Oh yes, it's hump day peeps!  Almost to the end of the week and you are seeing right.  I am rocking a Thor t-shirt thanks to my future stepkids.  They know I love Marvel Comics and especially the handsome Viking deity.  And check out the key chain hammer?  this thing is small but heavy.  You gotta love a key chain that doubles as a weapon! :D  And just in time because I think on Saturday the Viking gods started their own apocalypse in Asgard (where Thor is from... I know..geek alert!).

Hello dearies!  I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend!  Let me begin by saying that in case you did not know it is officially crazy weather season.  After weeks of arctic temps, the past two days it has been in the 60s.  Do not get me wrong I am not complaining whatsoever.  Just not sure how dress from one day to the next.  You should see my Jeep; I'm carrying layers and extra clothes just in case.

One of my favorite grains to eat is quinoa, and for some reason I go through phases when I do not eat it but then there are the times when I just eat quinoa for every meal: as a hot cereal breakfast with almond milk and berries, as a side dish, or topped with eggs for dinner.  This delicious grain is so versatile that almost any recipe that requires grains can be adapted to quinoa.  But let's face it, one of quinoa's cons is its "portability".

One of the lessons I learned during these past year was that the body breaks.  I may think I am invinsible but at some point there is so much the body can handle because it in itself pushes the "STOP!" button.  After the foot surgery in September, I knew the body would be out of whack for a few months until I was able to get into some kind fitness routine.  Since then, I have been running but not going all out.  Instead I have focused in healing the body and making it stronger before I take on training for an actual race.  And it is paying off.

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Things have been crazy but I am happy to report that it looks like my hormonal problems are starting to stabilize and I can tell because I am finally getting control of what I eat.  For months it seemed that I was famished all the time and the cravings were kicking my butt but for better or worse, those Shakeology shakes have helped with my cravings even if I cannot stand the taste.  I am pretty amazed at how everything in my body seems to be normalizing and I can sigh in relief.  I feel more in control and for a Type A personality like me, that is a major reason for celebration.  

This weekend was a 4-day weekend for me (God bless the Army and the 4-day weekends) and it allowed me time to do some things around the house and do some homework, but it also allowed me to relax and try some new things.  And to cap it off, I got some great news.  

// NO. 1//  It is pretty hard to miss the "I'm FITpossible Ambassador" badge.  This weekend I got notification that I had been selected as an ambassador and I was ecstatic because of all the ambassadorships, this is one that has a mission that really speaks to me.  I really believe that social media is the next wave in fitness and nutrition information outlets, and this ambassadorship really allows me to jump in that big cannonball and "spread the word".  I am pretty to be part of this growing community!

// NO. 2 // It was awesome that I had a 4-day weekend but I did get some flowers delivered. :)

// NO. 3 // On Friday for V-Day I did treat myself to some good food and I also a dessert that I have never tried before: pavlovas with berry sauce.  I should have taken the picture of the finished product but I forgot, so I am showing you the before. :-)  It was delicious by the way.

// NO. 4 // And carrying on the theme about trying something new: I tried yoga for the first time EVER.  And let me tell you, I am going to go to a studio because while I enjoyed it, trying to bend this 6'1" frame into some of those positions was quite challenging.  That is when I realized I need professional instruction.  Still, I was able to accomplish the main purpose, I think it is of yoga: I was relaxed when I finished.  One thing I am going to say, I will never ever make the comment that yoga its easy.  It is not and I was feeling it the next day.  I was so motivated the rest of the day that I even included a second workout and went to the gym where I killed my chest and back.  Yes, feeling it today.  But it was an awesome workout too!

// NO. 5 // And finally, long weekends give me the opportunity to spend time with Jack.  It has to be pretty hard for a dog to go from having another dog at home to just being himself now.  And while he still the pretty happy go-lucky energetic dog I love, I can tell when we are at home that he misses Rummer.  So we went for drives and walks to get some fresh arctic air.  Plus he got to stick his head out the window, which crazy loves to do!  But with that face who can say no?!

// NO. 6 //  Can we talk for a moment about the  reporter who interviewed Bode Miller?  She can only be called one name but I won't. That was one tasteless and classless interview. She could tell he was having a hard time talking about his brother who died this past year and she kept digging until he broke down and cried. Then she patted him on the back! But the worse part was that this interview happened 10 hrs. earlier and the network chose to air it.  Way to use someone else's grief for ratings, . Because this was all ratings. Just disgusting. complete  

And that was my weekend in a nutshell.  How about yours?  Did you have a good V-Day?

