet and chop my vegetables in peace. However, there is not enough time in our busy lifestyle to casually prepare dinner each night. Therefore, I am sharing with you my tips on how to streamline your dinner preparations each week.
1. Make a giant salad without the dressing and keep it in the refrigerator. Each night take some out and toss with your favorite salad dressing. I prefer either fresh lemon juice with olive oil or I make a weeks worth of salad dressing and store it in the fridge. In my opinion, the best way to start your dinner each night is with a fresh, green salad. By making a large batch, you save on time by not having to prepare a fresh salad each night.
2. Cook with a crock pot. I try to use my crock pot at least once a week. I throw in the ingredients in the morning and come home to a healthy, delicious meal. This cooking method saves me about two hours each week because we heat up the left-overs the next night. With 20 minutes of prep-time (chopping veggies, measuring out ingredients and spices) we have two nights worth of dinners. Add your fresh, green salad and you have a well-balanced meal.
This was a roasted vegetable dish with feta and pine nuts
3. One Dish Meals. This is another of my favorite cooking methods. I try to make a lot of one dish meals to save on clean-up time. I might make a risotto on the stove, a casserole in the oven or skewers on the barbeque. Any way that I can cook all of my ingredients without using more that one dish is a time-saving winner in my book. Recently I cooked a fillet of salmon with a bunch of asperagas in parchment paper in the oven. I also threw a small loaf of bread in the oven while the fish was cooking and rounded out the meal with a green salad. Plan a meal that uses one cooking dish to save on clean-up time.
4. Cook once, eat twice. Obviously, cooking twice as much as what you need is a great way to stretch one cooking session into two meals. You can also get creative by roasting an organic chicken with vegetables and potatoes one night and then using the leftover chicken to make soup, enchiladas, or your favorite dish with shredded chicken the next night. This also works well with cooked meat in the crock pot or large batches of quinoa or brown rice. Try to cook more than you need and then incorporate that into the next night’s dinner.
5. Plan your meals on Sunday. Each Sunday, I sit down with my stack of Bon Appetite Magazines, cookbooks and recipe clippings and I plan out our meals for the week ahead. When selecting meals I plan ahead for left-overs and make sure to always have a protein (usually fish, chicken, beef or lamb and sometimes quinoa, tofu or eggs,) a starch (usually rice, sweet potatoes or bread for Blake,) vegetables (steamed, sauteed, roasted or stir-fried) and of course a large, green salad. I then write out my shopping list and stock up on all of the ingredients for the week. This may seem overwhelming, but I only cook about four meals each week. The other nights dinners are either left-overs, eating out at a restaurant or family members house or random meals of food from the fridge.
Once I’m home from the grocery store, I’ll wash my vegetables and chop or slice any that I’ll be using in the next few nights. I freeze any meat that I won’t be cooking and make sure that I have all of the ingredients that I need for the week. If I’m out of one, I’ll try to find a replacement (black beans instead of kidney beans, frozen broccoli instead green beans, etc.) that will work instead. This saves me another trip to the store. By planning out my meals ahead of time, I save a half an hour each night by not having to go to the grocery store after work.
My dinner plate tonight: green salad, baked sweet potato fries & baked chicken
I hope this helps you avoid the fast-food, pizza or take-out that you might rely on on a weekly basis. With a little planning and prep work, you can have healthy dinners on the table each night. What other tips do you have on saving time in the kitchen?
Happy Easter! I hope that you had a fun time with family and friends today. I was lucky enough to have two Easter celebrations this year. One with my family yesterday and one with Blake’s family today. I snapped quite a few photos yesterday, but Blake’s little four-year-old sister was attached at my hip today and I forgot to break out my camera. Both of the chefs prepared amazing Easter meals. I feasted on lots of salads, deviled eggs and prime rib. A few chocolate Easter eggs may have been mixed in as well! My aunt and uncle’s house is newly remodeled and beautiful. I had a fun time taking photos of the gorgeous yard and house inside!
Fun little Easter tree when we pulled up
Outdoor terrace in the front yard
Swing for the little ones
Their Dog "Jordan"
View of the Columbia River in the backyard
Delicious Dessert Buffet
It’s fun to see everyone and catch up, but now I’m tired and needing some rest for the week ahead. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new soup recipe that I’m going to make in the crock-pot tomorrow. Take care and good night,
Hello from sunny Palm Springs! I have been having tons of fun down here despite some cold and windy weather. I’ll keep my eats short and sweet. But first, you have to try this amazing sheep’s milk cheese that we picked up at Ralph’s.
