We Made It!

Howdy everyone!

What a whirl wind! After a weekend of taking planes, catching up with family and friends, packing, cleaning, having my last sips of Oso goodness, and driving 7 hours, we made it to our new home! It still hasn't sunk in that this is "our" home, not "our landlord's" home but it feels amazing to finally be in a place that I know we won't be moving out of in 6 months to a year! We didn't bring our mattress set with us to Nelson so sleeping on that bed last night felt like a dream come true...ahh! Even Nemo didn't want to get up this morning. I'll write a more detailed post soon (once my internet is connected and all that jazz ...right now I'm in the office:) about the past week as there was lots of stuff going on.

Right now we are concentrating on getting the 3 foot tall grass cut..lol! Ya, we are "those" neighbors right now. I've even picked the spot for the garden and so I'll be busy prepping that this week for my little veggie babies. Now, only if the weather would cooperate and spare us some sunshine!

Can't wait to catch up on all your lives!! I hope I haven't missed out on too much:)

Chow for now!

Weekend away

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I just landed in Vancouver from my delayed flight out of Castelgar! I'm not drinking a soy latte but I am having veggies and hummus..so sophisticated, right? I am very disappointed cancel-gar didn't happen but oh well, workshop time it is for me. I am actually doing a Dale Carnegie workshop on creating outstanding presentations. I'm not sure why my bosses wanted me to take this workshop as I don't do presentations as part of my job..lol! I foresee that is going to change! Anywho, today I wanted to share with you my long weekend trip!

But before I get started, I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your sweet comments on my gratitude post. Wow, I was totally taken aback by your kind words and how I provided a reminder of how good our lives really are:) To be honest, I thought people wouldn't really be interested in what I'm grateful for. Boy, was I wrong! I'm excited to see your gratitude posts in the future too.

Onto the weekend!We left pretty late Friday night as it was Ry's second last shop day at school so the teacher let them stay late to finish up their projects. We had a full car load once again, including out fur baby who wasn't too impressed to be locked in his cage! After half and hour he settled down and was content at looking out the front window.

I was fasting so no road trip eats for me, but I stocked up on some goodies for Ryan!

Some organic apples and bananas, goji berries, walnuts, Brazil nuts, medjool dates, and Vega shake and go that I won on the Vega site! No, he didn't eat all of this food...I wanted to have some healthy eats for the whole time we were there. Whose kidding who, this lasted about a day..lol!

The trip went smoothly and we luckily didn't come too close to hitting any dear or wildlife. There was one massive dear that crossed in front of us but thank goodness it was in a 50 zone!
We got to my mom's after midnight so that night was a write-off! The minute I walked into the door there I felt like I was on vacation...and it felt gooood!

Saturday morning we slept in and made breakfast. Mom saw this Dr. Oz show about some benefit of eating bacon, so whenever Ry comes over she practically shoves it down his throat. I've told her that it isn't good for her fragile health to be consuming that crap but she doesn't listen. So I'm done trying to convince her otherwise! I went with the toast plus I tried the Vega Shake & go!

Mmmm....I had the tropical flavor and it was delish! Surprisingly filling too:)

After breakie we headed down to the local farmer's market and holy has it ever grown since a couple of years ago!

Complete with dancing girls...lol!

There was one raw food stand there but the prices were a little steep to say the least! But, I did pick up a few goodies!


This is called Mizuna and its a relative of kale! Tastes like it but a bit more tart. I really liked it

A bag of local spinach and radishes! The lady who I bought these off of even said that I could eat the radish greens. I gave it a try and they are actually really tasty!

I couldn't resist trying some dried cherries! They are so pricey in stores and so this was my chance to try some homemade dried cherries...yum!

We did a little more grocery shopping and we picked up this awesome pineapple. Can you believe that 3/4 of that went in my tummy! Ya, I totally paid for it with the next day with chapped lips and the inside of my mouth was super sensitive but it was very worth it!

I ate this out in the somewhat sunshine...yes, this is when I got the half burnt face...lol!

Nemo is apparently no sun worshipper!

Saturday night we made an amazing meal and had Ryan's dad as our guest! We picked up some local asparagus and I was dying to get my share of this short season!

Mom marinated these and they were beyond delicious! Melt-in-your-mouth good!

Mom also cooked up this long-grain wild rice. I really enjoyed this variety..mmm!

Ya, check out that scrumptious plate...oh I love this dinner- yam fries, asparagus, wild rice, salad with mixed greens, carrots, cabbage, mizuna, arugula, chives (with flowers) and Dijon dressing:)

We finished the night by eating some dark chocolate chips..lol!

On Sunday I started the morning with my TT workout! Love working out in the morning Even though I had to do that last set indoors because of the rain:) After my workout we headed to my bestie's parent's house to hang out with her family and meet her beautiful daughter:)

I love this place! It's so beautiful and peaceful! Can't wait for Ky's and Jason's wedding to be held here in July..wahoo!

