Body Vision Board



The below vision board was difficult to put together..something seemed off or missing but I decided to stop overthinking and leave it alone. I can always edit later but the important item is that I make a vision board so I know what goal I'm working towards.



Necessities in my weight loss journey with Carey as of mid-February

Anchor myself in God


Eat with wisdom and self-control (embrace the grace that God gives daily and remember to Choose Life …God has given me an abundant life so let me move toward healthier choices)

PLAN!!! (Bulk Cooking is a MUST)!

Believe I can be TRANSFORMED! In due season I will have the body I envision.

Don’t focus on the scale but think about non-scale victories (behavioral changes, bypassing a trigger, focus on what I am doing right).

Track food on myfitnesspal.com

Be active (ultimate goal: 5-6X a week but for now work up to 3X a week whether gym, walking, etc).

Try a new vegetable/fruit

Check in with Carey at least weekly no matter if our schedules don’t align for our chats.

Seek out motivational tools/Use motivational tools more regularly (weight loss scriptures, blogs (divaslimsdown on youtube; find more). I will not buy any more tools until I lose 20 lbs. Use the tools I have.



Time for a new title

My word for this year is unfold. I saw this book I will be purchasing soon called Intuitive Painting:  Let Go!Be Bold! Unfold! This phrase spoke so much to my spirit...that i wanted to adopt this phrase for this year. . As i was looking at my previous title of my blog, "Walking in the Fullness of God" ...that title seemed appropriate for that time period but no longer seem to fit my blog. As important as this is..i dont feel like I'm walking that out as much as i should so i thought a change in title was necessary. I needed something that reflected where i am TODAY.



Snacks/Dinner/Sides/Breakfast


I don't want to forget my new recipes that I've made and enjoyed so I wanted to provide the links here so they can be accessible.

Breakfast

Omelet Muffins (I just made today...nice consistency and base but some seasoning is needed..i made mine with broccoli, zucchini, squash, varied peppers).  I made 24 muffins out of the recipe. Next time i will add maybe basil, onion, and a meat like trader joe's apple sausage that i like but a great one timem meal..i put them away for breakfast next week).
http://www.paleoplan.com/2009/12-03/omelet-muffins/

Dinner/Sides:
Melissa Joulwan's  Caulflower Rice pilaf (I cant find the link right now). My fam loved this. This is becoming a weekly staple in our house.

Melissa Joulwan's The Best Chicken You will ever eat
(what a claim but she is so right. I tried brining for the first time it makes your chicken sooo moist. she has a dipping sauce that she recommends that i didn't like so I would recommend omitting. The first time i made this with chicken breasts and felt like it needed a sauce so i added raw honey. today i made it with thighs and it was perfect as is. i baked it for 20-25 min. My hubby loved and my sister thought it was good but a lil spicy.
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/


Sweet Potato Fries (I pair with cilantro turkey burgers. I purchase the meat for the turkey burgers at trader joe's. Both are a fam favorite )
http://sarahscucinabella.com/2008/01/22/oven-baked-sweet-potato-fries/
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/02-02/cilantro-turkey-burgers/


Snacks:
Ants on a log
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/10-13/ants-on-a-log/ (I cut the stalk into 1 inch pieces resulting in 8-10 slices)

Coconut Chips (found in Trader Joe's. the slight sweet really does cure my craving..I usually have this by itself or i make my own trail mix with 1/4 cup raw almonds and 1/4 cup of raisins.) I wanted to make the real thing but i couldnt find unsweetened coconut chips found here:
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/06/13/carmelized-coconut-chips/



How I'm Feeling as I'm nearing the end of January

It took me into the 2nd week of January  to stay consistent with my food choices and get out of the habit of ordering out but somewhere along the line it became natural where I stayed on course 90% of the time. The item that changed was (1) a much needed conversation with my husband regarding creating a vision of myself so I know where I'm going (2) Carey introducing me to myfitnesspal  (3) God reminding me that he is in everything and i needed to lay down word over weight loss so he directed me to Amazon where I purchased, The Weight Loss Scriptures Daily Devotional by Kimberly Taylor (4) weekly chats with Carey (5) incorporating more snacks.

I haven't had a totally healthy week  yet but i would say at least 13/15 days for the past two weeks have been. I returned to working out regularly (more like 3-4 X a week than what i originally attended...a combo of walking and the gym). SLEEPING more has become imperative to me feeling good about this journey. I started aiming for 7-8 hours twice a week (I would like to meet this sleep requirement every day but it's not practical yet. I am drinking more water..i havent started using my fruit water container (I cant recall its actual name) but i have been using my water dispenser where i turn the top to indicate how much water I've had.

