I'm alive...and eating a lot of acaí bowls.

I know I have been a little (maybe a lot) absent from my blog.  As you may recall, I have returned back to school to follow a passion.  I am taking prerequisites so that I can apply to Bastyr University for the Master in Nutrition program  I am very excited- but very busy with school, work and (of course) fitness: crossfit during the week and cycling on the weekends.  My one day, 200+ mile bike ride down to Portland in the Classic STP is in 13 days, yahoo!

In addition to my busy life, I have still been trying to keep busy in the kitchen cooking up tasty meals. One tasty meal that has become a staple in the mornings have been I have been acaí bowls. Ahhh-mazing!

I was first introduced to acaí bowls in Santa Barbara while I was visiting two of my favorite people, Sarah and Jack. :-) After getting a WOD in at a local crossfit gym - which nowhere near as awesome as my two favorite gyms here in Seattle: Crossfit206 and Stoneway Crossfit - I stumbled into Backyard Bowls, looked at the menu, asked some questions and was sold on this acaí bowl idea.  I ordered the Green Bowl, it was the bomb! I had to bring Sarah and Jack back there, pronto. Not going to lie, we definitely went back three times- we fell in love.

 {Happiness}

{Sarah and Jack in Santa Barbara}

So what's an acaí bowl?

Well, first off, it's frozen goodness!  You take the frozen pulp of the acaí berry, blend it with fruits, veggies and other goodies to get a super thick smoothie. This is placed in a bowl and topped with some more goodies of your choice like: nuts, shaved coconut, strawberries, granola, honey etc.

Here are just a few photos of the acaí bowl goodness I enjoyed in Santa Barbara.

{The Green Bowl}

Acai Banana, Broccoli, Spinach, Ginger, Lime Juice & Apple Juice
Topped with: Strawberries, Blueberries & Walnuts.

{Diego's Power Bowl}

Acai, Banana, Strawberry, Hemp Protein, Peanut Butter & Hemp Milk
Topped with: Banana, Hemp Seeds, Walnuts & Almonds

Upon returning from Santa Barbara, I went out and bought me some acaí makin' ingredients and put my vitamix to work!

My favorite in SB was the Green Bowl....I had to recreate it.

 {My take on the Green Bowl}

  
{Leah's Green Acaí Bowl}

the bowl
1/2-1 banana
1/4 frozen avocado (fresh works too)
1 acaí smoothi pack
1-2 cups frozen spinach (or fresh)
1 cup frozen broccoli (or fresh)
1-3 tablespoons liquid - I typically use apple juice or coconut milk

juice of 1/2-1 lime (optional, but this is what makes it super tasty!)

fresh ginger (optional, but this also makes it super tasty!)

toppings options
berries

hemp seeds

shaved coconut
chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts and almonds)
granola
whole roasted flax seeds
honey

Method

1. Throw the ingredients (not the toppings) in the blender and blend away. *start with just a little liquid.
**see tips below

2. Once it is all blended up, pour the deliciousness into a bowl and top with desired toppings. Enjoy!
 
 Tips:

•  Place softer ingredients in the blender first. This allows the blender to get it's momentum going.
• Start with minimal liquid and add more as needed. This will ensure a super thick consistency. 
• It is helpful if you have a tamper (the stick you can use to move the ingredients around).  If you don't have one of these you will probably have to blend for a minute, stop and move things around and blend again.

Variations:

• The opportunities are endless!   You don't have to have acaí- you can replace it with frozen berries.
• Kale is an excellent green to add.  I use frozen kale. It makes a quick and easy addition. 
• Check out the Backyard Bowls menu for ideas!
• Get some extra protein by adding protein powder.
• Add a nut butter.
• You essentially can do this with any smoothie just by adding minimal liquid so that it is super thick.

WOD-MOD wk 13 {back in action!}

I know, I know....tt has been a while, far too long. I have been busy getting into the routine of school, a new job and upping my cycling training for some summer events - all of which I have thoroughly enjoy, but it has all put the blog on the back burner. BUT, it is time to get back to the blog.

