Smoothies!

Maybe it's the warmer weather, but I have been totally obsessed with smoothies recently. I've been eating a smoothie for breakfast every day for over a year, but now they've been working their way into snacks and even the occasional dinner. I use the No Meat Athlete smoothie formula as follows.

1 soft fruit (banana or avocado)
2 small handfuls (~1 cup) frozen or fresh fruit
protein powder
binder
+/- oil
1-1.5 cups liquid
+/- sweetner
Greens
"Superfood" add ins

My example-
Banana
1 cup frozen berries
1 scoop Raw Protein-Vanilla
2 tbsp ground flax
1 tbsp chia seeds
Kale or spinach
1 cup coconut water

This is my go to smoothie. It comes to about 400 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein. If I need more fat, I add in a tablespoon of coconut oil. Occasionally I'll use chocolate almond milk and add in some peanut butter. Nom. 

What are your favorite smoothie recipes?

Body Positivity

I have a belly, butt, and thighs that jiggle when I run. My hair is curly, but not always evenly so. My boobs are too small for my frame. My nose is quite large. I'm not thin by any stretch of the imagination. 

But I don't really care anymore. I build muscle easily on my thighs and butt. When my hair curls, it looks awesome, otherwise I wear it straight. I have a nose ring that accentuates my perfect large nose. And my boobs, well, short of surgery, I can't do anything about it.

I used to focus on on all of the things I "couldn't" wear or do because of my size or body type. Over the past four years, I've slowly gotten to the point that I really don't care. I want to wear things that look good on me, but I'm a bit more adventurous. I only wear make up and jewelry on special occasions. 

I used to think in order to be happy, I would have to be thin. No negotiations. Just thin. In 2008, I ate 1200 calories a day of chicken breast and vegetables, and worked out 3-5 times a week, some with a trainer. I got down to my lowest adult weight, but I was still not thin. I was doing everything "right" and I still wasn't thin. I was so frustrated and unhappy with everything and very easily fell back into old patterns.

By 2010, I was back up to my highest weight ever, eating Taco Bell at least three times a week and tired all of the time from working two jobs. I was so depressed and not taking care of myself at all. I was smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day and hardly walked more than to and from my car. 

Today, I eat a mostly plant based diet with lots of delicious and healthy foods. I do a mix of running, cross training, lifting, yoga, and group fitness classes 3-5 times a week. I'm currently logging my calories and macros to make sure that I eat enough. 

My body can do some pretty amazing things. I can pull up 125 lbs of my body weight. I can use the squat machine with 150 lbs for 3 sets of 12 reps. I can run/walk 6 miles (and more if I trained). I can hold yoga poses I never thought I would try. I love dance fitness. 

But I'm still not thin. And I'm okay with that.

I do have goals. It would be nice to lose 50 lbs, but I still wouldn't be thin. So I focus on fitness goals. I want to run at 35 minute 5k. I want to gain more flexibility. I want to start heavy lifting. If the weight comes off, fantastic. If not, I'm healthier than before. 

Lucky's Market!

Today I got a special treat. I got to go grocery shopping at Lucky's Market with my friend Sunshine. Lucky's is kind of like Whole Foods, but most of their stuff is less expensive. I looked at their flyer this morning, and it was though they had seen my grocery list! 

I'm kind of a grocery shopping nerd. I could spend all day going through the aisles and gazing longingly at all of the expensive vegan food. I was super excited today because Lucky's had pretty much all of the produce that I needed on sale. And it was organic. Among my finds today were avocados, oranges, tomatillos, mushrooms, and potatoes. I also found a delicious looking herb and garlic spread from Earth Balance and vegan horseradish sauce. I have no idea what I will eat it with, but I will find something! Another awesome find was a sweet bottle of pinot noir for $5.99! 

My meals this week include chili cheese fries with this as inspiration, mashed potato enchiladas, collard greens with sweet potatoes and quinoa, and a tempeh hash. 

All of this was $107.02. Awesome. Also, if you haven't tried the Boom Chicka Pop popcorn, do it now. You will thank me later.

Brutal Workout Musings

I haven't been great about working out recently. I've only been working out 2-3 times a week instead of my usual 3-5. This has led me to feel dumpy and depressed, and not eat as well as I usually do. Which makes me feel dumpy. Vicious cycle. 

So I decided to go to boot camp on Friday. Body Rebellion Boot Camp is awesome. It kicked my ass this week. We did push ups, lunges, tricep dips, and lots of other things that I don't know the names of. At one point, I was sure I would die. I looked at the girl next to me and noticed she was crying. I felt like crying. When we finally got to stretching it out, I felt wobbly and sore. But I felt fantastic. The depression I was feeling melted away. 

I did Zumba on Saturday and was lucky enough to be joined by my sister Angela and friend Sarah. It's much more fun to do group classes with friends. Zumba is so much fun and I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it. The same facility that does the boot camp also has several Zumba classes per week. I definitely felt even better after Zumba. I even felt good enough to go to a wine tasting yesterday! It was so fun!

This morning, I woke up feeling so sore and like I'm getting a cold. The original plan was going to the gym for a light run/walk. I was not feeling that this morning with my runny nose! I decided to do yoga. We recently cleaned up our partially finished basement, so it's a perfect meditation space. I can lock out Nathan and our pets and just be with myself. I did about 45 minutes of yoga, and now I feel awesome. It's so much easier now that I just listen to what my body wants.

What's in my cart?

I'm really trying to fit this blogging thing in... I love to talk about food and groceries, so I'm planning to talk about what's in my cart each week. 

I feel like you guys can't see my fruits and veggies because of all the boxed stuff on top. Oh well.

This week, my meals include buffalo chick pea tacos, pad thai with tofu and veggies, burrito bowls, hummus sandwiches, "cheesy" fries with salads, and veggie pizza. I also got some mangoes, blood oranges, and clementines. I'm cheating with the veggie pizza and bought packaged crust. I tend to cheat on work nights since I work 10 hour days and still try to get work outs in. I also purchased a bottle of pink moscato for me and beer for Nathan. On the veggie side, I got onions, kale, and spinach. Nathan is also finally on board with organic milk, so that's in there as well... Total was around $120, with the grocery part being $106. Eating healthy does not have to be super expensive!

Best Christmas Ever

My cat Padme has chronic gastrointestinal disease. We have been dealing with this for three years, so when she didn't eat on Saturday night, I didn't think much of it. I took her to work yesterday, where I found out she may have badness related to chronic inflammation. I thought we may have to do surgery to figure out what was wrong. I begrudgingly hospitalized her overnight on fluids and medications to help her... and she started eating last night. She's home today, but we are not totally out of the woods.

 Yesterday I was pretty upset. Padme is 15, and I don't know that surgery would be best for her. I was not ready to euthanize her. I had a sobbing meltdown to my mom. I can't imagine Padme not being here. She sleeps on my pillow. She eats guacamole. She studied with me when I was in college. She got me out of bed when I was depressed. I can't imagine my life without her. I know I will have to eventually live without her. I just want her to tell me she's ready, and I know she isn't yet. I'm glad she's giving me more time to get used to the idea. Bringing Padme home today was probably the best gift I have ever gotten. Padme and I wish you a very merry Christmas.

Work Out Rest Days

So I haven't felt like working out. For three days. So I haven't. I feel like its important to take off days for injury abd mental health. Days off don't mean sitting on the couch and doing nothing (to me, for mental health). Since I didn't go to the gym, I cleaned the kitchen, played with the dogs in the snow, and moved some furniture. No need to get on the treadmill after that. Well, I could, but I won't. My goal now is to just keep moving.