I looked at my day to figure out what throws me off track and it's (1) not eating my normal breakfast because I'm running late (2) not planning/preparing for the week (3) the time between getting off work and arriving home. To combat these items I make sure breakfast is the first thing i do as I'm getting ready or make sure I grab some food. Cooking my meals on the weekend and placing them in clear containers so all I have to do is grab and go. The container trick was something i picked up in my WW meeting (which I returned to attending) is that when we open the fridge we should see organization, we should see healthy foods..cut up in clear containers because we are hungry we start rummage for things but if it's in clear view we are more likely to pick those items (my paraphrasing). OMG! This has been such a tool that i needed. I have snacks on one side cut up (ex. sliced up strawberries, cut up celery (which I dislike but I added my sunflower seed better and raisins (yummy...it's my everyday snack now). thank you paleo for ants on a log. I substituted almond butter for sunflower seed butter because i prefer sunflower seed butter..yummy. Another meeting is to eat fruits and veggies more daily and i've done that.

I havent weighed myself yet because the scale discourages me. I want to give it a full 30 days of tracking on myfitness pal to see if I lost any weight. I think the biggest motivator outside of being healthy is in January when i realized I gained weight..none of my pants felt comfy and thats not a good thing. Yesterday i was able to put on a pair of jeans I havent wore in years. I would be lying if i said it was comfortable. lol. But at least im able to fit them and button them up. Breathing comfortably or bending is another story..my gut is getting in the way. I think i have lost a pants size or getting back to where I was before the holidays so that's good news. Overall i dont always stay within my calorie goal but my thing is lets just focus on ingesting the right things then we can tweak more of how much you are eating.

One thing i realized is that paleo desserts thus far have been a DISASTER which tells me I need the real thing or i need to have skinny cow ice cream which sadly isn't around the corner.Their chocolate chip cookies isnt bad. Overall I'm really happy about where I am in my journey because I'm making healthier choices every day. This journey will  have ebbs and flows but I have to remember take it one step at a time. This is the year that Carey and i will make it to our goals.

 Oh, and J introduced me to a youtube video that he ran across and he thinks that that i would find motivational because i always love to watch weight loss journey's (DivaSlimsDown Channel) and she chronicles her entire journey and i did a sneak peak of today vs the year ago when she started (amazing). I shared the video with my sister since she is closer than Diva than i am and she found this motivational as well. Right now im in the journey where she is given challenges...week 1 (for us last week was working out for 2 hours..we went walking in our neighborhood for an hour and 40 min...legs were gone...lol. we stopped off at a diner and caught the subway back and later that day when visiting a new church we walked a total of twenty minutes so that goal is completed.) As i'm typing ..week 2 (10 miles of activity and 9 cups of water). This will be interesting and a challenge but here we go. I'm still working my way up to 64 oz..I'm probably averaging 40-50 oz.


Recipes for a new year

It's a new year with a fruitful wellness journey with my best friend Carey on the horizon. I'm not sure how i feel about this new year quite yet or the word or intentions for this new year. I do know that if I had to pick three words today to go forth in the new year it would be: health, exploration, self-care. I want my new year to embody all these things. Health wise...it's been a rocky start but with all things that are new..its to be expected....it took awhile to get to obesity it will take awhile to get out of it. What I need to remember is to be patient with myself. The recipes (for a lack of better word) for this year:

  • To ensure self-care is sprinkled weekly into my life. Monthly massages will help in this area.
  • To grow myself spiritually. Full imersion in the word like never before (reading/watching videos). I hope to be connected to a church by year end.
  • To see myself at a healthy weight.
  • To exercise at least 5X a week (try a variety of things). The goal is to get back to my c25k Program.
  • To be creative weekly (I would like to say daily but i dont know how realistic that is). To have artist dates with myself on a bi-monthly basis (I would  like to get to a weekly basis but as i restart this lovely goal lets start there.
  • To drink at least 64 oz water (the massage therapist I went to recently said I should be drinking more water as well...HALF my body weight. I have heard that before but I didnt know how true that was). I have bought the following to help me in this endeavor (http://www.amazon.com/Prodyne-Infusion-93-Ounce-Natural-Pitcher/dp/B0023UL86A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357392154&sr=8-1&keywords=fruit+infusion+pitcher and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EGO64U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02 (I've been looking for one of these but didnt know what it's called).
  • To be creative outside of my normal drawing and tempura painting (try more classes: soap making, water color, glass blowing, etc)
  • To cook healthy meals on a regular occasion and develop recipes for my upcoming recipe box purchase http://www.personalizationmall.com/Personalized-Recipe-Box-with-Monogram-4x6-Acrylic-p13068.prod?sdest=product-cert&sdestid=12924 (I need to figure out the phrase i want on the personalization). I also want to cook for my husband at least once a week (speaking of which I found a new blog chocked with recipes (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/). Amazing! I found Melissa late one night when purchasing my water bottle on amazon and her cookbook caught my eye because i want to cook more naturally and in paleo form. It was highly rated so I purchased it. I then went over to Melissa website and i really like it. I cant wait to peruse more. Yesterday i said i should try some of her recipes (in hindsight I probably should have done that before I purchased). Well let me tell you I can tell I wont be disappointed. The menu consisted of: Moroccan Pork Chops (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2008/07/24/healthy-tasty-moroccan-pork-chops/). This was J's fav.Velvety Butternut Squash (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/11/17/velvety-butternut-squash/). This by far was my fav dish. The only addition i made was i sprinkled some equal (which im sure is not paleo friendly but I like a sweetness to my dish. I exchanged pecans for almonds since I'm not a pecan fan. I'm thinking about going to the store and buying more butternut squash). J asked if there was more. Coconut-Almond Green Beans (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/03/14/coconut-almond-green-beans/). This dish was yummy...especially since i dont like green beans. I also made him a moose track ice cream pie by mixing in some ice cream, cashews, and caramel in a mini graham crust. I placed the dish in the freezer for four hours and then added caramel and nuts on top. 

Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Sauce...(File in Rotation)



I feel like I should turn my blog into a recipe blog since that's the primary focus of late. I cant believe how excited I am about cooking! Thank the Lord once again for sending this my way!It's 1:03 in the morning and i just finished making the below. Which was GOOD! Even J thought it was good but as I suspected he thought the sweetness was unnecessary (I added a pack of equal because the recipe calls for pasta sauce and i love sweet pasta). This recipe will definitely be in the rotation pile. I feel like I need a recipe box...hmmm ..may have to look at one of my fav place "personalization mall" next month. i know the above isnt the prettiest picture ..I'll have to work on the presentation on my next batch...(it is after 1 in the morning)

The recipe came from the infamous fabulous Angela.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/04/vegan-enchiladas-with-cilantro-avocado-cream-sauce-2/

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Spinach, and Pepper Vegan Enchiladas


Adapted from Time Crunch Vegan Enchiladas.


Yield: 4 Enchiladas
Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped (~2 cups) (I used red onions because that was in my house)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sweet potato, chopped (or zucchini) (sweet potato)

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 handfuls spinach, chopped

1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed

Enchilada sauce or Pasta sauce (about 2.5 cups)* see note (I used Pasta Sauce-Chunky Ragu Pasta Sauce)

1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional) (This really is optional..I paid close to $6.00 for this and you couldnt even taste it)

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder, or to taste

4 whole grain tortilla wraps (I used Food for Life Ezekiel) (I used Low Carb Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Tortilla Wraps)

Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)

Green onion & chopped cilantro, to garnish (I made this optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a baking dish large enough for 4 enchiladas. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, by simmering it in a small pot of water for about 5-10 minutes until just tender. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet or pot, add 1 tbsp oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the chopped pepper, pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.
3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: nutritional yeast (optional), cumin, fresh lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.
4. Scoop about 3/4-1 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread out in a thin layer. Scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and wrap, placing the fold down on the casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 3 tortillas and leave a bit of filling left to spread over the top. Sprinkle with vegan cheese if preferred.
5. Bake tortillas at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your Cilantro cream sauce (see below). When enchiladas are cooked, remove from oven and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 enchiladas.



Note: Depending on what kind of sauce you use, you will have to adjust the seasonings to taste. I used a pasta sauce so I likely needed more seasonings to achieve the taste I desired.

Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce


Inspired by Kathy’s Cashew Cream Sauce.


Yield: ~1.25-1.5 cups


Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cup avocado flesh (I'm not there yet to use avocado flesh so I used avocado)

2 tbsp water, or more as needed to thin out

2-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

1 cup packed fresh cilantro

1 tsp kosher salt, to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp ground cumin

Black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. In a food processor, process the avocado flesh and water until creamy. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth and well blended. Use immediately for best results.










Yummy! Fruit Pizza

I made this for my hubby birthday and all I can say is OMG! This is one of the most delicious desserts I have ever made. My hubby thought it was too sweet but i thought it was just right. Just thinking about it makes me smile:)

Angela from oh she glows has done it again! I love avocado but I've never had it outside of chopped up in a dish or in guac. This avocado lime whip is amazing!!! The only tweak I did with the recipe is I bought a multi grain crust..I can't remember the name but i will be making this again and will update the blog with the name. Making a crust from scratch scares me a bit ..not sure I'm that experienced in cooking yet.

Delicious. I devoured this in a day and a half! Here's a pic after I ate one slice. What a refreshing summer dessert! I think next time I'll use equal to cut down on the sugar and will experiment with different crusts just so I see which ones I like the best. I am so tempted to make this again.


The recipe is below:

http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6001759
  Ingredients (8-12 slices)



Cinnamon-sugar pizza crust

•1 cup + 3/4 cup white bread flour, divided

•3/4 tsp kosher salt

•2 tbsp sugar

•1.5 tsp cinnamon

•2 & 1/4 tsp pizza yeast (no proofing required)

•3 tbsp oil

•2/3 cup very warm water

•more flour for kneading dough

Avocado-Lime Whip

•4 avocados

•Fresh lime juice from half a lime (approx 1 tsp)

•1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla)-I used 1 tsp of Trader Joe's vanilla

•1/4 cup agave nectar

•2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

•1-2 tbsp coconut milk

•12 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner’s)-I used 6 tbsp

Fruit

•Fruit salsa: Chop up a mixture of strawberries, mandarin oranges, mango, kiwi, and raspberries. Add in blueberries too. You will want about 2-3 cups of the salsa.