We each did our own MOD's earlier in the day.  I made a trip to the crossfit gym and enjoyed a killer 30 minute WOD while Meredith ran 10 miles (she is still training for a marathon on June 2).  

WOD {workout of the day}

This was an fantastic workout- long and hard- just what I wanted. 

AMRAP 30 minutes at Stoneway Crossfit

8 KB Swings

Walk 10′

8 Push ups

Walk 10′

8 Box Jumps

Walk 10′

8 V-ups

Notes:

• You could easily do this WOD at home or the park by omitting the KB swings or subbing a different exercise. Possible exercises to substitute : sit-ups, lunges, tricep dips...
• Use a bench at the park for box jumps.

WOD-MOD wk 12 {a night out}

A reminder for those of you who don't konw what our WOD-MOD stands for:
WOD = Workout of the Day
MOD = Meal of the Day
This week was another busy week for the both of us.  So again, we each did our own WOD.

{Leah's WOD}
I hit Stoneway Crossfit and did an awesome but a killer of a WOD.

WOD

This was a KILLLER! I loved it though. It was a good one for me since I don't row often and it is something I really need to work on. You only get better by doing.

For time:

Part 1.
800m run
500m row
800m run
500m row
800m run
500m row

Part 2.
3 rounds
10 Hollow Rocks
15 Straight Legged Sit-ups
30 Superman*

*you can either do the lift like shown in the video or keep your arms and legs up (like in the video) and rock back and forth, like you do int he hollow rock, but you are on your stomach.

{Meredith's WOD}

Run 10 miles

She ran to the Crossfit gym and did part 2 of the WOD.

MOD {Tasty Thai}

Because this week was super busy for me- including a flight down to Santa Barbara yesterday to visit the best friend!!- I really didn't want to deal with cooking. So, Meredith and I enjoyed a little date at a tiny whole in the wall Thai place, Tup Tim Thai,  in Seattle's Quenn Ann neighborhood.  Oh my goodness, sooo cute! The service was wonderful and the food was great.
People often ask me "How do you eat clean when you go out?" It really isn't that hard, you just have to be mindful of what you order and ask for modifications and/or substitutions. Most places will work with you, especially if you are polite - a little kindness goes a long ways.  After purusing the menu, we got to ordering!

We ordered some fresh spring rolls to start. Delish! 

  For our "second" course we got the Tom Yum Soup, a broth based soup with mushrooms and chicken. 

For the "main" course we both really wanted some panang curry, but didn't want chicken, which was the only thing they had listed for their panang.  So, we asked about getting a salmon panang curry instead. He directed us to the salmon red curry, but we really wanted some veggies in the curry like the panang does...what do you know they offered to put some veggies in with our salmon curry. Fabulous! We also got a little brown rice for the side.

*I apologize for the poor lighting. The restraunt had some nice ambient lighting that wasn't condusive to photos! ;-)

Meredith and I were both pleased with how accomidating they were. And let me tell you, the serving size of the salmon WAS awesome. We both had just had worked our tails off and ate a ton and we still had leftovers!

When eating out, it is really about choosing your food wisely and asking for modifications and substitutions.  You can typically also find or make something clean at a restraunt! Watch our for an entire post on eating out and staying clean!

I am off to enjoy myself in downtown Santa Barbara! :) Yahoo!

WOD-MOD wk 11 {OPA!}

WOD {on your own!}

Our schedules didn't match up this day, so we each did our own WOD.

{Meredith's WOD}

Ran 9 miles (she is training for a marathon, crazy girl!)

followed by:

100 situps

3x50 double unders

20 push ups

20 renegade rows

{Leah's WOD}

Warm up:

250m row

rest 2 minutes

500m row

5 minutes of stretching

Now for the work, one of my favorites!

5 rounds for time:

5 man makers w/ 20# dumbbells (I like to call them man-killers!)*

400 meter run

The marvelous man maker!!

