Ever since I got back from my trip to the Keys, all I keep thinking about are two things: coconut and limes.

Maybe it had something to do with the key lime pie that was everywhere and tasted amazing. Along with the coconut mojitos. And coconut trees. And just plain coconut…

But back to the limes! Since they seem to be in season now, and my craving for something cold + creamy + lime-y + satisfying won’t go away, this needed to happen…

Key Lime Pie Shake

Into a high powered blender, add:

1 cup milk of choice [I used hemp milk, unsweetened]

frozen banana [make sure when you freeze it its not TOO ripe or else the flavor will overpower the lime]

zest of 1/2 organic lime*

juice of 1/2-1 lime

vanilla protein powder of choice [optional]

2T chia seeds [adds texture and nutritional benefits]

green of choice for nutrition and color [optional, I used 2 spoons of sunwarrior super greens, fresh spinach is a good choice for nutrition without the overpowering taste]

handful of ice

Blend till smooth

*I used an organic lime because I couldn’t find key limes. Try to buy organic if using the zest to avoid pesticides. Using a regular lime (instead of a key lime) came out great. 

Perfect for dessert, post workout, breakfast, or any time the craving hits! Using coconut milk and adding coconut oil to the mix would be delicious if your a coconut-lime fan

Next Up: Coconut Lime Bars [Grain Free and Paleo!]

For now I’ll skip the recap on the entire trip and get to the best part: Monday [May14th]

Started off with a swim in the pool with the boy, and spending the morning there

Enjoying the sun and making a new friend

After lunch, beach time:

and after dinner [I made chicken parm, broccoli, spaghetti squash and salad, because of course its important to know these things!!] we showered and got ready to take an evening walk to watch the sunset, because he knew how much I love sunsets and wanted to enjoy them all while we were there

we headed to the historic 7 mile bridge in marathon

source

and walked along the bridge looking out at the water and the beautiful sunset

and being silly of course

shortly after a certain someone told me that this was the best vacation and birthday of his entire life, but there was still one thing he wanted that he didn’t get

and when he got down on one knee, i became a blubbering mess, and i do recall a “i love you so much” in there somewhere

and this girl said YES!!

[and was so happy i had my camera to capture how insanely happy i was at that moment]

and that begins the story of two high school sweethearts that have gone through so much over the years, ending up back together and happier than i’ve ever been

and now i get to marry my best friend

WOOHO!!!!!!!!!

Lots of champagne, wine, coconut mojitos, and beer were consumed the rest of the night trip. My face hurt from smiling. My face still hurts from smiling.

I am insanely happy and blessed, and so happy to share with you all!!

I’m back from the best week of my entire life [in key west], but first the stevia winners:

Erica!

Erica May 8, 2012 at 8:26 pm

This is the first giveaway I’m having, and I’m so happy to share something I love and use almost daily:

Nunatural stevia is my favorite stevia because it doesn’t have that bitter aftertaste like other brands and it tastes great! My favorite way to use it is adding a few drops of the vanilla liquid to plain greek yogurt:

and using it occasionally in baking

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

The vanilla and orange are their NEW flavors that I was excited to try, and guess what? Now you have a change to try some too, and use in the above recipe! There will be a  total of four winners, and each will win both a bottle of the lemon and orange alcohol free liquid stevia

To enter*, do one or both of the following:

1. “Like” Nunaturals on Facebook and comment that you did

2. Leave me a comment with something you would like to see more of here: recipes? acupuncture and health related stuff? fitness related? etc

*can not ship to PO boxes

Good luck! I’ll announce the winner Friday !

***

My readers can also get a discount on their site at www.nunaturals.com by entering the code BLG0612.  You will get a 15% discount off your ENTIRE order, effective until June 20, 2012

Online ordering customers may also receive FREE SHIPPING to the CONTINENTAL U. S. on all orders exceeding  $ 35.00 after discounts.

My favorite ways of relieving stress:

- going outside and doing anything: a walk, playing with the dogs, fishing on the lake, pulling weeds (HAH yea right!)

- reading a good book

- baking

This week I was itching to make something easy and simple, sweetened naturally, and make use of the almond flour I have… which is my new favorite “flour” to bake with. The natural oils in the almonds get released when baked, and the inside of muffins are anything but dry!  And these recipes couldn’t be any easier by using very few ingredients, easy cleanup, and a delicious result

Next up:

These were delicious without the added stevia, but if you want to add some then the extra flavor would be great.

Don’t have any liquid lemon or orange stevia?

Then stay tuned for a giveaway this week

Have a great Sunday!

In less than 2 weeks, I’m taking a break from life in NY and taking a trip down to Key West for a few days

source

SO excited! I’m going with three other people and it should be a good time

Had to update the suits as well:

[got different bottoms for both, and both from Victorias Secret]. Hoping they look nice. Its hit or miss with VS, especially when it comes to suits. Also found this top that I thought was cute:

I’m having a total different approach with this whole “I’m gonna be in a bikini every day” thing. Example: in the past, I would restrict and deprive so I would feel okay to be in a suit in front of others. Even then, I would pick apart my imperfections.