•Fruit layer: Mandarin, strawberries (sliced), blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi (sliced), mango (sliced), and whatever else your little heart desires! Peach would be good too.

Instructions



For crust

•1. Preheat oven to 500F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, plus the salt, sugar, cinnamon, yeast. Stir well. Now quickly add 2/3 cup very warm water along with 3 tbsp oil. Stir well. It will be very sticky but not to worry.

•2. Now add in 3/4 cup- 1 cup more flour, gradually, as you stir. Once the flour is in, grab the dough and place on floured surface.

•3. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding flour as it gets tacky. After 5 mins the dough should be smooth and not tacky. Form into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover the ball with a bit of oil so it doesnt dry out. Now cover the bowl and let it rise for 1.5 hours. You can punch out the air halfway through.

•4. After rising time, punch air out and spread into an oiled pizza pan or you can place it directly onto a preheated pizza stone. Sprinkle with lots of sugar and bake at 500F for 14-15 mins. until golden. Cooking time may vary so watch carefully.

For avocado whip

•In a food processor, add in the avocado, lime juice, and agave. Process until smooth. Now add in the vanilla, melted coconut oil, and coconut milk. As the last step, add in the icing sugar very gradually until the consistency you want is achieved. Cool in fridge for about 30 minutes before using. Spread over the base of cooled & cooked pizza crust.

For Fruit

•After you have spread on the avocado-lime whip, it is time to layer on the fruit. I started with an outer layer of fruit salsa, followed by a layer of sliced fruit. After those two layers, I did a very small layer of sprinkled coconut, followed by a layer of raspberries, and then finally fruit salsa. I left the inner circle open as I was going to put a large strawberry there, but then we ate it and that was that!

Cooking Bug...Vegan Lentil Burger

OMG! Ever since i found my fav new blog oh she glows I've  been on  cooking bug (which is soo unlike me).

My plan was to make a lentil burger for dinner. I found a recipe over a year ago that is my go-to. Off to the store I went to  get some peppers and an avocado and to begin the process when  i realized there was no eggs (gasp..lol). seems like a simple solution right?  wrong! I had $2 to last me to pay week and tomorrow i will be getting almond milk with that. So I ponder what am i going to do.

The Lord to the rescue..fingers start typing on my laptop..."vegan lentil burgers."

Hmmmmm i never thought about a vegan burger but why not..my new fav blog is vegan so i did a search and the first link that came up was http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=6394&comment=all#comment406318
but it seemed to have mixed reviews so i searched for other recipes (some had wayyy too many ingredients) so i said why not experiment and try the sparks people as a base and mix in seasonings from other recipe. The result...yummmmmy! I like the texture (which is a big improvement from my old go to recipe which i liked cause it was simple...4 ingredients but the texture was mushy). Not this one. The only problem with this one was the patty would not stay together but im ok with that. So I believe my recipe goes like this (i was running from my laptop to the other room pouring in seasonings so I'm not entirely sure). This recipe makes enough for several meals.

1 cup uncooked lentils (I used Trader Joe's steamed lentils). I grated this a bit in the blender..it retained mostly whole lentils)
1 cup cooked brown rice (!0 minute brown rice that comes in a bag go-to)

1 cup carrots, finely grated

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal (Quakers)

1 tsp cumin


½ tsp garlic powder

¼ sea salt

¼ black pepper

1 tsp  Onion flakes

1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp of Ginger

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of oil

Mix everything in a large bowl. Form into a patty and cook it on the stove. Served on a whole wheat bun with mayo and ketchup and avocado slices.



New Blog that I love that I found over the weekend

Again I think this is one of those times where God talks to me through the computer. I have no idea on how I found this wonderful blog where the recipes has inspired me (renewal to try more things nutritionally). Carey and I have had a conversation about the raw diet and i recently signed up for an ecourse by one of our fav goddesses. i looked at the recipes section and i was uninspired...possibly I'm not there yet ..to try the raw diet but it sounds amazing. in the meantime it appears i have stumbled on a vegan blog so lets start there (I am more of a gradual person). The link is:

http://ohsheglows.com/

so many wonderful recipes that i wanted to try..i settled on two for the moment...a protein bar and carrot cake oatmeal (seemed to make sense to focus on this since this is two things i eat daily).

Also, after spending 1.00-2.00 a daily for protein bars whether at Bally's or at Trader Joe's I realized there has to be a better way...enter this lovely recipe....
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6007772

I edited the recipe where it mentioned dark chocolate for a 100 calorie trader joes milk chocolate bar because i don't like dark chocolate. I couldn't find brown rice syrup so as indicated I used honey. I also couldn't find brown rice crisp cereal so I used regular rice crisp cereal. I love the taste and it was so easy...the only problem i realized that after i divided the recipe this only has like 3 grams of protein so this is basically like a chewey granola bar which is great just not what i was looking for in terms of protein...so my next batch i will add nuts and some other protein to beef it up and may have to not use chocolate or as much. I love this was the first thing i built from scratch (well as scratch as i can get it..lol). I wished my bars looked as lovely but they don't. i did take a pic but it didnt come out so well but I will post later. Winner!


