I felt a little more energetic at the gym this morning so I wanted to make the most of it and get in some good cardio. The past 2 mornings I have been feeling pretty wiped out. Hopefully those days are behind me and my energy is back on the rise.
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I had some questions about Kale Chips!
They are great if you haven't tried them yet.
Let me just tell you a few wonders about kale before we get started.
-LOTS of fiber!
-High in Vitamins A, C and B6
-Also contains folate, manganese and potassium
-Great source of calcium which helps bone density
-Helps keep cholesterol down
-Helps keep you regular (YOU know what I am talking about...)
-And is a powerful antioxidant
Kale is a staple on the Candida Diet. I eat about as much of it and broccoli as I can. Good thing I was already familiar and comfortable with it from my vegan days, so it isn't a foreign food to me.
Kale chips are yummy but also give you some crunch and crispiness to your meal that you may be missing if you aren't having carbs. That is what I have been doing anyways. ;)
It is about the simplest recipe!
KALE CHIPS
Ingredients:
-Kale
-Olive oil or Coconut Oil
-Salt
First wash and dry your kale as much as possible. Rip off the leaves from the stems into medium sized pieces until you have a nice bowl full. You don't want to get the main middle stem in there, it is really tough and you won't enjoy that.
Then sprinkle your oil and a little salt over the top of your kale and massage it into the leaves. Do this until you have covered your leaves and mixed it throughly. You don't need a lot of oil, just enough to get a little on each piece.
Then spread it out on a baking sheet and broil it in the oven watching it closely. It will go faster depending on how close you have your pan to the flame, so times will vary a lot. I usually leave mine in for about 4-5 mins and then pull the pan out and toss the kale around to get an even broiling. Then I put them back in until they are done. Your leaves will start to turn black on bits but that is what you want. Just don't burn ALL of it. You want them to be dry and crumbly when you pop them in your mouth.
They are a great way to fill up your plate and all the fiber gets your jaw going! Again, Ben thought these were pretty good, so maybe YOUR husband will even give them a try. ;)
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Are you pro naps or anti naps???
I usually am against them. I would rather get through the day and focus on going to bed early and getting a solid nights sleep to feel better than chop up my day with a nap. If I DO nap I prefer 20-30 min power nap, otherwise I am a up ALL night! With all my sleepiness of late, I am all about naps right now. I might be feeling one coming on RIGHT now. ;)
Does anyone know where I can find the Biggest Loser finale online to watch!?!
Hulu hasn't posted it yet and neither has CastTV. Those are my go-to's. Maybe I just need to be more patient and they will be up soon?
Thank you for all your comments on the crazy eating adventures. I LOVED reading them all! If you missed out on what I am talking about, you can catch them here and here.
I think it is so interesting to find out the there are so many other people that are dealing with the same kinds of things and learning from eachother is so helpful!
So intersting to find out how many of you were former vegan or vegetarians at one time. It is a TOUGH lifestyle to maintain in the world we live in today. I feel MUCH more normal now thanks to all of you. I am going to go tell Ben. ;)
Now that I have filled you in on how crazy I have to eat right now, I feel like I can post more of what I am eating without anyone freaking out on me. Maybe cause I eat things like this for BREAKFAST.
Broiled salmon and broccoli...
With a HUGE plate of kale chips!
This might LOOK like an enormous meal but veggies don't go that far. I have to eat LOTS and lots of them to get enough to eat.
Just a typical breakfast over here. Ha. So weird right? The first few days it was really weird to wake up and eat stuff like this. I guess I am in the grove now because I am usually so hungry after the gym now I don't even care. What is this coming to!?!
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Yesterday was moving day over here! Ben's parents are now here for real and getting settled in!
For those of you who are totally confused... we have been living in Vance and Christine's house for the 4 years that we have been married. They haven't lived here in this house during that time though because Vance was in the military. They are nice enough to let us bum around with them for a few months until Ben's leaves for his Navy training in October. We are actually excited for all the time we are going to get to spend with them before we move away. They are so laid back and great I have no worries about ANY of this. ;) Vance and Christine are the BEST!
They got here LATE last night and were still up at the crack of dawn to start unloading the truck. Stamina people... they are amazing. I was tired just watching them.
