Happy "BE GREEN" Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day all ~ Hopefully you remembered your green, but, if you are like some I know, you don't mind the pinches you get for not :D Today is a super busy day at work as I am responsible for hosting our fun today. I LOVE it, but, it can be quite demanding.

I started my day off with a little Gentle Hatha Yoga #1 from yogadownload.com so I would enter my day in the right mindset. It felt so good because I am surprisingly sore from mowing all those lawns yesterday. Note to self, must work out more because mowing lawns shouldn't make me sore.

I had wanted to present you all with something "GREEN" for breakfast, but, nothing came to mind. I was up early to do Yoga, then, off to the grocery store to get stuff for our GREEN punch then to Starbucks. My cup has green on it, does that count?

Breakfast did not come until later as I had to run around setting up everything to get the day started. When my co-worker offered up one of her freshly baked sugar clovers, how could I resist (my stomach was totally growling). Who says cookies can't be a pre-breakfast snack?! :D It was good!



After I made the rounds, I went to the kitchen to set up breakfast. Today I made Banana Stacker Waffles.



These were surprisingly tasty and not too fancy for a busy weekday.

2 Kashi Strawberry Flax Wafles
~ 1 Tbsp Freshly Ground Almond Butter
1 banana sliced
Drizzle of Pure Maple Syrup
Sprinkle of unsweetened organic coconut
a little fruit from last night that I didn't eat (strawberries & pineapple)

Tadahh! I had this with a Tall Nonfat Decaf Latte from "Bucks". I scarfed all this down fairly quickly and it has kept me full all morning long. Then again, I haven't had the chance to sit down much. Coming up next and throughout the day I will be sharing with you all the fun stuff we have going on at work today.

I hope you all have a fun filled, green kind of day!

Checking things off my list feels great

This morning I woke up feeling productive and have made a big dent in my todo list already. I am feeling so accomplished and it's not even noon. I wasn't really feeling breakfast this morning so I made up a quick smoothie. This really hit the spot and was surprisingly filling.



In the mix:

4 strawberries
1/2 ripe banana
1 c TJ's FF greek yogurt
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
Drizzle of Dark Agave Syrup
3 ice cubes

I am off to tackle more of my todo list with my reward hopefully being a late afternoon pedicure and our NetFlix movie tonight. Have a great Sunday all, I know I already am.

P.S. Yoga last night was a bit different. I got The Husband to do some moves with me. It was sort of free style looking at the yogadownload.com poses and stretching/breathing. It was alot of fun and I really think he enjoyed it. Today I have a fun session planned using something other than yogadownload.com. More on that later.

Yoga for MY Buns!

After dinner and while The Husband showered/relaxed I decided to get my daily dose of Yoga. Today I picked Yoga For Buns from yogadownload.com. I honestly LOVED this session. I felt like I was so strong, balanced and could really see my progress in Yoga. I really liked the flow of this session - you get stretching, get your heart rate up and at the end you feel so relaxed even though you worked up a little bit of a sweat. I did get a little lost a couple of times on the following the poses, but, I think with each session it will all flow better as I become more familiar. It might just be my new favorite session. I highly recommend checking it out.

Ok, now I am really going to watch Role Models with The Husband now....we have had it since Wednesday lol. Night all!

Starting my day with a little Morning Flow...

This morning I struggled a bit to get out of bed after staying up way too late to watch The Biggest Loser AND Law and Order. I really do love both shows and once The Biggest Loser was over, I told myself I was not tired so I should stay up longer :D It felt great last night, but, not so much this morning.

BTW, Didn't The Biggest Loser rock last night? I think this might have been one of the best shows of the season. Since I know some of you may not have watched it yet, I won't spoil it for you...just make sure you do though!

To wake up my sleepy self this morning, I started my day off with Morning Flow #1 from yogadownload.com. I had envisioned a nice, relaxing, stretching class, but, this class was a definite work out. It was a nice change to focus on balance, strength, posture and stretching. It made me realize that I am actually starting to make some progress in yoga. My heels are almost flat on the ground in my downward dogs, I don't shake while balancing and I can stretch further each time. I still wasn't able to do a full wheel for fear of falling on my head :) but I made an attempt and that is what counts, right? I was definitely awake and alert after this class and ready to start my day. It was a nice change from being in my set, relaxed state that yoga usually puts me in.

