Soon, you'll see me soaring!

What kind of title is that?  "Soon you'll see me soaring"?  Debi, maybe you need a little more sleep, girl...

Have you ever read and connected with an inspirational quote and had it take hold of you?  I often read things that really get me thinking, even if only for a little while.  I do read a lot of personal development books and I'm always underlining something that speaks to me.  I'll share more on that another time.

Back in January & February - as some of you already know, I call that time "the trenches" - I read a quote that another Beachbody coach had posted on his Facebook status.  At the time it not only spoke to me, but rather it slammed right into me.  It affected me so much that I copied it - hung it on my bedroom mirror, laminated one for in my car, printed it on the back of my business card and put it in my wallet, and taped it to my laptop - pretty much, I was seeing that quote all over the place.  Although it took some time before it to  sink in and really take hold of my thoughts & emotions, I still kept it in mind.

"When you find yourself in a downward spiral, you must first focus your energies on stopping that which is creating the fall.  Once you do this, your focus to soar will take on much needed wind."

Wow.  Those were some pretty powerful words to me.  I have blogged about it before, but during those months, I was in a downward spiral.  I felt like it was choking the life out of me.  I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, depressed and helpless.  I had no idea how I had gotten to where I was - and worse yet, I did not know how to climb out.  It was as if I was standing at the bottom of a deep black hole, looking up at the light, but I had no foot hold, no rope to climb.  It was when friends - even people I barely knew - starting holding out their hands to me, supporting me, embracing me with their care & concern...that I found those little niches that helped me to start the upward climb.  Of course, therapy has helped me tremendously as well.

Without going into too much detail and writing a novel about what I was going through, it took a few months for me to accept and embrace the first part of that quote.  I had been in that downward spiral.  I started focusing my energies on that which was creating my fall:  My emotions, my insecurity, my low self esteem and poor self image.  I had to stop placing blame, and turn inward.  Unfortunately, that focus changed some friendships & relationships, but sometimes that's part of the journey, whether good or bad.

Now that I can (almost) confidently say that I am no longer falling, and in fact, I am starting to feel that wind that will allow me to soar - I am in much better place.  I have created and redefined some friendships, I have surrounded myself with people who continue to lift me.  I love myself more now than I have in a very long time.  I still have my days, we all do.  But I now have the drive, the desire and the passion to do what I love - and I absolutely believe that what I experienced early this year was necessary to get to me where I am now.  I am grateful that I can embrace the person I am meant to be.  I WILL SOAR.

June 24 ~ Beachbody Summit (Part 1)

Eek!  It's been three weeks since my last blog post.  This past weekend, Josh & I packed up, left the little ones at home with his mom & grandmother...and we headed to L.A.  First, let me say that I have not been away from my girls for 4 nights - ever.  It was a much needed break to recoup and regenerate.

I'll post more about my Summit experience soon (after all, this is part 1).  I wanted my first Summit post to convey how grateful I am to be a part of this incredible company...this tight knit family of like-minded individuals.

At the airports in Baltimore, Denver & Los Angeles, I saw so many coaches.  You can spot us a mile away with our P90X shirts, hats, etc.  I went right up to them, introduced myself and struck up conversations...never once feeling awkward about it.  As soon as we got to the hotel, I knew this was going to be a fantastic weekend.  Entering the lobby, I feel this buzz...a palpable excitement.  From there - I felt like I was completely in my element.  I felt secure, confident, elated.  I said hello to everyone - and everyone said hello back.  It's hard to explain the feeling like we just all know each other, like we're family reunited.  I have never felt anything like this from a group of people before - much less from people I have worked with in the past.

It goes beyond that though...beyond the pictures, the conversations, the laughing and enthusiasm.  There's the constant inspiration and motivation...the support.  Sitting in the audience, listening to these coaches who have changed their lives in ways I cannot even begin to fathom - tears in my eyes, heart swelling and sometimes breaking - it left me feeling awed.  Coaches who lost 50, 75, 100 - and nearly 200 pounds, what Shakeology has done to improve their health, how Beachbody's workout programs have transformed them inside and out, and how they are paying to forward by helping to change the lives of countless people who have reached out for help, for compassion, for support...it not only affected me, but Josh as well.  To hear his perspective, it confirmed that I am where I need to be.  This is what I need to be doing. 

What really hit home for me though, was listening to Carl Daikeler, Jonathan Congdon, Brett Blake, Jeff Hill and Michael Niemand talking about Beachbody - their vision and goals for this year and going forward.  You see, I know that there are people who are skeptical of this coaching business.  They see it as the proverbial "pyramid scheme", a way for coaches to make commissions by selling workout programs to people.  But that's not what this is about.  It WAY beyond any of that.  It's about making a positive impact on the future of our country - our children.

Carl's vision to End The Trend of obesity in our country is nothing short of incredible.  Did you know that for the first time in history, our children's life expectancies are lower than our own?  How scary is that?  It breaks my heart.  Every year we are spending billions upon billions of dollars on health care - specifically on ailments that are related to poor health, which can be avoided and redirected if we were all healthier, overall.  If we got up and moved more...if we chose to eat more wholesome, fresh foods.  If we spent more time preparing these foods with our children and showing them that eating healthy can be fun and taste good.  Carl sees us Beachbody Coaches as a united front - an immense group of people working together to support our communities and help them to get healthier via at home workout programs, nutritional supplements like Shakeology and community fit clubs where large groups of people convene to workout together and cheer each other on as they embrace a more fit and active lifestyle.