MOD {OPA!}

What a feast. A while back I had lunch with a good friend at a local Greek restaurant, Vio's Cafe and Marketplace.  We enjoyed a tasty meze platter and consequently I was inspired to recreate a Greek meze platter for WOD-MOD night... so,  here we go!!

 

{the meze platter}

tzatziki sauce

hommus

 olive and red pepper tapenade

braised greens with toasted walnut oil 

beet mint salad

marinated lamb and chicken skewers

And so it begins...

I posted awhile back about a little nudge I received from a friend.  This nudge really helped me take a big step in following a passion and something I have been wanting to do for awhile. Well this little journey has begun. Without further ado, I will let you in on this journey....

This week I began taking (the first of many) prerequisites so that I can apply for the Master of Science in Nutrition at Bastyr University for fall 2013! I am so thrilled to actually be doing it. It feels pretty darn good!

 So...the studying begins - not going to lie, I am a bit tickled to be studying again. If I could, I would be a lifelong student. This quarter I am taking an intro to nutrition course.  After the first class, I feel like it is going to be a very informative and challenging class!  While I become great friends with the text book, I will definitely become even better friends with coffee...I am looking forward to it all. :-)

I will keep you posted on this little journey I have just embarked on. It is going to be a lot of work, but well worth it!

**Watch out for the weekly WOD-MOD post tomorrow - it is a goodie!**

WOD-MOD wk 10 {try, try, try again}

After last week's WOD-MOD our special guest, Jonah-Kai, offered to host the MOD part of the evening. We happily excepted.  Jonah, thank you for hosting and putting up our antics! 

WOD{there is no "i" in team}

Meredith and I paid a visit to Stoneway Crossfit.  A while back we bought 30 classes for $39 - an awesome deal at a great gym! It is always nice when you can actually purchase and use one of the million daily deals that fill our email boxes every day.

It was a fantastic WOD.  

Strength: Shoulder Press

5 x 50%

5 x 60%

5 x 70%

Team WOD!!

AMRAP 20 Minutes

(Teams of 4)

250m Row

Push-ups

Goblet Squats

Rest

*Each team rotation is dependent of the rower.

*Tally total reps per team

This was a great WOD!

MOD {try, try, try again}

So, Merideth and I decided we would let Jonah-Kai deal with the menu and do most of the cooking. We were put in charge of the yam fries (upon Jonah's request), aioli and wine. As soon as we finished up our WOD we jetted off the the store to get some wine and a few more ingredients for the aioli. Prior to heading to the gym I cut up the yams and had them sitting in water in a snap ware bin in my care - I am a planner!! made our purchases and made the 5 minute drive to Jonah's house.  As we were gathering our goods from the car something very tragic happened....the wine slipped out of Meridith's hand!  

WOD-MOD wk 9 {the bear with fish and chips}

Last weeks WOD-MOD was super fun. Meredith and I a fun WOD at the Y then returned to my place for dinner. This evening we had a special guest, Jonah-Kai. He is a friend of Meredith who is a coach at the crossfit gym Meredith and I are going to these days.  He invited himself over, which I must say is awesome! It was a pleasure to have his company and the tasty wine he brought (I didn't drink much of it, it was mighty tasty- Meredith, Jonah-Kai and Vivian can attest to the tastiness).

WOD {the bear}

Soooo, Meredith was a little dead from her crossfit workout the day before.  As a result, she had to modify the WOD a little. This was a super great lesson, listen to your body!! If it hurts too much, modify, no need to push too hard if it is going to hurt.

Strength: front squat
5 x 40%   3 x 70%
5 x 50%   3 x 80%
5 x 60%   3 x 90%

WOD
"The Bear" AMRAP 10 minutes
only 10 minutes?? don't you worry...10 minutes is enough.

5 dumbbell dead lifts
5 dumbbell hang power cleans
5 dumbbell thrusters

We followed this up with some core work, tricep pushups and STRETCHING!!