And the beautiful star attraction...CJ! Isn't she just too precious! That hat is courtesy of Auntie Mel:)

Me with my beautiful BFF and her gorgeous daughter! How far we have come from grade 8 hey ky? Loved seeing you and the family and can't wait to be a part of your wedding in July! love ya lots:)

It is such a blast to hang out with Ky's fam. They are such a hoot! We had many a laughs and even got down to a little wedding business too!

We got back late in the afternoon and we were pretty pooped and so we just hung out and laid around and chatted! We ended up renting Kung-Fu panda later on that night. It's such a cute movie! We even had popcorn made in Mom's ancient popcorn maker!

She wasn't prepared for the off-shoot of popcorn lol! hence the two bowls and popcorn everywhere! It was pretty funny.

I also made some blueberry-banana softserve for mom to try out. I think the bananas had been in the freezer a tad bit too long so the taste wasn't as great as it could have been..but I still devoured it:)

I love Mom's place for summer hangouts! It's so awesome and purely relaxing! Can't wait to spend some serious time under that veranda!


Mom loves to garden too and so I'm always in there raiding something! She has some great chives, oregano, and arugula ready right now!

Remember I said she was trying to grow some goji plants from seed. Check them out! Going strong. Can't wait to see if these will produce some fruit in a couple years!

On Monday morning I was feeling a bit guilty of my many indulgences over the weekend so I headed to my old elementary school and did some hill sprints! After that good sweat session, we made some Thrive Pancakes! Oh these are so, so good! I highly recommend them.

I had mine with a homemade blueberry sauce ...mmmm!

I love this sauce dish mom put the blueberries in..soo cute!

So there's most of my weekend..at least what I took photos of:) Have a great night! I am about ready to get out of the airport now and tackle the skytrain and bus to get to my mother-in-laws! It shall be interesting! I'm not sure when I'll be able to post next as the rest of this week is going to be insane with the move and all our friend's visiting! It might have to be from my new house...does the giddy dance...lol!

Catching a jet plane plus guest post!

Happy Tuesday!

I'm back from a weekend back home. Hope all my Canadian bloggers had a fantastic long weekend! Mine was so relaxing and peaceful! I ate way too much but that's okay once and awhile:) I finally got to meet the lovely CJ who is just so adorable! The weather was off and on but I did get to sit outside for a couple of hours over the weekend and I got a slight tan:) In fact, I got a tan on half my face lol! I must have been facing to the right for a significant period of time...HAHA! Anywho, I don't have time to show you my weekend right now as I'm packing up the house to move this weekend plus I am getting ready to fly out to Vancouver tomorrow for a workshop. Yes, I'm not too impressed to be leaving the one week I actually need to be here but oh well, we have a lot of people coming up to help us move (I love our friends and family:) Yet, I'm a little scared because it's going to be me plus 5 men in our little apartment..wish me luck!

I did want to tell you that I did a guest post on the lovely Lori's blog in honor of National Salad Month. So go check it out..there is a yummy dressing recipe to try out too! Thanks again Lori for having me be a guest on your lovely blog.

I'm planning to blog in the airport tomorrow. I have always wanted to look like a business woman in the airport so this is my chance to look super concentrated at my laptop and sip a soy cappuccino lol!

PS The gorgeous Averie is having a Naturally Nutty giveaway on her blog. So, go check it out:)

Talk to you soon!!!

What I am grateful for!

Happy long-weekend Friday!

I love this weekend as its the start of garden season and camping season in BC. I'm doing neither this weekend because I'm going on a little roadtrip back home. My bestie is coming down from Northern BC and I finally get to meet her beautiful daughter that was born in March:) Another reason why I'm not camping this weekend is because its a tradition for it to rain on this weekend...and so I'm not taking any chances! To all my fellow Canadian bloggers, enjoy your extra day off:) Today I wanted to talk about what I'm grateful for! I was reading Kris's post and the idea just popped into my head and I knew I had to roll with it. She is always inspiring me, so go check out her blog and be ready to be inspired in so many ways:)

So, here we go! Here is the grateful list for today (tomorrow it will be bigger as life is always producing awesomeness!). These are in no particular order, except #1.

1. The hubster - He is so opposite to me but he completes me. He pushes me even if I don't like it at the time. He has this smile that is so infectious that no matter what is going on, I can't help but smile back. He gives everything to his work (school right now) and inspires me to truly give my 100%. He supports my crazy ideas and most importantly, never makes me feel crazy about those ideas:) He has the guts to stand up to my stubborness. He makes me feel incredibly beautiful and sexy. Thank you love for all you do everyday!!