I felt pretty useless with my lack of energy lately, there was no chance I was going to be hauling boxes around. Need I remind you 30 mins on the elliptical was enough cardio for me? Pooped. I would probably have made it inside with one box and the needed a nap. I decided to make myself useful instead by making food. Stick to what your good at right!?!
I am still cleansing the pantry a little so I used up some things that have been kicking around. These were given to me, you KNOW these are totally random for me to have in my cupboard.
But throw in some tortillas, beans and cheese, salsa, chips and fruit... and voila!
Lunch is served.
The boys were especially excited about the IBC Root Beer that was found in the cupboards. I bought it at Christmas for Ben and with all the other goodies around it was forgotten about and pushed to the back of the cupboard. We found it on the perfect day though, everyone worked so hard today!
Funfetti cookies. Nothing fancy but who doesn't love funfetti? It's just fun!
I should have taken a picture of them getting the extra fridge down to the basement. That was a little scary... ah! It made it down with minimal blood shed but that thing isn't EVER coming back up.
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One a sad "Holley your so pathetically WEAK right now note"... I had to have Ben open my jar of coconut oil for me. I haven't had him open a bottle for me in a LONGGGG time. And this was a bottle I have used like 20 times already. Pathetic. I am telling myself I was just to lazy to do it. Ha.
I have been having a hard time sleeping the past couple nights. I don't know if that has anything to do with the Candida diet or not. BETTER not though. I can handle food restrictions but nothing comes between me and my sleep! Crossing my fingers that tonight isn't another restless night again. Boo...
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If you need some new tunes for your workouts and runs check out this giveaway here!
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Would you rather pack UP a house or UNPACK one???
Mmm... so tough. Neither is fun but I am gonna say unpack. As long as I don't have to move those boxes.
When was the last night someone else opened a jar for you?
I am humbled. This might be happening much more often for a while.
Now that you are all clued in on this whole Candida Diet thing, maybe you will notice now that my workouts haven't been as intense lately as they usually are. Remember how I said I was tired a lot? And dare I say it, feel weak sometimes? I eat, don't you worry about that. I think my body is fighting through some things and when you can't have carbs as energy burning up, that changes things for sure. I now realize the full power of carbs!
Anywho, so don't hate because my workout's haven't been up to par. I FEEL like I am getting just as much of a workout because I am totally spent after doing like 1/2 what I usually do. I am listening to my body and not pushing myself nearly as hard. It just feels weird when you are used to doing a lot more.
I really wanted to go to spin today, in fact I had a bike saved and everything. But by the time class came around, I was spent. Hopefully tomorrow!
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Yesterday I headed up to hang out with my mama for the day! Even thought she only lives an hour away from me, it still means I have to plan out a day to make it up there to see her.
I wouldn't MIND if they lived a little closer... hint hint.
I will take what I can get, it's way better than the 15 hour drive I would have to do otherwise.
My mom LOVES to sew. ESPECIALLY quilt. She is a maniac. She has more fabric than she could probably ever make quilts for.
And she keeps buying more. Addiction. We all have our vices.
I really admire being able to sew something up and having that skill on hand. I know the basics and can do
household mending but I need to get these skills honed before my mom isn't close by to teach me anymore.
We have done projects together before but I have been wanting to do a project myself and see if I actually know what I am doing. It is hard for my mom to watch me sew without interfering. I can see her fingers ITCHING and just dying to jump in there and do it herself. The woman loves to sew.
We headed to the store and got some fun fabric! It was actually a pretty good steal, I found some bargins.
I ended up paying $24 with enough fabric to make 2 baby quilts. Not bad! That doesn't count the batting and thread... but my madre is hooking me up with that.
I wanted to start with something SUPER simple incase I ended up being frusterated and wishing I hadn't started the project in the first place.
Wouldn't be the first time that happened... so hence the SMALL baby quilts and the super easy blocks.
Projects are always so much more fun when you have NICE equipment to use! Which may deter me from doing a quilt on my own for a while because it is SO much easier with all my mom's fun toys.
Sometimes me and the sewing maching still get in fights, but it was pretty well behaved yesterday.
It's ALWAYS the machine. NEVER me.