MIMM. Life 365.  Monday Morning Gossip. 

Welcome to Eat Clean Friday once again!  Today I want to talk about something that is essential to clean eating: spices.  I like to consider myself a foodie, although not the snobbish type.  And in my quest to expand my palate, one of the biggest thrill I get is when I either find a new spice or get to use one I have never used before.   Let's be honest, sometimes clean eating can be pretty boring and we have to give those dish an oomph! And we achieve that through the beauty of spices.  In the spice world, there are some pretty exquisite and exotic ones that simply awaken your tastes buds and they are not the same again. 

The past few years I have been using a lot of Middle Eastern spices and my heart was head over heels for the beautifully aromatic "garam marsala" from India.  Then I watched a documentary about food in Southern Spain and immediately I developed a crush to make the garam marsala jealous: enter ras el hanout.

If you are not familiar with this spice, ras el hanout {i love the exotic name}  is a spice mix from North Africa. The name losely translates into "head of the shop" meaning a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer.  You can buy already grounded and made or you can make your own.  And while everyone has their own blend but it normally includes cardamon, cloves,cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, paprika, and turmeric.  Some blends also include regional ingredients like dried rosebuds, ash berries and orris root.  

I am personally too lazy to grind my own so instead I buy mine, and I really love the Williams Sonoma one.  If you have never smelled or tasted 'ras el hanout', the best way to describe it is aromatic with sweet and spicy notes.  I hate it when people describe it as a "curry" because I detest curry and actually the recipe I am sharing with you today originally called for curry.  I don't know why but the curry I have tasted in Indian restaurants just completely turns me off BIG TIME.  Cannot stand it.  And even though garam marsala is considered a curry, it is a WHOLE LOT milder than the typical curry you eat.  But back to the ras el hanout.  If you can find it give it a try.  Now, on to today's recipe.



The original recipe I first discovered on one of my favorite blogs, Happyolks.  Kelsey, the writing and photography genius behind this special blog always comes up with some amazing recipes and this one was no exception.  As I mentioned, I am not a lover of curry, so I substituted that for "ras el hanout" and the results were delicious.

I love that the ingredients are fresh and good for you, making it perfect for clean eating.  Yes there is ghee but in my opinion a little bit of fat never killed anybody.  This dish is really delicious and particularly perfect for those days when it is cold outside {hello Kansas!}.  Not only is it best served warm but the combination of flavors is divine.  It is a comforting dish that leaves you wanting more.  The flavor of the spices goes beautifully with the sweetness of the potatoes and the nutiness of the red quinoa {which I used in this dish}.  So what do you think?  Can you see yourself eating this warm comforting bowl while watching the Olympics wrapped yourself in a blanket?  I can. 

Now come and join us and link your delicious clean eating recipes!  Also sharing w/these wonderful link-ups: Tuned-In Tuesday.  Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Blog Hop.  Fitness Friday. The Fitness Friday Linkup.  Strange But Good .  Recipe Friday. Foodie Friday.  Food-tastic Friday.  Friday Favorites.  Foodie Friday.  Weekend Potluck.  Aloha Friday Blog Hop.  Full Plate Thursday.  Fantastic Friday. 

First of all.  Can you tell from my new header that I am ready for summer?  Ha! This island girl is not liking these arctic temperatures and not sure how I'll handle them when I move to Minnesota.  But enough of that.  Today I am thinking out loud about two things that have been on my mind A LOT: fitness and shakes.  A few weeks ago I decided to start doing T25 as an alternate fitness routine in conjunction with my strength training and running.  One of my friends is a Beachbody Coach and she and her clients have had awesome success with this program.

  But before I did this I wanted to get a true test of my body composition and metabolic rate, so I made an appointment at the Wellness Center here on post (thank you Army for these resources).  I went through a bunch of tests but the coolest one for me was the Bod Pod.  I you have never seen this machine see below. 

"The BOD POD technology is fundamentally the same as underwater (hydrostatic) weighing, but uses air instead of water. The BOD POD measures the volume of air a person's body displaces while sitting inside a comfortable chamber, rather than measuring how much water his or her body is placed when dunked in a tank. By using air instead of water, the BOD POD offers a fast, safe, and asy-to-use tool for measuring body composition, without sacrificing accuracy. Since it is based on the same whole-body measurement principle as hydrostatic weighing, the BOD POD first measures the subject's mass and volume. From these measurements, whole-body density is determined. Using this data, body fat and lean mass can then be calculated."