Notes:

• Check out this link for more info on The Bear.
• I used 20# dumbbells.

 

MOD {fish and chips: clean kitchen style}

What a fantastic meal. Meridith and I enjoyed cooking up this meal with great conversation from our special guest, Jonah-Kai.  To make it even more fabulous, as we were getting ready to sit down to eat, my roommate, Vivian, walked in and joined us at the table.  We had a delicious meal full of great conversation and laughter. 

the menu:

ginger-garlic alaskan turbot in parchment

tamari ginger bok choy

yam frites with basil aioli and red pepper basil aioli

yam frites with thai basil and red pepper aioli's
Now really, who doesn't love yam frites (aka sweet potato fries)??

2 large yams
olive oil
cayenne pepper
s & P

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (we baked them at 375, because that is what the fish was going to be cooked at).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.Wash and evenly slice the yam. Soak in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes to allow all starch to be removed. Drain and pat completely dry.

3. Toss dried pieces with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne.

4. Place yam pieces on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to not overcrowd the pieces, or else you will have soggy fries - they need to breath.

5. Place in preheated oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing half way through.

6. Toss with a little salt. Serve with your red pepper and basil aiolis, or dip of choice.

Tips/tricks:

• We let the sliced yam soak in the cold water while we were at the gym. 
• If you have time reduce heat to 200, and bake for another 15 minutes to allow the fries to dry out.  
• A trick I recently found and tried few days before: Whisk 2 egg whites until frothy, add the yam/sweet potatoes, herbs, salt and pepper - toss well. It worked pretty well! I baked these at 425 for 30-40 minutes, but did not do the last 15 minutes at 200.
• Tossing the fries in corn starch prior to baking is another trick I want to try. 

                                                                                                                                                                                              
thai basil and red pepper aioli's 
two aioli's for the price of one!

We used the tried and true Mark Bittman's food-processor mayo technique, making sure to use pure olive oil, not extra virgin..

Near the end of adding the oil, we added finely chopped thai basil and ginger.

Once it was finished, we placed the aioli into two separate bowls and added red pepper to one.
                                                                                                                                                                                            
ginger-garlic alaskan turbot
adapted from Rachel Ray's Ginger-Garlic Fish in Parchment

Alaska turbot, (6-7 oz filets) or fish of choice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces on an angle
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
handful thai basil, thinly sliced
3 to 4-inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tamari sauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Rip off pieces of parchment to form packets each about 12-inches long.

3.Season fish with salt and pepper.

4. Combine vinegar and tamari in a small bowl.

5. Place a piece of parchment in a shallow dish.  In the the center of the paper layer: a few pieces of the scallions, criminis, slices of ginger, thai basil and garlic and top with fish. Top fish with a few large spoonfuls of the sauce.  Fold over the top of the parchment then roll the sides in to form a sealed pouch. Repeat with the remaining filets.

6.Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet and roast in hot oven 12 to 14 minutes.

Tips/Tricks:

• Make sure to thinly slice the mushrooms and ginger.
• Make sure to not overcrowd the pouches with too many mushrooms, ginger, etc. We did this and found that it extended the cook time. 

Variations:

• This has been a great technique I have used to "steam/bake" not only fish but vegetables. So tasty!

                                                                                                                                                                                              

tamari ginger bok choy

2 bunches of bok choy 
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
1-2 teaspoons ginger, grated (we used my frozen ginger paste)
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2-1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)

 Method 

1. Trim the stem off of the bok choy- don't trim too much - just the end. Separate the leaves, and clean leaves under running water. 

 2.Place wok or frying pan on your stove with oil, garlic and ginger. Heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle. After a few minutes, add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. Now add the bok choy leaves. Toss very well to coat each leaf with the garlicky, gingery oil for 15 seconds. Add tamari sauce, lower heat to medium and cover.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes, until bok choy is tender. Season with salt.