Okay, so it is not ENTIRELY being done myself. She sliced and diced that fabric right up! But mostly because she DEFINETLY couldn't handle to watch me do it and she knows she could do it way faster. I needed NO convincing to let her do that. I may have let her iron a few seams for me too. She WANTED to!
So apparently I got like 3x's as much done as I thought I was going to in one afternoon! So maybe I will be a little more ambitious next time. Better safe that sorry. Better happy than cranky. :)
I always used to tease my mom because she always had threads all over her clothes from sewing. AH!
I really AM becoming my mother!!!
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Do you sew?
Do you make things like quilts and curtains etc or do you make clothes?!?
Do I know you and are you having a baby?
If YES... you MAY be seeing this quilt in a box with your name on it.
Well... I know a LOT of pregnant people, so don't EVERYONE go getting their hopes up. ;)
Hey yall, I've been so crazy-busy I haven't had a chance to tell you about my trip to Austin last month (for the Texas Library Association Conference), so now that I've gotten a chance to catch my breath from all the traveling, here goes!
Author buddies David Levithan, James Dashner, Lauren Myracle, Carrie Ryan, and me after a fun BBQ dinner (there were lots of those in the heart of BBQ land!)...
My new editor-- Francoise Bui! The editor I had for my first six books- Stephanie Lane Elliott-- had a beautiful baby last fall and made a career change, so Delacorte connected me with my new editor, Francoise, who I like very much and who's editing The Jade Notebook with me. (She's in the middle of this pic-- I wish I'd gotten a good one of the two of us together!)
Cool paper mache guitar centerpieces... I think that Texas teens made them for us! Lots of music, art, and tattoos in Austin, I noticed (and BBQ).
And lots of amazing librarians!! Like my fun dinner companions...
Always exciting to hang out with authors I admire... James Dashner is the author of The Maze Runner series-- incredible speculative fiction-- and he's an exceedingly nice guy, I discovered. And we're both interested in parallel universes and the like...
Here are some more great librarian at the signing I did for Star in Forest-- loved their enthusiasm! I have to say that Texas librarians just *exude* enthusiasm-- it was a real joy talking with them all.
At the Random House dinner... more friends, new and old, in the publishing industry... and super-yummy food!
So much laughing and great conversation that night... topics covered included Friday Night Lights (which I have yet to see but apparently everyone at Delacorte is obsessed with), Paul Simon (who I've loved for decades), blueberries vs blackberries (I prefer the latter), and so much more!
It's such a treat to stay in high-up rooms in fancy shmancy hotels that I'd never stay in normally... and to get picked up in a sleek black car-- the very car that Justin Bieber rode in not long before me, as a matter of fact. I'm no pop culture aficionada, but I do know that name.... my driver, apparently did not! He told me he found himself amidst squealing girls at the airport to meet Justin, and that's when he asked another driver standing next to him, "So who is this Justin Bieber guy I'm picking up, anyway?" He said Justin was quite the nice young gentleman, and gave him a $100 tip. (At which point in the story, I started feeling a little bad that regular old authors like me can't swing close to that kinda tip...)
I have more pics from the trip-- pics of my wanderings by the river/lake path and of my agent retreat, but now I have to try to get Lil Dude to understand what "quiet time" means... he's abandoned naps, to my chagrin, but I'm determined to have some kind of siesta-type hour in the day. Wish me luck (today was not successful!)
If you didn't catch my fist post on my crazy eating... fill yourself in here and then this will make a lot more sense.
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So since the end of vegaism my digestion issues have remained the same. Not horrendous but not great either. Just more of putting up and dealing with them. Fast forward to the past week couple weeks though and things started getting worse.
I have been WAITING for our full Navy insurance to kick in so that I could get in to some specialists and see if they could offer me some help on this. After things really started getting even worse I couldn't keep sitting around and waiting though. On a trip to a natural remedy store to pick up some supplements I chatted it up with an employee there who sparked me on something. She mentioned that maybe I should look into a yeast overgrowth. That my symptoms sounded similar to those of people suffering from that problem.
