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Just Me…

Posted on June 8, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Brace yourself…things are about to get REAL over here!

Have you ever have one of those “aha” moments?

And I don’t mean the moment when you think up a
new combo for your bowl of oatmeal. 😉

Nope, I mean one of those,
“Oh my God, THAT’S what my problem is!” moments.

Well, thanks to Lindsay, I JUST had one of those…I swear that girl just has a knack for coaxing you into introspective thoughts…it’s downright hypnotizing!

Her latest post was about problems she’s been facing lately…but not just a depressing rant of things that are wrong in her life. No, Lindsay is my kind of woman…a woman with solutions.

No need to be a Negative Nancy…
Let’s add some almond milk to that half-FULL glass!

At the end of the post, she asked what problems we’ve been facing lately and how we plan to solve them…before I knew it, my fingers were flying across my keyboard and in minutes, I had a short novel describing what’s been on my mind lately that, before this morning, I hadn’t been able to put into words.

Here’s my comment:

“My Problem: Myself…for the last few weeks, I’ve been battling negative body image thoughts. I still weigh the same as I did a month ago, but after being in an exercise rut/funk/whatever last month, I can tell that something’s different. I don’t have that same tightness I had a few weeks ago…and I definitely don’t have the endurance I had when I was pounding out Tuesday Trainer workouts! When I got back from Blend, I had a hard time readjusting to normal life and I got lazy…basically stopped working out and not really giving much thought to eating clean. I guess I was stuck in “vacation mode”…plus, working out is so much more fun with my Blends!

My Solution: I’ve been trying all sorts of different workouts and I even drove halfway across town yesterday to go running at my one of my favorite trails…I’m waiting to feel that “this is fun” feeling again, but so far it hasn’t happened yet. Just feels like a chore to check off the list. Fake it till you make it, right? As far as my diet goes, I’ve been juicing pretty much every day (which I LOVE), drinking a crap-ton of water, and trying to really listen to my body’s hunger cues. Pretty sure I have THAT part mastered. I’ve been feeling lighter and fresher with the water and juice and I haven’t been craving “junk” since I loaded my fridge with fruits and veggies for juice experimentation! Hungry? Well, grab one of the 35 carrots that you have in there! “

I’ve mentioned that I’ve been a bit stressed out since I got back from Blend but since I like to do my best to keep things upbeat and positive on the blog, I didn’t want to just ramble on about how “blah” I’ve been feeling lately.

Then I thought…why try to hide the REAL me?

This blog is a reflection of me…the good, the bad, and the sometimes “unhappy-with-myself”, me.

So this is me….

No joking…

No sarcasm….

Just me.

And “just me” is about to make some changes to turn things around. Because it’s not just that I’ve been feeling “out of it” when it comes to getting back to my healthy life style…it’s something more. A feeling that life is ticking by and I’m just along for the ride…but I’m not gonna be just be another passenger…because if there’s anything I hate more, it’s that feeling of being carried away with the flow in life. It’s time to regain some control and get “just me” back to “HAPPY me”!

We are only here for a short time…shouldn’t we enjoy EVERY minute of it?

What have you been struggling with lately and what do you plan to do about it?

Posted in Personal | Tagged serious talk | 25 Comments

Aussie Love & Neverending Smoothie Bowls

Posted on June 5, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys! Are you ready to party?

Yep, it’s that fabulous time of week again…

Happy What I Ate Wednesday…with a new theme!

“Sensible Snacking!”

Be sure to pop on over to Peas & Crayons and show a little support for our hostess with the mostest! Thanks Jenn, for all the work you do each week so that we can all party hardy!

I have to say, yesterday was pretty darn delicious…

Breakfast:
ONE cup of coffee (I’ve been working scaling back a bit and I have to say, it’s been easier than I thought it would be), Incredible eggs, 1/2 a peach sprinkled with cinnamon, and a whole wheat English muffin schmeared with butter and cream cheese

and….

Aussie love in the form a squeeze tube!

A HUGE thank you to Lizzi for showing me that Vegemite is like 110% better than Marmite…sorry to my Brits, but it’s true!

I enjoyed it again for breakfast this morning…as I probably will the rest of the week!

“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi! Oi! Oi!”

Sensible Snack #1:
Handful of baby carrots and my newest savory snack addiciton…
Sahale’s Tuscan Almonds!

I picked found these babies on sale near the bulk bin section at Whole Foods and I’ve been ~~hoarding~~ saving them for a ~~special day~~ random Monday…

Close your eyes and you’ll SWEAR you’re eating cheesy buttery garlic bread in an outdoor bistro in the middle of Italy!

Now if only I could get my hands on the BBQ flavor!

Sensible Snack #2
Unpictured 100 calorie pack Smart Pop Popcorn
Just a little something to tide me over until lunch…ya know, so I didn’t chew my arm off!

Lunch:
Delicious Which Wich leftovers and a cup of super-sweet, juicy pineapple

Sensible Snack #3 (Preworkout):
Blueberry Pure Bar*

*BOGO free sale on the variety boxes running until the end of the month!

