2010 July|Chia Seed Me

Jul 31, 2010 Posted by candice on Jul 31, 2010 in Olive, PiYo, our life | 8 comments

a big scare

Good morning!

Yesterday was crazy, crazy day.

Olive got ahold of a small bar of dark chocolate, so I had to rush her to the vet and leave her for the day. Thankfully she’s back home now, and she’s going to be okay. It gave us quite the scare, though, for sure.

I got home from my mini lake trip (which was equally crazy as yesterday) late Thursday night, and I’ve been running around with my head cut of since then. Between dealing with the Olive ordeal, I met with my PiYo instructor to go over some stuff, and had a 3 hour long interview for a part-time job (more on that later).

I’m preparing to run up to the gym to meet with my instructor again because we didn’t have quite enough time before class started yesterday. I’ll be back this afternoon!!

I hope you’re all having a great weekend! I’ve missed you!

guest post: 7 signs

With Candice at the lake with her mom and sister, I (jon) have been asked to take the reigns of CSM for a guest post. I only have a minute, but let’s see how this goes… I present to you…

7 Signs that Candice is not around the house:

Olive spent all of last night standing in the living room, watching the front door wondering why she hasn’t come home yet.
My run last night clocked a slower time ( she is a good motivator )
This post will probably we laden with typos and grammatical issues
Our neighbors didn’t wake to the ear-deafening sound of our blender making a green monster this morning!
Not a yoga mat in sight
Nor a camera… sorry no pics on this post, guys!
I’m eating McDonald’s for lunch right now (I almost didn’t admit this – aren’t you glad I don’t have the camera?)

Candice is coming back tonight and I can’t wait! The quality of blog posts is sure to return too

s s s spiralizer – a review

Remember this?

Be still my beating heart.

The first spiralized meal I ever had. Beautiful, spiral zucchini with homemade vegan pasta sauce poured over top.

As I mentioned before, I’ve wanted a spiralizer for as long as I can remember! While most of us (including myself) love a good, steamy bowl of pasta, I love the idea of getting to enjoy “pasta” with the husband without feeling like I’m overdoing it on carbs/calories. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be partaking in the great Italian staple from time to time, but for a person who is trying to lose those last 10 lbs that are clinging for survival on her body, zucchini pasta is where it’s at! And the best part? It tastes healthy, fresh and delicious! I honestly loved it as much as the real thing.

There are many spiralizer recipes, using a variety of different fruits and veggies, that are out there. And they aren’t just for people trying to keep their calorie counts down.

confessions

Well, in t-minus 8 hours I’ll be setting off on my way to our lake cabin to spend a couple of days with my mom and sister.

I’m quite excited about this little excursion as it’s the only girl trip we’ve taken since before Jon and I were married off. There will be eating, skiing, swimming, eating, PiYo-ing, reminscing, puppy kissing, eating, boat riding, sunbathing, and much much more. Oh, did I mentioned eating?

As a food blogger through and through, I must first post my eats from the rest of today! Which are actually rather anticlimactic seeing as how I spent another 3/4 of a day in the car and at the orthodontist. Yay.

I was forced to take lunch on the go so it was back to plastics! Amy’s Lentil Vegetable soup, 1/2 a whole wheat lavash wrap rolled up around hummus

and later – an apple pie larabar and an iced coffee

I am exhausted today and totally reminded of why I left my job. The commute between here and the city is so draining. It sucks the life right outta me!

And now, because my eyes feel like they have weights hanging from the, I’ll leave you with some confessions I need to get off my chest before going to sleep. Any chance you want to confess something to make me feel less bad??

Candice’s Confessions

1. I didn’t post dinner tonight because I was a ravenous monster that forgot it’s camera on the way out the door to eat (non vegan) pizza
2. I actually ate two whole wheat lavash/hummus roll ups – one in the car and one that I shoved in my mouth while heating up my soup for lunch
3. I got bored on my drive today and read a blog post while driving…through construction. I know, I know.
4. When I commuted an hour each way last year, I would read blogs while driving on the interstate everyday on my way home. Again, I know. I really do know, and it won’t happen again. Promise!
5. I’m highly considering getting my nose pierced again. Mom, pretend you didn’t read that.
6. I never floss my teeth.
7. Sometimes I forget to set my alarm on purpose because I don’t want to get up early
8. I chew on my lip all the time and it drives the husband cuh-razy.
9. I don’t always wash my blender after making a green monster – often I just rinse it out
10. Right now my laundry room looks like a tornado hit it – some of the clothes are clean, some are dirty. There’s really no way to tell.
11. I sometimes screen phone calls because I hate talking on the phone.

As mentioned earlier, I’ll be leaving civilation as we know it at 8am tomorrow morning, so I’ll have no access to blogging until Friday morning. I’ll miss you all, and I can’t wait to get back and catch up on all your posts! I’ll have a scheduled post popping up tomorrow as well as a special surprise poster on Thursday!

a positive negative

Good morning!

Jon and I stayed up way too late last night working on stuff. Fortunately we were able to pull ourselves out of bed in time for a 3 mile run, per our marathon training plan.

I don’t like to be super rigid with a training plan, but most of the time following the plan we’ve chosen works for us. There may be weeks where we rearrange our runs a bit to accommodate our schedule, but for the most part we like taking the guesswork out of it…and just stick to the plan!