2. My family - I have a HUGE family. My mom is one of 14 children. I know all my cousins and even some of my second cousins. We rent a church hall to hold Christmas:) Even though I don't like some of their qwarks and such, they are always there and they each are a part of me. I am also grateful for my second family (Ryan's side). They have accepted me with open arms and I feel so loved. The funny thing is, when I was younger we rented several homes from Ryan's grandfather. 6 degrees of seperation anyone? As some of you know, I'm an only child so its been a very fun experience to finally have some siblings, and fantastic, beautiful sisters they are:) Of course, I'm so, so grateful to my Mom for all the sacrifices she made for us while dealing with debilitating chronic pain. She continues to give so much and I only hope that I can provide that much love to my children one day. Thank you to everyone, I appreciate you all!

3. Nelson - I am so grateful that I was able to live in this amazing place for the past 9 months. I have grown so much here and I can't help but think my environment had something to do with it. Sometimes being away from EVERYONE really helps you contemplate your life and how you want to live it. I really found myself here and have become a better wife, daughter, and friend because of it. I feel ready to conquer to world and the craziness of the big city!

4. Healthy food - I feel blessed to live in a country that produces delicous food that is available at any hour of the day. I am so happy to find organic foods in big grocery stores and small corner stores. I love how passionate my current city and my new home are when it comes to producing the best food possible. I am also so excited to have the opportunity to grow my own food:)

5. Wonderful bloggers - You knew I wouldn't leave you out! I cannot tell you how much blogging has enriched my life. You have taught me so much about food, nutrition, exercise, LIFE!, emotions, relationships, and on and on!! I consider you all friends and hope that one day I may meet you in person! Thank you for all you do because it matters and its awesome!

6. Friends - I believe in quality, not quantity when it comes to friends. I have a handful of peeps that are my go-to's for life! I used to not really see the value in having great friends because I was soo independent and though I could keep myself company. I've now come to realize that's not a good way to live life. My friends bring a different perspective, provide new opportunities, and allow for more fun than my,myself, and I could ever come up with!

Friends drive the moving van for 8 hours just to help you move and see your husband's year-end show! Love you all!

PS I still don't have my laptop back yet and so this comp only has some random picts on it. Hence the major use of the wedding picts! Hope you don't mind:)

7. For finding myself - I struggled my whole life to be "myself" rather than what others wanted me to be. I'm grateful for courage and support from the man upstairs who helped me blossom. This quote I thought was perfect:

And the day came when the risk to remain tight as a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom~Anais Nin

I'm still learning everyday and some days really test what I stand for. During these times I tell myself that life is too short and that gives me the drive to carry on and to not hide behind society's mask. I'm so happy to blaze my own trail!

8. Nemo - My favorite kitty! I was never a "cat person." I liked cats but I was would always play with the dogs when they were around. Since Nemo has come into our lives he has melted my heart. He has taught me to love all creatures more and to appreciate their innocence!


9. Education - I truly think that knoweledge is power! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to learn about whatever I choose. I love that I have access to a gazillion books at the library that I woul need 10 lifetimes to read them all! I always thought my degree wasn't "enough" and that I was never as good as I could be. Now I see it as pure gold as it has helped me find my true passion. It is a huge stepping stone that has helped me experience many amazing things. So, even if I didn't get a 4.0GPA, the education was priceless.

10. Sunshine - I'm so grateful for the arrival of Spring, and soon to be, Summer! I'm a total sun worshipper! I love the warmth and just closing your eyes in the brighteness. Ahh..bliss!

Have a wonderful weekend! I will not have internet connection at the home casa so I'll be posting on Tuesday. Chow for now!

Ps Aletheia is having an amazing Vega giveaway! Plus she did an amazing interview with Brendan Brazier! Great job darlin'!

Pink buckets and computer doctors!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I had this whole wonderful weekend recap post planned for today but my beloved laptop got a virus. Being the independent person I am, I tried to fix it on my own. Ya, not good. My computer ended up not turning on at all after all my efforts! Note to self..you do not have a computer programming degree so go to the experts! Ha! So, I went and dropped her off at the comp doctor and hopefully it won't cost me an arm and a leg! So, all my pictures are stuck on my laptop and so no picture-filled post today. Instead I have decided to talk about something that was discussed in a recent article in The Huffington Post by the famous author and health pioneer, John Robbins.

The article talks about how the biggest grassroots breast cancer advocacy group in the WORLD has now partnered with saturated fat producing, animal cruelty extraordinaire, KFC. There is a national campagne called "Buckets for the Cure."

Source

Basically, $0.50 from every bucket of chicken sold will go to the Komen organization as they spread their "educational message." The message that's okay to eat deep-fried, abused chickens and prevent disease? How can a cancer organization even think about having their name associated with a fast food restaurant. Yes, I know charities need funding but is it worth having your name tainted and your reputation go down the drain? Apparently so. Maybe they are hoping nobody will notice or make a fuss. During a time when cancer and heart disease are at record levels, we need to drop this kind of bullsh*t and tell the truth to a society who is desperately looking for answers.

