::*::protein protein protein::*::

Do you believe when they say that your taste-buds change every seven years? 

I could never fully grasp the concept of that until quite recently. 

I'll fill you in on a little secret that many people in the past would despise me for. 

I. 

HATED.

SWEETS.

Like, legit...didn't like em AT ALL. The pantry could be filled with chocolates, the freezer overwhelmed with ice cream and cheese cakes, there could be cake on the counter and cookies on the table and all that I thought of was..."meh". 

If I had to choose between a bowl of mashed potatoes and a chocolate bar - pass me the fork and add a little gravy, baby!

But...the last few months, something infinitesimal has shifted.

I could quite literally describe it as waking up one morning and thinking to myself, "Dear God...I really could eat a pie for breakfast!!"...and the rest...is history.

::*::sweet:smoothie::*::

Apple Pie Smoothie

Lately, I've been seriously craving a mountain size amount of sugar - now if you know me, you would think that this is absolutely bizarre because I don't like sugar! I don't like anything remotely sweet! But in the last 6 months, I've done a complete 360 and all I want is apple pie, Turtles, Ferrero's, ice cream, cake, cheese cake, cookies, muffins...you name it, I want it all!!!! And no, I'm not pregnant, lol. 

But, with my current training going on and eating hella clean, apple pie is just not in the cards for me. :( Sniff Sniff. 

That's why I am always ecstatic when I find new smoothie (or health-conscious recipes in general) that satisfy my new-found sweet tooth. :) 

This recipe is one I stumbled upon on the MBG site - enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

5 raw almonds

1 red apple

1 banana

3/4 cup nonfat strained yogurt

1/2 cup organic nonfat milk (or almond milk)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

-S.*

{Image: LeanItUp}

::fighter::

If you know me well, you know that once I get really passionate about something, I tend to go all out. 

It really could be anything - from my all time favorite: animals...to art...to music...to scarves...to my vitamix blender...cooking....perfumes...motorcycles...

Now it's turned to fitness...and every so slowly (or quickly!) has it veered towards the world of mixed marital arts and boxing. 

::a:little:cleansing::

It would be easy for me to look back on this month and say that so far it's been a bust. What a negative way of thinking, I realize this. I feel like I am totally hard on myself. And the fact is that I am. I always put such a huge amount of pressure on myself that no wonder my anxiety is through the roof. 

Therefore, I am trying to practise more positivity. The other day I sat there and thought to myself "I shouldn't be depressed that I am not working. Something WILL come along...and I should take this time to work on myself and enjoy the time off"...because who knows when the next time off will be, right?

::holiday:blues::

 I deal with a lot of anxiety - on a regular basis...it really could be about anything...could be about finding a job to wondering if I happened to have offended someone...and I won't let it go until I find some sort of reassurance of some sort. This is where my OCD kicks into play. 

I find that these two beasts rear their ugly heads when I am under particularly high duress.
Instead of just being in the moment and being happy I am constantly trying to figure out if I did something wrong in the past or how I can avoid doing something 'wrong' in the future. Not an easy or particularly joyous way to live, right? 

And I think that it's hard for everyone too, especially during this time of year...when a lot of people are dealing with stress, anxiety and depression during the holiday season. 

Instead of hiding away from the world it is important to get out there and engage in healthy personal behaviors - so you don't fall further into the trap. Which is so easy to do if you are in a perpetual negative self-talk cycle. 

Here are a few tools in dealing with stress and depression during the holidays that I read and took from the site Psychology Today and figure it would be good to share on here as well for those that are struggling themselves during the holiday season! 

::DIY:sugar:&:honey:scrub::

Alright...finally! I keep saying I am going to share my honey and brown sugar scrub and finally it is here! 

Tadaaaa!

This is a super simple recipe to try out at home..

You can use regular sugar if you want but brown sugar is more coarse and really gets into those pores and is also gentler, believe it or not and more beneficial for people with sensitive skin. 

Let me begin by stating the obvious - this is a *natural* exfoliator and natural IS better! This brown sugar and honey scrub scrubs dead skin cells and makes way for healthier, beautiful glowing skin! Let's break this bad boy down a bit...

