Must.Work.Out. --> The anti-pep talk

Today I want to visit expectations. This is something that is on my heart today. Expectations can build you up but they can also bring you tumbling down...fast. I have been feeling pressure to blog more, workout more, visit with friends more, see my parents more, stay more motivated at work... etc etc etc.. Guess where ALL of this pressure is coming from??? ME! Yup that's right I am doing it to myself. Stressing myself out. I like to do things well. I don't like to quit or fall short or not be good enough. I think that it's probably a common theme for a lot of people. And for so long in my life I wouldn't start anything new because I knew it would be hard. I knew I had to push myself and I knew once I was invested I wouldn't walk away. So if I never started then I never had to deal with the pressure of it all.

Take working out for example. Guess what? The stress you put on yourself about "being healthy" can make you unhealthy!!! If working out is becoming so tedious and stressful then it is probably doing more harm that good! If you are sacrificing sleep to workout, or over working yourself then you are probably doing more harm than good. We push ourselves so far in this fast paced world and then we push some more. When did we get like this? Breathe people! (I am talking to myself here also). Take a day off people! Go for a leisurely walk! Get back to nature and frolic on the beach... Yup I just said frolic :) Somewhere along my health journey my expectations of working out changed. All of a sudden it was fun to me (Say what??!). I wanted to go to the gym. I wanted to feel strong. I wanted to see results. And from that moment on it started to seem less daunting and dreaded. Of course I still have days that I don't want to go. And sometimes I go with those feelings and take the day off! Sometimes letting myself be free gives me better feelings than I could ever get from doing sit-ups. I have control of my health and I get to decide where my expectations lie with myself!

Writing this blog is another huge expectation I have of myself. I have wanted to write a blog for a few years now. I kept thinking I wasn't good enough or didn't have enough time to fully commit... until one day I finally thought "you know what if it makes you happy Katie then GO DO IT"! If you don't get to post every day.. THAT'S OK! If you don't have any one reading THAT'S OK! I try to keep this in my mind and keep it low pressure. When things are low pressure they seem more enjoyable for me. Once they start feeling like a dreaded obligation then I start resenting and withdrawing... from something I love to do! Thats crazy right???? Do you get like that or is it just me???

Here is the crazy thing of it all. We have control over some of these expectations! Sure we will always have expectations put on us from loved ones... "I hear you Dad.. more money in my 401k. GOT IT!"!... but at the end of the day I think- for me at least- I put most of this pressure on myself. I want to be the best and do good things. I want to make people happy and fit in as much living as possible! And while all of that is great sometimes we need to bring the expectations down a bit. Sometimes its ok to just let things go. Move on. Miss a beat.  That is something really hard for me but I have learned that sometimes letting go means actually getting exactly what we want!

And don't get me started on expectations we have for other people. Here is a secret... "We will never be able to control each other!". Yup had to learn this one the hard way too! We were all MADE DIFFERENT! So we are all going to handle things differently, operate differently, feel differently and see things differently. So when you build up this scenario in your mind of how things are supposed to be you are setting your self up for a very big disappointment. We live in a very volatile and ever changing world. I feel comfortable having control of my environment and the people in it.. But once I learned (still learning) to let go of that control a little I gave other people the opportunity to really be themselves and shine while doing it! Plus when I wasn't living in fantasy land I was happier because I hadn't already played out every possible scenario in my head and worn myself out while doing so.

I am not suggesting that we set the bar too low however. I am talking about balance. Having goals and visions but also tossing out the unrealistic expectations of being a superhero. The people in your life probably already think of you as a superhero! That's why they stick around!

This all may seem abstract to some of you and not make sense. And that's ok... But for those of you that feel like I feel and look for stability and control in their life.. I offer up this advice to you.. Revisit your expectations of yourself and others. Be present with what is and not what you expect it to be. Be willing to change your mind, your plans, your views and your life. Stand for something but constantly be learning and evolving.

