Tag Archives: Paleo

Amanda Cannon on “Paleo”

Posted by beautifullystrong in Eat Well, guest posts and tagged with , , , ,

Oh boy, do I ever have a treat for YOU today!!! Today, there will be a guest post by my soul-sistah, Amanda Cannon. Amanda and I met back in Massachusetts through Nick…and to say that it was love at first sight is a MAJOR understatement :) Both Amanda and I consider ourselves “wellness warriors”, and through her journey she has had some MAJORLY AMAZING changes due to Chiropractic, Crossfit and Paleo which she shares on her AWESOME blog Sozo Life, which you should definitely check out!

Without further ado…Miss Amanda Cannon :) …

Yep…this is us…on the reg

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Paleo. Ah the word brings up so many emotions inside me. Passionate about Paleo….my friends would probably sum me up by that. Well maybe  just passionate in general but being Paleo happens to be one of my favorite things.

So let’s rewind to 2008. I was in rough shape. I had chronic back pain, allergies, sinus infections, fatigue, hormonal imbalance and overall no direction for my life. Along came Franson Family Chiropractic…..(I am sure you may have heard Jen mention this place once or twice.)

My dear friend Alexis introduced me to this place and I can honestly say it changed the direction of my life. I had no idea about well living, Paleo, or Crossfit. From starting to go to Franson my interest was sparked. I started doing screening’s for them and met Mr. Nick Araza. (whom through  I met Miss Jen who became one of my soul sisters very quickly.)

Nick and I had a conversation one day about food. He asked me what was holding me back from taking control of my health. I didn’t understand what he meant. He asked me what my favorite things to eat were. I told him bread and cheese (ha! oh me…..). He then asked me now what if I knew that those morsels of bread and cheese were laced with arsenic. Just a little bit. Would I still eat them? That stopped me right in my tracks. Well no! He then proceeded to explain to me the effect that certain foods can have on the body and how when you change your thinking about food to fuel and what it does inside your body it can override the craving for toxic food in general. This was a big deal for me. I struggled with food for most of my teen years. I had constant battles with it and would go on frequent emotional eating binges. I disliked my body and my secret battle with food.

I began to do all sorts of research on this so called Paleo diet. What in the world was this all about? I read multiple books to learn all about it. I had always loved to cook and was excited for the challenge to come up with tasty and creative Paleo dishes. I began to see all sorts of results in my life. My chronic back pain went away. This was a big deal for me from being in multiple car accidents. My joints were pain-free! My allergies and sinus infections went away, my skin began to get clear, and most of all I finally banished my emotional roller coaster with food. I found myself in control of it instead of letting it control me. I felt FREEEEEEEEE! I began to cherish my little bod and see the results big time! I joined Crossfit in October 2010 and began to put it all together. I used to hate working out and now I found something that I absolutely loved!

This sent me on an epic search for more knowledge about Health and Wellness. I came across another book that impacted me big time. It was Crazy Sex Diet by Chris Karr. It was basically all about her journey through cancer and how changing her diet saved her life. I got really excited if someone could beat cancer through their diet this means that diet alone could certainly help others with other health problems. I started to pass this information on to my mother who had been battling MS.

I began to realize how passionate I was about this subject. I decided I loved helping people too much to just sit back and not do something about it. I began to pursue a career in Health and Wellness. I finally found my calling. I feel alive when teaching people how to be healthy.  I think my favorite thing is to work with young girls and women to help them understand the importance of a healthy body image. I spent so many years being insecure and battling with food and my body. I want to teach young girls what true beauty in general is from the inside out. Not just making healthy choices but in their character as well. It’s taken me years to convince my mom to switch to Paleo. She finally did a few months ago and has seen major results and is out of her wheel chair and walking around again! That truly was amazing to me. I cried tears of joy!

Paleo is not just a diet, it is a way of life. It is a lifestyle and a life changer. I have become part of an amazing community of people who eat together, do life together and live an amazing life. I want a partner who thinks this way. I want to raise my kids this way. It is more than just food it is a mindset of living simply, the way we were meant to live.