::thuggin:cauliflower::

A friend of mine, Keverino, recently got me the super popular cookbook called "Thug Kitchen". 

I first off want to start by saying that there has been a lot of backlash regarding the term 'thug' being used {apparently it's racist} and all the f*$ks that are not given throughout the book with quite the colourful language being peppered throughout. 

Let me tell you - I freakin love it. It's so gawddamn refreshing!! 

It makes me LOL along with having my mouth water by looking at all the amazing recipes that are in there. The blog is just as great {just an online version of the book}. But honestly...the cookbook is great and I had no idea until I got my grubby paws on it, that it is vegan! No meat recipes in there my friends...so it's time to get a little creative {and feel like a badass} in the kitchen! 

Honestly - when comparing vegetarian cookbooks such as this one to one like "Oh She Glows", Thug Kitchen wins through and through. It's FUN to even read! The pictures are awesome {although there isn't a pic for every recipe and that is OK sometimes} and unlike Oh She Glows, there aren't a million ingredients that you need to purchase to make a recipe. I am NOT disappointed in this book and definitely think it should be on everyone's Christmas/Stocking Stuffer wishlist this year. 

::oniony:pasta:dream::

I am absolutely determined to try a new recipe out this weekend. Every Saturday I plan on trying something new and then I end up making us a poutine {not the healthiest, I know, but this is my once a week cheat meal...or is it....hm..} - anyways! I AM going to try a new recipe this weekend...and this is the one I am going to try.....and it looks and sounds so freakin' delicious it's not even funny. 

I have a new obsession...ONIONS. I seriously used to hate onions in any of my food...but now, for some reason...I am just in love with 'em now. They are delicious in soups {as long as they are super tiny}, stews, pasta sauces, chili's, as pizza toppings or toppings on pretty much anything...as this next recipe will show. 

::takeout!::

You will have to bare with me if my posts don't make a whole lot of sense - I am dealing with a wicked cold at the moment and my head is *swimming*. I am a little scatterbrained and probably should have stayed home to rest up. But didn't. So let's hope this day goes by super fast because all I really want right now is my bed and puppies. 

I have no energy....I think I completely ran myself down into the ground from the past two weeks or so with school and stressing out and everything that I got this cold from Travis. I thought I was free...but apparently not. 

Anyways....on Saturday, when I was feeling FABULOUS - I tried a new recipe! I haven't tried a new recipe in a long while...and I was a little skeptical of this one. But it ended up turning out great! I wasn't the biggest fan of it to be honest because I don't like sweet and savoury but it was a huge hit with Trav and he had seconds! So I thought I would share the recipe that I got from Martha Stewart's site. Loooove her. I wish I had gotten some pics but didn't! Only the prep, which I will share. 

By the way, I am not exactly sure why this is called "Lighter Sesame Noodles" it would make more sense if it was something like Noodles in Peanut Sauce or something...I don't know....so don't let the name totally fool you, unless I am missing something...lol.

Bon Appetit!

Lighter Sesame Noodles

Whole-wheat spaghetti complements the zesty sauce while adding fiber. A little less peanut butter plus a lot more vegetables makes this a no-guilt meal.

PREP: 15 min    |     TOTAL: 25 MIN     |     SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

Coarse salt

12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers {ribs and seeds removed}, thinly sliced

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli, bell peppers and onion. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables. 

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

::waffles::

Recently I have had some sort of weird obsession with waffles...I think it's become Trav and I went to the 50's diner a while ago and while there I ordered a pecan waffle with honey and poured on the maple syrup...now usually I am not a sweets girl...I just prefer savoury. But I was in total l*o*v*e eating this breakfast. OMG. So ever since then, I have been on the hunt for a waffle-maker...but could never find the one that I wanted and at a cheapish price...my BFF then recently got me one as a gift!! I couldn't be more excited! 

My new baby. ;)

::foods:that:outwit:even:the:healthiest:people::

A lot of people feel that when they go on a diet or change their lifestyle around for the better that they can eat so called 'healthy' foods with abandon.