It’s called iSTARA OSSAU iRATY and it tastes amazing with a glass of ERATH Pinot Noir. Aunty Kim and I enjoyed our wine and cheese while she prepared Asian-glazed chicken thighs, cilantro coconut rice and grilled asparagus. It was delicious.
We picked up these gluten-free coconut fortune cookies for dessert. My fortune was, “Holding onto anger is like grasping hot coal, you are the one getting burned.”
I’ll be back later to fill you in on my day yesterday with some healthy vacation tips. Have a great day!
Health Tip: If you are on a restricted diet due to food sensitivities or reducing your calories, focus on what you CAN enjoy instead of focusing on what you can’t. By viewing your food choices in a positive light, you will be less likely to feel deprived.
Hi! 24 hours have passed since I last posted and I’m now in Palm Springs. My flight got delayed 2.5 hours last night, but I was already in vacation mode and happily set up my laptop at one of those business stations at PDX. The flight delay meant that I didn’t land until 9 p.m. and I was starving for dinner by then.
My grandparents picked me up and after an unsuccessful attempt to find a Mexican restaurant that was still open, we settled on Applebee’s. Luckily I could find a chicken and veggie dish that could be made gluten/dairy free. After dinner, we stopped at the store to get fresh fruit and look for some SoDelicous Coconut coffee creamer. No creamer, but they had perfectly ripe fruit.
This morning, I awoke to my grandparent’s 5:45a.m. alarm and we headed out for a walk around the park. By the time we were back, I was ready for a run.
Post-Run Fruit:
My sweet grandparents will even brave the super-expensive Bristol Farms to make sure that their granddaughter is armed with her “hot weather essentials.”
I have a tendency to get sun-sick, so I like to stay well hydrated with lots of water and coconut water. The kombucha is because my body would probably go into a state of shock without it. I brew my own kombucha at home (much less expensive than G.T.’s Synergy brand) and drink about 2-4 ounces a few times throughout the day.
Then they drove me to my aunt and uncle’s house in La Quinta. This is my first time visiting and it is soooo nice!
I even get to stay in my own “casita” with a bathroom, closet, mini-fridge and coffee maker. I am in paradise!
Today I laid out by the pool in the w-i-n-d-y weather and relaxed my heart out.
*Health Tip* Relaxing is one of the best things that you can do for your health. Set aside some time each day to unwind and relax. Ideas: meditate for 10 minutes when you get home from work, soak in the tub for 1/2 an hour before bed or take some time to sit and listen to your favorite music. These are all inexpensive ways to let your body and mind have some time off.
Tonight my aunt and I are going to go grocery shopping and cook dinner. I’ll be sure to snap a pic of it because she is a fabulous cook and everything she makes is delish!
Take care and remember to take some time to relax :)
Because I’m in the middle of prepping for my trip, I thought it would be a good time to share some healthy airport travel tips. Vacations and traveling are not an excuse to leave healthy eating and exercise routines back at home and to overindulge. You will return feeling bloated and possibly sick from not keeping your immune system built up. Look at vacations and time away from home as a chance to try new healthy foods and workouts. Here are some ways to stay healthy while you travel:
1. Pack you own snacks. First, check the TSA website to make sure they aren’t going to confiscate your yummy snacks. I like to pack bananas, apples, little packets of almond butter, LaraBars, single-servings of Trader Joe’s trail mix and bite-size dark chocolate squares. These snacks will keep you satisfied and away from the millions of junk-food options that airports are famous for.
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This one is a little trickier with all the TSA liquid rules, but we can make it work. If you can’t smuggle your water bottle through the check-point, purchase the largest bottle that you can find while you’re shopping for magazines. Remember to drink this throughout your day and refill it whenever possible. When the flight attendant asks what you would like to drink, your automatic response should be, “water, please.” If they have a lemon wedge to squeeze into it, even better. The lemon juice acts as a natural diuretic that can prevent the bloating that comes along with flying.