I hope this post somehow touched you and triggered some freedom in your heart. Feel free to leave a comment on what expectations you have that are doing more harm that good in your life! I would love to hear your stories of letting the reigns go! Be free! :)

xoxo
Katie

Paleo Sheperds Pie

Over the weekend I was craving some serious comfort food. I wanted something that would ring in the fall season for my kitchen but not bust my gut. I have always wanted to try Sheperds Pie and this recipe checked off every box on my wish list!! AND there are plenty of leftovers to last me for this weeks lunches! Score! You have got to try this out! 

This recipe has two ingredients you may or may not have heard of before - Ghee & Veganaise. Ghee is just clarified butter. You can make your own at home, use the links above to purchase, or buy at most every grocery store. It's kept near the regular butter. Veganaise is like mayonnaise but without all of the junk. just make sure you get the soy free version! 

**Start with a BIG sauté skillet.. I made the mistake of using a medium sized one and had to transfer to a larger one half way through cooking

Mashed Potatoes:

3 medium potatoes and 1 sweet potato (this is what I had in the house.. You can use 4 of either type or mix and match the two. I personally liked the way adding one sweet potato in tasted!). 

3 Tbsp soy free Veganaise

2Tbsp ghee

Salt and pepper to taste

Pie Filling:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (4Tbsp)

Veggies of your choice.. I used:

2 medium brown onions

6 carrots peeled and sliced

3 stalks of celery  (about a half of a bunch)

1 lb sliced mushrooms 

3 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp sea salt

1.5 Tsp Dried Oregano

6 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Lbs ground meat (I used turkey but beef would be awesome too!)

1/2 cup beef broth (no soy, no preservatives)

1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Black Pepper (a few dashes)

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees

-Start boiling the potatoes and then proceed with the filling making...

-Add all of the veggies, garlic, EVOO, 1Tbsp salt to the LARGE skillet and sauté for about 10 min... After the veggies are starting to get soft add the tomato paste, the beef broth, the rest of the salt, pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, and all of the ground meat to the LARGE skillet. Break up the meat into small pieces and cook until no longer pink.

-While the meat and veggies are cooking take tender potatoes out of the boiling water and roughly chop them up in a bowl. Add the Veganaise, ghee, pepper and salt (I liked lot but start small and then add a little at a time until desired taste is achieved). Mash the potatoes.

**I left the skins on but you can remove prior to mashing if you prefer*

-Pour the meat mixture into a baking / casserole dish. Spread the potatoes on top in a thin layer leaving a quarter of an inch uncovered border around the edge. I sprayed the top of the potatoes lightly with olive oil to really get a little crunch on top - but that step is optional! 

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes start browning and the meat is bubbling up in the border area. It will be VERY hot out of the oven so let it cool before eating! There are so many variations that can be done to this so feel free to let loose and go wild!! Enjoy!

......and I'm back!

Back to work, back to wearing makeup, no more wearing yoga pants, or eating gluten free pizza... Yup my mini vacation is over. Sad Face!!! I can now start counting down to my next time off of work during Thanksgiving. That will actually be my birthday weekend also so I took an extra day off on the end of the normal Thanksgiving holiday to celebrate :) T-minus 7 weeks to go! But I digress... Lets focus on the new week at hand and join Melyssa at the Nectar Collective to go over some of my weekly wishes!

Last week I had high hopes for getting a lot done around the house. I didn't get to clean out my closet but I did do a little shopping (YAY!) and got a ton of laundry and cleaning done. So I can't complain there. I ran 21 miles and was super productive at work (all 3 days ;) ). It was a great week overall!!

This week looks a little like this:

1- Kick butt back at the gym. I am switching programs starting this week. It's back to heavy weight training again. I've spent the past two months doing a lot of running and body weight training. I will spend the next two months lifting weights at the gym and very little running. I go back and forth like this every two months to keep my body guessing and always make it a challenge. I LOVE this part of my training. It is so satisfying to lift more than you ever thought you could... To see the muscles growing fast in your body... To have people at the gym see you with a fat barbell up on your shoulders. So fun! The first few weeks however are always killer. When I first started back to running my muscles felt so strong and heavy and it made running feel so hard. Like I was lugging around two weights around for legs. But as the months progressed I started feeling lighter and lighter. It was easy for me to run again and my joints were loosening up. In fact yesterday I ran my first 7 miles ever! And I actually didn't die! Which is awesome...until its time to lift heavy again. It will be a few weeks until my body is comfortable with the motions and amounts of weights I have planned for it. But this "keep the muscles guessing" is what works best for my body. So c'mon week..bring it on!