As promised, I did figure out how to calculate splits on my Garmin. It really wasn’t that hard; I’ve just never had the motivation to do it. It was fun this morning, tracking each mile and trying to pick up our pace for the next mile. We started out pretty slow, but we did manage to have negative splits!

Total time: 29:45
Average pace: 9:54
Fastest pace: 7:51

Splits
Mile 1- 10:21
Mile 2 – 10:01
Mile 3 – 9:23

After our run, I threw together 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup raw oats, blackberries and blueberries.

I inhaled about half of this and then flew out the door to PiYo!

Just like yoga, PiYo is all about a mind/body connection. And today my mind was on vacation. Somewhere tropical, I’m thinking.

I was feeling very tired from our run, and my concentration was all over the place! By the last 20 minutes or so I worked it out, though. I was pretty excited to accomplish a couple of poses I’ve been working on

not perfect, but I’m getting there!

I’ve got a busy day ahead because I have to drive back to the city again for another orthodontist appointment. This should be the last one….ever, though, so I’m excited about that! Also on the to do list for today is working on some Outbox stuff and working on PiYo.

My PiYo instructor asked me to cover her class next Friday, August 6th. That will be my first class ever!! While I’m a little freaked out, I’m super excited! I’m the type of person who will overthink things to a fault…and with this I know I just need to jump out there and DO IT!

Hope you all have a great day!

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”~Ambrose Redmoon

the last hoorah

This is true love.

I arrived home super late tonight after spending the first half of my day cleaning out my classroom and the last half at the orthodontist (for 3 hours!). I was so happy to walk in and smell dinner cooking right away. The husband really outdid himself this time:)

He made his and hers Mexican Casseroles by first lining a small glass baking dish with corn tortillas (2 per bowl). He then layered black beans (rinsed and drained), soy cheese, vegetarian refried beans, chopped tomatoes and onions, black beans, green chilis and a garnish of cheese. These were delicious! He baked them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes…perfection:)

Today was so crazy! I met my mom at my school this morning, so we could pack everything away. They’ve already hired someone new to take over my position, which made me a little sad. What did I expect, though…right??

Per the usual, it ended up being a much more time consuming job than we expected + the air conditioning was not running in my room, so by the time we finished several hours later, we were both famished and exhausted!

I know I’m a dork, but I commissioned my mom to take some pics of me in my room. I spent SO much time there this past year…I just wanted to having something to remember it by!

It looks quite different because a lot of stuff had already been taken down and my desk had been cleared off, but it’ll still remind me of my room! Can you see my “censored” poster in the background. I’d hold it up over the T.V. during sketchy parts of movies – the kids got a pretty big kick out of it:)

And last but not least – there was lots of time spent here.

Anyway, cleaning out my room was the last thing to check off before officially signing off from my school. It was a touch bittersweet leaving for the last time today. Another chapter closed and a new one opened, eh?

Also, a special shout out to my mom for giving up one of her last days of summer to help me out. I needed moral support, and I’m so thankful she was there!

I promise I did eat other stuff besides our little Mexican fiesta tonight – green monster this morning, larabar for a snack, Panera for lunch – but unfortunately I was in such a craze this morning that my eats escaped the camera. And for some reason my lunch pictures turned out dark. Sad!

On our marathon training schedule for today was cross training, so we took it easy by going on a 30 minute, 1.9 mile walk. Nothing too intense, but it felt great to stretch our legs after yesterday’s 6 miler. I’m still so excited about training – I woke up smiling about it first thing this morning!!

I hope you’re all having a great start to the week!

Question for today:
What are you most looking forward to this week? I’m most looking forward to going to the lake on Wednesday and Thursday with my mom and sister. We’re taking a girl’s trip as our last “hoorah” before they go back to school. I’ll be scheduling some posts for those days – maybe the last couple of vacation recaps from Europe (better late than never!) and a spiralizer review!

it’s race time!

Hey guys!

Hope you all had a great Sunday and that you’re ready for the week ahead! Thank you all for your suggestions and opinions on the dresses this morning. They were really helpful in my decision!

I’m crazy.

And a bit indecisive. Okay, a lot indecisive. But I’m working on it.

I ended up ordering the cream Modcloth dress in two different sizes, the pink and gray Modcloth dress and the black and white Modcloth. If you couldn’t tell, I really love vintage modern style, and I just decided that those three were more “me” than the black one I bought on Friday. I’ll be waiting until after the Modcloth ones arrive before returning it though, just in case none of them fit well enough.

Oh, and I’ll be returning all but ONE of the Modcloth dresses.

Really I will;)

I just ordered all of them so I’d have a high chance of getting one that fits.

Rewinding to this morning, Jon and I dragged ourselves hopped out of bed at an early 5:30am this morning to go on our first training run!

We have decided to train for and run this race on November 21st. Jonathan has been creating the design (tshirts, medals, signage etc) for this race for the past 6 months, and we’ve been leaning toward running it, but finally made the decision to go for it yesterday.

We’re planning on going for our 2nd full marathon (1st full marathon recap here). But we are recognizing that there may come a point where we have to drop to the half. As much as we want to do the full, we’re a little worried about time. Jonathan’s boss (at his 9-5 job) will be going on maternity leave starting in September, which will leave Jon to manage the entire department by himself. Add on his second job (Outbox), and that doesn’t leave much time/energy for training!