I like how Mr. Robbins took it a step further and asked why cancer organizations aren't partnering up with cigarette companies, offering cute pink packs to the public. Okay, this is sarcasm, but who knows what greed will make an organization do.

You want to know what's in that batter? Well, according to Natural News the ingredients are basically flour, sugar, salt, and MSG (monosodium glutamate). Every ingredient in that list is a highly processes product and we know that these can wreak havoc on many of our bodily systems. Now, MSG is actually an excitotoxin. What is an excitotoxin you ask? Well they are amino acids that also serve as neurotransmitters to the brain. These can cross the blood-brain barrier and "excite" the neurons of the brain to exhaustion. These neurons then die off! MSG has also been linked to obesity, cancer, and neurological disorders. Creepy stuff!

Now, you are going to take that abused chicken and cover it in cancer-laiden batter...then what?..you are going to deep fry the heck out of it? Are you crazy? KFC is! Frying starches at such high temperatures creates acrylamides which increase your risks for many types of cancer including ovarian and kidney!

All in all Robbins calls this a publicity stunt by KFC to improve their image due to all the bad publicity they have received lately with their nutritionally-dead, artery-clogging products and their horrific cruelty practices taking place in their slaughterhouses. How pathetic, in my opinion. It really pisses me off when a big company hides from the blood on their hands. Grow up and clean up your act or disappear! The Komen foundation isn't a pure angel either and some might say let them deal with the backlash of their new campagne partner. Yet, someone needs to send a better message to this dying society. For goodness sakes, we are eating ourselves to death! When is the broccoli farmer going to get some recognition for supplying one of the best cancer fighting foods out there?

There are my thoughts for today's outrageous business partnership. What are your thought?

PS It's storming outside and I kind of like it. Once and awhile I love to hunker down and stay inside. Do you love storms?

PPS I'm doing another 24 hour fast and so we shall see how it goes this time:)

Oh happy Day!

Happy Sunday!

How are you all?? Did you have a scrumptious weekend. Half of my weekend was food-less due to my 24 hour fast. And you know what? The fast went wonderfully well. I drank so many fluids (including some awesome Oso coffee, which I was actually craving..very weird) and chewed some gum. It wasn't until I broke the fast and started eating again, that I got a nagging headache. This is a researched phenomenon found in women who fast which "goes away" after a couple of fasts. As I never get headaches, this was the worst part of the whole thing. Yet, I loved how much I learned about the mental aspects of my eating patterns. I feel that I don't listen enough to my body, listening more so to that "voice." So, this process is teaching me to step back from listening to my way-to-active mind which I think is something I haven't done in a long time.

I'll do a weekend re-cap post tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you about a day that I've been waiting for for 7 months! I am officially finished working at my second job..wahoo!!! I'm not sure if I shared my story but since moving to Nelson, I've been the breadwinner. When we were both working , Ryan worked in construction and made nearly double my wage. When we moved to Nelson I luckily kept my day job and have been working via a server. Ry tried to get a job here, giving out more resumes than I have in my entire life! Yet, not one call back. So, I had to try and because of my experience working in a coffee shop, I got hired. I'm grateful that I had the extra income, it just sucked that the company was brutal to work for. I made it through though and even with all the missed social events and such, it helped me to step outside my comfort zone. We went through a roller coaster ride with my emotions (ya, I worked through some serious emotional baggage), our finances, and in the end I feel so much more connected with the hubby (and myself). Now that I'm done working there I feel like I'm moving onto a new stage of my life, a time where I get to focus on my passions. This makes me ECSTATIC!

I played around in the kitchen the past couple of days! I'm loving making bars lately as they come together so quickly and they are so versatile. So, when I was out of my usual protein bars, I decided to whip up something using sunflower seeds ( my fave!). I came up with a bar I like to call scrumdidliumptious bars or scrum bars if you get tired of the long name:) These bars are so divine and again just make them with what you have or add more ingredients if they seem to basic for your taste!


Scrumdidliumptious Bars

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (soaked is best, yet I skipped that this time around)
2 tablespoons flax seeds
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons honey ( or sweetner of choice)*
2 tablespoons Vega Vanilla Chai powder **

Process sunflower seeds in a food processor first. Then add in the flax seeds and shredded coconut. Add in the raisins and sweetener, keep processing until well incorporated. Add in the protein powder last. Once you get the smooth consistency, spread the delciousness onto a pan that is lined with plastic wrap (don't need to do this if you don't want to, just makes for easier clean up). Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes and enjoy!