                                  

                                               7 Miles from my house and around the lake and back!

.

2- I want to get a lot of devotional time in this week. I crave it and need to feed the craving. This desire is as simple as that. Read, write, pray, soak in the Spirit,listen to studies, read the Bible. I have a whole lot of that planned for me this week and I am so looking forward to it!

Pretty much sums it up!

3- I know the holidays are still a little ways away but I like to spread my spending out over a few months.. So this week I want to start brainstorming things I want to get for my family. They are so hard to buy for so I need some serious inspiration this week! PS they already have holiday decorations up at Michaels!!!! OMG a little to soon people!

Really Michaels?? Realllly???

4- Keep it simple! I want to stay in my zen vacation mode so less is more this week. Have fun, relax, be kind, and stay me! 

 What are your wishes for this week??? I hope you have a fantastic 7 days planned too!!

xoxo
Katie 

It's the Five!!

Happy Friday!!

I'm on my second day off of work and loving every second of it! I have not accomplished any of my Weekly Wishes yet but I am completely at peace with that! I'm living in the moment and enjoying myself.. Which really should have been my weekly wish all along.. But anywho I digress! Here are my five bits of awesomeness for today!

1- I cut my hair!! I will take a picture right now to show you but just know I'm in my pjs with no make up (see #2 for details). I haven't even brushed my hair yet so I will have to put another pic up on another day with what it looks like styled! Sorry for the frowny face but you can see how much shorter it is! I haven't had my hair this short in a long time and so far I'm really liking it!! You can check out the "before" photo here Hair Did

2- This is where I am writing you from right this second. I went down to the beach super early to get in some quiet devotional time, take in the beauty and get some fresh air. I love love love starting my day off like this!!

3- I have splurged the past two days and gotten this for breakfast: 

It's an acai bowl from Nektar Juice Bar. If you have never had one you really should! They are A-Mazing! This one is "tropical" so it is blended with banana, pineapple, some other exotic fruits that I can't remember right now.. and has coconut shreds on top! Mmmm mmmm mmmmmm

4- Kale Krunch- Quite Cheezy". Man this stuff is rocking my world! They taste just like Cheeze-It's but without the guilt!! I picked up mine at Whole Foods and was honestly thinking it looked scary before trying it. But I braved it out and was so pleasantly surprised!! Go get yourself some!! And one point for Katie for for trying new things!

5- It's another 20 mile run week for me this week! So far I've done 9.5 miles. Half way there... almost lol! My goal is to complete my first ever 10k distance (6.2 miles) today (yikes!!!). Then do the last 4ish miles tomorrow and have Sunday OFF! A little nervous about the 6 miler but I felt pretty good at the end of my 5 miles yesterday so I'm staying positive!!! Wish me luck!! :-) 

Im off now to continue my vacation and figure out how to style this new hair!! Have a great weekend ya'll!!!!!

xoxo

Katie

Hair Did!

So tomorrow I am getting my hair done. I have been craving a serious CHOP lately but the last time I did that I seriously regretted my decision! I have A LOT of thick hair and it comes out like a mushroom the shorter it goes. Am I am trying to kid myself thinking "I am better at styling and controlling my hair than I used to be so it will all work out this time"? Or am I just delusional? I am sure I will end up with the same hair I always walk out of the salon with. I will probably compromise with myself and cut a little more than normal but not "too much". Anyways these are the inspiration pictures I am going to bring with me to the salon. Any recommendations or opinions?!?! I need help!

This is my current hair VERY styled and a lot more flat than it is naturally (= too much effort for me)

And from the back.. Sorry my room is messy :) 

And these are the inspiration pictures:

Love this one if I could style it like this :/

Probably a little too short for me

This one is probably the closest to my texture

My hair may be too thick to lay like this?