So we may end up doing the half, but we’ll see! This morning we started training as if we’re running the full by pounding out a full 6 miles. I’ve mentioned a couple of times lately how hard just 3 miles has become for me. This morning proved that it really is all about perspective. We set out to run 6 miles, and we ran 6 miles. With flying colors I might add. We felt great the entire run and out last mile was our strongest. Can’t beat that!

Here is the elevation chart for our 6 miles.

Total ascent = 138 feet (those were some serious hills!)
Total time = 1:03
Avg pace = 10:18 per mile
Fastest pace = 8:33 per mile

As long as we’ve had our Garmin, I still haven’t sat down and figured out how to get our mile splits, but I’m definitely going to figure it out before our next run.

can you tell it was hot out??

we’re pretty excited:)

I feel so excited to be embarking on training for a marathon again. There is just something so emotional for me when it comes to running long distances. Jon and I have now run a half and a full (among other smaller races), and we always train together. It’s such a great thing for us and really helps us to grow in our relationship methinks.

We always compare our marathon to our year in Thailand. There were parts where we didn’t think we’d finish, but we helped pull each other through and were much better for it in the end. I can’t wait to experience that again!!!

Now for some eats.

As soon as we got back from our run, I realized we were out of soy milk. NOOOOO!

I absolutely had to have a green monster to follow the run, so off to the store we went – sweat and all! Lucky for me the husband is sweet enough to run in for us so I didn’t have to subject all the nice Walmart people to my grossness.

Finally.

1.25 cups soymilk, 2 huge handfuls spinach, 1 scoop Amazing Grass, 1.5 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp natural pb

This monster was huge! Hence the stainless steel juicer cup:)

This held me over through Sunday School and church. We got the chance to take Mohammad to church with us this morning, which was so fun! He was really interested to see what the American church is like. Of course we were happy to oblige, also praying that God would speak to his heart of course:)

After church I made up a quick black bean burger pita.

whole wheat pita, Morningstar black bean burger, spinach, broccoli slaw, hummus, guacamole and chia seeds

And then we passed out in bed. For 3.5 hours! I guess that run wore us out more than we realized! Bed seriously felt so good:)

veggie sub on 9 grain wheat – lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper, banana pepper, pickle with olive oil and oregano

I was in such a haze when we woke up that I just didn’t feel like pulling together anything for dinner, so we got free Subway!

Last Christmas we were in south Texas visiting Jon’s family and he found a $25 gift card for Subway in the middle of the road! Obviously we don’t go to Subway much considering we still have money on it, but it totally hit the spot tonight.

Tomorrow I’m meeting my mom and she’s going to offer her moral support and manual labor to help me clean out my classroom. I’m a little nervous because I’m thinking it’s going to be pretty emotional, but I’m ready to just get it over with and move on!

I’ll “see” you all tomorrow!

Have you ever run any races? If so, what distances? Feel free to leave a link to your race report!

For those of you who haven’t, are you interested in running races at all?

help a girl out!

Good morning!

Yesterday Jon and I slept in and then went a did some shopping around town. Krazy days is going on right now, which is a weekend in our town where all the shops have huge sidewalk sales. We didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to wander around a bit.

I spent most the rest of the day working on our budget/bills and looking for a dress for Healthy Living Summit. I found a dress Friday night on the sale rack at White House Black Market. I like it okay, but it was pretty pricey…even on sale. I’m kind of torn about what kind of dress to get. It’s a cocktail party, so I feel like I need a cocktail party dress; however, I really don’t want to pay $100+ for something that I probably won’t wear again. On the other hand, it might be nice to have a fancy dress on hand just in case something comes up. That way I can avoid being in this situation again, and having nothing to wear.

I’m really tempted to just buy a dress that is a bit less nice, but that I could wear more often. Plus, I’m always in the market for a new cute dress – I love dresses! I really don’t want to be underdressed though! Here are some pictures of dresses I’m considering…what do you guys think? Are you tired of hearing the word “dress” yet? ha.

This is the one I bought Friday night. I like the way it fits and all, but I just don’t love it and again, not sure if I’ll really wear it again

This one is from Modcloth. It’s quite a bit less dressy, and I don’t completely love it. BUT – it’s $28!

I really like this one from Modcloth, but it might not be dressy enough. It’s a little more pricey, but I definitely would wear it again. It’s in my top two favorites.

This one is from Modcloth and I originally saw it on Jen’s site. I love the style, but it’s a little short in length. It seems that many Modcloth dresses are quite short.

Also from Modcloth. Adorable – but also on the short side (25 inches from top of bust to hem)!

I like this one from Anthropologie. It’s the most expensive and still not as dressy as the black. Some reviews said the gray color of the lace made it less dressy. But I could wear it a lot.

Okay, so you see the dilemma? lol. There are actually several from Modcloth that I would snatch up in a heartbeat, but they’re out of stock (of course, right?!). I’m supposed to receive an email when they’re back in stock, but Healthy Living Summit is in 3 weeks, so I don’t exactly have time to wait!

I have to run so we’re not late for church, but I just wanted to get your opinions! Help a girl out!

I’ll be back a little later with some eats and some race talk. Yep, race talk:)

Hope you’re having a great Sunday morning!!

let’s celebrate

All was quiet on CSM last night. I just needed a little bit of time to unwind and disconnect from everything. Jon and I took Olive and went on a walk, which we haven’t done in awhile bc we’ve been so busy. I’ve missed our walks so much!