Carl's unwavering goals for our company and his conviction that we WILL do this...it makes me wish that everyone could experience the depth of his vision.  Please don't mistake this as me preaching.  We all know I have struggled time and time again with my nutritional habits, emotional & binge eating, weight gain & loss.  All we can do is our best (and forget the rest).  Any steps we take towards a more active and healthier lifestyle, that's something.  We're making a difference.  We're setting an example - and we're showing that while it's not easy, it's necessary.

This experience solidified that I am doing exactly what I should be doing, as a Beachbody coach.  I know, without a doubt, that I have supported, inspired & motivated people.  I have helped changed lives...and I will continue to do so - as a Beachbody Coach, a TurboKick Instructor, and a Health Coach - and whatever else is in store for me in my journey to "change lives across this great country of ours".

A reflection on yesterday & today...

While reflecting on what Memorial Day means to me, I found myself giving thanks for all that I have today, due to the hardships & lives lost in years past, fighting for what we all enjoy as our Freedom as Americans.  While that should have been my only thinking today, I found myself also thinking about these last few days.  If you want to skip to where I get to the point of my rambling, skip to the blue paragraphs.

I didn't post to my blog yesterday because it was my daughter's 6th birthday.  She had a great day.  Josh took Lexi & Ashelyn to the pool in the morning, and we had some great friends over for a BBQ.  We ended the night with some cheap fireworks from the store - but the kids loved it.  Wish I had a picture of my girls and our friends' kids all lined up along the bottom of our driveway, watching the display.  It lasted all of five minutes, but they were so excited to see it.  It's the little things.

Yesterday I really was very lax on my eating.  I had pancakes with my kids in the morning, didn't really have much for lunch, had a salad with Morningstar burger for dinner.  I had angel food cake with berries and whipped cream....and had cake later in the night.  Also - beer!  I felt kind of yuck when I woke up this morning.  I was up more than half the night because I couldn't sleep.  When I got up in the morning, my back was hurting pretty badly - mainly due to being on my feet prepping food yesterday, and the poor eating, I'm sure.

Back to my reflection.  Even though I had a few indulgences yesterday, it was spread throughout the day, while I had healthier options added in.  I did not feel guilty about "cheating" or messing up my nutritional plan.

Today, however, was different.  I started my day with a Shakeology with added kale.  KK spit it out but Ashelyn loved it.  I was satisfied for a few hours, and did not eat lunch until we came home from the pool.  I made another southwest salad (from leftovers) - YUM!  however, after that, I got back into Lexi's cake.  It had melted so I ended up throwing it away, but not before I took several bites *and* had a leftover cupcake.  Totally unnecessary - and beyond the point of "all things in moderation", that's for sure.

That leads me to my whole point - following the novel I just wrote.  After I had the sugary foods this afternoon, I felt awful.  Sleepy, slow, bloated & irritable.  Also, a little queasy.  My stomach hurt (didn't help that I was out in the blazing sun for a few hours at the pool this morning) and I wanted to curl up into a ball and go to sleep.  Instead I tried to sit down and study.  That was almost a joke.  I kept falling asleep while listening to one of my fundamentals.  Now, if I had skipped the sugary, processed dessert food - and maybe have opted for a Larabar or fruit, since I clearly wanted something sweet, I'd have had much more energy to devote to my studies and to my entire afternoon without that sugar crash that I experienced.  I know that when I avoid those foods, my energy stays level.  My blood sugar levels don't spike then crash, leaving me feeling exhausted.

I am really looking forward to documenting how I feel both with and without sugar.  I would like to avoid refined sugar as much as my emotions will allow without losing control and going on a binge (which is why I still have those sweets sometimes...I am just terrified of too much restriction which will lead me to lose control of my decisions with food).  I do know that today was a very disappointing day.  Not only did I get very tired and experience that crash...but I also felt an almost immediate bloat right to my stomach.

Listening to Michael Pollan this afternoon during one of my Institute for Integrative Nutrition fundamentals, I stopped to think about some of my misconceptions and my attitudes towards things I accept as truth and commonplace from the industry leaders, media, etc in terms of dietary supplements, nutrients, and whole foods.  More to come on that later.  I think I have kept you all long enough tonight with this essay that seems to be jumping all over the place...

Thanks for reading.  Once again, I appreciate your support, your love, and the motivation you all give me to keep sharing.  I hope you will continue on this journey with me - through Summit, and through my time at IIN.

Countdown to Summit ~ 18 days

18 days...whoa!  Okay, so clearly I am not going to be a hot mama in 18 days, but hey...I'll see what I can do.  I am feeling fairly confident that I can start to workout again soon.  I may take it easy this week, see how it goes with Turbo on Thursday, and go from there.  If I feel like I can get at least one workout in prior, I will.  My back is still pretty sore and I am afraid of triggering the strain again.  Amazing how much that strain affected me.  I am really nursing it back.  I found out that trying to workout too soon just hurt it all over again.

Today flew by.  We all went to Lexi's lacrosse game this morning which was fun...but I had to leave early for work.  I love working for Brad's.  It's so fun to talk to so many different and diverse people while I am giving out samples.  I met some really great people today.  I love working at Wegmans because I can go shopping when I am through working.  I got cupcakes and a small cake for Lexi's birthday tomorrow (Oh my gosh my girl is turning 6!!!) and some awesome dinner (garlic parmesan tilapia).  Tomorrow will be all about eating (a lot) and beer.  Fun, friends & cupcakes!

