WP Day 12

It snowed last night. The heat automatically kicked on because the temperature dipped below the 62 degrees we have it set at. A single tear rolled down my cheek. Another New England winter is upon us and I am just not ready. After Mother Nature showed us how much she loved us last year by dumping tons and tons of snow on our merciless souls and after shoveling huge mounds of the white stuff ONTO our porch because there simply just wasn't anywhere else to put it, I don't know if I can do it all again.

So I'll just take this moment to address the powers of the natural world. Please be kind Mama N, I beg of you. I'll even pop the tire on the next Hummer I see so it can't spit anymore CO2 at you. Deal?

Ok, now back to business. Last night, the dinner plans got shifted. I went to yoga and while I was in class I was feeling super tired, achy and I didn't even break a sweat. This is unheard of for me. I usually sweat like a dude and have to mop myself up several times throughout class with a hand towel. So when the people around me were glistening in their dew of perspiration and hardwork and I didn't even have a single bead pooling up on my skin, I knew something was up. I usually get sick with the season change and though I have not come down with a full blown cold or flu (maybe its all these nutrients?!), I was definitely feeling rundown and not myself.

So when I got home, I had zero, zip, zilch energy to prep a meal. Usually when I ask the fiance what he wants to eat, I usually get two answers: 1) somethin' tasty or 2) pizza. Since my brain didn't feel like figuring out "somethin tasty", I went with option B. However, I was determined to stick to my newfound vegan, gluten-free diet while doing so.

Enter the Flatbread Company at Sacco's Bowl Haven in Davis Square. They can make any pie they have on the menu with a gluten-free crust. They also have a vegan option. Score! The only thing is that they don't make whole pizzas with the gluten-free crust so you have to order individual sized ones (so just double your order). We had eaten there once before, so I knew the pizzas where tasty, though this was going to be my first time experimenting with the GF dough and the vegan toppings. Bring it on. 20 minutes after our order was placed and my honey braved the cold, snow AND lightening (all at once mind you) to pick it up, we had dinner.

First impression, it looked really good and it smelled divine. The vegan pizza comes with tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms, kalamata olives (I don't like these so I just picked them off), and garlic oil and herbs (all organic).  The flavor was delicious, but the pizza wasn't very hot and the crust became a bit soggy. But overall, it was a great option and I think it would have been much better if we ate it in house.

Now on to today:

Day 12

- Banana & Bora Bora bar
- 3-bean chili from local store (vegan, gluten-free and spicy! for today's cooooold weather)
- Riceworks Parmesan & Sun-dried tomato brown rice chips (gluten-free). I saw these and just couldn't resist trying them. Even though they have dried Parmesan cheese dusted on top, I was just really in the mood to try this flavor. I don't eat chips often (I have more of a sweet tooth) but these were delish. Crunchy, flavorful and filling.

- Apple for snack
- Dinner TBD - working late again tonight (teaching yoga and doing my karma yoga as a work-study at  my yoga studio). I'd like to keep it light - maybe a brothy, warming soup of sorts.

Tomorrow we are venturing to Brooklyn and NJ to look at some wedding venues. Keep your fingers crossed we like something and that we don't get stuck in any snow storms on the way back and forth!

Happy Friday friends!  Have a great weekend.

WP Day 11

Day 11!  As the days tick by, this plan is becoming more and more of a lifestyle change and less of a "what can I have? what can't I have?" kind of plan. I rarely think about my old friend coffee anymore. Though I did catch a whiff of a fellow commuters java the other morning and almost pounced her for the sweet, sweet nectar. But, I resisted. I did. I'm ok... really.

Staying away from the gluten and dairy have really made a huge impact on how I am feeling and I plan to stick with it perhaps indefinitely.

The Whole Living Action Plan for Day 11

Foods today will be:

- Naked Green Machine Smoothie (obsessed). I want to start making my own smoothies, but just haven't been getting up early enough to do it. I should prep them at night so I can just grab it on the go for the morning. Maybe next week.

- Dry roasted pistachios (1.75oz.)

- Sprouted Brown Rice Risotto from Macro Vegetarian in Sunnyside, NY. 

- For dinner, I want to use the 2 avocados that are sitting patiently in my fridge ready to be eaten. I will probably put together some sort of mexican-inspired dish with what ever veggies I have, black beans, avocado, and quinoa. I usually like to cook the veggies with cumin, cayenne or chili powder, and some lime juice. I'll let you know what happens...