So what was the result?  What I expected.  With all the workouts I am doing something is amiss here that I cannot lose body fat.  I will spare you the number because I cannot believe it, was so awful.  So, I have an appointment with a nutritionist who works with my endocrinologist and maybe this will be able to help.

But on to T25.  I finally got this workout and let me tell you: THIS.  IS.  NO.  JOKE.  Holy mollie!  From workout one I was dead.  So far the most challenging workouts are the cardio because there is a lot of jumping and my knees are not liking it too much.  Each workout is 25 minutes of pure misery without breaks so by the time there was 6:57 minuets left I was ready for it to be over and was having that feeling of "oh God, I think I am going to puke".  But once I was done something beautiful happened: 

I felt the biggest sense of accomplishment I have felt in a long time while working out.  

I was even shouting in my living room "yeah baby!".  it was pretty funny. Shaun T is a great motivator and he really makes you want to push yourself.

So at the end of this week, I am happy to report that after two weeks of T25 (and 1 week of Shakeology) I have lost 1 inch off my waist.  That may not be much for some but if you have hypothyroidism which causes slow metabolism, then you know that the excitement I am feeling is well deserved!  Now on to another week of kicking butt!  

Anyone else doing T25?  

Have you tried Shakeology?  How do you like it?

This post should have probably been written on New Year's Day but instead I am writing close to Valentine's Day because if you do not love yourself first then who will? But most importantly, this is my 100th post and I figured if there is a time to be contemplative about one's life, this is it.  It was not until this week that I have been thinking about the year ahead.  There are a lot of changes coming and deep down a part of me is worried about that.  Let me be upfront: I do not handle change well.  There is a comfort that I find in things staying the way they are.  But I also know that sometimes change is needed.  And my life needs it.

You see two years ago my life suddenly came to a screeching halt when I became a caregiver for my dad.  I am not complaining by any means because it was an honor to serve and care for him during the last days of his life.  But being a caregiver is hard work and I did not realize until I moved to Kansas that in that time frame I forgot how to take care of myself and how to simply just be still and enjoy life without worrying what is next.   So you see how changes can make me go back into my default for the past two years.  

How do you move forward when your default is to go back to your "comfortable box" instead of stepping outside the box, embracing changes in order to live the good life?  I immediately knew that the key was in nurturing myself.  I had completely forgotten to do that.  I started taking care of myself, what I ate and my fitness level.  Because you see those things not only make you look good but they make you feel good.  Other things that nurtured my spirit was my faith, the unconditional love of my dogs and my family.  But did I consider those things as elements of a good life?  I do not know the definite answer but I know I was on the road to realizing that.  A good life is about living a life that when you look back years down the road, it makes you feel good internally... emotionally.  The ultimate goal is to be able to say: I lived a good life.  I knew this in my core but did not know how to make that feeling more definite.  Because once you are on the road of nurturing yourself, what comes next?

And that is the key: yes, the "what's next?" is always in the back of our head but in order to find that peace in your spirit it is necessary to stop and LIVE THE NOW.  Notice the small bloom on a winter's day, the red barn as you drive home, the deep snorting laugh that came from deep within you when I friend told you a joke, the simple but powerful words that the God you love also gives you strength to handle what comes into your life.  I was not doing that.  Instead I missed the little things.  I was so focused in the nurturing things I needed to do that nurturing myself became like chores.  Go to the gym, cook healthy food, go swimming, spend time with the dogs, go to the doggie park, volunteer a lot in church.  I am sure you see the pattern that was developing.  And this was an epiphany to me. 

And it is in the spirit of this epiphany that I need to LIVE IN THE NOW {not in the past or fretting about the future} that I invite you to make this your year of truly living.  I invite you to take care of yourself physically and spiritually but without obsession.  Be gentle with yourself; you will be thankful later.  But above all I invite your to love your life, however imperfect it is.  What you may consider a messy life, someone else may consider beautiful.  Be thankful for the blessings however little or big they are, for the moments that leave you breath and those that may bring tears.  Be thankful for them because it is in our thankfulness that we grow.  It is in our thankfulness that we live and love.  Let's make this the year of truly living.