Done and done! {21DSD}

Yesterday marked the end of our 21DSD, see this post for more info.  I am so glad I took the challenge of the 21 Day Sugar Detox. I really enjoyed this detox and love having a buddy to do it with.   It was definitely work, more mentally than physically.  If you have been reading our post from the detox, it is clear that biggest thing we both gained over the past three weeks was the mindfulness in eating and being present with our bodies.  Here is Sarah's reflection on the past 21 days.  I will share mine later in the week.

Sarah's two cents{more like four or five cents}

"21 days of extremely little sugar and clean eating, done and done!  And awareness to keep it going.  I would consider this detox successful.  Though it is not something highly or easily sustainable for long term living as strictly as set as set forth in the rules of the detox, but the awareness gained, and lessons about one's body, eating habits and general reality check at least for me, provide the basis and foundation for some positive changes and points for improvement that have stemmed from some concrete observations the rigidity of the detox rules provided.  

In these last three weeks, I have not only paid more attention to the food items going in my mouth, but also how I have felt before and after, and making some fairly significant observations about how I have felt during and after eating certain foods.  I found myself contemplating the psychological aspects of the foods we eat, how we eat them, and attempting to explore why they make us feel a certain way.  (Less in the physical aspects and more in the mental aspects).  Like what foods leave you feeling physically sated, but not fully satisfied, and what plays into with a greater overall feeling satisfaction.  Why do we feel psychological, or psycho-chemically sated with some foods and not others?  My scientific explanation would be that certain foods (particularly sugar and fat) cause a release of endorphins in the brain.  Since sugar is and easy flavor to distinguish it causes a very quick chemical response in the brain.  Ok, but we know that some people react more to sweets than others, and that you can also get these feelings from other foods.  Can you condition your brain to react pleasurably to healthy foods?  My answer would be yes.  I have seen it over the past months of eating Paleo, as well as within the last three weeks of the 21DSD.  So much is actually about mindset.  Not to say it is easy; it has required a great deal of consciousness and let me tell you, maintaining consciousness takes a lot of energy, especially from a sleep deprived, stressed out, right-in-the-middle-of-finals grad student.  BUT placing some energy there, was actually calming and stress-relieving. 

Small time investment in- much greater benefit out.  That benefit being a greater awareness of when I actually need that cupcake to feel satisfied, or when I can reach that feeling of satisfaction with half of Leah's Ah-mazing Green Smoothie (if you freeze it, and eat it when its beginning to thaw, it's a fairly good substitute for ice cream (yeah, really. I was surprised too). I discovered I CAN eat less fruit and be fine.  I don't NEED 2+ servings of fruit a day, and a green apple provides the same effect as a fuji apple, that I'm actually looking for something juicy and crunchy rather than the sugar content.  

So before I ramble on and on, the biggest things I have gotten out of these three weeks, is the conviction I don't need that much sugar, and have some more ways to stay in tune with my body and cravings, and implement some of the changes from the detox into my day to day life going forward. "

WOD-MOD wk 8 {tabata and tacos}

Go with the flow! Life doesn't always go as planned and you just have to go with it.  This WOD-MOD was a clear testament to this. Meredith got off a little later than expected, then missed the bus up to my place...so we were running late on our workout. Our plan was to hop in my car and go to the Y for a workout but because it was pushing almost 7pm when she arrived at my place I put together a little workout and we did an impromptu at home WOD. No excuses

WOD {touched by tabata}

We did a little warmup and stretching, turned on a Lady Gaga Pandora station  (don't hate, she is amazing to workout to) and got to 24minutes of some tabata awesomeness.