Though I have been doing yoga (vinyasa) and walking, next week I will have more time (hopefully) and would like to amp up the exercise routine. Increase the amount cardio workouts and yoga sessions, even if I have to drag my tired bum out of bed in the morning to do so. I know once I'm up that is great to get it all done in the morning. That'll be the week 3 focus. 

WP Day 10

Back on track. It's a dreary, rainy day but that's ok because I got a good night sleep last night and I'm feeling optimistic about the day. To wind down last night, I took a long super hot shower and we washed the sheets so everything was fresh. I love clean and this definitely helped me find my slumber. I was feeling sick and rundown so I think my body was just ready for a solid night sleep too.

For dinner last night, I chose to give this recipe a try which ended up being AWESOME. This will definitely be in the repertoire from now on for sure.

Lightened up Protein Power Goddess Bowl (from the Oh She Glows blog.)

We used brown rice instead of speltberries (I'll search for these next time, just wasn't in the mood last night). I never cooked with nutritional yeast and didn't know how vital it would be for the recipe, but we ventured out to get some and I am so glad we did. It definitely adds a creamy, almost cheesy, dimension to the dressing that would have been missed if it was omitted. The fiance advised me against using the word "cheesy" to describe any kind of yeast, but hey, that's what its like!

Today's tastiness:

- Banana and Bora Bora bar
- Quinoa salad from Good Neighbors company - I've had this other days because its easy to pick up at the local store by work. It has quinoa, green & red peppers, dried cranberries, herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, spices.
- Leftover Goddess Bowl from last night.
- Gala apple and pear for snacks

I have a late night tonight since I am teaching a 7:30pm yoga class, but I think all these foods will keep me good and fueled up!

WP Day 9

I strayed from the diet today and almost immediately started feeling the consequences. We had free lunch from a local cafe at work and I indulged in some pasta, cheese and sugar. Feel.like.crap. What was I thinking?! At least its still mid-day and all is not lost for today. I will have to redeem myself with the remaining meals.

The damage:

- Banana & some Naked green machine
- The lunch: Pasta/roasted veggies in a white wine sauce, salad with pistachios, goat cheese, grapes and dried cranberries (no dressing), tofu spring rolls w peanut sauce (delicious!), and a white chocolate-covered strawberry. Ugh, no wonder my belly is angry.
- Dinner will be clean and simple. Maybe a stir-fry with quinoa, kale, carrots, etc... OR this! The lightened up protein power goddess bowl will most likely win. I'm feeling sick & rundown and I would definitely like to feel 1. "lightened up", 2. "power" and, of course, 3. like a "goddess".

I've been having a terrible time sleeping the last few days. I need to come up with a good relaxing bedtime  routine to help my mind & body wind down. So much is on my mind lately and it's hard to shut it down at night. Tonight, I'll try a hot bath and a book. Here's hoping that works!

WP Day 8

First week down and on to the next! So this week I am "allowed" to start adding in some of the foods I omitted over week 1 (like wheat, dairy, soy, caffeine - in increments over the week). I've decided that since my belly is behaving quite well these days, I will continue to stay away from the gluten and dairy for now.

Day 8 Plan according to the Whole Living Action Plan.

What I ate:

- Banana (staple in my diet as you probably have noticed by this point) & Bora Bora Paradise Walnut Pistachio bar

- Naked Blue Machine smoothie

- Leftover lentil stew (See Day 7)

- Fish and kale - the fiance went to the store while I was at yoga to pick up a few items and there was some fresh & local (Maine) white fish (paddock? haddock?) on sale. I usually eat a vegetarian diet but will throw in the occasional seafood - usually if its local/sustainable/fresh/etc. 

- Rudi's gluten free bread with fresh blueberry jam we got when we were hiking in New Hampshire in August. 

Weekend recap - WP Days 6&7

Super busy weekend and ended up eating some of my meals on the go. Here is a breakdown of what I consumed:

Saturday:

- Banana and green goodness smoothie (6oz.)
- Green tea from Sbux
- Lunch was out so I made a meal out of side dishes. I tried to get the best choices I could based on what was being offered. I ordered lemon rice w herbs, veggies and black beans.
- Dinner was also at a restaurant but we went to a local favorite so I had an idea what I was in store for. We went to The Independent and I got the vegan veggie plate, swapping out the white rice for quinoa. It was the BEST meal I had in a long time. I had eaten that plate before but they brought out all the stops on Saturday. Broccolini, mushrooms, peas, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, quinoa and an orange-carrot sauce. SO good.  I cheated and had some cocktails - 2 Kentucky bucks and a glass of wine. Oops. ;-)

Sunday:

- Oatmeal with a drizzle of real maple syrup
- Banana, mango and grape fruit salad
- Quinoa salad (quinoa, dried cherries, peppers, lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, spices)
- Quick lentil stew - I used lentils that I had already cooked previously. Sauteed onion, carrots, butternut squash, sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil with herbs) and then added in the lentils and a can of diced tomatoes w/juice (with herbs). Covered and let stew for about 20 mins. until everything was softened and flavors were mixed.