I've been thinking a lot about some of the friends that I have either met recently, reconnected with, or have grown closer with though Beachbody and working out.  It's pretty amazing how many people are changing their lives with Beachbody programs.  I know people all over the country...all over the world, really...are pushing play every day.  But just in my circle of friends, the people I am growing closer with, I am so excited to see how they are changing, seeing their enthusiasm, and seeing how they, in turn, are inspiring & motivating others.  I really love being a Beachbody coach!!

Onto the journal for the day...

~ Breakfast: Shakeology w/8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk & 6 oz water
~ Lunch: none (I was at work)
~ Dinner: garlic parmesan tilapia, corn on the cob & salad w/garlic parmesan pita chips
~ Snack: Kind bar & pistachios (I was pretty hungry at night after not eating lunch)

~ Water: about 100 oz
~ No workout

Breakfast ~ Shakeology (only half shaken) and water

Dinner ~ tilapia, corn & salad with water

And just for some cuteness, the soon-to-be birthday girl in her lacrosse tee

Countdown to Summit ~ 19 Days

19 days and counting!

Okay, so today was about indulgence.  I definitely went overboard on the food, but hey, it's all good.  I figure I'll be pretty good tomorrow since I have to work...and Sunday is Lexi's party (OMG 6?  Really???) so I know I'll be having some indulgences then as well.  If I can keep it to a minimum, I will be happy!

I felt pretty tired again today.  Kind of off.  My back was bothering me for about half of the day, from when I woke up until this afternoon so I needed to take 2 of my Motrin.  I ended up resting a few times and just trying to kind of take it easy.  Lexi had a birthday party this evening, so we went to the park for a few hours - that was fun.  And, I went out with a few friends tonight - and it was really great to get out for some *me* time.  Other than that, nothing else to report.

Food journal...

~ Breakfast: Shakeology with 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk

~ Snack: 2 handfuls kettle corn (I couldn't resist when I was giving it to my girls.  Oops!)

~ Lunch: big bowl of fruit - small banana, 1/2 apple, blueberries & strawberries with 1/4 cup granola
~ Dinner: Shakeology with 6 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk, ice, water, 2T PB2 and 2 medium kale leaves - blended
~ Bar: 2 Bud Light Lime, bruschetta, crab dip w/bread (hello bloat tomorrow AM!)
~ Water: 75 oz or so

~ No workout

Pictures!

Breakfast ~ Shakeology

Snack ~ Kettle corn

Lunch ~ mixed fruit & granola

Dinner ~ Shakeology w/kale

Countdown to Summit ~ 20 days!

Here's day 2 of my countdown to Summit blog posts.  Countdown: 20 days!

I'll keep it to a minimum tonight.  I am sore - my back is hurting (although not acute, thankfully) after practicing Turbo yesterday.  I took my Motrin 2x today, and slathered on the Tiger Balm.  I tried to add an Icy Hot patch before TurboKick class tonight but it wouldn't stick because of the Tiger Balm.  Oops!  That was a waste.

I also felt some cravings today.  Mainly it was when I was giving my girls their snack & dinner.  Kettle corn for snack, and cinnamon toast for dinner.  Also, I have been thinking about cake all day.  Must be because I need to make one for this weekend for Lexi's 6th birthday...(or just because I love cake and I want some!!)  Also, I have felt a little more tired today.  I was yawning early in the day.  I think that rough night of sleep a few nights ago caught up with me.  I laid down today when my girls were napping and it felt great to rest.  I tried not to worry about the fact that there were other things I should have been doing instead of nothing at all.

Regardless, I had a decent day, although not very balanced (hello, chocolate!).

Here's my journal:

~ Breakfast: Shakeology with 6 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/3 frozen banana, 2 kale leaves, 1T PB2 (powdered peanut butter), chocolate Shakeology, ice & water - blended.
~ Lunch: mixed greens with cucumber, crunchy sprouts, mock-tuna salad & raw sunflower seeds w/Bragg's healthy vinaigrette and sliced tomatoes w/red onions & Bragg's.
~ Dinner: Shakeology with 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk

~ Snack: Larabar
~ Water: over 100 oz.
~ Workout: TurboKick class - 1 hour - 602 calories.  That was a SWEAT fest tonight!!  So much fun!

And...pictures...

Breakfast ~ Shakeology #1 of the day

Lunch ~ mock-tuna salad w/greens; tomato & red onion salad

Dinner ~ Shakeology #2 of the day (prior to Turbo)

Snack ~ Larabar...YUM!

Post-TurboKick picture, an hour after class ended

My shirt was soaked!

The Countdown to Summit

The Countdown to Summit...

I figure one way to keep myself accountable between now & Summit, especially since I can't complete those 30 days of Asylum due to my strained back (which I am hoping like heck is now on the mend), is to blog daily between now & then.

I really want to look and *feel* my best for that amazing weekend.  I'll be with my incredible husband for 4 days without kids.  I will be seeing friends that I have never seen in person before, but have only *met* on Facebook...like my dear friend Jaime.  I'll be completing crazy workouts with some of Beachbody's phenomenal trainers.  I need to be healthy & energetic...and have some serious stamina.

Since I have been pretty much laid up for the past three weeks, it's going to take some serious work and willpower to get back on track and stay there for the next few weeks.