Looks easy and I like that!

It always looks good on a supermodel :)

Closet Refresh!

Ha! This picture is of me and my cousin and was taken yesterday from my other cousins twins' 1st birthday party! Did that make sense? I am not quite awake yet so I'm not positive on that :) Anywho I can never get enough photo booth fun!

One of my weekly wishes has already come true for this week! HOLLAAA!!! I have a 3 day work week!! I took off work Thursday and Friday and plan to have a little staycation at home. Life has been so fast recently that I just want to take a few days to slow it down a little and smell the roses! There are some things I hope to get done around my house too. Things that I never get to because I just get the bare minimum cleaning done on my short short weekends!

1- I want to clean up my back patio. For the size of my condo I have a fairly big patio area and right now the plants are all overgrown and it's a mess back there. My ultimate goal is to get some herbs & veggies planted back there one day. Maybe by Spring I will have it all cleaned up and ready to plant! Spring is when you do that sort of thing right? I guess I should do some investigating on that process too before then ;)

2- Clean out my closets & drawers. This is something that makes me giddy! I am pretty much the opposite of a hoarder.. I love love love to get rid of the old and bring in the new! I love organizing and simplifying. Since my body is rapidly changing with my new way of eating in place (see story Part 1 and Part 2) I have a ton of clothes that don't fit me anymore.. in a good way!! Every morning when I go to get ready for work I try on at least 2 things that don't fit me anymore that need to be given away.. Then I always end up choosing one of the 5 outfits I have that still actually fit me (you know - one for each day of the week). Don't get me wrong this is an awesome problem to have! Which is one reason I am so excited to refresh my closet. I have worked hard for this moment and I can't wait to dive in! Which leads me to my next goal for this week...

3- Shopping! I don't have much money to spend on clothes right now but since I desperately need things that fit me I want  to stock up on some basics. I have been a pinning fool lately pinning clothes that I want in my closet.. Here are a few of my inspiration pictures!!

Need these pants!

Basics Rule!

I'm on a mission to find an awesome flannel for the winter!

Anything cozy and I am IN!

Don't know if I can pull this one off but I love it!

So basically I have some really awesome wishes to get to this week. This should get me through the grueling days of work ahead of me. What are your weekly wishes this week? Do link up and share!
xoxo
Katie

Feel Good Blog!!

This month I want to really spend time sprucing up the ol' blog. I feel like I'm just starting to get the hang of this whole thing and now it's time to really establish who I want to "be" as a blogger. This Fabulous Five On Friday post will help you understand the direction(s) I want to go with this blog and also help keep me focused with where I want to go. If you haven't caught on yet I love making lists ;) 

1- One thing I want my blog to be is "always evolving". I hope to learn (a lot) on this journey and constantly use this new information to upgrade, refresh and inspire me. I probably won't just talk about one thing because I am a whole person that is made up of so many different moving growing changing parts. It may take longer for readers to get "who I am" because I won't just be talking about one thing all the time... But I am A-OK with that! Stick with me folks!!

2- I want to exude happiness! I really just want to spread joy and help people become the happiest versions of themselves. Every where you look these days there is bad news and that's just not OK with me. We have so much to be thankful for and hopeful for! So you won't be sad or negative here. Nope not on my watch!

3- I want to be genuinely ME. I hope this blog also helps shape who I am and evokes some soul searching for both you and me. Everybody likes to read about soul searching too right??? :) I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and show the world the real me. All while trying to stay away from the pull to "be like" any other blogger. I hope to improve my writing style and make it sound more like "me"... I hope to make you laugh and cry all at the same time!

4- I partially started this blog to show the world that not all Christians belong in the worlds "religion box". I love The Lord and move along side the Holy Spirit daily. I feel no burden to follow "rules" or be a certain "Christian way". I try to act out of Love first and foremost. I want to be here for people that need me and share stories of miracles, hope, love and happiness... because it may be hard to find sometimes - but all of that really is out there! I see miracles every week you guys. I see some amazing things God does and I can not just keep quiet about it! It is honestly the wildest ride I have ever been on and I can't wait to share more.