Yesterday afternoon I took a trip to a new Farmer’s Market on our university’s campus. It was fairly small, but each farmer had a good array of fruits and veggies. I was hoping to pick up some swiss chard, and while they didn’t come through for me on that, I did score all of this

cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, canteloupe, squash

I love all the different shapes of produce you find at the Farmer’s Market. When food is grown naturally, you don’t get the perfect, uniform look that you see in the grocery stores. It reminds me of how fresh and natural these veggies are. Beautiful!

It also reminds me of us as humans. We are all so different in shape and size…and that is something to celebrate! It’s our individuality and uniqueness that makes us beautiful. I know I need a frequent reminder of that! All too often I find myself envying someone else – their job, their body, their personality – but I try to redirect my thoughts to focus on what I love about myself!

squash the size of my arm!

This morning I got up and enjoyed a bowl of plain soy yogurt, fresh berries and raw oatmeal before heading off to PiYo class!

A little while after getting back home I snacked on a whole wheat tortilla and some salsa. I usually try to base snacks around fruits/veggies, but when a serious craving strikes…I have no choice but to listen!

I’ll be spending the rest of the day working on Outbox tasks and practicing PiYo. Things are moving along with preparing to teach. Slowly, but surely.

Tonight Jon and I are going to make a run to the city, so I can look for a dress to wear to the Healthy Living Summit cocktail party! Hopefully I’ll be able to find something on sale! Wish me luck:)

What is one thing you can celebrate about yourself? It can be something about your body, personality…whatever! And you can’t avoid commenting on this post because you don’t want to answer the question;) We all have wonderful amazing characteristics, and it’s good for us to remind ourselves of those things.

I’ll get the ball rolling: I love that I have a high sense of compassion for people. My heart breaks so deeply when I see other people hurting.

Ready…GO!!

the mailman = my best friend

The mail man is my new best friend!!

Yesterday when I got home from tutoring, a much anticipated package had been dropped off.

Jon and I have had our DSLR camera for about 4 months now, and I still don’t really know how to use it. I mean, I shoot using the manual setting, but oftentimes it’s just a shot in the dark (on more than one level:) on whether or not it comes out a good photo. I’ve been wanting to take a photography class since we got our camera, and now that I’m working part time helping Jonathan with Outbox, I have an even greater urgency to improve my photog skills:)

Enter Nicole Hill Gerulat. Nicole is the writer and photographer of A Little Sussy, and she offers online photography courses. I signed up to take a month long course throughout August to learn everything from lighting to staging to the inner workings of my camera and beyond! I am beyond stoked about it…and I’m counting the days ’till August! Nicole writes the reference book herself, and I jumped for joy when it came in the mail. The front cover makes you want to just devour it!

Also causing me to literally jump for joy was the sweet mail man’s delivery when I got home from Turbokick today…

Okay, okay. So he didn’t deliver this exactly. But I went from picking the box up off the front porch to spiralizing a potato in about 12 seconds flat. No time for photos, people…I had to get this baby going!!

I spiralized my little heart out.

First I made some curly fries for the husband.

I mixed up one tablespoon of olive oil + 1/2 tbsp of seasoned salt + a heavy sprinkle of ground red pepper. After placing the fries in a gallon sized plastic bag, I poured in the oil and shook it like a mad woman. Last, I dumped them out onto a greased cookie sheet, spread them out evenly and baked them for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees, flipping them ever 10 minutes or so.

I think I could go into business making curly fries for my husband. He LOVED them!

S is for spiralizer!

Next I made some zucchini noodles.

I was planning on eating them raw, but as I was putting the potatoes in the oven, I got the bright idea to soften them up a bit by adding a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper and baking them for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Then I topped them with some leftover Easy Vegan Crock-pot Pasta Sauce.

Eeek (said in high pitched squeaky voice:)!!

with a side of plain soy yogurt and fresh blackberries

Best. lunch. eva.

CSN stores sent me this spiralizer, and I’ll be doing a full review soon! I promise…you’ll be wanting one by the time I get done with you:) And you wanna hear the best news? I’m going to be giving one away!

I’m off to get some work done….see you guys later on!

Have you ever taken photography classes? Is that something you’d be interested in?
Have you ever used a spiralizer or eaten anything created by using one? What did you think?

end of another era

You know those days when nighttime comes and you think back over the last 12 hours and say to yourself:

“wow, I had some good food today.”

Yep…I’m havin’ one of those. And I’m likin’ it too.

Let’s get a recap of breakfast because it was just too purdy not to;)

beet, carrot, apple, pear and blackberry juice

For lunch I met up with my friend, Grace, at Panera. I went with the garden vegetable soup + a whole grain baguette

After lunch I ran home and got a lot of work accomplished! Jonathan has become more and more able to pass off Outbox work to me. Right now I’m writing the copy for a brochure for one of our clients, and I’m loving it! The combination of working for our own business, working from home and writing is so fulfilling to me.

I guess I was working a little too hard…because in a matter of just a few hours I had worked up quite an appetite!

Van’s light whole wheat waffle with natural peanut butter, half a sliced banana + chia seeds

Before I knew it, it was time to go have my last tutoring session with Mohammad.

So long, Mohammad. It’s been real.

I’m really going to miss tutoring, but I told him to put in a word with his international friends, so maybe it won’t be the end after all! lol.

Because I had yoga tonight, I spent some time this afternoon making a crock-pot creation to have for dinner. I almost never use my crock-pot anymore, but when I do I always wonder why I let it sit and collect dust. It’s so convenient!