The countdown starts now... 21 days and counting... That's 3 weeks.  3 weeks of eating cleanly and working out comfortably as my body (and my back) will allow.  Can I do this?  Are you ready to help keep me accountable?  If you don't see a blog post from me on any given day - call me out on Facebook and ask me why I didn't post.  Ask me about my meals that day.  Please help me to be honest and forthcoming each day for the next 3 weeks.  I need your help!

There's so much more I want to write about on the heels of my post from the other day.  So many things I left out in my haste to post before I lost my nerve.  All in due time, I guess.  I hope you will walk with me and join me on this new journey of self discovery and emotional healing.

As always, thank you so much for your continued support.  Now, onto my food journal and diary for today!

Diary:I feel AWESOME today.  Well, a little bloated, but otherwise, awesome.  My energy has been high all day.  I yawned one time - at 7:30 PM - and that's really because I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night.  I never felt tired, sluggish or antsy, agitated, or hyper today.  Do you want to guess why?  VERY limited refined sugar.  It really is amazing how I feel when I am not loading my body with processed foods and sugars.  I took some time to slow down my thinking and be more in the moment instead of constantly thinking of the next thing I have to do.  It's really interesting how much more calm it made me.  I also connected with a good friend today and it felt great to talk with her.

Food Journal:
~ Breakfast: Shakeology with 8 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk, water, ice, 1/2 frozen banana and 2 large kale leaves.
~ Lunch: Mixed greens with Missy Costello's mock-tuna (chiackpea) salad, crunchy sprouts & raw sunflower seeds
~ Snack: 1/2 apple, sliced and 1.5T natural peanut butter
~ Dinner: strawberry salad with dried unsweetened cherries, pecans & red onion, Trader Joe's cranberry gorgonzola dressing
~ Snack: Kind bar
~ Water: about 100 oz
~ Workout: I was able to workout today!  ::HAPPY DANCE::  my back pain was subtle when I woke up this morning but for most of the day, it was nearly non-existent.  I did a modified round of TurboKick practice and felt great during & after.  I am ELATED...and I hope this means that I am at the end of this cycle of pain.

Pictures!!

Breakfast ~ Shakeology (I was running out the door)

Lunch ~ mixed greens w/mock tuna salad, sunflower seeds, sprouts

Snack ~ apple slices with peanut butter

Dinner ~ strawberry salad w/pecans, dried cherries, TJ's dressing

Snack ~ KIND bar (my favorite!!)

Accountability...and an apology

Thank you for visiting my blog - to new viewers and returning friends - I appreciate all of your support!

This post has been brewing in me for a LONG time.  It's about time I put it out there. The apology is because I have only posted once in almost 4 months.  I felt like I let people down - the people who were following my blog when I was doing my vegan cleanse in January.  It all ended abruptly after day 24.  Once I felt like I could start talking about what happened, I was really just too embarrassed to post.  I felt guilty and confused.

So, here we are.  Nearing the end of May.  And finally, an explanation.

Towards the end of January I found myself slipping with my nutrition.  After 24 days of no sugar, I had something (I don't even remember what it was) with sugar in it and it took on a snowball effect.  I went into a month-long frenzy.  I could not figure out why I was eating out of control and what was going on.  I was trying to rationalize it.  I thought whatever was going on with me, that I could just force it away...that I could deal with it.  It took me awhile to realize that I could not "fix it" on my own.  I sought help - I talked to friends, shared my overwhelming feelings...looked for support in other Beachbody coaches and close friends.  I pulled motivation from wherever I could.  I also sought professional help.  With medication and therapy, I came to understand that what I thought might be a binge eating disorder was really more of an emotional eating disorder.  I was letting my emotions control me, and to fight that, to redirect my anger and my sadness, I was turning towards food.  Why let outside factors control my emotions when I could create anger and bitterness towards MYSELF.  After all, I was the one controlling the food that went in my mouth.  I'm grateful that my therapy sessions have helped me make great strides in working through specific emotional issues and have allowed me to work on healing, forgiving, and letting go of things that I cannot control.

Fast forward...I felt this starting to happen again over the past couple of weeks.  It felt like I was being hit with emotional triggers from all sides - family drama, an injury that has kept me from being able to workout for nearly three weeks now, my husband traveling a lot for work which has left me home without much *me* time.  Writing it out, it seems like it's really not anything we can;t all handle appropriately, but to me - someone who clearly has trouble dealing with emotions - it's been a rough few weeks.  This time, though, even though it took a few days, I was able to see the pattern repeating and I pulled myself out of it.  I leaned on friends and a wonderful support group that I am part of on Facebook and it's helped me to regain control of my emotions and my eating before I slipped into "the trenches" as I call it.

I have found that I cannot just eat as cleanly as I want to.  At least not yet.  Restricting certain foods (sugar, dairy, chocolate, etc) is not something I can do comfortably without a fear of binge eating on those foods when I crave them.  So, instead of removing those foods from my diet, I have been following more of a "crowding out" method.  I work on adding more things into my diet - like more veggies, more water, more greens.  When I add in more of those things, I find that I don't gravitate to the sugary foods as often.  I still have them - but I don't binge on them.  I don't sneak them.  I have a little bit, then I move on.  It's what seems to work for me (when I try, that is).