This is the thing, once you understand what is going on in your body, and the effect certain foods have and you begin to feel the difference you just can’t go back. You can’t go back to your previous way of living. You know too much, and have seen the results. It is hard to explain to someone without them experiencing it for themselves. Really the motivation for health has to be the issue. If it’s just you and your will against the cheese cake, the cheese cake will win. But if you really begin to understand what the cheesecake does inside your body it stops you and makes you think. So many of the clients who come to see me at the Y aren’t really ready to make the change unless they have been in some big health crisis. I say don’t wait! Do it now! Invest in your health.  It’s just like a car…if you continue to put bad fuel in the car, eventually it will break down. You put the right fuel in your car, why wouldn’t you put the right fuel in your precious bod?
Health is a journey, I myself have faced some battles of late and had to fight HARD to make it through.  It is worth it though and in the end you don’t know what you have till it is gone. Don’t let your health slip away from you.  You are either moving towards health or away from it in every choice you make. So grab some people who want to be on this journey with you and move towards health together.

Much love,

Jen & Amanda

Hey, I may have peed my pants, but at least I didn’t hurt my back!

Posted by beautifullystrong in Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , ,

I am so happy to report that last week I completed an ENTIRE week without hurting myself at the gym! How did I do it?!

 

-I rested. Typically I complete 5 days of exercise a week, this past week, I rested twice as much! I completed three pain-free workouts. Now, this was challenging for me to get behind…I am used to working out much more, and I couldn’t help but feel that feeling of “you lazy bum” creeping up the back of my neck. I listened to my body, and what my body was needing was rest.

 

-I stretched. If you are a patient of Santa Barbara Family Chiropractic or a client at Innate, you know how important stretching and foam rolling are for our health! Come to find out, I have some seriously tight hamstrings. If you have tight hamstrings or a tight butt, those shortened muscles are constantly tugging on your low back, and that lack of flexibility is not allowing you to keep that straight back when you’re hopping up from your burpee… STRETCH and ROLL!!!

 

-I protected. I temporarily ex-nayed the movements that typically cause me problems. I gave my body a chance to heal itself up a bit before I threw it back into a workout of burpees and pullups. My workouts this week were:

*yoga and meditation

*beach sprints- on a side note, sprinting when you are injured is MONEY! You immediately correct your form if you break even a little bit. I found that I sprinted better AND FASTER than before!

*A WOD of:

10 double unders, 1 pushup

20 double unders, 2 pushups

30 double unders, 3 pushups…etc up to 100 double unders and 10 pushups

*10 minute time cap*

I got through 7 full rounds, which equalled 280 double unders and 28 pushups…

…and if you’re still questioning my title, you have never been a woman and done double unders :-p

 

-I ate cleaner. Focusing on what I eat is a HUGE piece in making sure that I don’t hurt myself. The less inflamed my guts are, the more control I have over what I do with my body, and the more power I give my abs to protect my spine. If you’re in the Santa Barbara area, Dr. Nick is giving a (sure to be kick ass) workshop on the Paleo Diet this Wednesday at our office (360 s. hope ave, c-100) at 6:30pm. Come check it out, and learn how to eat like a caveman!

 

-I got adjusted. I am forever grateful for my amazing chiropractor, who happens to be my hubs :) He constantly cleans up after me and my messes, but never the less, always encourages me toward OPTIMAL wellness, and being as strong and healthy as I can be (which includes not HURTING MYSELF!). He’s an amazing chiropractor, an amazing coach, and an amazing man all the way around. Thank you baby :)

 

I will be attending my first WOD tonight with a class since over a week ago…the workout is 50 power cleans for time, and a couple 6-8 min AMRAPs. Wish me luck amigos…I’ll let you know how it goes!