The beauty of consistently eating clean and exercising, and having it be a lifestyle, is completely effortless to me now. And I do it because I love it, I’m passionate about being healthy, and I feel good on the inside.
I get sad when I think about those days when my mind was totally skewed and brainwashed, where I would pick apart the things I hated about myself, and be stuck in the worst cycle of overexercising and not eating enough.  Like when I wouldn’t dare touch an avocado or eat some nuts, and run over 20 miles a week because I thought I needed to.
Now? My entire approach to healthy living is completely different. I no longer feel that deprivation that I did when I was in college, or feel like I’m “missing out” on anything food wise. [Don't get me wrong, I definitely still have my low days, we are all human after all, but its totally different than before]. My heart belongs in the weight room, and it will probably stay there for a long time. Runs are shorter and happen once a week, and walking incline has proven to be much more effective!Its all a pretty interesting journey, and I’ve come a long way since that 19-22 year old self. And I no longer freak out over taking – gasp- rest days. Pleural!!  In ONE WEEK!

Anyway, all that being said, I’m thinking of adding maybe a little more cardio the week before I leave for my trip, but I’m not even going to stress about it. I am loving my routine these days, and the moment I feel like I’m doing something because I feel like I have to, then its not healthy. Theres a fine line between pushing yourself and working hard, and forcing yourself to do something you really don’t want to do. So if I feel like doing it I will. If I’m dreading it, then there’s no way I’ll be doing it.

And I’ll keep eating the usual:

Lots of veg’. Lots of fats. Lots of good protein.

And when I’m on the go (which is always…) I’m definitely prepared!

eat + drink clean friends

Whats something you wish you could tell your former self? Definitely wish I wasn’t so hard on myself for so long. But in the end, it brought me to where I am today.  Everyone has a different approach to living healthy. There is no cookie cutter diet or exercise routine. Just do you, and be happy

Hello from the land of paper writing and studying madness!

[home brewed kombucha to keep me going...]

I’m taking a short break to write up this post and say a few things:

- I apologize for my lack of recipes and updates lately. When things get crazy, I have to manage my time and priorities. As many of you guys might know, school sometimes causes a mental breakdown…which I’m trying to avoid, especially when its crunch time.

-I also still don’t have a full functioning kitchen, or much time to set aside for creative baking and cooking, so I’ve been sticking to the usual simple + delicious meals to get me through each day.

[recent meal at school: cauliflour mash (with nutritional yeast, paprika, and salt), roasted veggies, cod, and 1/2 avocado]

And doing lots of food prep to make my life easier

That being said, I still take an hour of my day for myself to workout. I need it as a release, to keep me going through the day, and give me energy. I sleep better and overall feel better because of it.
I love changing up my routine to keep things exciting, lifting still being a priority and my favorite. Still doing less cardio these days, with occasional HIIT runs (1x a week), incline walking (while studying of course!), and circuits that usually involve jump roping/jump lunge/lump squats to get the HR up.

Simple. Effective.

On Tuesday I did a really good Chest + Back workout that I took straight from my P90x book that I had lying around downstairs. I rewrote the workout that morning and was looking forward to a nice change in the usual routine

SO, if you have a pull up bar and free weights, this workout is at-home friendly! 

Remember I’m not a PT, just give you ideas to switch up your workouts. Be smart.

That left me sore and happy. Lovin’ the pump:

Hope you try this workout!

Ever do P90x?? I bought it back in 2009 when I quit the gym. I never really did the full course, I would just supplement with the workouts. I actually find Tony to be really annoying but funny at the same time. He doesn’t shut up! But he’s definitely motivating. The book came with the DVDs and I like incorporating some of the workouts into my routine to switch it up. Without using the DVD…haha

First things First

I finally did some yoga yesterday. I can’t remember the last time that I did an actual full hour of yoga. I stretch a lot throughout the week, and do “mini sessions” (like, 10 minutes) of yoga, but I was really feeling the need to strettttchhh out everything yesterday. So glad I did! Felt so much better, and by the end I was able to go so deep into the stretches and hold them long. Love when that happens.

And no, I didn’t do yoga my bathroom I do however, love that stretch.

New goodies that I’ve been adding to my salads and veggies:

I found these at my local health food store and finally bought them. I’ve seen Kasey and Alexis use the coconut aminos before, and I was always on the lookout. I’m sure I could find these cheaper online..but I grabbed them as soon as I saw them. They are both delicious paired with veggies and have amazing nutritional benefits!

The other thing I finalllyyy got at trader joes:

A tablespoon goes a long way in pancakes- makes them super fluffy! I haven’t used it in anything else though, but it just took my pancakes and bakes to a new level. Very exciting.

Hope you all have a great start to the week!

Ever try any of the stuff above? If so whats your favorite way of using it- I need ideas!