Candida is an overgrowth of the natural yeast we all have in our bodies. Overgrowth can be caused by lots of different things and the yeast manifests itself in different ways for everyone. I only suffer from the digestion issues, thank goodness, that is IF I have this. Apparently Candida is not widely recognized as an issue by all doctors. They tend to pass off the problems associated with it to other issues. Candida is treated by diet. Most people do a cleanse of some sort and then follow a STRICT Candida Diet.
Well you KNOW after doing some research that I was willing to give this a try. Especially after feeling so horrible the past while, waiting another 2 1/2 weeks to see a doctor seemed like an eternity. So first thing in the morning after getting home from our trip from Kansas, I dove head in.
I spent the morning at the library and bookstore reading and gathering info and by the end of the day had my fridge stocked with the foods I was supposed to eat. The only frusteration I have with this is that every resource you find of the topic has it's own opinion of what you should and shouldn't eat and for how long till you move on to the next step. Anything ranging from only living off ginger tea and broth soups for weeks to just cutting things back in moderation but avoiding certain foods. A little confusing right? I tried to get a good range of info and then form something that was manageable for me that was aggressive yet doable.
The main idea is that you don't eat ANY sugars, including fruits. I know a lot of bloggers have been not eating sugar for a week or something, which I have done for 3 months before and I don't think is too bad. Once you get over the hump you stop craving it. But I ate fruit that whole time so that is a different story. Try not having ANYTHING sweet for an unknown amount of time. THAT is rough. Remember this comes from a girl who already lost her tastebuds. Yikes right?
You also cut out starchy vegetables (yams, carrots, potatoes, squash), grains, legumes and nuts as they all feed the yeast that is overgrown in your body until you can get it back down. Then you slowly start to add things back into your diet as you feel you can tolerate it and symptoms do not come back. Some sources said this could take 2 weeks, others said you have to live on a moderate Candida diet for years to manage it. Cross my fingers this just clears up.
So what HAVE I been eating? Any green veggies you can think of and proteins. I can only spice up my cooking with a few choice oils, lemon juice, onions, garlic, ginger and salt and pepper. Those are basically the options. It is testing my creativity but it is going better so far than I thought it would be. This is what I eat 99% of the time but I am also listening to my body. Side effects are feeling fatigued amoung other things and I definetly have been tired this week. They say that can be a by product of yeast dying off but also I think when you cut out so many carbs in your diet you can feel it. A lot of the more moderate diets said rice cakes were okay and they have saved me on several days. I try to keep things like that to a minimum though. I would rather be really hard core for a shorter amount of time and get it cleared up then drag it out.
How do I feel so far? Better! It has been a little over 1 week of eating this way and I can already notice a difference. Now maybe because there is just less food in my body for my digestion to get upset about with eating like this, so time will tell. But for now I feel am improvement. I am hoping as I continue (as least until my doctors appointment) that I continue to see improvement. The main lame thing about this diet is that you can blow all the progess you have made REALLY fast by just eating something you digestion reacts to and then the yeast can grow right back and you are back to where you started. That can happen in 1 meal. Great right? This is a test of stregnth for sure.
Now I KNOW that I am not sure that I have this. But some of the symptoms that I read about seemed unique to this condition and I have been unable to find anything else that matches up with what I have as much.
I don't tell you this because I think you are all dying to know about my personal digestive adventures but more because it will make sense as I post photos of the random things I am eating lately. Not a ton of variety, but I try to make it as interesting as I can.
Also, in my search for finding out what the deal is with me, I have found out how common these kind of issues are for other people and how they have had challenges clearing them up too. I have learned a lot from reading blogs, testimonials and chatting with others. If I can help someone else to find out what is causing them stress and grief I would love to help them.
So there it is! This is as strict as I have EVER eaten before. I have to cook all meals fresh (3 times a day) eat fresh veggies and protein and drink lots of ginger tea. Cooking meals and eating like this takes time in the day and effort. The journey continues though, so we will see how it goes.
I will be posting more photos of what Ben is eating too and what I make for him. Just so you don't get completely bored with all the greenary on my plate and want to poke your eyes out.
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Do you have more questions about Candida or think you might have it?
If you have experience with this PLEASE let me know! I am eager to learn as much as I can. ;) Because heck, if this isn't what I have I am going to go right to the store and load up on treats!!!