5- I really just want my blog to be a space people can come to to remember the basics of life. We are all here to experience and engage with one another and I think we make it way too complicated! This is simple people! Love people and the rest falls into place! Eat simple whole foods and you feel healthy and live longer! Be kind and people will treat you kind! I hope you feel comfortable when you visit my blog and look forward to visiting! Despite all of my seriousness above I really hope to be entertaining and funny. I guess you could call this a "feel good blog".

Have a great weekend you guys!!!!

xoxo Katie

Day Job Blues

I'm back! My day job is really getting in the way of my blogging time. We have been going through an audit this week and it has forced me to work a lot of overtime and it added a whole lot of stress to my week. But the good news is that its OVER and went great! So now I can regroup and get back to blog land where I belong! One day I dream of being able to spend my days sitting at Starbucks (in my yoga pants and sweatshirt) dreaming up amazing blog posts and writing everyday.... But until then I must keep this as a part time gig and focus primarily on my day job.. Boooo!!! A girl can dream right???

Its been a bit crazy around here but to recap my last week has looked like this:

work

run

work

work

run run run 

get sick eating dairy

run

work 

work overtime

work some more

Yup! Welcome to my world. You are probably glad now that I wasn't blogging all week about all of THAT fun now aren't you?? I logged 20 miles of running last week (which was my goal woop wooop!!). And my last run of the week, Sunday, I did at the beach and took some obligatory photos after to share with ya'll! It was an amazingly beautiful day. You could see Catalina so clearly which is not always the case. Taking pictures of yourself while running on the beach is awesome embarrassing to say the least so I hope you all enjoy these!! The things I do for you :) 

I really feel like today is going to be a great day! I feel refreshed and ready for new things! Do you ever get like that? Like when you have been so buried under busyness and all of a sudden you come up for air you feel so refreshed and revived! That's me today! Yesss! I am going to conquer the world! Heal the sick! Solve the political dramas going on! Raise money for the poor! And travel to other countries to rescue orphans!!... But for now I am going to go back to dreaming of my future full time blogging career and go buy a lotto ticket get to work on some really awesome posts for you all!!  ;)

xoxo

Katie

"There is no joy in soy" - My Paleo Journey Part 2

Happy Wednesday! Today I will be finishing my story on my journey to a Paleo life style. In case you missed the first part of this post read HERE to catch up!

So where was I... Oh yes I had just finished my 21 day elimination process and was feeling great. I lost my constant state of brain fog, my skin was glowing, my cravings went away, and I was losing weight........
TWENTY pounds to be exact! I mean I don't know about you but that number was huge for me! Especially in a month! I would have been happy to have lost that the whole year prior. (That year that I was working so hard and doing what I thought were all the right things and lost nothing). So I knew I must be on to something that was working for my body.

Once the 21 days was over I started adding some of the foods back in one by one to see how I felt. The foods that she suggests never come back into your diet are gluten, peanuts,and artificial sweeteners, so I wouldn't be testing those back in. The two foods I thought I'd have the least problem with were corn and soy. I mean they are plants right?? I should have known better after reading her book however; especially the chapter called "There is no joy in soy".  First I tried soy. I got a soy latte from Starbucks since I hadn't had a dairy filled coffee drink in almost a month! I don't really like the taste of soy milk but that was besides the point... More importantly I drank about half of it and immediately got a headache... that lasted 2 days! I also felt fatigued like I had been up all night long (when I hadn't). So right away I knew soy was out for me. I had been feeling so good that anything that made me feel less than perfect was not worth the trouble.