That leads me to the accountability portion of this novel of a post.  I am going to work at posting daily again - or at least more often.  I'm going to post my meals, my daily activities and my thoughts/feelings/emotions.  I think that by sharing with anyone who reads my blog, it will keep me accountable to someone out there.

I'll admit, I wanted to eat pizza tonight.  I was talking myself into it.  "It's okay.  You've eaten so well today.  What's one slice?"  But then I thought about my pictures.  I would have rather posted a healthier dinner picture than pizza.  I'm not saying that I will never choose pizza over a healthier option.  Just not today.


Breakfast...
Green protein smoothie - 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup crushed ice, 1tsp chia seeds, 2T vanilla hemp protein powder, 1/2 frozen banana, a few frozen strawberries, a handful of baby spinach.  Blended it all together - and it not only filled me up all morning, but it gave me quite a bit of energy too.

Lunch...
Chopped veggies (carrots, celery, purple cabbage, radishes, etc) with 1T Vegenaise, a few shakes of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, 1.5T raw sunflower seeds, 1T feta and some sprouts

Snack...
Homemade snack bar (dates, raw almonds & cashews, chia seeds, dried cherries, non-dairy mini chocolate chips)

Dinner...
Salad w/mixed greens, purple cabbage, red onion, corn, sprouts, Bragg's Healthy Vinaigrette and chopped Morningstar black bean burger.

About 100 oz water today; and no workouts (due to strained back)

Breakfast ~ Green Smoothie

Lunch ~ Chopped veggie salad

Snack ~ Homemade snack bar

Dinner ~ Salad w/Morningstar black bean burger

KK pushed her pizza away, took my salad and said "This is mine."

A love letter to myself, on Valentine's Day

Hi everyone!  Before I post about what happened at the end of my vegan cleanse - and catch you up on what's been going on since (it's a lot to talk about and I am still working through a lot of emotions & feelings), I'll share something that I think is important for me, in terms of healing and moving forward.

I borrowed this idea from a group that I am a part of on Facebook.  What an incredible idea it was.  At first I thought, I can't do this.  But then after some contemplation, I thought maybe I'd try it out.

This means a LOT to me as I have been feeling very down recently...thanks so much for reading.

~ A Love Letter To Debi ~
Dear Debi,

You are a sensitive, compassionate, empathetic soul.  You give so much of yourself to help others, whether it be through your volunteer work or via your Beachbody coaching.  You have changed lives, you've made so many people smile, and at the end of the the day, there are people who love you deeply.

Your true friends care about you more than you know.  They stand behind you no matter what you are going through - and they do not think any less of you for your faults.  They will always be there to love you, to listen and to lend an ear.  You can lean on them, let them help you when you need it.  Let them support you when you need help climbing out of the trenches.  They love you.

Your family is your life.  You have the most incredible caring, thoughtful, loving and patient (well, sometimes) husband.  Your girls are angels sent from Heaven.  Sure they make you crazy pretty much every single day, but think about those rare moments.  Remember when Korinne crawled up into you lap tonight and laid her head on your chest?  remember when she gave you kisses after dinner?  Remember when Ashelyn gave you not one,  not two, but three kisses at dinner time tonight and then flashed that beautiful smile that's only hers?  How about when Lexi came home with her bag full of Valentines after school today.  What did she color on her bag?  I love Mommy.  Everything she colors, she writes I love Mommy.  Those girls love you more than anything in this whole world.

You wear your heart on your sleeve, you share yourself openly and without hesitation.  You will continue to inspire, motivate and reach out to people for many years to come.  You WILL overcome the hard times that you are currently experiencing.  You WILL rise above and be the mother, wife, friend and leader that you know you can become.

Love yourself, accept yourself and keep sharing yourself with others.

Love,

Debi

Day 25 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

~ Day 25 ~ 

And today, friends, was not a great day.  It was a weird day - I did not feel well in the morning, so I didn't eat anything until the afternoon, at which point I was really hungry and ate too much.  Moving on...

So - in order to squelch my frustration of how today played out, I will post dinner...

I made some seriously good vegan nachos tonight!!!

1/2 bag of salt free, organic Blue Corn tortilla chips
1/3 package of tempeh with flax

1/4 packet Trader Joe's taco seasoning (dry)
1/2 cup water
sliced red onion

sliced yellow & orange peppers
1/2 cup Amy's brand organic refried black beans
2 T Wayfare brand Mexi-Cheddar "cheese" sauce

I heated the refried beans and added them to the chips on a baking sheet.  I sauteed the onions and peppers in a little bit of olive oil.  While those were sauteeing, I added the taco seasoning (and I only used 1/4 packet because that stuff packs a punch, for real!) and water - whisked it until mixed, then added the tempeh to the mixing bowl.  Once the tempeh was covered with the taco seasoning, I added that mixture to the onions & peppers on the stove.  I let it all cook together for a few minutes then removed from the heat.  I used a slotted spoon so any liquid would remain in the pan and not go on the nachos.  I added the onions, peppers and tempeh to the nachos and topped it with the "cheese" sauce.  Baked at 400 for about 8 minutes and added chopped lettuce.  Voila!  :o)

Day 24 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

~ Day 24 ~ 

Today was a FUN day!  There was no school (in-service day for teachers) so the girls and I had a lot of fun.  I started the morning by making "Puffins" for the girls.  Ashelyn named them Puffins because they are pancakes made in muffin molds ("P" for pancake and "uffin" for muffin).  All I did was mix up a double batch of pancake mix, added about 1/3 cup organic pureed pumpkin, a sprinkle of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and about 1/4 cup non-dairy mini chocolate chips, then I sprinkled pink decorative sugar on top before baking.  I divided this mixture between a mini muffin pan (made 12 mini muffins) and 9 heart shaped cupcake molds.  Baked the mini muffins at 375 for 12 minutes and the heart shaped muffins at 375 for 25 minutes.  They LOVED them!  We also did a craft, watched a movie, read books, played princesses...it was a fun day - all in our pajamas!