WORKOUT: 30 min elliptical 3 min run 45 min weights - shoulders/triceps/abs
After 2 weeks of resting for my Achilles Tendon, I finally tried out a run today. So far so good!
I am going to ice it again today though just to make sure and then give it another try tomorrow! Cross your fingers for me!
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Today's lunch was stir fry with broccoli, onions, garlic, jicama and chicken.
Jicama stir fried is super good.
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On a random note... A cute little boy in front of me in church yesterday turned to his mom and told her I looked like the pretty lady on Ghost Whisperer. Jessica Love Hewitt.
It must have been the hair because I really don't look like her. Either way, I am in LOVE with that kid. ;)
This outfit is full of closet staples. You know those things you have that you know you can always rely on and pull out real quick? Staple skirt, shoes, cardigan, and jewelry made it pretty easy to get dressed today.
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Has anyone ever told you that you look like a celebrity?
In high school people always said Julia Stiles, I had blonde hair back then so that probably had something to
What are you favorite closet staples?
Having great shoes, bottoms and cardigans are the best. Then you can always change it up with fun accessories and tops etc. When you have quality pieces to work around it just makes everything look so much better!
That is what people in my life think already. Well buckle your seat belts folks. Things have gotten a LOT more intense around here.
As I have mentioned before, I am lactose and soy intolerant. I started have stomach/digestion issues about a year and a half ago and since then have been trying to figure them out. I ruled out dairy and soy and it got better... but there were still lingering issues. I got tested for Celiac Disease and that wasn't it either. I went to a couple doctors and was frustrated by the lack of help they provided. After one prescribed me a medication for DEPRESSION, I decided I was done with them.
I love Google like nobodies business. I think it is the greatest resource available. I have searched and searched and SEARCHED the internet for clues of what else could be bothering me or what the deal was.
I looked into the Gerson Therapy and was really impressed by the whole concept. It is best known for curing cancer but has been proven successful in curing a lot of other random ailments as well. If you know anything about it, it is intense. That was way to overwhelming for me. So that is when I started looking into veganism and read a bunch of books on it. Having common traits in avoiding animal products and basing your diet mainly on fresh produce, I felt like going vegan was something I could actually handle and implement in my life.
When I decide things like this I go cold turkey. Ben was a little blind sighted by the whole thing and really... I don't think he thought I was serious. Fear did come over him though in the days and weeks that followed as none of the meals I prepared for dinner broke any of the vegan guidelines. He should know me and my craziness better right? No I had never even been vegetarian before, I just jumped right to vegan. I go big or go home. I didn't put a time frame on how long I would do it. I would do it as long as I felt good and happy with it. But if I felt my body was craving things and I was denying myself of foods I needed to eat, I would stop at any time. I wasn't doing this to prove anything to anyone.
I really enjoyed eating a vegan diet. I stayed with it for 3 months and was never tempted to eat any sort of animal product. I felt completely satisfied and loved fulling my plates with TONS of produce and healthy grains. I thought the transition would be a little hard but there is such a variety of things you can eat and I loved trying new foods and recipes.
I even whipped myself up a vegan birthday cake. Lemon poppyseed cake with raspberry filling and lemon zest frosting. It was AMAZING. You can make anything vegan, just about knowing how.
I learned a lot from being vegan. I became comfortable cooking with lots of ingredients (like quinoa, garbanzo bean flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, aqave, flax seed, etc) and it has really broadened my horizons in the kitchen. It is AMAZING what you can use to substitute things and make things healthier. It's just a matter of knowing what to use and having it on hand.
I also learned a lot about my body and my own personal appetites. Balance between healthy fats, carbs and eating a meal and feeling full and satisfied. I didn't count calories at all when I was on this diet. I decided that I would just eat when I was hungry, until I was satisfied and let my body tell me what it needed. I figured I would have to eat a little more to feel satisfied when cutting out the normal/easy sources of protein in my diet. Did I gain weight over the 3 months? Yes about 6-8 pounds, I wasn't tracking it exactly. I was not THRILLED about that as you can imagine but if it would possibly help heal my body then I was willing to give it a try.