 

Much love,

Jen

Potato Leek Soup and biscuits….all Paleo baby…

Posted by beautifullystrong in Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , ,

I just wrote the most eloquent, inspiring blog post of all time…and then somehow it just POOF, disappeared. So much like Tenacious D once sang, “this is not the best blog post in the world, this is just a tribute…”

A few months back, Nick and I started doing a CSA program with the local farmers in the Santa Barbara area. One day we opened up our box, and inside was this long, skinny, green, confused-onion looking thing. After a few weeks of letting those “weird things” wither and die in the back of our fridge, I started asking around. What I have found is that these WEIRD green confused-onion looking things, are indeed leeks. Now you are probably thinking one of two things “Oh, I’ve never seen a leek..hmm” or “really? You didn’t know what a leek was?” For those of you who thought the latter…I am from Northern Maine…’nuff said (random tangent coming: something I’ve realized is that I ALWAYS capitalize Northern as if that is part of the name…it’s not…but really, Northern Maine is a whole other cookie from Southern Maine…so they might as well be two different states).
Once I knew what a leek was, the only thing that immediately came to mind that I had ever heard the word “leek” used in was a leek soup. After looking up a leek soup recipe, I found that it is already pretty paleo! Yay! Plus, this soup is deeeelicious…like “mmmmm” and “ahhhhh” good. Check it out:

 

 

Potato Leek Soup (by Simply Recipes)

Prep time: 5 min                Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop.
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)*
  • 2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • Marjoram – dash
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
  • Salt & Pepper

*If cooking gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free broth.

Method

1 Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium-sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste.

2 Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

 

Some of you may be thinking this is not paleo because of the potatoes. To each their own…Lorein Cordain is OUT on potatoes, but there are some resources that say it’s a grey area, and that they are okay every once in a while. Hey, if you’re going to eat them every once in a while, might as well eat them in this soup…it’s sooooooooo good!

Now, what goes better with soup than a biscuit? Nothing, I KNOW! Although I must admit that I didn’t have the pleasure of making these two things together (which I regret, but will learn from in the future!)…I think I should give you the chance to be smarter than me…make the right choice…make these together :)

 

 

 

Almond Rosemary Biscuits (from Multiply Delicious)

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour, plus 1/2 cup for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

2 eggs

1 tablespoon honey (optional…but recommended)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and rosemary in a bowl.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, and oil.  Mix wet ingredients into dry until a nice dough forms.

Lay one sheet of parchment paper down on a flat surface and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of almond flour.  Place dough in center of parchment paper and sprinkle with additional almond flour.  Place another sheet of parchment paper over dough and roll dough into 1-inch thickness.  Using a biscuit cutter cut rounds out of dough.  Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet.

Bake biscuits for about 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

*Makes about 12 to 15 biscuits.*

 

 

You are so welcome :) Bon appetite!

 

 

Much love,

Jen

Knowing when to QUIT!

Posted by beautifullystrong in Eat Well and tagged with , , , , , ,

What do you want from me?

How many of us can sit down to a delicious meal, get to a point where we are definitely satisified…continue eating…we feel full…and keep eating STILL because it’s just so darn tasty!?!

I know I have.

Even more dangerous than that? Since eating a clean, paleo diet, I feel even more entitled to do that because, well..”it’s all healthy”!

A month ago I started a little experiment. I didn’t understand why I was still suffering (not nearly as much, mind you) with sporadic bouts of indigestion and sluggishness; I was eating clean, exercising, getting adjusted…what was the deal?! So the plan for the month was to eat to the point where I wasn’t feeling HUNGRY anymore. I didn’t want to reach the point of feeling full, I definitely didn’t want to reach the point of feeling too full…I just didn’t want to feel hungry anymore. I wanted to see how this would affect my body, mind and soul.

The results were very interesting.

I expected that I may lose some weight…I did…a little. I also, however, felt so much cleaner, and so much lighter! The best piece for me was that my digestion became very normal (sorry…) and I didn’t even think about it from day-to-day! Other little perks? We had more left overs, and Nick liked me more because I would give him what I didn’t eat :-p

What does Haaaaaaavaaaaaahd have to say about it?

Digestion involves a complex series of hormonal signals between the gut and the nervous system, and it seems to take about 20 minutes for the brain to register satiety (fullness). If you gobble down food too quickly, satiety may not occur until after you’ve gone overboard. There’s also reason to believe that eating while we’re distracted by activities like driving or working at a keyboard may slow down or stop digestion in a manner similar to how the “fight or flight” response occurs. And if we’re not digesting well, we may be missing out on the full nutritive value of our food.