OMG was this was good…
Like, close-your-eyes-tilt-your-head-and-moan good! 😉

For the record, I’m pretty sure this is what the blueberry muffin Larabar is trying to be!

I actually savored every last bite (where I usually woof down a bar like this in like 3 bites) on my way to the gym after work. Once I got there, I gathered my keys, water bottle, earbuds, and ???

Yep, I totally forgot my gym bag at home!

On the way home to get my bag (that was waiting oh so conveniently on the kitchen table), I decided the day was just TOO nice to stay indoors. So I walked the 1/2 a mile to the park up the road and did THIS workout surrounded my trees, birds, and a cool (and MUCH needed) breeze!

Fitness Blender’s workouts are NO joke! I was smoked after the hour it took me to complete this circuit 3 times AND I’m more than feeling the burn today!

All I wanted after my workout was a shower and something COLD!

Green smoothie to the rescue!

The “Great Pumpkin” Green Smoothie

by Heather Powers

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: N/A

Ingredients (1 LARGE serving)

2 handfuls baby spinach
1 cup leftover juice pulp (optional)*
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 a banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3-5 drops liquid Stevia (optional)
5-6 ice cubes
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon guar gum*Acts as a great thickener and is a good way to use up leftover pulp! If not using, decrease water by

1/4-1/2 cup.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smoothie and creamy.

Add some crunch with a topping of cereal/granola and a good drizzle of nut butter!

Notice the name “Great Pumpkin”?

Well, that’s not JUST for it’s great flavor and texture…nope, this baby was
1 1/2 quarts (1.4 liters) of creamy refreshing goodness!

Needless to say there was no room for dessert later on that night! 😉

Water Count: ……

Remember how one of my goals for June was to aim for 4 liters (about a gallon) of water a day? Well, let’s just say, so far I’m exceeding my expectations…

I lost count after FIVE LITERS!

AND I’ve had about SIX liters today! I’m really starting to realize what they say about drinking water before a meal is true…I’ve felt much more satisfied and even slowed down during my meals since I’ve upped the water intake. Win win!

Have you ever tried Vegemite or Marmite? Which do you prefer?

What is your favorite AND least favorite leg move?
LOVE = Lunges
HATE = Jumping Lunges or Star Jacks
(Who am I kidding, I pretty much despise all plyometric exercises…because I’m a whiner! ;))

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Snacks, What I Ate Wednesday, Workouts | Tagged coffee, eggs, greens, Incredible Greens, recipe, smoothie, water | 54 Comments

Feathered Friends & Lake Love

Posted on June 4, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

So how was everyone’s Monday?

I woke up this morning feeling like…well, like Ace Ventura after being hit with blowgun darts.

“Three darts is toooooooooo much!”

But unlike Jim Carrey’s character, I wasn’t being hunted my pigmies. Nope, my pain was self inflicted…and if I had it to do all over again, I totally would!

Anyone up for some kayaking?

Since the weather was absolutely amazing BB and I decided to head to Kentucky lake yesterday for some fun, but before we left Clarksville, I had one little request:

More Which Wich!

Hey, a girl’s gotta have her pre-workout fuel!

I was going to take Carly’s advice and order the Monte Cristo (ham, turkey, grape jelly, and powdered sugar…yeah, I know, so crazy I HAVE to try it), but I was having a MAD craving for crisp vegetables and this veggie-packed sandwich definitely hit the spot!

New favorite combo = avocado and hummus!

We took our sandwiches to go (BB ordered the turkey with spicy mustard, avocado, and veggies and a banana shake) so we didn’t waste any more daylight than necessary and off we went!

We had to wait a little bit at the rental place for the owner to meet us, but I didn’t really mind…fortunately I am very easily amused and found a pond behind the building with some ducks to keep my interest!

If only I had had some bread scraps…ahh, takes me back to the days of going to the park with my grandmother!

While walking around the pond, I found Sheldon!

And then…a few feet away, I found his little brother…

🙁

Buttttttt, believe it or not, just on the other side of the pond, I spotted an orphan…

A little bluebird with so much potential…I could just tell! 😉

So, I got in touch with my inner animal philanthropist and introduced the two!

And let me say, they took to each other rather quickly…just look at ’em snugglin’ 😉

For the record, I’m going with my inner optimistic frame of mind here and seeing a future of a tender-hearted mama duck raising the two to be lifelong pals!

Annnnnnnywho! Back to kayaking…

So, with a little help from Regina the Ranger (and a few securing straps) and made our way to the lake!

And then we got our feet wet!

Yeah, so this totally just gave me an excuse to wash my Five Fingers since they were still dusty from the Flat Iron Hike at Blend last month…yep, I’m THAT lazy!

We spent about 4 hours out on the water, rowing in and out of little bays…stopping to look at wildlife (and of course to let BB look for snakes)…and just floating along and listening to the quiet.

It was a great trip and hopefully something we will be able to do a least a few more times this summer before the weather gets too unbearably hot.

How did you enjoy the great outdoors this weekend?

Have you ever been kayaking?
I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I’ve been…but I can say I was grateful not to have any encounters with a pack of angry sea lions! 😉