I wish I had blogged then because my salads were really REALLY amazing. I mean... they were huge and full of so much goodness. Salad for lunch was the best meal of the day. Lots of fun grains in them like couscous and quinoa and other yummy healthy fats and veggies. You can see where the poundage came in right? During this time is when I also STOPPED feeling like PB was something I had to stay away from. The calories scared me for a long time so I didn't hardly ever eat it. But since it was a "healthy fat", PB and avocados made a big comeback in my life. I still enjoy those now and I am glad I am not afraid of them anymore. Dinner's were delicious and desserts too! I didn't feel deprived at all on this diet.
What was the difficult part? Eating out and being social with friends. I was used to this already with other meal plans I had followed in the past but it is still something you have to deal with. I found people were pretty interested in learning about and discussing veganism as it came up. I didn't try this diet because I am an activist, though you should watch the documentary "Food Inc" if you are interested in this topic at all. It will either scare the pants off you and change the way you grocery shop. I know people that say, "I would rather not know," and would rather live in ignorance. But really... EVERYONE needs to see this.
I am not saying we all need to be vegan but I think it is crucial that we are all aware of what we are putting into our bodies and how the food we are consuming is being prepared. In a perfect world we should be able to trust that the government is giving us the best quality food available and that it wasn't so focused on making money but you can't take that for granted. I could rant about this film for a LONG time but I will stop for now. If I get lots of comments about it I will go into it more. Maybe it won't change the way you do anything, but at least you will be informed. Please watch it. If you have Netflix it is available on instant que there.
So back to the social aspect... I didn't mind being SUPER limited on eating out because it is always healthier to prepare your own food but I know it was at times frustrating for Ben. It made me quite a downer when he wanted to out for fun or when friends wanted to get together. I felt bad about that so I searched out restaurants that had options I could have. I found a couple of vegan restaurants nearby that were AMAZING. I liked them better than normal ones. Local organic ingredients and everything was plated so pretty and tasted fabulous! So good. They were a little pricier so I am sad I don't have an excuse to splurge on them anymore. :( I know that is no Macaroni Grill or something but I also found that ethnic restaurants like Indian and Thai places had options as well that were more normal for Ben.
How did I feel? I felt fine, I felt good. I actually didn't notice much of a difference either way. Some people say that they felt AMAZING and had all this new energy and their skin improved yadda yadda but I didn't notice a change from how I already felt. I feel this was because my diet was already pretty darn healthy to begin with and that a lot of people who rave about these effects had made a much more substantial dietary change in their lives. Really I just cut out meat, most other changes were minor. I was a little disappointed because I was LOOKING for something noticeable like that. But I did take it as a sign that my body didn't NEED the things I was cutting out because I continued to feel the same as I did with them. For the time being.
But now for the real question, after 3 months of eating vegan did my problems improve??? A little, but it was hit and miss. There was not a consistent pattern of improvement where I could attribute it to anything I was doing. During the 3 months I continued to train hard like I usually do with lots of weight training and cardio and started gearing up for marathon training. During the end of the 3 months I started noticing that I felt I wasn't bouncing back and recovering after my workouts like I usually would. I started feeling a little drained and like my muscles were being broken down during workouts, which is normal, but weren't building back up after like they should be. Besides gaining a few pounds (mostly because I wasn't monitoring my calories at all), this was the first negative thing I had experienced. This was enough to concern me though even though I still wasn't craving meat.
So how did it all come to an end? One morning I just woke up and thought, "I want eggs." And I ate them. And they were good. Ben walked into the kitchen while I was cooking them up with shock and confusion on his face. I think for an instant he was going to grab the pan away from me for fear I had just forgotten that I couldn't eat those. I admit I went on a bit of a meaty binge after the diet. There was meat in most meals. I felt like I was feeding my sad torn up muscles with the protein they had been needing. Plus let's face it, meat tastes really good. The next day I cooked up a pot roast and Ben was glad the old Holley was back.
I think it is important to eat a balanced diet that is built on fresh fruits and veggies with whole grains. In MY life though with the way I train, since I am unable to eat soy products which is a substantial source of protein for many vegans, it was very difficult for me to get enough protein in my diet. I very much believe that for an average person with a healthy lifestyle they can consume enough protein and nutrients on this diet. For me with my other dietary restrictions, over time I didn't feel that was healthy for me. As soon as I felt that I stopped. The first time my body said, "Eat this, I need that," which was eggs, I did.