~Harvard Health Letters

 

So, I’m doing soooo well, and then…one little meal comes along (I remember the meal too…ironically it was a salad!) and I jump off the “eat till you’re satiated” wagon. Before I know it, I’m eating till I’m full again…

Last night Nick and I were talking about how we wake up exhausted every morning. Why IS that? We go to bed at 9:30, 10 the latest…we exercise, we get adjusted, we eat clean, etc… I mean, yes, we’re under a lot of stress, but this much? Then Nick had a flashback to when Andrew was talking about Buckley (him and Kristen’s extremely handsome dog) and how he typically wakes up early, and with a copious amount of energy…unless he eats a big meal the night before.

B to the INGO!

More nights than not, Nick and I don’t even get home until 8pm, which means we’re eating at around 8:45-9pm, and to top it off, we go to bed at 9:30pm. Things NEED to change. Plus, I don’t really like cooking under those circumstances,  I like to make it an experience. Turn on some sexy music, drink a glass of red wine and mentally recharge as I chop onions :)

So, I’m back on the satiety wagon, and we’re going to make it a goal to eat dinner before 7:30pm! But…I’m going to need a little help from you on this…

What are some helpful tips you have discovered to ensure that you are prepared to cook and eat dinner at a reasonable hour when you have a busy schedule?

Much love,

Jen

You Can HAVE Your Muffins AND Eat Them TOO!

Posted by beautifullystrong in recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Wherever you are on your health journey, whether it be 100% western diet on one extreme, or 100% Paleo diet on the other (Paleo Diet: great explanatory video here!) everyone loves a little comfort food from time to time. Honestly, tell me what is better than a warm muffin right out of the oven, slathered in warm, melted butter… Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. If you’re on the end of the spectrum that is closer to 100% Paleo, however, those grain-laden fluffy little bundles of love are NOT in the cards for you…until NOW! (and if you’re on the other end of the spectrum, switching out these muffins for the extra-large Dunkin’ Donut varieties will probably add 5-10 years to your life).

 

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

I got THIS RECIPE off of EverydayPaleo.com. She has so many delicious looking recipes on that site, it is DEFINITELY worth checking out. I tweaked the recipe just a little however. I added just a little bit of almond milk, probably 1/4 cup, to make the consistency a little thinner. She said bake them for 15-17 minutes, but it took mine 27. I’m not sure if that is because of my old-school-ass oven or what…but you can start with 15 (test with a fork) and go from there like I did :)

Healthy eating does NOT have to mean deprivation…or boring, tasteless foods…

Top that tasty muffin with a slice of raw (pasture raised) butter, and as Sarah said on EverydayPaleo, and pair with a cup of black coffee and some eggs (pasture raised), and you have one tasty breakfast (perfect for someone specials 30th birthday breakfast if you want to get specific :) )!

Have an incredible FRIDAY!!!! and Happy Birthday NICK!!!!

Love,

Jen

Running and Recipes!

Posted by beautifullystrong in Crossfit Workouts, recipes and tagged with , , , , ,

Oh man, I don’t even know where to begin. I have a lot to tell you guys! :)

First of all, I went running last night. On my own. No one making me do it. I know…you’re shocked! AND, I ran the most unbroken distance I’ve ever run. This is not a lot, so don’t laugh…but for ME, it is! I have run 5 miles before, but I did it in intervals, so this is my first ever unbroken distance…2.5 miles!! The best part??? I felt fast!!! I mean, I used to feel like I was running in cement the whole dang mile I ran (that was the most I ever had to run at one time), but last night I felt amazing!! I was pacing about 8 minute miles :-D

