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

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

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

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

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

The runway was right next to a lake.

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

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

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

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

Take care,

Kilee

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!!!

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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!

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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.

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

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

Love,

Kilee

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

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

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

Monday’s Gratitude List

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food Network

Love Veggies & Yoga

Chocolate Covered Katie

What are you thankful for today?

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

Almond Dream Ice Cream

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

Amaretti Italian Crunchy Almond Cookies

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

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

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

FitSugar posted this about black rice:

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

Here’s my dinner perfection from last night:

Tortilla Pizza

Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Tortilla

Trader Joe’s Pizza sauce

Daya mozzerella cheese

Sliced portabello mushroom

Sliced spinach

clove of garlic, minced

Pecricano Ramona cheese

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

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

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

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

- Kilee

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

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

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

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

Have a great day,

Kilee

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Grain-Free Pumpkin Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tablespoon vanilla

10 drops liquid vanilla stevia

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

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

1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºf.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great day today!!!

Much love,

Kilee

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