Tonight I tried ("Carrot Cake oatmeal)
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6002053
i wouldn't go as far as saying carrot cake  but its a nice base. Quite filling and a nice change. i substituted sugar free syrup for the maple syrup and I added brown sugar..maybe three tablespoons to make it sweeter. I will put this in the rotation.

UPDATE: 07/29/12
I added  a handful of diced frozen pineapple to this (yummy it was just what the recipe needed). I also played around with an "icing" or topping for the oatmeal (1 tablespoon greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon of syrup, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Outcome...not bad.....it needs something else but I cant figure out what (I'm sure the more I make it the more i know).

Smoothie Recipes

One of the things i wanted to do more of  is trying more recipes....welp you know who reignited that (yes you guessed it..my kindred sister in Christ Carey). I feel kinda of bad not acknowledging all of the rest of my beautiful loving people in my life on my blog more (my wonderful supportive husband J, my wonderful sister Robin, my wonderful friends (Jackie,Kia, Kym, Ara, Fran). I could take several posts commenting on the wonderful blessing each and everyone one of them are but that's not the topic of today.

Now what was i saying...oh yes Carey had sent me a smoothie recipe link in late June and i was thinking what a great way to incorporate protein shakes in my life especially since i knew i would be working out more. As always I always adapt the recipe to my own liking whether its because i want to a. only use the things that are presently in my house b.  adapt based on the reaction to my system  (aka soy milk (almond milk forever), bananas (so many digestive issues).

http://blog.integrativenutrition.com/2012/06/47-smoothies-for-summer



One of the things Ive been wanting to try more of is a green smoothie (i had a taster cup at my health fair which was soo good but it was soooo high in calories). Naturally I looked at the recipe for a green smoothie and picked ...You'll Never believe it's a green smoothie (website below). Simplicity gets me every time. The recipe said: "Take a BIG handful of fresh Spinach or Kale and put it in the bottom of your blender. Add a peeled banana and peeled orange. Then add about 1/2 cup of pineapple or mango. Top it off with 1 cup ice. Blend it up. Drink this in the morning and you will never need coffee again!"

So i grabbed my handful of spinach, pineapple chunks, strawberries, and strawberry protein powder and 2 equals (yummy). That has been a morning staple for the past two weeks....I'll have the explore the website more to see what other goodies may be there.

http://healthyhappyandhot.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/jumping-for-joy-with-these-foods/


At the gym I'm going to they have a juice bar and i was in need of replenishment so I spent 6.00 on a berry protein smoothie ..never again. I could have licked the container but that's insane. Today i tried to duplicate it..it tasted like it may have had banana so clearly adapting is necessary.  I used: 8 oz of almond milk, frozen package of mixed berries, and my strawberry protein shake..(yummy yet again). The only thing missing is the creaminess so tomorrow I will try yogurt.

I usually don't keep frozen fruit around but now I do....especially when i realized how flavorful it makes my protein shake and i didn't realize until now how I don't have to add ice since its frozen so its perfect.

Sadly my beverage blender died on me on Saturday so I'm waiting for the replacement on Tuesday so Sunday and Monday no green smoothie for me. I tried it in my other blender and i gaged....i have major texture issues...cannot do pulp and thats what the spinach tasted like so for right now mixed berry smoothies it is which is fine with me.

I look forward to experimenting more smoothies. I've been reading alot about chia seeds and my fav place trader joe's now sells them so next week i want to make the "Power Plant Breakfast Smoothie" or maybe this week depends on how I'm feeling). http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/06/08/recipe-the-plant-power-breakfast-smoothie/

4 kale leaves (I already know i will substitute this for spinach)


1 cup organic frozen blueberries

2 Tbs of chia seeds

1 Tbs organic peanut butter (I just purchased sunflower seed butter which i like the taste so I will be using this)

1/2 avocado

1 cup coconut milk

1 Tbs raw honey (I don't know about this may substitute for agave..we will see)

2–3 ice cubes

Squeeze of lemon, optional

Stay tuned to see how that comes out....



Re dedicating myself to weight loss

After spending the time with my best friend Carey in mid-June talking about our spiritual nutritional journey we would be undertaking in the Fall together (yay!) I felt a sense of renewal in my spirit and I didn't realize truly what that all entailed. As always in the upcoming weeks it would be known exactly what. So many areas there was renewal and joy. But today lets start with nutrition......

I realized how beautiful it is that God gives you exactly what you need when you need it (unknowing to you just how much you need it). Spending much needed girl time honoring our souls reminded me that I am on the right road right now in terms of extreme self care. Right now I need to focus on me and listen to the small whispers that I hear from God..honoring the things that are important and what I need in this time. Continue my coocooning as much as i need it.