Dinner turned out pretty tasty.

sauteed zucchini, spinach and broccoli slaw in 1 tsp olive oil with a dash of red pepper and garlic powder

Jon had this marvelous idea for breadsticks. For each stick, he used half of a Joseph’s lavash wrap, spreading a small bit of Earth Balance and pesto and sprinkling garlic powder before rolling it all up and baking at 400 for about 10 minutes. I die.

And now for the sauce!

Easy Vegan Crock-pot Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

1 29 ounce can of tomato puree
1 15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes
1/2 a real tomato, chopped (I happened to have it in the fridge and figured I might as well throw it in!)
1/2 cup of water
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp basil

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in the crockpot and allow to heat through all day!
2. Pour over whole wheat spaghetti, bulgur or a huge pile of your favorite veggies as shown above:)

That’s it! Amen to easy breezy recipes.

Note: don’t forget to take out the bay leaves before serving. Also, next time I will not add as much water, if any. I thought it needed thinning, but the sauce ended up a bit too watery.

For dessert I whipped up a little bit of blueberry banana softserve.

I love using my mini bowl and spoon. Makes it last so much longer:)

I hope you all had a great day and did something nice for yourself – you deserve it!

See you tomorrow!

What was the best thing you ate in the last 24 hours? Mine was the breadsticks – I love me some garlic bread:) Thanks dear!

i’m in love

While this girl slept in this morning…

…Jon and I went for a quick run. The Garmin was acting kind of goofy this morning, so I’m not sure about the stats. What I do know is that it was hot…and sticky. But it felt great once we got back into the a/c! I’m not sure how we survived without it when we lived in Thailand. It’s funny because I don’t remember it bothering me all that much. I guess it’s all about perspective and what you’re used to!

For breakfast I made a new juice

1 beet, 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 large carrot and a small handful of blackberries

My stash is runnin’ low!! No more juice until I make a trip to the store:( And as I told you yesterday, that may be awhile…unless we break down.

I wanted to show you guys what it looks like right after it comes out and before I pour it into a glass. I get giddy watching it come out because it’s so pretty! I gaze longingly into the cup…and my heart skips a beat.

Okay, now I’m scaring myself.

Back away from the juice, Candice.

Can you see me?

nice stems. ow ow!

I kid. I kid.

If you missed my juicer review, don’t forget to check it out. You won’t be sorry!

This morning I’m spending some time working on PiYo. You see, getting the certification was the easiest part. Now it’s time to actually put together a class. I’m not gonna lie to you guys – it’s intimidating! Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited about it. But before I can teach I have to memorize the poses, the cueing for modifications and what to say to guide students through the poses.

PiYo is very flexible (in more ways than one!) in that you can either use one of the pre-choreographed lessons the company already created, or you can put together your own sequences of poses. I keep leaning toward putting together my own so I can use the poses that I love the most, but it’s all a little overwhelming, and I think just learning the pre-choreographed class would be easier to begin with. Ahh!

Succeeding in your dreams is all about pushing through when things are scary or hard. And I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s scary and hard when you step out to pursue something that you love. I used to think it’d be easy, but it’s not.

I’m starting to change my perspective to look at intimidating challenges as a chance to get that rush from accomplishing something that you didn’t think you could accomplish rather than backing down when fear rears it’s ugly head.

Well, I gotta run. I’m meeting a friend for lunch today, and I’m cuttin’ it close! See you all later on:)

How do you tend to handle fear and intimidation? Are you good at tackling challenges head on?

knowledge is power

It seems that the Candwich got quite a rise out of you guys this morning! Can you even believe it? What will they come up with next? It really just made me sad when I first saw it. It seems that there is sometimes no concept of understanding in our country about how to eat healthy food that is medicine to the body rather than poison.

After I posted this morning, I was on the Candwich website, and there is a video of an Australian morning show interviewing the CEO of Candwich. One particular question they asked him was what the nutrition profile was of this new product. My ears perked up! He replied “well, it has about 450 calories once you put it all together.”

Doh.

That’s it. That’s the only nutritional info he felt was important to provide.

What about the ingredients?
Or how much protein?
Or what about how much sodium??

Nada. Just 450 calories. What a deal, right?

One thing I just learned in the past couple of years is how to read ingredient lists. In the past I would never even look at the ingredient list on products…I just went by whatever the product said on the front. Scary! Now I always check out the ingredient list on any product before I even think about buying it. You’d be amazed at what’s in some of the stuff we are so accustomed to eating! Even things as simple as peanut butter have sugar and oils that you don’t even think about. Btw…Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter is my favorite! And I’m not getting paid to say that

Basically, if you can’t pronounce it…you don’t want to put it in your body! Always go for ingredients that are whole foods…as close to the ground as possible. And really…it’s always best to just skip the middle aisles in the store as much as possible and stick to the perimeter for fresh produce and whole foods.

Rant over.

As I’ve mentioned, Jon and I are really trying to cut down on our budget. You know, since I quit my job and all;)

Anyway, we’re trying not to go to the grocery store until the end of the month, even though we are out of almost everything! So I decided to challenge myself tonight by creating a dish using only the random ingredients we had in the cabinets.

The result?

The thing that comes to mind as I post this pic is a song I often attach to certain things I love…and sing it loud…all around the house. Drives Jon crazy. muahahaha

I’d sing it for you if I could. Actually I could post a video…but I’d like to have you guys hang around for awhile. So, I won’t.