* If you want to make these with with less sweetener go for it! I made them with half the amount and they still tasted delish:)
** This stuff seals the deal for the flavor aspects but you can use whatever protein you have and play around with the flavors (cranberry chocolate chip, perhaps? goji berry orange?)

I loved these so much! They were sweet and a little chewy..perfect:)

I love seeing WHOLE foods together to make something delicious!

Out of the freezer and ready to be devoured..yum!



Ry ate these and raved about them..so I'm guessing they hit the spot:)

I know these don't compare to all the absolutely gorgeous ice cream cakes that are being produced around my neck of the blogosphere, but these were all I could muster in my kitchie..lol!

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Intermittent fasting 101

Happy Friday!!

I've been such a blog slacker lately but you know what I don't regret it! I was just not feeling it so I listened to myself and laid low. It was good and allowed the free flow of fresh ideas to enter my brain. I just read an article that was featured in the Crazy Sexy Life weekly newsletter about how big-time business people do this on a regular basis to keep their edge. I believe it too because I produced some big ideas while I was laying back that I might have shrugged off if I was just go, go, go. I will be talking about one of these big ideas soon. I'm a little apprehensive to talk about it but I'm going to anyways because I value every readers' opinion (the nice one's anyways!). Also, starting June 1st I will be back working at the office at the coast so my blogging schedule is going to change as I won't be able to blog during the day as much. I will also be taking full advantage of the beautiful summer weather so I'm thinking early morning blog sessions are going to be happening in my near future. Are you changing the pace on your blog for the summertime?

Today I wanted to talk about a type of fasting that I am going to be experimenting with during my transformation contest called intermittent fasting. Brad Pilon is the author of Eat Stop Eat and he explains intermittent fasting or IF as a style of eating where a person alternates between periods of fasting and non-fasting (eating normally). This may seem self evident but I want to stress the word "alternate." This type of fasting does not go on for days (or months) like a juice fast can, in fact, its most effective when completed over a 24 hour period. Brad suggests 1-2 days per week of fasting. I am going to try one day a week. Actually once I hit publish I'm going to start my fast (noon to noon).

If we go way back to the cave men era I'm sure you wouldn't find them eating 3 square meals a day (plus 2 snacks!). They ate when they killed something or found a patch of berries, seeds, greens etc! This is basically a natural form of IF. Did we find obese or overweight cave men? Nope (at least I've never seen one). So, I guess you could say IF is a primal form of eating and I think we have a lot to learn from it! I'm sure you have heard the phrase " you need burn more than you eat" when it comes to weight loss. Yes, the only way to lose the pounds is to create an energy deficit. Yet, society is stuffing their mouths like food is going out of style and our waistlines have gone up an average of 5 inches over the past four decades.Yikes! We are constantly in the "fed" state and that has certain implications to our health, especially for those trying to lose weight. Brad explains it is hard for those to lose weight these days because of this constant fed state. The body is used to storing extra calories when we eat over our needs so that we can use this energy when we do not have food available to us in the future. This makes sense to me, does it for you? I'm going to assume yes and continue.

You may be wondering if your metabolism will be effected if you don't eat for those 24 hours? Well, there is tons of research on this subject but I want to just share two little research tid-bits with you. A study of women who ate half the amount of food they normally ate for 3 days saw no change in their metabolism. Another study made people fast for 3 days and their metabolic rate did not change. Crazy hey?

Weight loss is not the only benefit of IF, many other studies have found the following health benefits:

• Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass
• Decreased blood glucose levels
• Decreased Insulin Levels and increased insulin sensitivity
• Increased lipolysis and fat oxidation
• Increased uncoupling Protein 3mRNA (protein involved in fat burning)
• Increased norepinephrine and epinephrine levels (trigger release of of glucose from energy stores, cause feelings of alertness, releases fatty acids from your fat stores)
• Increased glucagon levels (maintains blood sugar levels, increases fat burning, decreases the production of cholesterol, and increasing the release of extra fluids from the body)
• Increased growth hormone levels ( prevents muscle loss during fasting, releases stored fat, keeps metabolism elevated during the fasting process)

***Benefits were noted from Eat Stop Eat

Sounds only too good to be true, right? If IF sounds like something you would be interested in trying please read up on it to make sure it is right for you. And if you have medical complications make sure you check with your doctor before you jump in. I've read many testimonials from people who used it and it greatly improved their health and helped them lose excess fat too!