I have been working out a LOT lately! I went from working out 3-4 (4 being more rare than 3) times a week, to now doing about 5 times a week (may hit 6 this week if I make it to the Saturday workout!). I feel like my need for exercising as many days as possible is growing every single day. Without it I feel lost, irritable, and sluggish. Like last night, I wasn’t feeling that well, and I literally felt wiped OUT! I decided when I got home, however, that instead of laying on the couch and crashing out (which may have made me feel more rested, but I know me, and it would have made me feel gross) I would make a dinner (eggplant lasagna) and go for a run. Dang, am I ever glad I did!? I felt so much better last night after my run, I was LITERALLY saying out loud..to myself, hahaha, ‘THAT WAS AWESOME!’ When Nick got home at 8, he saw the kitchen all cleaned up, a DELICIOUS looking (HEALTHY, PALEO) dinner in the oven warming, and a note from me saying I had gone for a run, but I was already back and showered. With a grin from ear to ear he walked up to me, hugged me and said, “Who ARE you?…seriously, who ARE you?!” Let’s just say that when we started dating I was not a cook, and I would not have gone out for a run just because :) I love seeing personal growth :) I also love when people I love see that personal growth and I get more kisses because of it :) hehe :-p

Okay, recipe time :) Get excited! Nick and I have been making some tasty, delicious, healthy meals/treats this past week, and I’m dying to share them with you :)

First up, apple, buttery, deliciousness.

The other night after dinner, I felt like something sweet.

Buttery Hot Apples

You need:

Apples

coconut butter

raisins

cinnamon

coconut milk

So all I did was slice up the apples while melting some coconut BUTTER on the stove. I put all the apple slices, along with some raisins in a glass pie dish, sprinkled cinnamon over the apples and raisins, and then poured the melted coconut butter over the mixture…mixing it all together. Bake at 350 till apples are soft. Once done, dish into bowls and drizzle just a little bit of coconut milk over your portion….DELICIOUS!

Pumpkin, Walnut, Chocolate Chip Muffins

I will have to wait till I get home to give you the exact recipe for this one. Nick pulled it out of “Primal Blueprint Cookbook”. After our first bite, we looked at each other and just started giggling…it was THAT good! I’m still in shock on how something with zerrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooo grains in it can taste JUST like a muffin!! The ingredients are pumpkin puree (but we used a sweet potato instead), coconut flour, walnuts, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, baking soda and coconut oil. I may have left something out in there, which is why I want to get the exact recipe for you tonight :) Sooooo freakin’ delicious!!!

Eggplant Lasagna

You need:

2 eggplants

3 eggs

almond flour

coconut oil

Heat a skillet or griddle, melt coconut oil on it. Slice eggplant into thin disks. Coat both sides with beaten egg mixture. Place one side at a time in almond flour (I had it on a plate), coating both sides, and then place on heated griddle/skillet. Brown on both sides. Put aside.

Grass-fed beef

Green peppers

Onions

Can of peeled plum tomatoes

Can of marinara

Brown beef, and then add in peppers, onions and sauce. I just made a regular spaghetti sauce of sorts here.

Once this is done, start laying bottom of a glass pan (the big oblong ones) with eggplant; then a layer of sauce; a layer of eggplant, and another layer of sauce. I grated a little bit of fresh, raw cheese on top. CHEESE? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? Yes, I used a little bit of cheese, RAW cheese (so it’s a little better :-p). Pop it in the oven to just melt the cheese on top. Ta-da!!!

Also, my friend Bethany told Nick she made this and used a layer of spinach. That sounds brilliant, and we’ll probably add that next time! :-D

So yummy :) Can’t wait to eat left-overs tonight :) Can’t wait to see what we’ll make next! :-D  mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

And now that I’m STARVING….let’s talk about tonight’s workout :-p

Murph… yes, Murph. Do you remember my post about Murph? (mental refresher) For some reason, we’re doing it on a Tuesday night, in the middle of the week. I dont’ really understand. As far as I knew, Murph was reserved for once a year, on Memorial Day. I guess they wanted to shake things up today. So, on my lunch break I need to head to City Sports to buy some tape…I’m not going to do 100 pullups tonight without it.

Workout “Murph”

1 mile run

100 pullups

200 pushups

300 squats

1 mile run

Woooooot! Should be a good time :-p I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow :)

With love,

Jen

Achin’ For Some Bacon?

Posted by beautifullystrong in recipes and tagged with , , , ,

Okay, there is no bacon in this breakfast…but there are TONS of eggs (and on a side note, we LOVE bacon, nitrate free!!)!!