That's soooooo not the case unfortunately. Just because quinoa is healthy for you doesn't mean that you can sit down to a huge bowl of it - did you know that you have to portion these little seeds just like your regular old pasta? And it packs just as big of a caloric punch! Of course that doesn't mean that you should go back to eating unhealthy - these beguiling foods ARE good for you and do the body good - you just have to realize and pay attention to your portion sizes. 

I am in for one rude awakening...as I am sure some of you will be too. 

To be honest...I have hit quite the plateau after losing 50+ pounds. I am just STUCK...the scale will NOT go any lower than 129, no matter what I do....and I know that I still have work to do...as I am carrying around a spare tire and just feel flabby in all the wrong places. :/ So I need to overhaul my diet. I KNOW THIS!! And although I sit there and say to myself "geeze, I eat so freakin' clean all the time, what gives?" I know it's my portion sizes. I keep skipping that chapter all the time. It's SO important for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight as well. Everything is super-duper-sized and it's not our fault...we were brought up that way. Everything is supposed to be bigger and better, right??
But that's not the case....with bigger {but not better} foods, comes super-sized waist lines and ridiculous cravings {addiction, anyone? thanks food industry - NOT!!}.
Trust me. I know. When I eat my pasta my Mom says I eat like a farmer...I can probably put away a good 4 cups if not more!! But that isn't right...not for my little ol' organics and gut...no wonder that damn spare tire is there to stay! :/
So it's time to recondition this ol' diet of mine...and get back to kicking some ass.

But first...I am here to share with you some foods that are taking you to the cleaners...if you don't edu-ma-cate yourself on them and reign in those suckers - portion wise. 

::holistic:nutrition::

I am still tweaking the page! But I think I am pretty content with the way that it looks. Minus a few blips here and there. So please be patient with me! I am working on fixing this all up. 

Anyways!

I can't believe that Fall is ALMOST here! But it is pretty much my favorite season so I am totally fine with that. ;) Well, other then the fact that I am supposed to be done school shortly as well which is FREAKING ME OUT!!!
I have one more module left and 11 case studies left to do - the case studies are what's killing me - but I will persevere and do well! 

I receive many questions about school. What I take, where I take it, what I can do with it in the future, what I study, etc etc. 

I figure I may as well just do a little blurb answering all these questions. :) 

And who knows, it might help someone else make the decision...take the plunge...to go into holistic nutrition or preventive medicine themselves. We'll start off with the basics and go from there.

::read:your:labels::

I love to grocery shop...I am a different breed all my own, but I do! I love to try out new grocery stores and see different types of foods and products - nothing makes me happier than going grocery shopping in California {home} - all those stores that we don't have here in Canada - some that are just straight up organic {love you LA} and it's not that expensive either!
The only thing that I hate is unpacking groceries...ugh. 

Lately, whenever I go grocery shopping, I check the labels of pretty much everything I pick up - I no longer shop in the middle aisles and if I do, I pick that box right up and make sure that it is as natural as possible {a lot of the times, it's not}. Nothing drives Travis crazier than us taking forever at the grocery store because I must read all the labels. ;)

::oil:pulling::

A friend recently asked me my thoughts on oil pulling - hmm...well, I have heard about it but I never really looked INTO it but it intrigued me and I am not going to lie - it feels nice when people ask me my opinion on things regarding health and nutrition. :) 

I decided to look into this 'oil pulling' a little more and try it out myself. 

But first, let me give you guys a little background on it. 

::todays:motivator::

I have been watching a lot of documentaries lately - one of them being Hungry for Change - that one also being my favorite that I have got the book. 

Now in the documentary there was a woman being interviewed whose name was Kris Carr - Kris was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer on Valentine's Day of 2003 ~ stage IV cancer ~ Kris was confused as to what many of her doctors were telling her, so she finally decided to take what she calls the "watch and live" approach. After she was diagnosed, she turned to nutrition to give her immune system a boost…and to increase her longevity. She documented all of this in her docu-film, "Crazy Sexy Cancer". 

She took her disease to spread the word and begin her journey where she ignited a global wellness revolution that resonated with thousands of people. 