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow! I also have a recipe to share with you called scrumdidilumptious bars. Hopefully Willy Wonka won't mind that I used one of his candy bar names:)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Salad ingredient found in the back of the fridge:)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Did you have a great weekend with your family, especially your mom? Well, if you are like me, my mom doesn't live in the same town so it was a simple phone call (and a card sent earlier in the week) for me! I know she was a bit lonely but I reminded her we would be visiting in 2 weeks and that made her a bit more chipper:) Other than my Sunday call home, my weekend was pretty lazy I must say. I worked both days and after that I had very little motivation or energy! So, it was just the usual - work, grocery shop, clean, coffee. Ry is almost done school which means we are moving back to the coast soon! Right now all I want to do is to move back because we finally get to live in our new house we bought 9 months ago. Yet, I really like the lifestyle and easy vibe that Nelson is all about. I know I'm going to hate the traffic and busyness but I'm planning on spending a lot of time in the woods this summer so I won't go through major withdrawals right away..lol! We have moved so much since we got together 4 years ago its not even funny! So, moving back to OUR house is such a relief because we can finally settle down and make the house a home!

On the Transformation Contest front, I just wanted to thank you all for your loving and supportive comments! Wow, I didn't expect such love in return and I'm feeling truly blessed! So, Thank you from the bottom of my heart:)

Things are going pretty well! I've been making a food journal and have been really conscious about eating. Am I really hungry?, when will I have time to eat next?, can I make it a more healthier choice?..etc! And I've really noticed something...I am a comfort eater and I have these thoughts that I should eat more so that I physically feel stuffed. I've been working on eating until I am satisfied and so far its been okay (I am very determined so that helps). I am not saying it has been easy...no change is easy right away, but I want to train myself to feel comfortable when I am satisfied..not when I'm unbuttoning my pants! So, I'm learning a lot and there is already change in my body, no joke! I don't own a scale, but by the feel of my jeans I'm down some inches which is pretty cool. I even made a fun cover for my workout journal. I got the idea from Shannonmarie who created a notebook to help keep her cupcake recipes handy. Thank you Shannonmarie!

I took a bunch of old magazines I had laying around and cut out inspiring words. I just taped them to the front. Well, the hubby helped tape them to the front. Ever tried doing a craft project with your loved one?....well, let's just say it strengthens the relationship...lol!

As for the food portion of it all, I'm keeping it pretty basic. I eat a lot of veggies and fruit, a small amount of grains ( mainly quinoa), lots of sprouts, Vega, lentils, nuts and seeds, and lots of healthy foods in between! If you want to check out my food journal you can do so by going to fitday.com and I'm under contagioushealth. For workouts, I'm going to be doing bodyweight workouts only for the next 4 weeks because my gym pass expired and I'm not paying $68 for a month. Doesn't that seem like a crazy price to you? To me it's insane for one month at the gym! I'm used to paying between $20-$40 a month so I just couldn't fork over the dough for the last 4 weeks, and besides, its getting so gorgeous out and who wouldn't want to workout with this view?...

The beach...not me..lol!

As I'm always on the hunt for great, nutritious salad ingredients, I couldn't believe that there was a wonderful food hanging out in the back of my fridge. No, its not a new craze to eat moldy kale! It's all about the picked beets!! Have you tried them? like/dislike? I literally grew up with everything pickled -cukes, beans, carrots, beets, cabbage and I'm always raiding my grandma's pantry for something in a jar when I'm there visiting! When I was looking for something else to jazz up my salad yesterday I was so shocked to find the pickled beets shoved to the back of the fridge, how dare me! I immediately brought forth the jars and opened one up! Yumm!! My mom knows how to treat those beets right I tell ya! I began scooping them out of the jar ever so carefully as beets = stains and added them to my salad. Oh yum! These were so delicious mixed with my romaine, carrots, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and even the avocado that was hiding in there!

MMMmmm..the taste it brought to this salad was amazing and I loved how it stained my miso dressing pink:)

Oh the goodness! Seriously I could eat salads for every meal..yumm! Oh and here is someone who does actually eat them for breakie!


I know what I'm having for dinner! Have a wonderful rest of your day. I'm off soon to run to the beach and do my workout. It's hard to workout in public but with my tunes on and a lake to look at, I should be okay!

PS the lovely Averie is having a chia seed giveaway! You know you want some! This contest ends tomorrow (May 12th)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Hello to all you Mothers, Mothers-to-be, and to any lady who has ever made a difference in the life of a child!

That was quite the intro and beautiful one at that! Sorry for the lack of posts:( I've been a little down to to a certain aunt flo (I stole that from Kelli and thought it was too perfect, hope you don't mind Kelli?) and my motivation to do anything has been...umm...nonexistant..lol! I'm slowly making a comeback so today I just wanted to give a shout-out to the ladies who I think have the hardest (and most rewarding:) job on the planet! I was not able to see my mom or my mother-in-law today so it was a simple phone call today! I'm planning on taking my mom for lunch when we will be visiting. Yet, I wish I was bringing her a cake or something! Hope you had a lovely visit with your mumzies or if you are a mother, got a little pampering:)

It was just my Mom and me growing up. I've never met my Dad and he doesn't know I exist (this is a story for another time). As you can imagine, I'm very close to my Mom and it's almost to the point where we can finish each others sentences. I am also very blessed to have a wonderful mother-in-law who I consider to be my "second mom." There are so many other women in my life who are such giving and selfless mothers and I am so grateful to be around their good influences!