Ashelyn calls them "Puffins" ~ so cute!

My breakfast this morning was savory and REALLY good, not to mention pretty pleasing to the eye.  I made 1/4 cup steel cut oats with 1/2 cup water.  While that was cooking, I sauteed chopped red onion, sweet potato (diced very small) and zucchini (diced small) in evoo with herbs.  I also chopped one kale leaf and added that to the pan for a minute.  When the veggies were cooked, I tossed them into the steel cut oats and mixed it, then topped with a sprinkle of organic mixed herbs.

Breakfast - so bright and colorful first thing in the morning.

Today was a much needed rest day from Insanity.  I did want to do a little something so I ran up and down the stairs ten times.  Sounds kind of odd - but let me tell you by the 8th time up I was panting and my quads were screaming.  Haha!

Food for the day:

Breakfast: 1/4 cup steel cut oats; sauteed onion, sweet potato. zucchini & kale in evoo with herbs
Snack: Kale crisps

Lunch: tomato & onion salad with Braggs vinaigrette; brown rice wrap with 1/2 cup organic refried black beans, 1T Wayfare "mexi-cheddar cheese", lettuce & sprouts
Snack: kale crisps
Dinner: chopped veggie salad w/Braggs vinaigrette, lentil black olive burger and kale crisp crumbs (yes, I will not waste crumbs so I put them on my salad); bowl of curried cauliflower soup
Snack: Larabar (Carrot Cake)

Lunch ~ brown rice wrap and tomato & onion salad

Making the curried cauliflower soup - sauteing apples, onions, garlic & curry powder

Added the veggie broth and cauliflower - then simmered, covered.

Dinner - salad with lentil olive burger on top and curried cauliflower soup.

ChaLEAN Extreme program sale until January 31st!

ChaLEAN Extreme

This is the program that helped me get to where I am today in terms of my fitness and muscle definition.

I love this program because the workouts are **SHORTER** than P90X (I love P90X, don't get me wrong, but I am a busy Mommy and sometimes I need shorter workouts).  Most of the workouts are around 35 minutes or less and the cardio are only slightly longer, but under 45 minutes.

Another thing I really like about this program is that Chalene will have us working our legs and arms at the same time - so we'll do squats while doing a shoulder press or bicep curls.  It's an incredible full body workout which consists of three phases: a Burn circuit, a Puch circuit and a Lean circuit.  There are also cardio workouts that are included in the weekly rotation.  

This entire 90 day fitness program can be completed with a set of resistance bands, or with dumbbells.

The basis of ChaLEAN Extreme is "Muscle Burns Fat".  The more muscle we build (and you *WILL* build muscle with this program), the more fat we burn, the more defined we become, and our metabolism shoots upwards as well. 

Along with the workout programs, you will get:
~ an Audio CD from Chalene which provides her incredible motivational tips
~ a DVD with lots of good kitchen tips
~ a Nutritional guide to help plan meals during the program
~ program Guidebook
~ toning band
~ resistance band
~ body fat tester.

I started recommeding this program to many of my Mommy friends and I have heard many very positive testimonials! 

ChaLEAN Extreme and the deluxe upgrades are on sale until January 31st.  This is the BEST time to take advantage of these workouts as we will likely not see a sale on this program again this year.

To purchase or review ChaLEAN Extreme for $89.95 (instead of $119.95), please click this link: ChaLEAN Extreme Program

Already have ChaLEAN Extreme?  Consider purchasing one of the Deluxe upgrade programs!!

7 Deluxe workouts including: Fat Burn Challenge, Get Lean Intervals, I've Got Abs, Lower Body Extreme Zone, Extreme Core Circuit, Extreme Intervals & Dynamic Flow Yoga.  Click this link for more info: ChaLEAN Deluxe upgrade program ~ 7 additional Extreme workouts

4 Deluxe workouts including: Lower Body Extreme Zone, Extreme Core Circuit, Extreme Intervals & Dynamic Flow Yoga.  Click this link for more info: ChaLEAN Deluxe upgrade program ~ 4 additional Extreme workouts

Day 23 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

~ Day 23 ~ 

7 more days?  Really - that's it?  What's next?
Guess you'll have to stay tuned!

Get ready for a little TMI.  I definitely ate too much yesterday so I am a bit bloated today.  In addition, my stomach feels distressed.  I'll stop there.  I am just really uncomfortable today.  Not sure what other diet changes I should be making in order to alleviate some of the stomach distress - I cut out most pasta last week, aside from brown rice - maybe I had too much rice because I did have several brown rice cakes with nut butter last week, as well as quite a few meals with cooked brown rice.

I need to do some meal planning this week so I can see what I have in front of me - and then find balance by adding in salads and more veggies, both raw and cooked.  If you have any suggestions for me, please send them my way!

I am still working my way through a range of emotions which change day by day.  One day I will feel incredible, happy, positive and energetic.  Other days I feel moody, irritable and somewhat frustrated.  I doubt much of that is related to the cleanse...but it affects the food decisions I make each day.  One more reason for meal planning - to take the thought and emotion out of eating.