After this reaction I started to question if I wanted to bring ANY of these items back. I didn't miss most of them anyways. I knew I really wanted eggs back in my life though. They make breakfast so easy and are filling and quick. So I went ahead and had an egg and luckily I had no negative reaction to it. HALLELUJAH! Seriously - I was over joyed. I had already taken out a lot of foods I was comfortable with and I didn't need anymore no-no items. After this I decided I was done testing. I didn't want to knowingly bring on headaches, an upset stomach, lethargy, etc etc etc. My new plan was to wait until those foods made their way into something I was eating and see how I reacted. I ended up having some corn on the cob a few weeks later and had the same reaction as the soy. So corn was also out. I love corn you guys. It was a sad day. Milk crept into some scrambled eggs at a restaurant once without me knowing. A few hours later I started feeling that same sick feeling and knew that something was in there that I hadn't known about. I looked online and they put milk in their scrambled eggs. Lesson learned.. and I am still learning lessons daily. Thats why I like to call it a journey. My meal plans evolve and change. I want to keep getting better and better at life and more and more healthy.

In the months since the 21 day elimination diet my eating has slowly transitioned into more of a "Paleo" mold. The similarities between the Virgin Diet and the typical Paleo diet are many and it was the natural next step in my journey. I started listening to podcasts while at work. They taught me the ins and outs of the Paleo diet. They taught me that every persons definition of Paleo is not the same. I started buying books and reading more and more Paleo blogs. I do not practice what most would call "Perfect Paleo". I am not a diet perfectionist. I have things that I will never eat again like gluten, soy, corn, peanuts, or artificial sweeteners. However, I eat brown rice (not typically considered Paleo), sometimes I throw black beans in to a rice bowl,  and occasionally treat myself to gluten free pancakes. It is all about a balance for me.

I have continued to drop pant sizes and have learned to love this new way of life for me. The best part of this whole journey so far is the freedom I feel from now being controlled by food. Food no longer dictates my mood or how awake I feel. It is there to nourish me and sustain me. I love food and have learned so many new recipes that I would have never have been exposed to had I not cleaned up my diet. I dont count calories or stress about eating too much. Its all a very natural process now. My body is properly nourished so I no longer crave snacks all day or crash after a big meal. I have never in my life had will power when it came to food, but now its not even a battle in my mind about "to eat or not to eat" because I know what makes me feel good and what doesn't.. and I always choose feeling good now! My mind body and soul have been cleansed of the toxins in our modern day processed foods and I am so proud of how far I have come in just 6 short months!

Next week I want to get into the details about what I eat, how I eat out at restaurants and some other nitty gritty details about getting back to the basics with my food choices! I am always open for questions so please feel free leave a comment or a message if there is anything you would like to know more about!

xoxo
Katie

I'm Back!

Helloooo!!! Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I was under the weather for a few days and needed another few days to get back on track and catch up! I am getting there though!

I have a ton of things to do this week at work and a full running schedule planned (minimum 20 miles ((YIKES)) by Sunday! But I hope to fit in a few fun blog posts this week so stay tuned! Tomorrow I plan on continuing my story of my journey to Paleo eating. If you missed the first half you can catch up here: Yes I Am One Of THEM! Be sure to stop by tomorrow to hear the rest!

Until then I think you should check out this amazing blog! "Lark & Bloom" I love her writing and her topics never fail to hit me straight in the heart!!! She has a great series going on right now called The Dirty Gospel. Her blog is one that inspires me and makes me want to write more in depth posts that push myself farther than my comfort zone goes! Wow that was a lot of exclamation marks!!! :)

I am going to go dream about fall and cooler weather right now. I hope you have a fantastic day!!!

XOXO
Katie

Yes.... I am one of THEM....

I don't know how quite to say this. I feel like we are just getting to know each other and I am afraid that you will judge me once you know the truth. So promise me that you will hear me out before you come to any conclusions about me. I guess I can't stall any longer... so here it goes.... I don't eat gluten. OOOHHH AHHHHHH SHOCK AWEEEEEE GASP!! Feel free to take a moment to process this...