Here are a few picts of my 2 moms!








Have a wonderful rest of your day and I'll be back again soon, I promise!!

Pink phones and Bikini's

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I'm so glad that everyone is having fun with all the surveys out there. I love reading them and I learn a lot about the person writing them too! Check out my survey answers here. So, did I get your attention with my title? I've got one fantastic announcements and one that is pretty personal so kindness from ya'll would be greatly appreciated:)

First up, the hubby got the job he has been waiting 9 months for! I'm going to back track here a moment and tell how it all came about. So, before Ry and moved to Nelson for him to go to school, he worked for a closet/blind/glass installation company. Another piece of this story revolves around the fact that he chronically loses his cell-phones. So, the last time he lost his phone I asked around my family if anyone had an old one (because we know he will most likely lose this one so no iphone for him). My cousin-in-law said she had a spare one I could have. So, I go to her house to pick it up and she thought the phone was for me and didn't tell me that it was pink or "salmon". Because he needed a phone stat, I took it and he's been sporting it ever since (go figure this is the phone he doesn't lose). So, one day at a job site he had to use his phone for something and this guy made a comment about the color (in a kind way) and that kick-started their conversation which led the guy offering Ry a job helping him build staircases and other construction jobs. This was about a month before we were moving to Nelson...bummer. Yet, the guy said to call him when he was done school and maybe something would still be available. As we are less than a month away from moving home (wahoo!), Ry called him and he still has the job! The guy even said "I have been waiting for your call." How cool is that? We are both elated because this is the kind of work he is passionate about and loves doing! Go figure a pink phone could lead to a job. Way to go Ry!

Okay now onto the more personal aspect of this post. I know I've been keeping the suspense high with my bikini talk and I'm here to lay it all out and tell you what's going on! So, you have heard me mention that I used Turbulance Training workouts at the gym. I really do love them and they push me beyond what I would normally push myself! So, when Craig announced that it was time for another Transformation Contest, I felt that it was my time to push myself even further. I am one of those people who would run away when the going gets tough..and I want to break this and prove to myself that I can push through the tough times and make it over those mountains! So, what is the transformation contest? Well, its a 12 week long chance to shine! You have to use Turbulance Training workouts (you don't need to buy them if you don't want to, he offers tons of free ones on his blogs) for 12 weeks, take before and after pictures, and write a 300 word essay about your experience. These 12 weeks are not only about losing weight, its about me learning about my body (I don't do this enough), and pushing to be the best I can be! If you get the most votes (the public votes) I can win $1000 plus a three year membership to his site. Not bad, hey? There are also second and third place prizes as well. I am really looking forward to this experience because I know its going to teach me a lot about myself.

I am watching what I eat a little more than usual but nothing crazy. I am trying to consume more veggies instead of my raw treats (although I'm not going to be depriving myself completely ) and so basically I'm getting most of my carbs from fruits and veggies!

So, where does the bikini fit into all of this..well as I'm already started into the contest I took my "before" photos..and yes, in my bikini. I almost took them outside too because I though the lighting inside was too horrible, but we worked around it indoors. I wasn't going to post the pictures but I think doing so will only increase my motivation. I'm not saying that I'm fat or anything of that nature...this is all about me pushing to another level and thriving on the "I can" mindset. So, without further delay..here are my before picts!



Phew...it was hard to insert these! Don't mind the sleepy face in the first pict...it was early:) and the paper in the back...its part of the rules:). I know another lovely lady who was nervous about posting picts that show more than the face....so please be kind:)

So, during the next twelve weeks I will be posting a little more on the nutrition/workout side of things but don't worry I'll be keeping it light:) Thank you for your support! And as always...

This handsome guy wishes all the ladies (and even the gents) would hear his message!

Just in case you needed to see it again!!!! (Don't mind my recycle bag in the back..lol)

PS I'm starting a new goal today...to learn more words for my vocabulary! Here are two:

Imbricate - Having overlapping edges, as tiles on a roof, or scales on a fish

Scarper -To flee, especially without paying one's bill

Have a fantastic rest of your day!!!

21 Things!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Hope you had a wonderful morning to start the week off! It's an off day from the gym so I was excited to sleep in a little. I'm really getting frustrated with my blackberry though! It is so "touchy" lately and I go to set the alarm and I swear it is set properly..next thing I know its 7AM and I find out it was on PM. I am anal at checking my alarm and so I swear I must have moved the little "pearl" ever so slightly and it switched from AM to PM. Anyone else have this problem or is it just my devil phone? Okay maybe it's not the phones complete fault..but I need to pass a little blame onto this technology..lol! Anywho, I was reading Aimee's lovely blog and she just did this super cool post of 21 raw/vegan questions about herself. I thought I would join in on the fun and let you know a little more about moi! So, here we go!