Okay - well, that was not the most positive post from me today.
Onto the food for the day...

Breakfast ~ sweet potato mash with chopped apple, raw pecans and cinnamon
Lunch ~ Protein shake: 10 oz unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 2T vanilla hemp powder, 1 tsp maca powder, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, large handful raw baby spinach; kale crisps
Snack ~ chopped lettuce topped with chopped veggies, 1/2T vegenaise, 1T raw pumpkin seeds; Brad's raw roasted red pepper chips
Dinner ~ lentil black olive burger served over chopped lettuce with 1/2T Wayfare "cheddar cheese", leftover brussels sprouts with "cheese" sauce, leftover red skinned mashed potatoes
Snack ~ Larabar (carrot cake) Oh how I have missed you!!
Water ~ 100 oz

Workout ~ Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Pictures of the Lentil & Black Olive burgers:

Getting ready to make the burgers.

The veggies are sauteed & pureed with the lentils; olives added.

Recipe made 6 burgers; after baking in over for 30 minutes.

Dinner ~ YUMM-O!!

Day 22 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

~ Day 22 ~

Today was a tougher day.  Started out great but because I was running errands all morning and into early afternoon, I didn't eat a lot during the day...so, naturally, I was really hungry at night.  Ah well, tomorrow I will work on balance.  Hey, at least I stuck with my goal of not having any Larabars this week!  Although, I did eat after 8 PM a few nights (like tonight).

I took Lexi for a ride out to Wegmans today (LOVE that place!!!)  She was super excited because they were serving cake in the lobby so she got to have a small piece.  We drove out there to meet Brad & Jaime from Brad's Raw Chips.  Brad is the creator of the kale crisps that I talk about nonstop (yes, I do have a love affair with those crisps).  Please visit his site to learn more about him and why he created these raw food snacks.  He's a really great guy and his products ROCK.  Brad's Raw Chips  His products can be found locally at Wegmans, Whole Foods, The Health Concern (Towson) and My Organic Market (Jessup).  It was really nice to talk with Brad & Jaime.  I hope to be able to help them promote their products here in Maryland.

After we left Wegmans, we rushed home, dropped off some groceries (and more Brad's kale crisps) and then ran to soccer practice.  Lexi had a lot of fun today.  I really wish I had her energy sometimes.  She's such a happy, enthusiastic little girl.

I switched up my workout today.  I was supposed to do Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance but I opted for Insanity Upper Body Weight Training.  Only Shaun T can take something like upper body resistance and make it so freakin' hard - with cardio added in.  I really think he might be trying to kill me.  After all, he said it himself..."My goal is not to kill you.  My goal is for you to kill yourself."  Whew!

Here's my food for the day...
Breakfast ~ chopped veggies, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1T vegenaise
Snack ~ kale crisps, celery sticks, 10 raw almonds
Snack ~ Protein shake: 12 oz. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 2 handfuls spinach, 2T vanilla hemp powder, 1.5 tsp maca powder
Snack ~ Kale crisps
Dinner ~ (big dinner!) steamed brussels sprouts & braised balsamic asparagus both with "cheddar cheese" sauce; mashed red potatoes with nutritional yeast, veggie broth and herbs; 1/2 cup brown rice with tamari, mushrooms, and onions.
Snack ~ granola, strawberries, cherries and Almond Breeze

Breakfast

Dinner ~ YUM!!  :o)

Day 21 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

~ Day 21 ~

Today was MASSIVE SNACK ATTACK!!

Seriously.  It has to be these workouts.  Well, and part mental too I'm sure...but geesh,  I was eating ALL day today!  I think I ate more than an athletic teenage boy would.  I had been holding that bag of gluten free granola in the pantry for a few weeks - unopened.  But, today I opened it and added it to fruit and unsweetened vanilla almond milk...and let me tell you, after three weeks of no sweets, this was like dessert to me.  It was AWESOME!


I really have nothing else to report today - except it's cold...Brr!

Get ready for this - no doubt this is my biggest eating day since starting the cleanse 21 days ago...

Breakfast ~ 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/3 cup chick peas, chopped veggies, 1T vegenaise, sprinkle of 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's.
Snack ~ Protein Shake: 10 oz unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 2 handfuls baby spinach, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 1.5 tsp maca powder, 2T vanilla hemp powder
Lunch ~ sweet potato tempeh stew, kale crisps
Snack ~ kale crisps, roasted red pepper crisps w/Wayfare "cheddar" spread
Snack ~ 1/3 cup Udi's gluten free granola, blueberries, strawberries, cherries and a splash of Almond Breeze.
Dinner ~ Mashed sweet potato, 1/2 chopped apple, raw cashews & cinnamon
Snack ~ 2 brown rice cakes with 2T natural peanut butter
Workout ~ Insanity Cardio Recovery
Water ~ 100 oz.

Whew - that's a LOT of food!!  Too much, actually.  Tomorrow, I need to reel it in with the food and step up my workout, for sure.

It's a fun change to have veggies for breakfast!

Protein shake!

SO GOOD!!  YUM!  :o)

Day 20 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

Day 20!  Really?  Already?

Today was more sunshine & butterflies.  I woke up feeling happy, positive and refreshed.  I have been sleeping much better since starting the cleanse.  I heard that might happen and I was skeptical.  One more good reason to keep going!