Ok hopefully you are back now! Let me explain. I actually don't eat gluten, dairy, soy, corn, MSG, or anything processed. I know I know... I sound all sorts of crazy right now. Like most people I encounter there are probably many questions swirling around in your brain right now about how this is possible.. Questions like "WHY???????" or "What DO you eat??". "How do you have such strong will power" (spoiler alert: I DON'T), "How did this start?". I will use this post to address the many questions I get daily from people on my not so weird eating habits. Most likely you aren't thinking "How can I do this too???". But I will answer that one too :)

My weight loss journey has been a long one.. But I will fast forward a little for now to April of this year. I have always been a milkoholic.. Actually a dairyoholic. Ice cream - Love it! Milk - Love it! Cheese - Love it! Pretty much if its dairy of any sort I love it. Early this year my stomach started giving me problems when I ate it. I kept trying to fool myself into thinking "ohhh you just ate too much this time - thats why your stomach hurts". But after a while I learned that the amount didn't matter. It was always bothering me now after eating dairy (mostly my beloved frozen yogurt).

Simultaneously I had been struggling to lose weight. For a while now. I would work out a lot. I was eating all the "right things" like whole grains, Greek yogurt, lean cusines etc. I was doing it all "right" (or so I thought) so what was the problem?!!? Well once the stomach issues started kicking in I started to search the internet for answers and ran across this book "The Virgin Diet" by JJ Virgin. It asks you to remove 7 foods from your diet for 21 days then slowly add some of them back in to see if you react. I am no Doctor but the basic science behind this is that when your body doesn't process some foods properly it causes inflammation. The 7 foods she asks you to remove are common inflammatory foods. This inflammation is what can cause headaches, eczema, holding onto excess weight, feeling sluggish, breaking out with acne and SO MANY more things. I have heard of severe things getting healed in the body from removing a food from your diet that your body reacts badly to.

 So after reading the book and the testimonials I decided to dive in to this program with full force. I would say I don't have a lot of will power on my own when it comes to eliminating foods from my diet. But I was determined to find some answers this time... So in April of this year I removed dairy, gluten, soy, corn, peanuts, sugar / artificial sweeteners, and eggs from my diet for 21 days. And YES I went the FULL 21 days with out cheating!! For a while it was a huge adjustment. Getting rid of my "healthy foods" I mentioned before and replacing them with new and different foods- soup for breakfast say what?!!? Going out to eat with friends was the most difficult part of it. Passing up my old favorites and opting for the most basic meal. The worst part is not KNOWING what they were actually putting in my food. Did they cook this in butter? I would ask the servers a million questions and be THAT annoying girl. This however does get easier with time I promise!!

After only about a week I was already feeling more alert, less fatigued and full of energy. There was a huge difference in my focus levels at work and throughout the day. It was like I was FINALLY awake! Plus I wasn't getting tired at 8pm like usual. I was waking up feeling rested and able to power through my day with out feeling like a zombie. It was an incredible change let me tell you. After 2 weeks my skin was clearing up and glowing. I was feeling less bloated all the time and I never felt so full that I felt sick after eating a meal anymore. My hair and nails were becoming stronger and were growing quickly. After finishing the 21 days I was feeling incredible. Like a new person almost. There was some serious pounds shed too. But you will have to tune into the next post to hear how much!!! I am going to continue this story in a part 2 post and talk about reintroducing / testing the foods that I removed and how that has led me to how I eat today!

For the rest of the story read here!



Have you read the Virgin Diet book??? Does anyone else have that brain fog / fatigue that I was talking about???

Until next time....

Katie
XOXO

Monday Monday & The Help Program

Hello hello!!

Its Weekly Wishes day again! I love doing weekly wishes because my Mondays are sometimes rough at work and it gives me a chance to look out into the week and really get excited about things coming my way! Its perfect really :) PS I love my weekly wishes art this week! Its a picture I took last night during dinner! LOVE IT!

This weekend was jam packed with fun. The best part was going to a fundraiser for an AWESOME program. "The Help Program" in San Clemente is working with at risk children to help them keep their grades up and involve them in sports programs. There was a mother there that gave her testimony about her sons transformation through this program and it was so moving. When he first came to them he was failing all of his classes. Through the Help Program he started training in mixed martial arts (MMA) with a group called Fighters For The World that they collaborate with.  He loved this part of the program but to stay enrolled in his MMA classes he had to get his grades up... and keep them up. He started going to tutoring through the program and is now getting grades that are above average for his school! His mother was in tears and he was standing on stage super proud of himself. This is just one of many lives they have impacted. One of my wishes for this week.. or month... or whenever is to help them raise some money to bring more children into their program. They have waiting lists full of kids that want... no NEED to be a part of this dynamic group! If you are interested in donating any amount please comment or send me a message and I can get you more details! Thank you!!