But this meal was simple. Simply EPIC that is!

Ingredients

8 – 10 red potatoes
1/2 large onion
1 cup frozen edamame
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (or fresh if you aren’t lazy like me:)
3 tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 tbsp seasoned salt
1/2 tbsp basil
1 tsp rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Cut potatoes into small, bite-sized pieces and place in large casserole dish
4. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, seasoned salt, basil and rosemary
5. Pour oil mixture over potatoes and stir until potatoes are coated
6. Chop onion into medium sized pieces and add to dish. Stir well.
7. Add tomatoes, frozen edamame and chia seeds. Stir well.
8. Roast for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until potatoes are soft.

Serve alongside your favorite steamed veggie! Makes about 4 – 6 servings.

The one problem is that I can’t seem to come up with a name for this dish. I’m stumped! Any ideas??

I also snacked on a slice of Ezekiel bread with natural peanut butter about an hour befor din.

Well, I’ve gotta hit the mat and get some PiYo practice in before bed tonight. I hope you all are having a lovely week so far!

What do you think I should name my potato dish?

Do you pay a lot of attention to ingredient lists? What caused you to start thinking about what was in your food rather than just trusting the slogan on the front of the box?

On that note, have you read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan? I love this book, and I really think it is crucial for everyone to read. It made me really understand how twisted the food system in our country is. Not to be a negative Nancy, but we have to watch out for and take care of ourselves! Ya know?

what next?!

Happy Tuesday morning ya’ll!

I loved hearing all about your fur babies last night – thanks for sharing!

This morning started off with a quick 15 minute walk with two of my favorite people (humor me here;)

Aren’t they cute?

After we got back home, I rushed around to give Jon a haircut and inhale a Larabar. Have you guys tried the new flavors yet? I tried carrot cake the other day during PiYo training and loved it! I’ve loved the carrot cake Clif Bar for a long time, but I like the ingredient lists of Larabars so much better! I’m a happy girl now!

Today I had the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor. Honestly…it was delicious. Better than I expected. With small, glorious surprises of chocolate all throughout. Unfortunately, after a few heavenly bites, it dawned on me that it most likely wasn’t vegan. Hello!

You all know that I do make exceptions to my vegan diet on occasion – organic, free-range eggs, greek yogurt etc. But only for really special things that have benefit to my health (ie. protein). So, I probably won’t be having many more of this flavor…but if you aren’t vegan you MUST try it!

Finally, with about 3 minutes to spare, I flew out the door on my way to PiYo. Class was great today…very challenging. PiYo is a type of class that progresses as you go from week to week. So, the class I went to this morning actually began in May, so it’s really starting to get intense. I love it! Now I just have to work on being able to teach it;)

When I got home, I made a green monster

tall and proud!

2 handfuls of spinach, 1/2 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass, 1 tbsp chia seeds, ice

this pic is either kind of cool or really bad…you decide:)

My husband sent me this email yesterday…and I was so appalled that I just have to share it with you all.

Enter the Candwich

[source]

I haven’t researched this product enough to slam it, I suppose…but I would love to see an ingredient list. I just am so appalled because this is the epitome of where our country is headed as far as our food supply. It is the antithesis of what we should be fueling our bodies with – fresh, whole food that is as close to the source (ground) as possible. Very bothersome, methinks.

What do you think about this? Had you heard of this before?

I gotta run because I’m helping set up for a baby shower for one of Jonathan’s coworkers. On the menu – nachos involving beef, tortilla chips, and Rico’s cheese! Eek!

second time around

Thank you all for the wonderful comments this morning! You guys totally made my day! Well…you and Foodbuzz lol.

I really do appreciate your support tremendously. ChiaSeedMe would not be the same without you.

After yesterday’s 7 hours of driving and 8 hour certification class, I just could not pull myself out of bed on time this morning! I slept in until Jon left for world at 8am, then finally lured myself out of bed by envisioning a refreshing and energizing juice. mmm.

1 beet, 1 apple, 1 pear, 2 carrots

Totally did the trick:)

I also managed to make it to the gym and crank out a 5k on the treadmill. It was a tough run…but I’m really trying to start pushing myself more. Instead of focusing on the discomfort, I want to focus more on the satisfaction of sprinting that last mile….or running it 20 seconds faster. Whatever it may be. It really worked today, and I felt so great!

Lunch was leftovers from the other night.

stir-fry veggies with bulgur, chick peas and chias

I had mentioned before that this stir-fry sauce I made was a total fail…but honestly, it tasted better today than it did the first time. I kinda liked it!

Later on I snacked on a brown rice cake with natural pb, sliced banana a chia seeds – one of my favorite snacks:)

Dinner tonight was leftover enchiladas. muahahaha.

Today when I met with Mohammad for our tutoring session, he had some bad news to tell me – he’s moving! This was totally out of the blue. Basically (we learned that word today:) he just isn’t happy with the classes he’s taking at the institute here, so he’s moving to OKC to attend a different one. Wednesday will be our last meeting together. I’m really going to miss it because I’ve been enjoying tutoring a lot!

So, you guessed it. That leaves me jobless once again. And once again, I’m just trusting that God has something better for me. It’s not easy, but I’m turning away from lies and believing truth. Something that I’m getting to work on a lot lately:)

In other news…

…this little guy left us yesterday. While Olive certainly has a little more peace in her life, Jon and I are kinda missing him.