Everyone was still sleeping when I woke up, so I came downstairs, made the girls' lunch & snacks, had my hot lemon water...and while I was drinking that, I looked out the window and watched the sunrise while reflecting on how blessed I am to have such a wonderful network of family, friends and acquaintances who push me to be a better me.  I have made great strides this month, not just in terms of my nutrition but also personally.  I am calming down, becoming more aware of those around me, becoming more patient, and am appreciating those I love...much more now than I was before.  My girls have noticed a positive change in mommy's attitude too.  It's really an incredible feeling.

When I looked in the mirror this morning, bedhead and all, I was surprised and really very happy with the person I saw looking back at me.  At first, I didn't quite recognize myself.  My skin is looking smoother and my eyes are clearer & brighter.   My body is looking leaner and much less jiggly.  Best of all, though, is I look HAPPIER.  You know when you can look at a person and even though they have a neutral expression on their face, you can still sense their mood?  I could see happiness radiating from me.  This, my friends, is HUGE. 

Not a great eating day.  I was REALLY hungry again (Insanity will do that).  I had too much peanut butter and too many kale crisps so I need to make sure tomorrow is more balanced.

Breakfast: Gluten Free waffle with 1T natural Peanut Butter and 2 sliced strawberries
Snack: Protein shake ~ 10 oz. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 2T vanilla hemp powder, 1.5 tsp maca powder, 2 handfuls spinach
Lunch: Chopped veggie salad with 1T Braggs vinaigrette and chick pea burger
Snack: Kale crisps (a lot!)
Dinner: baked sweet potato, plain
Post workout: 8 oz Kombucha
Snack: 2 brown rice cakes w/1.5T natural peanut butter

Water: 130+ oz
Workouts: Insanity Cardio Abs & TurboKick class (484 calories burned during class)

Sorry, no pictures today.  Tomorrow....for sure.  :o)

Day 19 ~ 30 Day Vegan Cleanse

~ Day 19 ~

I can't believe the cleanse is going to be coming to an end soon.  Well, not that soon...but soon enough that it's starting to weigh on my mind a bit.  I have been spending quite a bit of time thinking about what I will do next.  Will I begin to add in foods that I have been avoiding all month?  Gluten?  Dairy?  Chocolate?  Shakeology?  Will I continue on with what I am doing right now - while still avoiding things that other vegans eat (i.e. not restricted from the cleanse)?  I guess it's been weighing more heavily on my brain than I thought, because last night I had some pretty strange dreams.  One of my goals this week was to not have any Larabars.  In my dream, I went on a food binge and I ate a Larabar...then another...then a muffin...then chocolate..and who knows what else.  I woke up this morning wondering at first if I really had a Larabar...then feeling frustrated that I dreamed about all of that food.  I suppose that's to be expected when a person goes from eating a diet which includes sugar and refined & processed foods to whole, clean foods.  I do miss some of these foods, but I think it's more subconscious than anything right now...although ask me later and I might get cranky with you and tell you I want chocolate.

Lexi came bouncing out of school today talking about Pizza Night.  Yikes, what's this all about?  She told me she had a sticker and a note because it was Family Pizza Night.  Sure enough, in her folder was a flier for a school fundraiser at Pizza Hut tonight.  And, because the flier is not enough, they stuck stickers on the kids' shirts.  Really.  How I am supposed to try and talk a 5 year old out of Family Pizza Night? ARGH!  I ordered for carry out - at least that way I could avoid the restaurant.  But the second I walked into the store, my stomach growled and I wanted pizza - like REALLY wanted pizza.  Then, I had to smell it in the car the whole way home.  And I could picture myself EATING that pizza.  But, I came home, got the kids some fruits & veggies - which they had to eat before their pizza.  Then I asked Josh to please give them the pizza after I left the kitchen.  I went downstairs and did my Insanity workout - then the pizza cravings were totally gone.  Whew!  Saved by Insanity.

A funny thing happened this morning.  I opted for the mashed sweet potato and apple with cinnamon for breakfast and because I had the maple syrup out for my girls' pancakes, I drizzled a small amount onto my mash.  It was maybe a teaspoon.  The first taste was odd.  It was almost like a foreign substance - sounds weird, right?  As a sugar fiend, it was really interesting for me to taste the syrup and think "whoa, that's strong!"  That gives me hope that once I complete this cleanse and continue on with whatever nutritional plan I choose to follow - and at some point allow myself to have foods with sugar (whether it be an alternative like sucanat, turbinado, etc or straight up sugar) that I will reel it in big time and only have a very small amount (or decide to have none at all) instead of going off on some crazy sugar binge.

Well - that was an interesting blog post today, wasn't it.  Pretty introspective, I guess!

My food today:

Breakfast ~ Mashed sweet potato with 1/2 chopped apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup

Lunch ~ chopped veggies (radish, celery, cuke, peppers) and 1/4 cup chick peas with 1T vegenaise and 1T raw pumpkin seeds; chick pea veggie burger over chopped lettuce

Snack ~ Kale crisps

Dinner ~ Salad with 1T Braggs vinaigrette, 2 bowls of Sweet Potato Tempeh stew
Snack ~ 2 organic brown rice cakes with 1.5T raw almond butter

Water ~125+ oz.

Workout ~Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Pictures...just a few of my meals...

Breakfast mash

Lunch - this was SO good!

Dinner! :o)