3. Get up and MOVE. When you are on the airplane, you’re basically stuck in your seat besides taking trips to the bathroom. When you are at the airport waiting for your flight, you should be up and walking around. See how many laps you can do before they start to board the flight. Find some stairs to climb, over, and over, and over until you’re almost sweating. Do some lunges and squats while keeping your bags in sight. Do whatever you want – besides sitting!
4. Create a healthy meal. If you are enduring one of those all-day, 3 lay-over types of travel days, remember that you are in charge of what you eat. I would avoid the frozen, processed airplane meal they serve onboard and try to find a restaurant at the airport instead. When ordering your meal focus on healthy protein (chicken, fish, tofu, lean beef, beans) and veggies (salad, steamed or stir-fried vegetables.) This way you have some wiggle room in your diet for a treat or dark chocolate. If you are packing a meal to take on the flight, a salad with 1/2 the amount of dressing is usually a great choice.
5. Don’t even think about alcohol. I know, some of you are so anxious about flying that you’d like to black out until landing. There are books and meditation techniques for that. If a healthy diet consists of a few alcoholic beverages per week, wouldn’t you rather enjoy these drinks while on the beach during your vacation or out at night with your friends? Alcohol will leave you dehydrated and groggy for your trip.
I hope that these tips can help make your next flying experience a little healthier so you can feel great during and after your trip!
On another note, I’ve been having tons of fun with my workouts lately. I found out that I was going to Palm Springs exactly two weeks ago. That meant that I had 14 days to get my scrubs-wearing, winter-weight body into my “not-embarrassed to be seen in a two-piece” body. I do not believe in get-thin-quick gimmicks and rely on effective gym workouts and smart meal choices.
The workouts that I followed were by the lovely “Tone It Up” Ladies, Karena & Katrina. I had a blast working out to their two workout DVDs, One Day Fat Blast & Jane Fonda’s Tone & Sculpt and printed out some of their strength training circuits to take with me to the gym. I highly recommend their workouts and would love to meet them someday!
I’m off to finish packing and get a good nights rest. Take care!
Hello & welcome to my version on spring cleaning – organizing the kitchen! If anyone around here knows much about me they know that I spend most of my free time in the kitchen (my laptop is set up at the kitchen table 90% of the time) and I am not one to jump at the chance to clean a whole house. Therefore, my fun spring cleaning project this weekend included reorganizing my pantry food and spices.
Spice rack inside the cabinet instead of on the countertop:
New jars from IKEA for my various raw powders and trail mixes:
Keurig and stevia stash:
Kombucha off the top of the refrigerator and tucked into a cupboard above the stove (this should keep it nice and warm since Portland has not transitioned to warmer weather yet.) There’s a shot of some of my kombucha that I bottled last week that’s stored in the fridge:
I also packed up any fun foods that I have too much of to bring to my friends at work tomorrow:
I also rearranged everything on top of the counters to create a little better “flow” in our 1-person sized kitchen. Organizing and getting rid of the foods and spices that I no longer need feels like a fresh start to spring cooking.
I mostly cook with fresh produce, animal proteins and grains instead of relying on prepackaged-processed foods. Therefore, I need easy access to all of my seasonings and spices. Now, if I could just figure out a way to make all of my condiments and sauces take up less room in the fridge. Maybe next weekend?
Speaking of next weekend… I will be in Palm Springs with friends and family. Bring on the fun & sun!
I get to stay with my aunt and uncle and grand parents and hang out with friends who will be down there at the same time as me. This girl needs a little R&R and I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to relax and spend time with the people I care about!
Readers: What is your favorite type of spring cleaning? Is anyone planning a trip in the near future?
I meant to blog over the past 9 months… it just didn’t fit into my schedule. I went from being unemployed to having 3 jobs over the course of a few months. Now that I’m back down to working at the health center and starting my nutrition consulting business, I’m going to share some of the things I meant to blog about. Here they are in collage form:
I’ll be back later this weekend to show you my version of “spring cleaning.”
Hi! I’m so excited to be starting my blog (again.) I had a little incident the first time around. After being a total geek and studying my WordPress for Dummies book inside and out and playing with the CSS code for like 48 hours straight, I published my first blog post. Then, I accidentally saved the blog in the wrong folder of my website and could not get it back or log into wordpress no matter what I tried. Yeah, I was pretty bummed. So, I took a couple of weeks to regroup (I was in the middle of moving, which takes 2x as much time as you think it will) and now I’m back at it!