Happy new week!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Well, this weekend was what I call "recovery weekend".  Jack, my Wheaten, and I are still mourning the passing on my beautiful 13 yrs. old Wheaten, Rummer (first photo), on Tuesday.  The house really feels empty without her and I miss her so much.  Jack is kind of lost right now without her but he is doing better plus today he started doggie daycare a few days a week while I am home until he gets out of the funk he is in.

Needless to say, we did some major bonding snuggling up in bed and just playing in the snow.  Because this crazy boy loves the powder, I had to get him outfitted with some winter stuff.  Now, I normally hate dogs wearing clothes but this Southern boy's arthritis flares up with the arctic temps we are having and snow turns into pellets between his toes after a while.  I love his expression on the second pic.  Made me laugh so much!  

This weekend was also the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi and I have been glued to the tv whenever they are on.  And that opening ceremony was pretty fantastic and loved when the USA delegation came out in their red, white blue.

Question: if you watched the ceremony, is it me or does the athletes parade reminded you of the tributes parade on The Hunger Games?  The only thing that would have made it better would have been a delegation with uniforms that lit up in flames!

I am pretty pleased with Team USA so far, and right now I am loving figure skating dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White.  They are so beautiful in the ice and I can just watch them dance forever.  And for some reason (and I know I am weird about this) I keep thinking they would be a great couple in real life.  Like I think figure skating duos should be couples in real life.  Can you tell I love the movie The Cutting Edge? Haha!

Now if you read THIS POST, y'all know I am a HUGE fan of alpine skier Julia Mancuso,  and I am happy to say that this morning she snatched her first Olympic medal.  She won the bronze in the super combined and she is thrilled if the photos are an indication.   And seriously how cute are these pics with her mom?

This weekend I also did some running in the snow and loved it!  I am still loving my UA Spine RPM Storm running shoes.  They keep my feet warm and toasty.  The only downside is that they are a little stiff and are taking forever to break in.  

And finally the crowning moment of my weekend: I made my first snow angel... EVER!  I've always seen people make them and I have never had the opportunity.  I was giggling like a little kid...and it was cold too!  Oh, the little pleasures in life.  It is funny how life can sometimes come into perspective in moments like this.  When I looked at my snow angel it suddenly hit me that I have forgotten to enjoy the little pleasures in life lately.  They are important too yet keep use going.  So, here is to little simple pleasures and moments!

Did you watch the Olympics this weekend?  

Any favorite athletes you are looking forward to seeing?
Any fun races?

MIMM.  Life 365. Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  Monday Morning Gossip. 

I sometimes get a taste for something with Asian flavors but unfortunately sometimes the available dishes are jam-packed with calories.  A few years ago I came across this delicious recipe from Heidi Swanson (the author of the 101 Cookbooks blog) and fell in love with it.  It is healthy, delicious and light with beautiful layered flavors.

Another thing I love about this dish is the use of farro, a grain that I do not normally use, but it is so versatile, healthy and delicious.  Farro is a pearled wheat grain that is lower in gluten compared to most wheat grain varieties.  Unfortunately many people do not eat farro (and many grains) because of what I call the "anti-grain push" in favor of gluten-free.  Now, I understand some people cannot eat gluten, but that is a different story.  So what are the benefits of farro?

As far as complex carbohydrates go, it’s rich in the cyanogenic glucosides that stimulate the immune system, regulate blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol. Although it isn’t a complete source of protein, like quinoa, farro contains more than, say, brown rice, and it also contains lignans that give it antioxidant properties. In general, whole grains take longer to digest, so they keep you feeling full longer and provide sustained energy. They’re also thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

So there: delicious and healthy.  In this particular recipe, I love how such a simple combination can create such a fantastically different and flavorful dish.  It truly is simple too.  If you want to wow your guests but do not have a lot of time, this is the way to go.  Here is the simple recipe from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day, which is you have not gotten this book you are seriously missing out... and I am a carnivore!

I really hope you give this recipe a try because it really is a tastebuds pleaser.  Now come and join us and link your delicious clean eating recipes!  Also sharing w/these wonderful link-ups: Tuned-In Tuesday.  Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Blog Hop.  Fitness Friday. The Fitness Friday Linkup.  Strange But Good .  Recipe Friday. Foodie Friday.  Food-tastic Friday.  Friday Favorites.  Foodie Friday.  Weekend Potluck.  Aloha Friday Blog Hop.  Full Plate Thursday.  Fantastic Friday. 