As many of you guys might already know, I don’t eat many grains. If I do, its usually oats that have been soaked over night with a splash of vinegar to break down the phytic acid (this makes the nutrients that are in oats more available and easily digested). I’ve done this a few times in the past few months to see how I felt afterwards. Otherwise, I’ve been sticking to grain free meals that leave my satisfied and without the feeling that theres a brick sitting in my stomach, or looking majorly bloated right after I eat.

This week I decided to do a little experiment. I made myself oat bran for breakfast on Tuesday + Thursday to see how I would feel. I also stirred in egg whites for extra protein and add ground flax and chia seed ( like the pic below).  I hate the taste of protein powder in oats, and actually prefer them savory and enjoy that earthy taste of oats with a pinch of salt rather than have them sweet, so I use egg white for clean protein. Just my preference.

The Test:

OatBran 

vs

OatMeal

Oatbran: After eating it, it basically felt like a brick was sitting in my intestines. It wasn’t fun. I didn’t soak them over night, just cooked them in the morning. It makes me sad because I really love the texture of oatbran! But it just doesn’t sit right in my stomach for some reason.

Oatmeal: With the times that I’ve made oats for myself in the morning, I soaked them overnight in water and a splash of apple cider vinegar. The next morning I prepared them the same way as I did the oatbran- with egg whites, a pinch of salt, and stirred in chia and ground flax. The verdict? No brick feeling or bloating at all, and it sits well in my stomach

Conclusion–Soaking grains is definitely better for my digestive system. For the times I’m craving a warm bowl of oatmeal, I’m not going to “deprive myself”. That sentence in itself is ridiculous in so many ways, because I grew up eating the stuff, and there are some benefits of oatmeal.  That being said, I feel best without grains, and I’ve learned a lot and feel better with a diet/lifestyle that is higher in healthy fats and grain free.

In the end, its all about maintaining a healthy balance and not being restrictive. As soon as I feel like I’m restricting myself and feeling unsatisfied with my meal, it backfires. For me, eating meals affects my mood. Food is healing, both on a physical and mental level. If I want something but don’t eat it just because of some silly rule or something I read, then it doesn’t leave me satisfied.   This is something entirely separate from sweet cravings that I’ve found healthy alternatives for (clean sweets that replaced processed sweets). I’m talking about almost nourishing your soul in a way! Its all still clean food, just on some other level [if your getting what I'm trying to say here].

So my point is, keep a healthy balance. Thats what this blog is all about anyway. No labels. No preaching. Just always learning and applying what works for me, as should you! And just because it works for me, doesn’t necessarily mean its the same exact story for you.  I always respect someones dietary choices and preferences, and give insight when asked or when I feel its appropriate. No one likes having someone bark in your ear about something you just ate or didn’t eat.

So breakfast lately just depends on if/when/or if I already did exercise. Pre and post workout favorite lately has been grain free pancakes, or the same recipe baked in the oven:

With different toppings depending on my mood, or if I need more sugar after exercising.

Some days its eggs n’ veg:

And some mornings I crave a shake, usually adding a frozen banana if I worked out. Or if I’m off to work or commuting to school, its nice to sip on in the car and takes only a few minutes to make in the morning

So thats my grain update! Eating less grains and more vegetables + higher fat intake have really helped transform my body.  But when the craving calls, I’ll know to soak before hand for easy digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Have a great weekend!

Saturday night I went out with my best friend for drinks. It was fun, but I think it got me sick. I guess I’m getting old. Totally worth it though! Especially when you get to wear new pants out that you love, and a cute boy drops in and complements said pants

Sunday I felt fine, but Monday + Tuesday I felt like death. Tuesday afternoon I got an acupuncture treatment to get things moving along and kick this cold in the ass, and a few hours later I was actually feeling better. I still took it easy, but decided to go for a slow walk while studying just to get my body moving

I could probably make a living off of ear acupuncture alone, being that theres a point for everything in the ear (pretty crazy right?) But using points on the whole body is way more fun anyway.

The mix of studying/work/commuting/life in general means one thing that I won’t be giving up anytime soon:

Coffee.
Anyone else actually enjoy the taste of black coffee? I add nothing to it. And love the taste. I buy organic coffee (one of my favorites is the breakfast blend from trader joes) that isn’t bitter and doesn’t taste like death.

*

Kitchen progress:

Finally have cabinets! No counter tops yet. The oven is kind of hanging out there till the new stovetop gets installed. And since I couldn’t use it the past few days, I’ve been creative with my meals using the other mini oven:

I took my basic pancake recipe and baked it in a small round pan at 375F for 30 minutes. Topped with greek yogurt (mixed with pumpkin and vanilla stevia), I ate this after my walking/study session yesterday. SO. GOOD. Check out the stats: ~310 calories, 18g carbs (8 g sugar), 2g fat, 45g protein, 6g fiber.

Perfect pre workout, post workout [depending on what you did. If I do more cardio and lifting, I like to have a protein shake with banana so its absorbed quick, etc], or even a filling snack. I’m having another one today for my mid morning snack. I’m already thinking of savory ideas that I can use as “bread” in a sandwich.  Yes, definitely doing that.

Off to school for the rest of the day! Tell me something exciting on this lovely Wednesday