Well, I’m off to cuddle with the husband. What a great day it’s been; let’s try to top it tomorrow!

And a couple questions for you guys because I love getting to know more about you! What better way to find out more about you guys than hearing about your lovable fur babies? Or lack thereof;)

Are you a dog person or a cat person? Or neither?
What kind of pet(s) do you have and what are their names?

i went to arkansas…

…and became a certified PiYo instructor!

5 am yesterday morning

As you guys know, I’ve been attending PiYo classes at my gym for awhile now, and I really love it. I mentioned in this post that I had some other possible ideas of what to do after resigning from my job, and this was one of the ideas that I was generating.

Here is PiYo in 50 words or less:)

PiYo (pronounced pie-yo) is a format created by Chalene Johnson that fuses together Pilates and Yoga.

“It’s the perfect fusion equaling strength building, rhythmic movement and power with a foundation in Pilates and yoga that burns calories while transforming the body”

I loved PiYo the very first time I tried it because it gives you the feel and benefits of yoga, but also the movement and more fast-paced vibe of Pilates. Add in some fun hip-hop or R & B music, and you’ve got yourself an amazing workout that’ll make you look good and feel even better!

I can’t wait to start teaching! I’ll be telling you guys more about it as I learn and practice more, but feel free to let me know if you have any questions:)

And next…………Guess what I got in my inbox this morning?

A congratulations from Foodbuzz for making the top 9 with my Classic Vegan Banana Split!

I am so happy to have been able to participate in the Top 9 challenge to help raise money and awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund!

And I am thrilled to have been chosen as part of the top 9! Thank you Foodbuzz!

$6 well spent + spicy chia black bean burger

This morning Jon and I slept in a bit, then got up and headed to the Farmer’s Market! We are really trying to stay on a strict budget these days, so I planned to only use the cash that was leftover from our trip last week….which was $6.

I repeat. $6.

We didn’t really need anything, surprisingly, so six bucks isn’t quite as ridiculous as it sounds. Last week I had picked up some fresh blackberries and they were so good! I was dying to get some more this week. The vendor I bought from last week was out, so I had to get them from another. Guess how much they were.

$6.

Ha. So, I spent my entire budget on blackberries!

Breakfast – decaf iced soy latte (by way of gift card!) with a bowl of berries

They have already been worth ever cent so far. Delicious:)

Now that we are crackin’ down on our budget, I’m really trying to utilize all of our leftovers. Hence, this salad for lunch.

chopped fresh spinach, broccoli slaw, corn, leftover black bean burger (recipe below!), vegetarian refried beans, salsa, a sprinkle of cumin and chias

This was just okay. I had let the second batch of black bean burgers cook a little too long the other night, so this was a bit dry and crumbly. It did the job, though;)

For our anniversary celebration (our anniversary was actually Thursday) last night, we went Cafe 501, a really nice little place in the city. Jon had been there once a really long time ago, but I had never been!

And enjoy we did. It was really wonderful.

free bread and garlic oil while we waited – we each had about a piece and a half

Appetizer – hummus with roasted red pepper and garlic. Served with warm pita bread.

I really could have just ordered this and been perfectly fine…and full. But of course I didn’t realize that until I had already ordered my meal and eaten about half of the hummus! eek.

I did thoroughly enjoy this salad, I’m not gonna lie. And all it’s sweet, crunchy, feta cheesy goodness. It was made up of a bed of fresh greens, feta cheese, spiced pumpkin seeds, granny smith apples and a lemon vinaigrette dressing. Dressing on the side as to avoid floating lettuce:) I ate about half.

After dinner we had planned to go to a movie…but alas, we were both tired, and it sounded much better to just head home and cuddle up in bed to watch something (Isn’t that always better anyway?). And that we did:)

Okay, now for the two recipes I promised yesterday!!

First up - Spicy Chia Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

1 cup black beans, rinsed, drained and mashed
1 cup cooked barley
1 clove of garlic, crushed (minced will work)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp avocado (mashed sweet potato will also work)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp chia seeds

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
Divide and shape mixture into four patties
Heat George Foreman grill (or skillet) and coat with olive oil
Cook patties until crispy

recipe adapted from The Eat Clean Diet Recharged

I made these once before, but this time I tweaked the recipe and cooked them on our George Foreman rather than the stovetop, and they worked quite nicely. They do tend to be a bit more fragile than your average beef/turkey burger, but these held together just fine!

We enjoyed them on Ezekiel buns; I only had the bottom part of the bun and ate it with a fork. Also added broccoli slaw, spinach, pickles, onions and hummus.

Hi husband and Olive. hehe.

We also had some baked fries on the side. I cut up one whole russet potato, spread the pieces on a cookie sheet, sprinkled with a little of this (seasoned salt, garlic powder) and a little of that (ground red pepper) and baked at 400 degrees for about 20 – 25 minutes, flipping them every once in awhile. Don’t forget to spray the pan really well before you lay on the fries! Not that I’ve had a problem with this or anything:)

Tasty!!

Okay, next up is a recipe that isn’t really a full recipe. More of a how-to of sorts.

As you all know, I participated in the Foodbuzz Ultimate Banana Split Challenge by making this baby

I wasn’t able to eat the entire thing (as no self respecting person would:)…but the three bites I did inhale eat were out-of-this-world! It tasted every single bit as indulgent as it looks.