I also realized that i needed to get my eating habits and exercise back on track..i would have good days and bad days..but the consistency wasnt there. It's like the day before my sister bday trip to New Orleans i was down to my lowest weight in the past two years (188....in recent months ..i had reached 188.4..188.2 but not an even number and i was esctastic to be in the 188's but an even number...whoo hooo.) A week later after a wonderful trip of gorging on such wonderfood food I had gotten back to 195 and i just cried. i had not seen that number since late December and it was great at the time because my highest weight was 216 but not when i had been hovering in the 188 for a minute. I didnt spiral out of control with my eating but i wanted it gone like next week. I stopped going to weight watchers...continued to weigh myself. Until i found a number that was pleasing to me i was not going back (not realizing then thats the exact place i needed to be). I'm not sure right now exactly when it hit me in June but i said its time to do things differently.

I'm sure there was some motivation and  a light bulb moment but writing this now in July i dont remember. But I did want to remember this time in my journal.I think the end of June was so pivotal in so many ways...finding my art school and realizing that i wanted to explore expressive arts. I think it was a time of now.For such a time as this.....

As of mid-July I've had a strong start of working out for 3 weeks in a row and it feels soooo good (1st week..worked out twice a week to c25K..i know its 3x a week but with my bad knees i think its best I ease into it; 2nd week and 3rd week...6X a week...say what!). Let me explain that soooo good  feeling...it's not when you're like I've missed this (insert smile) but that soo good when its like... its not about the how good or not exercise  makes me feel but its necessary and removing all emotion that means I have to do it (Focus). Priority right now is me and specifically working out. Ive never entered into this state but i see the necessity in it. There are some people who just get things done and then there are others who conceive it..think/pray about it..think/pray about it some more and finally take a step. I'm taking a step...I started my c25k which has been on my list for years (I'm entering my second week of this...the real first week was trying it out). I'm walking more. I'm even taking spinning class (which is another item on my list for awhile...that in itself is a real feat and i decided this week I'm going to start doing it twice a week....Lord help! lol). The intensity the challenge is exactly what my body needs. I'm also doing a fluidity class which is modeled after the bar method (which i had not heard about before) but wow ...for a low impact class...its something....Ive also decided to do this twice a week. Its funny i had my whole schedule made up of what i was going to doand just like life it changes... I'm honoring my soul and body right now and challenge is what I need. Right now my constant is C25K, spinning, and bar method with whatever else I throw in). Hopefully in September I will have amazing results to show....ideally i would like to lose another 25lbs by my birthday but I'm not going to get wrap up in the number but instead be concerned about consistency and building a stronger body.

July 1st re dedication started.....

Recipe-Salad

As I mentioned i will be doing 4 recipes a month so here's another one. BTW, since i decided to do try new receipes until the last few days in August.... im counting the spicy tempeh chili recipe one of my four recipes.

The below salad was found on Beth's website:
http://bethsjourney.com/three-good-things/

After running around all day and finally settling down to make this i realized i didnt have two items: feta cheese or tomatoes. sigh so i decided to throw two other items in ..now i know they dont resemble each other at all (added shrimp and avocado) so the recipe looked like this


1/2 cup chickpeas (1 pt)
½ red onion, chopped
Avocado (1)
1/2 cucumber, chopped (mini persian cucumber)
fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (0 pts)
1 tsp olive oil (1 pt)
10-15 shrimp


I added "21 seasoning salute spice" from tjs on the shrimp while it was cooking and a little bit of lemon powder and basil seasoning. Another winner! i think this will be my lunch for next week. filling! Its amazing how much ive grown to like beans.

Recipe-Tempeh Chili

In exploring my pescatarian lifestyle I decided to try four new recipes a month. Today's recipe involves tempeh. I've seen tempeh and even saw recipes for it but wasnt sure i was ready to actually try it. I dont know tofu and tempeh scares me for some reason. i think after eating that chickenless item back in January it's been hard getting back on the horse and try items that some people substitute for meat. But its now time to get on the horse. After all im supposed to be getting out of my comfort zone right. So..I decided to try a recipe that involved chili which i love and never have alot of it these days and tempeh. I was going to go to my fav spot allrecipes.com and just do a search for meals but i realized most things from there needs wayyy too much ingredients and from reading one of my fav bloggers postings of her recipes she requires few ingredients and she is a bargin shopper so i knew when i saw her spicy tempeh chili I had to try it.

The recipe can be found here: http://bethsjourney.com/spicy-tempeh-chili/

There were three things i added to the recipe (sour cream, shredded lite cheese, and taco seasoning (taco seasoning was made instead of bought) since I couldnt find the one I bought at TJs.http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/taco-seasoning-i/detail.aspx
i made this minus the chili powder.

This tempeh chili was delicious. I did not miss the meat. I will be making this again! I loved this chili was (5) 1 cup servings because i could spread this out over three days which is awesome since I'm trying to do more meal planning,

if my camera phone was working i would have taken a pic

Let Go

I was glad to accompany my best friend Carey on the Women's of Faith Conference. There were several nuggets of truth that I gleamed from the conference which I will talk about in another posting but today one of the items discussed came to my mind as I was walking home. Let go of some things in your life. Ok that wasnt a verbatim point and its 1:07 in the morning but basically it was about letting go of things that are no longer in season. But when the thought came upon my mind it was about giving yourself a full month to let go of most of the things that give you joy and keep you busy in your life. Take time to study for your upcoming exam and work on your body...building a habit of what healthy looks like long term. I decided to not:


  • see any friends this September unless they really need me

  • volunteer

  • go to meetups

  • spend money on food out (the idea to cook more...to explore my pescatarian lifestyle)

  • skip the gym or exercise (get back to working out 4-5X a week)

I cant thank Carey enough for letting me be her +1, the lovely journal and tshirt she bought me and girl time.