Many flocked to her books and lecture to learn how to look better, feel better, lose weight, nourish their spirits and have more energy, among other things. 

It was a Crazy Sexy revolution! 

::detox::

 My 3-Day (okay, 3-1/2) Detox

I did it!!! I didn't want to but I did it! Lol. I embarked on what some may call a 'metaphysical' journey...hmm...I wonder why people would call a detox that...I must admit though, that it definitely was an eye opener for me. I am not sure what exactly compelled me to try this detox but I went for the gusto anyways. To be quite honest, it started with a smoothie in the morning and than afterwards I decided that I would have a smoothie for lunch - the cafeteria where I work is slowly closing up shop because students are leaving so there really isn't anything healthy here to consume. 

Anyways - let me recount to you my three days...what you could possibly expect from and maybe do differently, lol.

::update:&:challenge::

It’s been a little more than difficult for me to do many things these days – let alone blog. I have seriously been slacking. More so than I ever have. I have just been busy with life in every aspect possible. Especially school, trying to catch up with that and when I do have some downtime I like to spend it in the bubble bath with a good book, or with my puppies – and man, of course. 

We recently purchased a new vehicle – which isn't surprising to some of you, I know. Travis doesn't keep a car for more than a year or two…and he is in love with his truck – but I guess we are just growing up and realizing that gas isn't cheap! We can spend upwards of $500 a month on just fuel to fill that gas-guzzler. So we have become more practical and have gone the fuel-efficient route and purchased a 2014 Volkswagen Passat Highline TDI (diesel). Travis, of course, had to get top of the line everything but it is going to be WAY cheaper on our wallets so we are looking forward to picking it up tonight. 

*~*~*~*

On another note – since the middle of February, up until now, I have lost a total of 22lbs. This is quite an accomplishment! I am averaging about 3lbs a week which is a lot healthier than what I have done in the past to lose weight. So I am feeling quite accomplished. I am also not restricting any foods but I am eating as clean as I possibly can. I also decided that I am going to try and do a vegan challenge. The only thing I really won’t give up is cheese, eggs (only local and organic) and fish. 

This will have to start after I used up all my chicken and barley stew that I just made over the weekend – and a lot of it. 

The reason why I decided on this is because I recently watched a video where egg farms are killing 150,000 male baby chicks a year – for absolutely *no* reason because they just feel that they are useless. This was heartbreaking to me…and this is just an egg farm. What about all the other meat industries in Canada and the US? I can’t imagine – but I will do more research. Therefore, as much as it pains me to waste money – I am going to throw out all those mass produced eggs I purchased at Costco a week ago – just because I have no idea where they came from and I also haven’t got the slightest clue as to whether their production is humane or not. 

What bothers me the most is that many people just go and consume these things, that they have no idea where they originated from! They have no qualms at all by putting something into their mouths and bodies that could a) wreak havoc and destroy their immune systems, organs, etc and b) is done unethically and in return you support these inhumane ways of getting food onto your plate. I am not an animal rights activist, but come on people, use a bit of common sense, here! Don’t you want good, high quality product?? 

I shudder when I think back on what I watched…it’s seared into my brain permanently and no wonder many people don’t watch those videos – it’s heartbreaking. But they choose to be indifferent about what is going on – and sometimes I think that is worse. 

Because if you had seen what I seen, than you would be making quite the similar decision as well. 

Living things don’t need to needlessly suffer – especially not in a cruel and inhumane way – there is absolutely no reason for it. None, whatsoever. So open your eyes, and start making smarter, educated and well-informed choices and in the long run, your body (and your conscious) will thank you for it. 

-S.*

::dandelion:root:tea::

When the flower dandelion comes to your mind, you probably automatically think about that annoying weed that you would spend endless hours pulling out of your lawn during the Summer months...my Dad wasn't particularly fond of the fact either when those familiar puffballs started to show before they turned into sunbursts of yellow because my Sister and I would frolic around the front and backyards blowing their seeds every which way...let me tell you...lots more dandelions would show up.
I can now appreciate the fact as an adult, how much a pain in the ass and hard work it is to keep a yard looking put together and weed-free.