To start, I used my food processor to make 3 different kinds of banana soft-serve. I added a small handful of strawberries to the first batch, about a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the second batch and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter to the third batch. Each batch contained one whole banana. All you do is process a frozen banana until you achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. Then add your extra ingredient (the possibilities are mind boggling) and process until mixed well.

I froze each flavor for several hours so it would be the right consistency for scooping.

Next I made the coconut whipped cream.

First things first – leave your mixing bowl and beater in the freezer for several hours so it is very cold. Next, poke a hole (or several) in the bottom of a can of Thai Coconut Milk (only the full fat version works). Let the milk drain out the bottom. Use a can opener to open the top, at which point you’ll see the thick coconut fat.

Scoop the fat out into your mixing bowl. Mix until smooth, but don’t over mix.

Next add about .5 to 1 cup of powdered sugar and continue mixing until it becomes a whipped consistency. Ta-da! Vegan whipped cream:)

recipe found here

I know I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but I have some big news coming up in my next post! Remember in this post when I said I have “a few other things up my sleeve?” Well one of those things is going down tomorrow! I am so excited…and I can’t wait to tell you guys.

Talk to you later!

time to celebrate

Do you ever have one of those days where it just seems like you blink twice and the day is gone?

Today has been that kind of day! Jon and I went for a little walk with the pups this morning after which I came back and gave some baths before heading back to the gym for some running and yoga.

He (my nephew) wasn’t too keen on holding still, so it’s a bit blurry:)

I also squeezed in 1/2 of a green monster before the gym

Jonathan brought me these purty flowers for our anniversary

For this monsta I used

3 handfuls of spinach
1 tbsp of chia seeds
1.25 cups almond milk
1 scoop Amazing Grass
leftover chocolate and peanut butter softserve from yesterday (about 1/3 cup)

As you know, yesterday was our 4 year wedding anniversary, and it was such a sweet sweet day:) We planned on not making a big “to do” about it yesterday because we wanted to celebrate tonight! We did, however, go out to lunch at our favorite little cafe, Cafe Bella.

I went with the Hummus wrap which was filled with hummus (obvs.:) tomato, greens, onions, cucumbers and feta

Honestly, it was just meh. I like the sandwich I usually get from there much better. I’m still glad I tried it though!

Last night we celebrated by making homemade black bean burgers and baked french fries.

Come back tomorrow to get the recipe! I can assure you, it’s a keeper!

After dinner we spent the evening working on my banana split for the Foodbuzz Ultimate Banana Split Challenge

It may seem silly that we spent the evening of our anniversary making this beauty, but let me tell you – it was so fun! From making the ice cream, making the coconut whipped cream to staging it all….we really enjoyed it. We really love working on projects together, so I guess it makes sense! I’ll be posting these how to’s tomorrow as well!

I must run now – because we’re doing our real celebration tonight! Tell you all about it tomorrow!

Tomorrow is going to be a pretty full day it seems;)

Electrolux #splits: Classic Vegan Banana Split

Are you ready for this?

I have something exciting to share with you today!

As someone who has had one grandma pass away due to cancer and another grandma fight (and win!) a battle with cancer, I am passionate about contributing in the pursuit of a cure to this devastating disease.

I’m sure many, if not all of you have or know someone who has battled with cancer, and you probably possess just as much of a desire to fight back as I do.

For this reason, the moment I heard about this exciting opportunity to help raise money and tell everyone about the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF), I knew I couldn’t pass it up!!

“…the mission of OCRF is very straightforward: to fund research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer.”

Not only does the OCRF fund research through four different grant programs, they also strive to educate women about ovarian cancer in an effort to make a difference in the lives of those who are at risk.

It is through the diligent dedication and commitment of people just like you and me that the OCRF is able to continue in this crucial pursuit.

In an effort to raise money and help spread the word about the OCRF, Foodbuzz is teaming together with Electrolux and Kelly Ripa by sponsoring a sweet summertime challenge and a Top 9 Takeover for Featured Publishers!

During these long summer months, when the air is so thick you could slice it with a knife, Foodbuzz knows that one easy and healthy way to stay cool is by indulging in your favorite summertime treats! That is why they’ve created the ultimate banana split challenge!

The best part is that for every banana split submitted by a Featured Publisher, Foodbuzz will donate $50 to the OCRF! Also, Foodbuzz will select the top 9 banana splits posts to be featured in the Top 9 Splits takeover!

To participate in the challenge, I have created the Classic Vegan Banana Split!

This split is loaded with homemade goodness. Three generous scoops of homemade vegan banana softserve in three classic flavors: peanut butter, strawberry and chocolate! Topped off with made-from-scratch vegan coconut whipped cream, sprinkled with carob chips, dusted with chia seeds (of course!) and crowned by two happy cherries!

I am so honored and excited to be a part of this challenge and to be involved with a company who reaches out to support cancer research.

Now go make your own banana split and stay cool!

happy 4

I love this guy more than food bloggers love natural light. times a million.

I am the luckiest gal in the world to have held onto him for four years of married life. Every year has gotten progressively better, I kid you not.

Fun fact about Jon and I: I knew I was going to marry him for a good year before he even considered going out with me. Ask this girl if you don’t believe me. Or this girl. Or a handful of other people for that matter…who am I kidding? Everyone knew. lol.

He is my sunshine and my moon, and he makes my world go ’round. Every day of life is better and every night is sweeter because he exists.

Love him with all I am.

Happy Anniversary to us.

The end.

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