Still substituting tea (green mostly) for coffee and drinking water whenever I remember!

WP Day 5

Friday! Even though it will be a long day, I can't help but get excited for the end of another work week. Plus I made it through my first work week on the "plan" and successfully avoided coffee! (Insert pat on the back here). So here's what is up for my friday:

- Green goodness smoothie (6 oz.)
- Banana and Bora Bora bar. I wanted to find something nutty with alittle flavor. This bar is vegan and gluten-free and quite tasty.
- Salad: Romaine, carrots, mushrooms, green peppers, broccoli, chickpeas, raw sunflower seeds and nonfat balsamic vinaigrette.
- Pear & KIND fruit & nut bar (another gluten-free & vegan bar. heavy on the "bars" today but good for on the go).
- Dinner to be determined. I have to work late until about 9ish so maybe I will treat myself to some Life Alive on the way home. :)

I am really feeling good today. My eyes aren't drooping close, I feel lighter (down a few pounds) and I'm in a great mood. Maybe it's the sunshine after a few days of gray and rain. I'm sure it doesn't hurt.

WP Day 4

Crazy morning. Waited over an hour for my bus to come. As I was standing around the bus stop I overheard some people talking about there being a back-up on a nearby bridge that was causing the delay. I grumbled to myself and cursed the MBTA under my breath, but eventually the bus arrived and I tried to brush it off. I made it to work and stopped in to get my cup of tea (Orange Spice today) at my regular convenience store. I was chatting with the store manager as I prepped my tea when he said "Did you hear? Some woman jumped off the BU bridge this morning. I don't think she made it". Immediately everything came together from what I had heard at the bus stop and I realized that if waiting an hour for a bus to come constitutes a "bad morning", then I am doing quite ok.  Thoughts go out to whoever that woman was and her friends and family.

Seems trivial to talk about my food plan after that, but alas, it does go on:

- Green goodness smoothie (6oz.)
- Banana and dry roasted pistachios (1.75 oz.)
- Leftover sweet potato and kale soup from last night's dinner
- Mango
- Veggie chili - minus the cilantro. I hate cilantro. But that's just me.

Whole Living Action Plan tips for today:
- Develop a relaxing routine of your choice 30 minutes before bed (reading, taking a bath, etc)
- Skip the gossip!
- Use deep breathing to release tension
- Find quiet time in your home
- Exercise

Hug those you love today.

WP Day 3

Wow, I slept like a rock last night and actually woke up this morning earlier than usual and felt wide awake. It's only day 3 and already I am reaping the benefits.

Today's plan:

Whole Living Action Plan - Day 3

- Morning smoothie - Berry Veggie. I goofed when I picked this one up this morning since i now realize it has corn in it (one of the items that is on the avoid list), but I am not going to stress over the 91 kernels of corn that are apparently blended inside. Could be worse.
- Handful of raw almonds (for more protein) and a banana
- Leftover lentils & beets from dinner last night. We got home super late last night so dinner ended up being at like 10pm. I modified the whole living action plan lentil and beet recipe - sauteed red onion, lentils (already cooked), beets (roasted) and arugula and topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon and some salt.
- Dinner will be sweet potato and kale soup. I essentially use this recipe as an outline, omitting the pasta and replacing chicken stock with veggie stock.  It's a rainy day and I am soooo looking forward to this.

Each day I've been sipping on lots of water and some green tea (to replace my coffee addition) and so far so good.  I really enjoy limiting the amount of tv time at night too - I think it definitely helped me sleep easier.

WP Day 2

On the menu today:

- Green goodness smoothie (8oz.) after my shower this morning
- Banana mid-morning at work
- Quinoa salad - (a variation of this) for lunch. I wanted to use up some veggies I had in the fridge so I sauteed up white button mushrooms and green peppers with the garlic, thyme and scallions. Mixed it with the cooked quinoa, celery, raw sunflower seeds and added some lime juice and pinch of salt.
- A pear will be my snack before yoga
- Lentils with Ginger, Beets and Herbs for dins.