8 rounds of: 20-seconds work w/ 10-seconds rest for each exercise

• squat
• jumping pull-ups (could substitute pushups or dips) 
• sit-ups 
• burpees 
• hallow rock 
• mt climbers

WOD {off the cuff fish tacos}

Just like the WOD, we had to do a little ad-libbing with our meal-of-the-day.  As planned, Meredith brought some fish for us to make some delicious fish tacos, which we had been craving for a while.  Since we didn't leave the house to go to the Y, we didn't pass by the store to pick up the ingredients that we still needed for our planned fish taco meal, nor did we have the desire to go to the store that is a measly 1-block away from my place.  So, we just made due with what we had. We had the intention of making an avocado sauce/dip to put on top of the tacos...but did not have any avocados. Time to get creative. We raided the kitchen and pulled out ingredients that we could throw together for little sauce/dip concoction. 

The off the cuff tacos were a hit. We enjoyed our spiced cod pieces in a lettuce "shell" on top of fresh carrot, zucchini and cabbage slaw and topped with a cilantro-mole sauce. It was a success! You will notice that we don't have many measurements with these recipes. It was a lot of "a little of this and a little of that."  This can be such a fun way to cook.  You start by adding a little, tasting and adding more if you want. You don't always have to follow the rules...just go with the flow or taste in this case. 

The fabulous meal for the evening! 

Perfect meal, not too heavy but sooo tasty!

carrot, zucchini and cabbage slaw 

1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced

2-3 carrots, julienned (if you don't have a julienne peeler, grating them would be fine)

1 zucchini, julienned

dressing:
1/3ish cup apple-cider vinegar

1/2-2/3ish cup olive oil

1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

lemon juice

Method

1. In a large bowl combine the cabbage, carrots and zucchini.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients. Taste and add to it if desired.

3. Pour over the vegetables mixing well. Coleslaw is best if you let it set for a while. 

Additions/Variations: 

• Cilantro would had a nice touch.
• Play around with what vegetables you add.  Red cabbage, beets, celery...
• Apples would be tasty as well!
• Orange juice would add a nice tang!

guacamole cilantro-mole (pistou)

aka Meredith's concoction 

cilantro 

sun dried tomato

red pepper 

garlic 

hot sauce

squeeze of lime

cumin

pepitas

salt and pepper

2-3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

"Method"

1. Process all the ingredients, except the coconut milk, in the food processor until well blended. 
2. Add the coconut milk, add more or less depending on how creamy you prefer.

Notes:

• This was totally off the cuff. We, mostly Meredith, threw in a bunch of goodies into the food processor and processed way. She tasted it and added to it as she saw tasted fit.
• This was a great way to use up produce that was on it's last leg!

blackened fish tacos 

cod pieces, from good ol' trader joe's!

1ish tablespoon cumin

2ish teaspoons red pepper (more or less depending on preference)

salt & pepper, to taste

a little lemon juice

for taco assembly:

lettuce for wraps: cabbage, leafy green

zucchini, carrot and cabbage slaw

cilantro-mole

hot sauce

Method

1. Heat skillet (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat and lightly coat with oil.

2. Mix together cumin, red pepper, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle fish with a little lemon juice and very liberally with the spice mixture making sure all sides are covered withe spice.

3. Once the skillet it hot, cook the fish, be careful not to move it too early, about 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Enjoy the fish pieces in a taco or by themselves. 

Variations:

• Other fish options: halibut, tilapia, blue marlin, mahi-mahi.
• Have fun with the spices! Curry (I love curry) would be a tasty one!
• We used large romaine lettuce as our shell. Other options: butter leaf, cabbage, endive, tortillas...or you can make a salad!

Tips/tricks:

• To get the fish "blackened" make sure to liberally coat the fish with the spices.  I think we needed to add a little more spice to ours.
• Make sure your skillet is hot - this will also help in "blackening" the fish.

sugar detox {week 2 recap}

We are in the home stretch! Today marks the beginning of week 3 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox.  We are both still alive and have not died of sugar withdraws - thank goodness. If you have been following the journey of Lean and Sarah on the 21DSD, then you know that last week we gave ourselves some goals to work on.  (We both like goals, it gives us something to work on!)  