Girls weekend/Boston Artist Date-Rocks!










I saw Carey for the first time in like 8 months in Boston! Yay! We went to my home away from home (Moroccan Suite I stayed in last Fall). It was so great to see her. We walked, talked, laughed, watched movies, ate (italian and mediterrian theme night), drank wine and cried. It was so relaxing being in the suite with my best friend and exactly what I needed. Definitely a welcome change from the fast pace life of NY!

On Sunday she left early and i had my artists date planned in which I would draw in the park and take a relaxing swan ride. After getting a bit turned around on the subway I found the park with no problems (yay). As I was walking I saw a sculpture that caught my eye (man looking up) and it wasn’t until i was drawing for about an hour did i notice the name plate said Religion. I thought that was so funny. As I was drawing i seemed to catch an ..um...spectator who stayed with me for 45 minutes as i drew and interrupted me to ask questions. I really wanted him to go away but I didn’t want to be rude but I found such joy in drawing and being among nature. When he came he made me a bit nervous especially since he drew a small crowd to me as i was drawing but I tried to remain focus. I was so glad I was allowing myself some alone time. There was sprinkling rain off and on so i knew my swan boat was out of the question. But after an hour and some change the brightest sun came up. So I thanked my spectator for keeping me company and went off into the park looking for the swan boats.

The path I took led me to some ornate beautiful homes and I realized I was in Beacon Hill (another location I wanted to visit but didn’t realize I would have time). Oh Beacon hill such historic and affluent homes. As I was walking I was directed to a side street where I could see water and I said omg is that the esplanade …the third location on my list….i walked up this curvy bridge and it was. It’s so lovely…..there was a folk music playing….water where you see sailboats, canoeing, kayaks, family time. It was a wonderful sight. I wished one I didn’t have my bags and two I could really explore it since there is a path for joggers. I stayed for maybe 20 minutes. Which was a lot because I didn’t think i would see that much of it. I came down another street and there was Public gardens where I saw a few sculptures and rode the swan boat. The day was perfect! So instead of using a cab I decided to walk..after all ive been walking for close to 4 hours. So of course I got directions and of course I got to a point where the street ended so I was going to ask one girl for directions but she walked too fast and then I saw another girl. We will call her God-send Emma! She was wonderful..she walked me all the way to South station. I would have never found it. Thank you God for sending her and giving me the desires of my heart. Emma and i talked all the way there and she’s going to be attending school in nyc in fall. Thanks to her I had 20 minutes before my bus was to leave. Wonderful Boston Weekend!

Morning Pages-July 17th

I've not been good with my morning pages lately. But my Morning pages partner texted me today as we always text each other and I realize today i need to do pages. I didn't know what i was to write about but i knew i was to write and that my morning pages would be evening pages.

Today i went to my sketching group and i would like to say it was good to draw but i wasn't enthused about my drawing or being there. I'm sure that's due to me pmsing than me not wanting to be there. The funny thing i did know was i was so upset i grabbed the sketching book Carey gave me for a Christmas or birthday present years ago because i was saving it for something special. Its not until 10:17 pm did i realize im going to use this book as a visual journal, as a sketchbook to get back to the basics of drawings, to use it as God sees fit in me discovering some new territory in myself. Perspective is a powerful thing. Its by no mistake God brought to my remembrance a book i got months ago called "The Creative License." Giving Yourself Permission to be who you really are. That's exactly the place I am in life and in my art. Just not sure how to execute it and i believe God gave me a word and it was in this book pertaining to drawing but very much the word J told me to do this year which was get out of my comfort zone. This book told me to slow down. To move away from rational and literal and stretch myself to see things anew become more adventurous. Feel safe and confident in what I'm doing and comfortable in moving in fresh and exciting new directions.. Get into the habit of living and thinking and seeing in new ways on a regular basis. Just reading those words my spirit did a leap. So from this day forward that's what I'm going to do.

I have an upcoming girls weekend with Carey (yay) and I decided on Sunday when its time to check-out I'm going to stay in Boston for a few more hours and have a creative artist date. I'm going to ride a Swan boat..they consider it a Boston experience "enjoying a natural splendor provided by the 24 acres of the Public Garden." I'm going to draw. I'm going to walk. I'm going to explore. I figure after a relaxing girls weekend why not cap it off with an artist date.

Today i pray for myself and anyone else who may need to move in fresh and exciting new directions. I pray for the patience and dilengence to be still and see what God is telling us.