I was reading a blog post written by Amanda from RunToTheFinish in reference to an article in Women's Health titled 5 Signs that You Are A Fitness Snob.  I loved her arguments for the five signs listed:

• The bumper of your car is plastered with 26.2 stickers
• You Wear Your Nike Fuel band with everything--including cocktail attire
• Even your underwear comes from Lululemon
• Your profile photo is a sweaty gym selfie
• Zumba is considered a swear word in your house

 I am not going to go into details about this.  Instead check out Amanda's article for a humorous look at these five!  Anyhow, as I read the actual article, I noticed at the bottom another article published a day after titled "Are We In The Age of the Fitness Snob?".  I am sorry but is it me or suddenly being passionate about fitness and nutrition is getting a bad rap all over and including fitness magazines and sites? So, I decided to take this in bite sizes and explore why does this article poses this question.  Here are some of the behavior shown by the "exercise snob".

photo credit

NO. 1: DEFINITION OF AN EXERCISE SNOB:  A patronizing person who works out harder than you do, knows more about fitness than you do, and looks better doing it than you do—or at least that's how the person exercising makes you feel.

Notice the part I highlighted in pink.  So according to the author is not about a specific behavior but about how someone perceives a fitness enthusiast.  So by this definition, if you can only run 2 miles but are one of those peoples who mocks marathon runners and their "26.2 car stickers" and "what is wrong with them?" then THEY (those fitness enthusiasts) are snobs.  But in reality the observer is just jealous.

NO. 2: BEHAVIOR: They correct your form, snark at your snacks, and judge your gym-- meet the fitter-than-thou crowd. 

Yikes!  Really?  Here is the thing, if you are at the gym and I correct your form: first) I do it nicely and second) I am doing it so you do not get hurt and maximize the effectiveness of a movement.  I am not trying to tell you I am better, just trying to help.  If you want to lose weight but eat a ton of candy and potato chips, yes I am going to point it out especially if you constantly complain about how you cannot lose the weight. 

I often talk here about various aspects of "the good life" and for me one of those aspects is  unequivocally, my dogs.  I adopt senior dogs, because they bring a special kind of love unlike a puppy does.  And yesterday I had to say goodbye to one of them-- my beautiful 13 yrs. old Wheaten Terrier, Rummer, whom I had since she was 3 yrs. old.  Yesterday we had a crazy winter storm that dropped about 11 inches of snow here in Leavenworth, Kansas and I was ecstatic.  Deep down I am loving this polar vortex because I love snow and running in it too!  Then afterwards I went to to relax with the puppies.  While watching tv the vet called me and gave me some news that while expected were not any less surprising.  Rummer, my 13-year old Wheaten, has Cushing's disease and the previous day we did some tests because since Saturday she was just not herself, she was not eating and could barely walk (she had no muscle mass in her hind legs because of the Cushing's).  The tests came back yesterday and it confirmed my worst suspicions: my little bird was not doing good.

The Cushing's disease took a toll on her system and I could tell this week Rummer was just not herself.   For the past three days she had trouble breathing and did not want to eat. After yesterday's vet visit the vet told me Rummer had gone into early stages of renal failure and her heart was really weak.  She also said that her system could collapse at any moment.  And so I did not want my little girl to suffer and made the decision to put her to sleep.   At 13 years old, she lived a good life and deserved to go with dignity.  This was a hard decision to make but it needed to be done.  I actually had to put myself into my Army officer mode to be able to make it.

  

I'm crying remembering the abused dog I rescued and how far she blossomed into a beautiful and trusting dog. In truthfulness she rescued me; she changed and blessed my life. What struck me the most about her is that she and I were really synced; she knew when I was sad or happy.  Just very intuitive.  She was also my dad's guardian when my dad was going through his cancer treatment and never left his side.   Now she is keeping him company in heaven where both are pain free.   I will love this girl forever and ever.  Goodbye my little bird!

Follow-Up Fridays
Bark & Bites

Yes, I am having to adapt and overcome with this winter weather and especially the snow.  When you have lived in the South, you are definitely not used to the type of snow we are having here in Kansas.  Yes, we had a few snowfalls in the years I lived in NC but this constant stream of polar vortex snow {I had to use this dreaded word because it is kind of funny} is getting to me.  And then you get to driving and it is nasty even driving around the Army base.