Something I need to work on this week is stretching my body more and drinking more water. Sometimes I drink a ton of water but right now I have just been dropping the ball on it. I sit at work all day with an empty cup on my desk and just stare at it. It screams at me "FILL ME UP".. and I ignore it. But not this week.. Nope I am going to listen to the cries of my water bottle! I am also going to work on full body stretching in my free time (haha that was a joke - I have no free time!).. I am going to MAKE TIME for stretching this week. My body has been feeling so tense this week and knotted up from working out that I really need to!

Cheers to another GREAT week!!!


                                                      

Five On Fry-Day

Yes it's Friday(!!) and I am also FRY-ing in this heat!! I live in one of the most amazing climates in the world though so I won't complain anymore!! :-) Speaking of amazing things... today on this Five On Friday Link Up post I am going to share five of my favorite things! Kind of like Oprah but most likely purchased at Target :) Oh and speaking of Oprah has anyone seen the Butler? I heard it was great! I want to see it soon. Maybe this weekend?? What are your thoughts on the movie?? Should I see that or The Family?

1-The first up is my Ninja MEGA Kitchen System. This is a blender / food processer / dough mixer. I use it for everything! I use it to make smoothies most often. It only takes about 10 seconds or less to blend down the ice or frozen fruit in them. Plus if I add kale or another leafy vegetable it always grinds it up into pieces that I hardly know are there. I usually use the small to-go cups to make my individual sized smoothies. Plus those come with a travel lid.  I also make salad dressings in the individual cups like the recipe I posted about here: Honey Vinegar Dressing.  Using the 8 cup smaller attachment I have blended cookie dough. I have even put whole almonds in there and made my own almond flour to bread fish! Usually if I am cooking something I try to incorporate the Ninja some how into the process. Its so easy and flexible. Oh and its also easy to clean which is a must for me! And yes I got it at Target :)

2- These two books are ones I read a few years ago but have completely opened my eyes to the difference between men and women. Its not one of those cheesy how to get along with men/women books. It takes a completely different angle that I have never heard before. It rocked my world seriously you guys. Especially if you are raising children I think these books are a MUST READ to tap into your child full potential as a male or female! The one about the ladies is called "Captivativating" and the guys one is called "Wild At Heart. But whether you are a male or female I think you should read them both. I learned a lot from each one of these! Go out and get yourself some weekend reads! And of course they sell them at Target.com ;)

3- Cocoroons. If you don't know what these are then you need to go out and try some! They are basically coconut cookies that are "Paleo" friendly. I personally like the homemade version myself but you can get store bought at Whole Foods or online (sadly not found at Target). I just googled a recipe and made my own and OMG they are life changing :) You can either make them "raw" or pop them in the oven for a few minutes. Both are delicious and you can very easily eat the whole batch in one sitting. "Cocoroons". Google it! :) Maybe I will come up with my own variation very soon and post that recipe!

4- I have been using this new shampoo & conditioner that I absolutely love! I have really thick course hair and it is always poofy unless I straighten it. When I use this shampoo it becomes straight and shiny in no time at all! My straightening time is cut in half and looks great when I am done! Oh and its very cheap at Target!

Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Shine Shampoo

Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Color Care Conditioner


5- Last but not least I love love love the Trader Joes gluten free brownie mix! It is so easy to throw together  quickly and taste amazing! It is a great dessert to bring to friends to show them how easy it is to live the gluten free lifestyle. Best part is that they are also dairy free and soy free! That is so hard to find :) I usually add in some Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (which are also dairy free) to make it completely decadent! This treat is easy, quick, cheap, convenient, ohh so tasty and doesn't make me sick like other gluten, dairy filled desserts would! JACKPOT!

Are you going to the movies this weekend? What will you be seeing? What are some of your favorite things???

xoxo
Katie