Last night I focused on prepping a lot of food, cleaning the house, and doing laundry (including some blankets and towels that had been sitting there for quite awhile). I LOVE when my living space is organized. I immediately start to feel at ease when I accomplish these tasks and it made the idea of sticking to this plan much more achievable. It also helped me stay away from the tv/computer/phone, though, I will admit that I did watch an episode of House. :)

Food Prep:

1. Roasted all the beets according to the directions in the recipe above. I ended up cooking them about 20 minutes longer than they suggested. Not sure if it was the beets I had or my oven, but i definitely recommend checking to make sure they are fork tender before you take them out.

2. Cooked a whole bag of lentils to have on hand during the week

3. Made the quinoa salad for lunch today.

4. Made the Millet Bowl for dinner last night - delish! I reduced the amount of dressing I used, since I didn't feel it needed that much. I also couldn't get baby bok choy over the weekend so I swapped in broccoli.

I got in a brisk walk/jog this morning on my way to the bus! Definitely need to start leaving a bit earlier. Tonight I'm going to take a moderate to vigorous level vinyasa class. I am starting to feel the changes in my body even after one day. My stomach has calmed down a bit which is major! My sleep was pretty disrupted last night but I'm hoping that will change as the week goes on.

Happy Tuesday!

Wellness Plan Day 1

October 17, 2011

It's day one and I'm feeling optimistic about this new challenge. I like that it is not called a "detox" or a "cleanse" but rather a "whole living action plan". By focusing on what you can have - all those good things that will nourish you - you won't feel deprived. At least, that's what I'm hoping!  I've taken note of my weight this morning and generally how I am feeling. I got a decent night sleep last night, but still feeling a bit sluggish.

According to the plan:

Foods to Avoid
+ Added sugar
+ Processed foods or beverages
+ Alcohol
+ Caffeine
+ Wheat/gluten
+ Eggs
+ Dairy
+ Peanut products
+ Fruit juices (very high in sugar)
+ Soy, including soy sauce
+ Corn


Eat mindfully - giving yourself at least 20 minutes per meal


Tune out - Limit technology and take breaks from it; reduce or eliminate TV/online time. Since I can not avoid the computer during the day at my job, I will reduce/eliminate TV time at night.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Whole Living Action Plan 2011, Week 1: Pare Down and Purify 

My game plan for today:

1. Start the day with a fruit smoothie (Naked green machine drink) and a piece of fruit
2. Lunch will be a salad filled with greens, veggies, and beans (red and chickpeas). Dressing will be balsamic and olive oil
3. After work yoga! :)
4. Millet bowl for dinner

Tonight I will prep some food for the week (cook up some lentils, beets and grains and make a smoothie for the morning - I might even roasted some veggies if I am feeling ambitious).

Over the weekend, my main focus was on food shopping for the week. I also started to cut back on the caffeine. I had a small coffee on Saturday and then switched over to one cup of tea on Sunday. Today I may have a cup of green tea and will drink ALOT of water.

Somebody slap the bagel out of my hand: 28-day detox challenge.

As I sit at my desk this morning, with bagel and coffee nearby, I feel like absolute crap. Lately the stresses of life have been getting the better part of me and quite frankly, I'm over it. I've been slipping and my body and health have been paying the consequences. I've become all too familiar with the daily regime of fighting adult acne, I have bags under my red, tired and irritated eyes, my stomach is pissed off at me, I am tired all of the time, and my mind is reeling nonstop.

Sooo, with that said, this is my declaration (and my way of being held accountable for my actions) that I am going to get my groove back. Stella did it, so hey, why can't I.  My eating, sleeping and exercise habits can all be improved so on Monday, October 17, 2011, I am going to begin the 28-Day Challenge as it is laid out by Miss Martha herself.

Whole Living Action Plan: 28-Day Challenge

I've tried detoxes and cleanses several times before but have always given up pretty much 30 seconds after I start. But this time I mean business and this blog it going to document my journey. I also have a sparkly reminder on my finger that will help keep me focused too. In 18 months or so (date TBD), I will be marrying the man of my dreams and if I feel like I do today on my wedding day, then god help me, I will be one sad, sad bride. I am a natural procrastinator, but instead of putting this off I am going to do things differently this time. I am going to get control of things now so as I move forward in planning my life and future, I have a clear head and happy, healthy body.

Feel free to follow along and maybe even try the challenge yourself!  Let's do this thang!