Here is a delicious egg scramble we made when Nick’s buddy Nate was visiting, with a delicious side of sweet potatoe home fries. Yummmmmmmmmmmm!!!! Who said eating healthy had to be boring? Not us!!

chicken sausage, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, peppers, brocolli...YUM!! and of course EGGS!

cooked in olive oil with some pepper and fresh rosemary from our garden!

 

HAPPY FEASTING!!!!

Love,

Jen

FOOD, It’s What’s For Breakfast!

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Guess what guys?? Today is my 100th post!! VERY exciting stuff :) While I was thinking this morning what I would want to write about today, Nick said JUST the right thing…

“Now THIS is a BREAKFAST!”

Sprawled across the table in front of us was:

~a greek salad (not the kind with feta…just cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, lots of pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar)

~apple chicken sausage

~eggs

~cantelope slices

Now, why am I telling you this? Well, I feel a lot of people seem to think I eat lettuce all day, everyday. It couldnt’ be further from the truth.

Truth:

~I have NEVER eaten so much food in my LIFE!

~I have NEVER eaten so much MEAT in my life!

*Now keep in mind that the meat I eat is healthy, grass-fed/free range meat…there are no grains in these meats, no antibiotics, and no artificial growth hormones…just had to get that in there.

~I have never been this LEAN in my life!

~I have never eaten this much FAT in my life!

*Only healthy, good-for-you fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oils and raw nuts.

~I have lost about roughly 25lbs of fat, and gained 10-15lbs of muscle.

Healthy fat is GOOD, healthy meat is GOOD!

When you eat the right stuff, you can never overeat…you just can’t eat too much of the good stuff!

Last night for dinner, I got a little crazy and just started dumping things in a soup pot…and you know what? Turned out pretty dang good! So, since I think you guys are super amazing, I thought I would share it with you! :) Enjoy!

That's a' spicy lentil SOUP!

 Spicy Lentil Soup

1 quart of organic creamy tomato soup

2 cans Annie’s Lentil Soup (from Trader Joes)

4 glasses of water

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 links of spicy jalapeno chicken sausage (TJ’s)

1/2 onion

LOTS of pepper

swig of olive oil

As MANY veggies as you WANT! I put in: brussels, asparagus, string beans, and carrots!

Nick LOVED this..and I’m not going to lie…I LOVED it too!!

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Love,

Jen

Eating From the Heart: My Thoughts on the Emotional Eating Workshop I Attended Last Night

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Last night I attended Doctor Stephen Franson’s workshop on Emotional Eating. There were many powerful messages and inspiring thoughts. (Alexis presented a beautiful introduction for Doc Franson, and as usual, Doc Franson was incredibly informative and captivating.) Even though I now have a changed view about the purpose of food, and I have changed my lifestyle, I still have moments where I eat something for the wrong reasons. So, I was excited to go and learn some tools that I could use when in a bind. 

What I took away from the workshop: 

Often times when we eat something that isn’t a fuel for our bodies (when we distinctly KNOW it’s not healthy for us) we are filling a void. The thing to do would be to look inward and figure out what that void is and start ADDING things in our life that will fill us up (rather than unhealthy food choices). 

Think of every single thing that we put in our body as something that will make our cells healthier, or less healthy. Let’s face it guys, we are nothing but a large mass of cells. So start thinking of food as a fuel to make those cells healthy. That goes not only for food, but for movement and thought as well. We need to think of movement as something that is important enough (because it IS!) that if we don’t get enough of it, we will become  deficient, and eventually ill. 

When face to face with a destructive food like substance, think to yourself “What is it that the person I want/am trying to be would do right now?” When I heard this I had an immediate response of “OH!! Thats a good one!” I think the only way we will ever become the person we want to be, is by playing the part until we just ARE that person. I’m not condoning being something you’re not. However, self-improvement, wanting to be a better person is something we should be doing every single day of our lives. 