This was definitely an eye opening experience. I have no regrets for trying it at all and am happy that I stuck with it as long as I did. I think you have to get over the initial lifestyle change with anything like this that you try to really be able to see the effects it has on your body etc. Both positive and possibly negative. As you know by seeing photos of what I eat now, I eat plenty of meat and eggs. If I could eat dairy and soy products I would definitely consume less of them and would prefer to do so. I do have vegan protein shakes almost everyday so I get a good amount of protein from those. But that isn't an ideal solution for me and definitely is pricey. I would prefer to get as much nutrition as possible off REAL food and not rely on supplements.
Not to mention vegan protein powder is about double what regular powder costs. Until I figure out what really IS bothering me though, I will probably continue to try to balance between using protein powder and animal products for the time being. I never say never to anything. ;) I recognize that my body needs lots of protein to fuel my workouts and repair itself and be healthy.
Hopefully this was interesting and you made it through this NOVEL of a post! If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them or at least open up a discussion about them. I am by no means an expert on any of this, these are just my own personal thoughts and experiences. My body is different from yours so if I sounds nuts... rest assured, I probably am. ;)
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Are you vegan or vegetarian?
What made you decide to do it and how has that experience been for you?
Is there a food your are/were afraid of?
It is so sad that I missed out on the WONDERFULNESS that is PB and Almond Butter for so long. Healthy fats really are important... just remember HEALTHY fats. Not just adding in MORE fat to your diet, but replacing the BAD fat with the good stuff. ;)
Have you ever tried a diet that your friends/family thought was really extreme before? Did you like it? Did you get a lot of flack?
I am notorious for this. I have done meal plans were you are VERY regimented on what you eat and you plan everything out for the whole week and eat out of Tupperware. Imagine how well that goes over at family get togethers, especially the holidays. Currently the diary/soy intolerance still puts my family in a tizzy. I don't blame them, I am always up to something.
I know you are thinking,"Holley... how do you keep that spark alive? How do you make your anniversary one you will never forget?"
Well I've got the answers. If you want to be REALLY romantic, go ahead and take some advice from me.
First, start celebrating a day early and have your husband weed the lawn while you clean out the entire kitchen. Go through all your cupboards and consolidate your stuff. Then create a whole NEW mess by all the cleaning you have done. Leave that mess there for 3-4 days until you convince your spouse to finally pack it up for you.
Then the day OF your anniversary get really romantic. Start early and go through your ENTIRE house! Find things to give away to charity and to toss in the trash. Don't forget to organize everything along the way. Don't worry, this will take the WHOLE day so you won't run out of fun any time soon. The attic and the basement are the best parts so make sure you remember those too!
Give your spouse a little gift of letting him keep more textbooks than you could ever read in a lifetime. He is telling the truth when he says he NEEDS them all. If you don't feel like that is enough of a gift, remember the stack upstairs that is just about as big too. He will love you for sure!
Finish off all your organization by creating and leaving mess piles throughout the house for 1-2 days. These will remind you of all the fun times you had! Leave that pile of things to take to charity by the door so you can't reach your purse for a few days. It's fun to stretch over it all and try to grab it!
Keep it fresh by finding new places to eat because your dining table is full of random objects!
A key to romance is quality time alone together. Don't leave your house for a few days because of the non-stop rain that has been going for days.
At the end of your full filled day jump in that shower and put on something sexy and wow him for sure! It's a great idea to keep it natural without make-up, give it a try!
This is the perfect time for him to tell you how beautiful you are!
He will probably get you flowers and write you a handmade card because he is so impressed.
Then set out for a hot date on the couch in your pajamas watching a movie from the Red Box. Being too tired to do anything else is how you know you lived it up on your special day!
Now don't remember to do everything you meant to on the actual DAY of your anniversary. Make him breakfast in bed the NEXT day. That is more fun.
Run random errands together like to drop off all your trash, turn in your passport application, go to the store and to the pawn shop! Finding treasures you can pawn is a fun activity together!