Week 2 was a very slow and laid back week for me - much needed after the previous week - so I found it really easy to focus on the goals, be conscious and take time to enjoy food. On the other hand, Sarah - the PhD student - found week 2 much harder than week 1, with a combination of being more tired and the excitement of the challenge of the detox wearing off, it by far harder. 

{week 2 goals}

• Be conscious of food choices - think about how you feel and what you feel your body needs (not what your eyes want).
• Sit down to eat. 
• Take small bites and put the utensils down while you are chewing - and really chew!
• Take time to eat.

• All in all, we need to be conscious, mindful and slow down!

{be conscious, be mindful}

Sarah:  “I found it hard at times to maintain mindfulness during busy days and being stressed out, not having much time to eat in the first place, and with the expectation that I slow down, take my time, focus on my food.  Forcing myself to slow down, and to focus on the moment ultimately made me more conscious of not only my food, but how often I am not paying attention.  Making time to slow down during the day also made for a less stressful afternoon.  Taking time to really pay attention, engaged with and smell, feel, taste the details of my food, I left the meal feeling more satisfied."

Leah -I also noticed I paid more attention to the meal components and amounts, making sure it was enough food to sustain me or not too much to overfill me. I definitely had to do a lot of self-talk to keep myself mindful. My habit of mindlessly grabby food out of the fridge and standing in front of the fridge and eating was way less this week -go me! I also was super impressed with myself while cooking. I often snack on food mindlessly while cooking leaving me too full to enjoy the delicious meal – not this week. It is such a fantastic feeling to have an appetite to sit down and really enjoy the meal I just created. Whodathunk?!

{sit down, slow down and enjoy your food}

We both noticed that when you are more conscious in slowing down and making time to makes for a little less stressful day (afternoon especially), but you become much more engaged with the smell, feel, taste the details of my food.  As a result, we both were left much more satisfied. Taking time to eat, your body is able to really feel when you are full.  I really noticed that I was eating far less in between meals. This was probably a combination on not mindlessly eating, but also being more mindful of what is in my meals.

Not only does sitting down and slowing down to eat give you time to enjoy your food, but it allows you to have a peaceful moment in the day. Sarah and I both really enjoyed this aspect and noticed that we often forget to just have a moment enjoy the simple things in life.

Sarah said it well "I hope to continue this goal into next week [and beyond] and continue taking some time to just sit, and enjoy the fruits of my hard work, that of course are ultimately done for me to begin with, so why not continue to enjoy them?"   

So really, why not? Why not make it a daily practice?!

{favorite grub of the week}


Leah - obsessed, I mean really obsessed with the Gratifying Green Smoothie I posted about last week.  It is just so tasty in filling. I have had it for breakfast at least 5 times over the past week. It keeps me full until 1 - amazing!!

Sarah - She has enjoyed microwaved sweet potatoes as a post workout snack. Her favorite meal of the week was: Slow Cooked Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken with Paleo Enchilada Sauce - I think we may need the recipe for this one!

a good ol' sleepover {a fantastic time}

As I mentioned in a while back, I had the pleasure of having a sleepover with my two favorite young ladies.  This girls rock! They are so full of energy and so much fun to be around.  I am truly blessed to have them (and their parents) in my life.  Now that I am not their nanny, I like to have little dates with them so I can keep up on their busy lives and see their shining faces.  :-) One thing we love to do is have sleepovers - their parents really enjoy the time too! I often will just have one of them, but it was time to up the game and really make it a party with the both of them.

Let me break it down.

After getting off work, I jetted over to their house. I opened the door to them standing there ready, rolling bags packed and all.  They were soooo excited (I was too).  We were informed to take the brown bag - stapled shut - labeled "Super Secret Sleepover Surprise!" and open it when we got home. oh- the anticipation!

We continued on with our sleepover routine. We hit up Jamjuree Thai for dinner and followed it up with the regular trip to 15th Video. The girls picked out Oliver and Company. I tried steering them to other movies but they wouldn't budge - oh well!

We finally made it to my apartment. Now this is where the party gets started!