Doc Franson said that if you are really craving something, or you just want something really bad (like that vanilla cupcake with sweet pink cream frosting), do something healthy first, and then if you still want it, go ahead! For instance, you’re standing in your kitchen, staring that cupcake down. “Oh godddd I want that cupcake!” Your mouth is literally watering at the very thought of it hitting your lips! Step 1: make a choice of what it is you are going to do that is HEALTHY (ex: go for a run, eat a kiwi, call your buddy who will talk you off the ledge, just go for a walk around the block). Step 2: Do the healthy action. Step 3: If you get back from doing whatever it is you chose to do, and you’re still thinking, “Yep, STILL want that cupcake”, then eat the dang thing. Chances are, it won’t be as dire for you to eat it. 

The biggest thing I took away, and agree so highly with, is that our day needs to start on the right foot. I know personally that when I have a great morning, the rest of my day typically goes that way too. So first thing first: food. Our day needs to start with a nutrient packed breakfast…you wouldn’t start a long road trip with an empty tank. It needs to be the right food! You wouldn’t put diesel in your car if it runs on regular gas…you wouldn’t get too far. So fill up your tank and make sure its running clean! 

A field of kale?? I MUST be dreaming :)

 

Last night Doc Franson made a smoothie that he calls the Green Monster. It’s a healthy smoothie so that his family leaves the house to begin their day with more nutrients in them than most kids probably get in a WEEK! So I was inspired to get back on the bus of making smoothies (it’s been a long cold winter…). This morning I made something very similar, with just a few tweaks, and it turned out to be DELICIOUS! So…I thought I would share with you :)  

1-1.5 cups of frozen peaches 

1 banana 

Almond milk (enough to give it a smoothie like consistancy) 

1-2 tablespoons of fish oil 

1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil 

1 raw egg 

TONS of kale!!! 

It may not SOUND like it tastes good, but I honestly think this is the best smoothie I have ever made! So…give it a whirl! 

Have a great Thursday!!

Once you stop looking…

Posted by beautifullystrong in Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , ,

…it WILL find you!

You can run...but you can't hide....

How many times have we been thrown this little gem of knowledge? I remember frantically searching my laundry covered bedroom floor for that overdue library book for hours with no such luck! As soon as I give up the hunt, sure enough, it is later found sitting on top of my bed as if some little gnome snuck in and placed it there to taunt me. As you get older, the quest for true love is often the reason for this word of wisdom. “You can’t hurry love, you’ll just have to wait”, “Once you stop looking for love, it will happen.” Trust me, I’ve heard them all. Sure enough, the second I stopped looking, thinking I would never truly be in love again…ta da!!

I do have a point…

This genius saying truly works in ALL aspects of life! Take this paleo challenge for one. During these 30 days, we are not to drink ANY alcohol, dairy or grains. So, of COURSE, the one place you would almost be CERTAIN you would be safe from that sort of tease would be the gym right??? WRONG! A week into the challenge, after a pretty difficult workout, we had a crossfit party. There was a “Crossfit Games” video playing, a buffet of paleo friendly treats, and of course…a case of FREE beer. Fast forward to this past Saturday evening. Nick and I drove into the city to meet up with a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in MONTHS. We decided to meet up at Grezzo (a raw food “Italian” restaurant in the North End of Boston) so that we could have some raw dessert! We step inside through the doors of the incredibly “intimate” restaurant, practically hovering over the customers at the table closest to us. The waitress told us our table would be ready very soon. 10 minutes go by. “I’m sorry, it really will be available very shortly.” Another 5 minutes go by. Then she comes back to drop the bomb.

“You all have been so patient for waiting. We are going to buy you a round of drinks.”

There was an instant reaction from Nick. A slow swivel of his head toward me, and two words, “That’s two.”

THEN! Oh yes..there is more. Sunday, while at the coffee shop where I was writing “Starbucks for the Soul”, I was doing all I COULD to not break down and buy a muffin. I was feeling stressed, and for some reason I felt like that would have helped. However, I resisted. Two hours go by of me minding my own business; releasing stress in a healthy, productive way. Then comes the bomb.

“We’re starting to close up, and I was wondering, would you like a muffin? It’s free. We have raspberry and blueberry left.” I laughed, literally…the irony is RIDICULOUS!

“Ah…haha…ahhhhhh…um…no thanks.” Phew!

So the moral to this long-winded tale: It really IS true…Once you stop looking, it finds you!!!