New Art Supplies



I know it may be weird to make a blog post strictly about artist supplies but if only you know what one particular artist supply in general means to me. You know why I'm creating a post for this. I've had my eye on an traveling easel for amazon for months and there was always an excuse...I don't have any money (eventhough its really inexpensive). Likely excuse...uh huh...what i have spent on dinners out could have paid for my easel over and over again. The question in my head that swirled along with the previous excuse-- do you know what an easel means...shut my mouth..it denotes I'm an artist. The last time I had an easel was when i was 12 (I think) along with an an artists kit that was on my Christmas List. Now at the tender age of 31...I'm getting another easel...my easel...it's a wonderful moment. I usually cry at everything and i want to shed a tear here but can't so let me just say YAY! To nurturing the inner artist and telling her its okay to play. This easelwill be come in handy especially when I'm figure drawing..so excited. I also bought a sketching kit. Yay! It feels good to spend money on my art. Next month I'm going to order a canvas, paint brushes, and paints. Already have it saved in my amazon cart. Yay






Reminding God What He Said

Late last week I started a morning ritual of listening to Joel's message before I leave for work. As always Joel's message does my soul good. I hope to make this ritual a daily event but for now I'm aiming for 3x a week. Small Steps.

I love today's topic, "Reminding God What He Said." Joel said we need to find some promises from God and remind him what he told us. We need to put God in remembrance of his promises not our problems. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be honest with God on how we feel but we need to be reminded that's God's word is alive and powerful and God will change things in our favor when the time is right. We just need to stand on the promises. So I decided to find some promises i want to stand on. I'm sure later I will flesh out the promises more concerning certain areas in my life but I think the promises i have listed can cover several areas.

Oh and Joel gave this scripture in his message:Isaiah 62:6, 7

God you said:





  • To live by faith, not by sight 2 Cor. 5:7






  • You will instruct me and teach me in the way I should go; You will counsel me and watch over me." Psalm 32:8






  • You are my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1






  • No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what you have prepared for me." 1 Cor. 2:9






  • Trust you with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge you, and you will make my paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5,6






  • Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105






  • You will supply all my needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus."Philippians 4:19






  • I can do all things through you who strengthens me."Philippians 4:13






  • If I abide in you, and your words abide in me, ask whatever I wish, and it will be done for me."John 15:7






  • You are able to do far more abundantly beyond all that I can ask or think, according to the power that works within me, to you be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Ephesians 3:20-21






  • You cause all things to work together for good to those who love you to those who are called according to your purpose."Romans 8:28






  • Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about me, for you are my God. You will strengthen me, surely you will help me, surely you will uphold me with Your righteous right hand."Isaiah 41:10






  • If God can clothe the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You know I need need these things. But seek your kingdom, and these things will be added to you."Luke 12:28-31






  • You give strength to the weary, and to me who lacks might He increases power."Isaiah 40:29






  • There is an appointed time for everything. There is a time for every event under heaven."Ecclesiastes 3:1




  • See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do I not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

Thank you Jehovah Jireh the Lord my provider for your promises. Thank you for being the Lord who is there , Jehovah-Shammah. I praise your holy name. These are the promises i would like to stand on. Lord help me to commit these promises to my spirit and my mind. Bring them to my remembrance when I need them. I love you!

Blue Drawing-July 3, 2011


Creative Every Day theme for July is Blue. Below is my soft pastel drawing in blue. It feels good to create something again so close together in days. I just finished June Creative Project and now I'm onto July . I love how my creativity seems to be blossoming where there is a blank piece of sketching pad and I have a theme and ideas start to surround my head on what i want to draw. Love it! Love my bff for finding this blog! Love the creator of this blog! I love how the author of this blog puts no rules on how you are to use the theme; she just wants the participants to be creative.

Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!

You do not have to post every day! I know for myself that having to post every day for a year would be too much. You can post about your creativity in whatever form you like, whether that be once a day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. Do what works for you!

This is a low pressure challenge, with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives. I will not be the creativity police. I hope that we can all find ways, simple and grand to express our creative selves. Have fun with it.



Also, keeping with the blue theme I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast!

Metamorphosis Drawing-June 28


As I mentioned in the previous post, one of my purposeful tasks is to be creative on my day off. I looked at my original start of a drawing i started on Fathers day that featured me as a child with my dad. Originally it was going to be a late fathers day present that I stopped for the night. A few days later I decided I wanted to develop it into something more. The person I am..the road I've taken maybe. I didnt know. Transformation maybe.All I knew is I wanted the Lord to have his way with the drawing. So tonight when I was started to think about a creative project I looked at the drawing and said why not. The Lord brought back to my memory the link Carey sent me months ago titled Creative Every Day and when i looked at the word for the month it was metamorphosis. Which i thought was perfect especially considering my ideas. When I hear the word Metamorphosis i always think of a butterfly. I started with a face portrait of me as a college student and then one with me on my wedding day ..wiped away my dad and then the drawing morphed into something else. i feel like its not done but for right now I'm going to leave it as it is. I dont think its my best drawing to date but what I'm learning through Artists way is bad or so so drawing is how you get to good drawings. I cannot be fearful of bad drawings.Its about expression in whatever way it comes out.