Don't forget to CLEAN the whole house now that you organized it and made a mess of the whole thing by doing so. This includes weeding, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, cleaning 2 bathrooms, scrubbing a tub, cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, running to the store, killing bugs and cooking lots of meals.
Remember the more FUN you have the more you will look back and love it.
Then when you feel like you can't possibly handle anymore fun, and trust me I don't think I can, go do something boring and catch a movie. It's important to keep it realistic. You can't have a party everyday so get back to real life.
If you want to use some of my tips please do! I don't want you to miss out on having a memorable anniversary week!
Okay, okay. Enough of the sarcasm. We did get a TON done this week but I am not trying to make you feel bad for us, I just think it is funny. We are the experts at romance right?!? We are going to celebrate when we go on vacation soon. I would much rather spend our cash on having a little extra fun there so we are looking forward to that.
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Have you been to a pawn shop before? Did you feel shady being in them??? I admit I felt totally weird. Like we were selling things we stole or that we were selling off our stuff to fill some addiction we had. I realize there is nothing wrong with them and they serve a purpose but maybe it was just the WALLS of guns that made me feel shady and the ROWS of jewelry that made me feel a little sad.
When you "organize" your house do you feel like you just end up making more messes?
I do. It's like you have to make a BIGGER mess before you can get rid of all the other messes. Then clean those up and THEN clean the actual living space. The gift that keeps on giving.
What did YOU accomplish this week?
Enough said. I am SO happy to start of the week with a clean house and all this behind me!
I really love that Ben and I can go workout together now! Imagine this... HE went and ran on the treadmill while I did weights. What is the world coming to? Trust me... I was way bummed I wasn't running with him. We both got in a good solid workout out today. BEST way to start the day.
I think I should add to the list of my workout... doing chores ALL DAY LONG!
Really.
I am finally dressed for the day and it is 6pm. It gets to this point and you wonder if a shower is even worth it anymore. Ben promised to take me out on the town though so I figured I would try to look like his wife.
What have we accomplished today?
Weeding, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, cleaned 2 bathrooms, scrubbed a ridiculously dirty tub (my back says ouch), cleaned the kitchen, 2 loads of laundry, ran to the store for Raid, killed bugs with Raid, cooked 2 fresh meals and had a hair client. Phew!
I.Am.Pooped.
We have only TWO more thing to get done before Ben's parents arrive in town early next week. Mow the lawn (Ben's job) and one other thing that Ben promised he would do himself. Actually I made him a deal, I cleaned the bathrooms instead. ;)
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Now for food because I am hungry just sitting here. Here are some recent eats!
First - another winning oatmeal combo. PB & Jelly Oatmeal.
This combo doesn't photograph too well, but use your imagination tastebuds. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. It make so much sense.
Second thing - Spaghetti Squash
I ROASTED these babies up in the oven...
And turned them into Spaghetti Squash Ramen!
A PERFECT healthy mix-up to a childhood classic. Did you eat Ramen when you were little? I did. My mom would always make us put something "healthy" in it like peas, corn, cheese or an egg. This is more of a grownup version and it's EVEN better.
Maybe my favorite part about this dish is that when I served it to Ben I didn't have to explain it to him as all. He just said, "Is this supposed to be like Ramen? Cause it is totally like it." Okay he didn't say totally, I can't remember EXACTLY what he said but he hit it on the nose and liked it. ;)
I sauted a bunch of onions till they were nice and carmely and then whipped up a broth for the soup with lots of seasonings and added the squash and chicken. Then just sprinkled some cilantro on top!
Sometimes we only think to prepare a certain food the same way all the time. It is fun to think out of the box and create something new. Maybe that is why veggies get a bad rap a lot. They are just prepared the same old boring way all the time. So sad. There are so many ways to enjoy them!
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Now I need to watch endless movie trailers with Ben until we decide on a movie to see!
This COULD take hours. We can never agree on the same one. Ha!
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Do you have a veggie you ALWAYS eat the same old way? Have you done something to mix it up?
Canned green beans are pretty boring in my life right now. Basically I open a can and eat it. I will have to think of a way to spruce those up.
Do you take turns picking movies? How do you decide???
We saw Thor last time, which was good but I feel like it should be girls choice tonight. ;)