1. Favorite Raw Vegan Milk - I have to be honest, I've never tried making my own raw "mylk" yet. So, I have to go with my fav vegan milk which is a rice milk with vanilla.

2. What are your top 3 recipes you are planning to make? I plan on making a bulgur pilaf because I have had a bag of this stuff in my fridge forever and it needs to get used up, Averie's no-bake peanut butter protein bars, and I'm going to give overnight oats a try. I have had a phobia of oatmeal (and all its relatives) since I was a kid..but its time I try again!



3. Most Disastrous recipe/meal failure - There have been a few but one that sticks out was when my mom was over and I was going to cook her a vegan breakfast to prove to her how delicious everything is. Well, the pancakes would not cook thoroughly and if I left some of them on the pan longer and they burned..stinking up my whole basement suite. Ya, I was close to tears. And of course Mom was like..."you need eggs in there"..uggh FAIL!

4. How do you organize your recipes? - I've been thinking about this lately because I only have recipes saved in my email folders. They are seperated into raw foods and "other" foods. I'm thinking about printing these out so I have my own recipe book of sorts. Bitt does this and I'm jealous:)

5. Compost, trash, or garbage Disposal? - I do a combination of trash and composting. But I do mostly composting. I produce a small bag of garbage every two weeks or so.

6. If you were stranded on an island and could bring only 3 foods..which would they be? - I'm going to assume that I'm landing on a tropical island, like in LOST. So, with this assumption I know that I'll have fruit so my 3 foods would be quinoa (I figure out a way to cook it), mixed nuts, and raw chocolate. Wow, that took me way too long..lol!


7. Fondest Food Memory from your childhood? So, when I was about 10 I won this Easter contest that was held at a local chocolate shop. The prize was a 5 foot tall chocolate bunny (no, I'm not joking) and so this bunny stood in my living room until one day I forgot to close the blinds and he melted to half his size. I still ate some of it..okay most of it. Luckily or unfortunately I'm an only child so ya, welcome to my pre-teen pounds!

8. Favorite Raw Ice Cream - I haven't had the chance to try raw ice cream, per se, because I don't have an ice cream maker, but I do make a blueberry-banana softserve that is so delish!

9. Most loved kitchen appliance- I don't own any of the fancy appliances.. yet, so my fav right now because she is loyal and works her but off for me everyday, is my little food processor. I think its a 3 cup?


10. Spice/herb you cannot be without? - Cinnamon. Oh I love thee! I put it on everything, including my sprouted toast!

PS the other powder stuff is maca:) read about it here.

11. Recipe (Cook) book you have owned for the longest time? It would have to be Veganomicon. I heard this was THE cookbook to start off with when entering into vegan cooking. It's great and gives a zillion recipes and tips on cooking every type of veggie/grain/bean!

12. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly? I would have to say my grandma's frozen strawberry jam. It is so amazing. Yes, it is in fact stored in the freezer but placed on toast it is beyond words!

13. Favorite raw or vegan recipe to serve to an omni-friend? I haven't shared too many recipes with friends..yet. We are living away from our town and I really got into raw/vegan goodies since we've been away. Yet, I loved sharing Meghan Telpner's superfood bonbons with one of Ryan's buddies and he really loved them. Also, I love baking a batch of Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Vegweb if we are traveling with omni folks.

These are the BEST baked chocolate chip cookies that I have come across. Now, I want to find a great raw version!

Need I say more?

14. Name Three items in your freezer without looking- Sprouted bread, oats, and flax seeds.
15. Favorite Grocery Store- In Nelson it has to be the Kootenay Coop. Back home it is Two Ee's market.

16. Food Blog I read the most? - I can't say. I have so many in my reader and blogroll. They are all fantastic and you should check them all out for crazy inspiration. Each blog is different and provides me with something different. One might be more motivation, another all recipes, another may be more about nutrition, all pieces of my knowledge pie!

17. What is one ingredient that you've become familiar with that you can't imagine you ever lived without? - Coconut oil:)

18. Most coveted condiment? - my homemade salsa

19. Best Food Smell? - Banana bread baking in the oven or fresh strawberries:)
20. Best cooked food memory that you'd like to re-create raw? I know its not cooked exactly, but I want to create a raw nanaimo bar:)

21. Favorite meal to make? - This is hard because I have many. One I really love is veggie wraps with a bunch of different dips or spreads. So simple to make and the dips are endless so you never get bored:)

There you have it! Hopefully you enjoyed reading my fav things! Give it a try on your blog and tell me about it because I love hearing about everyone's life and eats:)

PS I'll tell you about my bikini wearing over the weekend soon:)