I had sort of a funky stomach going on this moring that I am sure was due to my indulgences yesterday. So, I decided to have a nice, soothing and refreshing breakfast today.



I layered all of the following to make this super filling bowl of Greek Yogurt.

1 cup Trader Joe's Fat Free Greek Yogurt
Drizzle of Agave ~ about 2 tsp
1/2 cup Natures Path Pumpkin Flax
1/3 cup Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal (aka fiber worms)
1/2 banana
2 big strawberries

This really hit the spot and packed alot of protein plus fiber and a little fat to help me stay full all morning. I had it together with my SIGG water bottle and real coffee this time - 1/2 coffee and 1/2 water. The caffeine is sure to make me bounce off the walls, but, sometimes, you just have to have it :)



Today is a short day for me as I am leaving work early ~ yahoo! It's also a fun day because tonight I am getting my hair done. While I chat it up with my friend & hairdressor, The Husband gets dropped off to play poker. He says he doesn't want me to have to drive alone ~ ha, he's funny! I don't mind the company though and it gives him a little fun play time.

Happy Hump Day all! The week is half over and I couldn't be happier about that. Enjoy the sunshine.....

50% off Yogadownload.com and your favorite?

Last night I chose to do Gentle Hatha #1 from yogadownload.com. I have learned this is my goto yoga of choice when I do not feel like working out. It is perfect for the evening time and settling in for relaxation. I managed to fit it in right before The Biggest Loser and then thoroughly enjoyed my couch time. I could definitely see myself doing longer versions of Hatha yoga - it is by far my favorite.

I have been trying to decide which versions I like best because I'd like to download longer versions. For the month of March, yogadownload is letting people use Tina's code at Carrots'n'Cake to get 50% off all downloads. All you have to do to get 50% off is enter the code :CarrotsNCake". You can't beat that. The question becomes, how do you decide which one you want?

Do you have a favorite type of yoga yet?

Cleaning & Detoxing with Yoga

Ok, I will let you all in on one of my secrets. I am allergic to just about every animal and bird that exists so I cannot really own any pets. We do have an outdoor kitty who adopted us that we LOVE, but, our only indoor pet is my Hermit Crab, a.k.a. Hermie! I LOVE Hermie - he is the coolest crab there is. He has had a few friends throughout the years, but, nobody seems to stick around like him. Tonight, he got his little cage "spring" cleaned and replenished with fresh new bright green calcium sand and blue rocks. I also stocked him up on peanut butter (his favorite), dried pears (he drags them around the cage) and fresh veggies. Did I ever tell you Hermie is a VEGAN too? His food is soy, fruit and nut based (ick to the fish varieties that are stinky!). Anyway.....say hi to Hermie.....he's my BFF :D yes, I am a dork like that and we have conversations all the time...he is a great listener.



After giving Hermie some new digs, I settled in for some Detoxing #1 Yoga from yogadownload.com. I liked this instructor alot and really LOVED this version. I might enjoy it more than the Detox #2 I did yesterday. I had a pretty stressful day with work politics and this was the perfect way to end my day. I literally felt like I was a towel ringing out all the tension in my body. I was almost sad when the 20 minutes was up. I might just have to move on to a longer session soon. I never knew I'd enjoy and look forward to yoga so much.

Ok ~ Off to spend some time with The Husband, read, relax and probably fall asleep before I can do most of it.

Detox Yoga really works

I almost forgot to post about today's yoga ~ oops. Today I was sort of in a little bit of a funk, but, for no apparent reason. I got to sleep in, it was the weekend, it's sunny....life is good, why be funky? I really think it might have been because I started my day without yoga - is that really possible? Hmmmm. I didn't get around to doing my yoga session until after dinner. I decided I needed to "detox" and did the Intermediate/Advanced Detox #2 from yogadownload.com. I honestly think this is just what I needed. It felt so amazing to stretch and ring out all the tension I had in my body. It was definitely challenging holding some of the poses, but, I felt so relaxed and refreshed after. I will definitely do this one again.

I am off to relax some more and watch our NetFlix movie ~ Pride and Glory. Have a great night all!

A great day of vegan eats & shopping

Today was such a fun, but, long day. I did the Intermediate/Advanced Power Yoga #2 session from yoga download.com for my yoga today. I really liked how this session challenges your muscles and balance. It feels more like a workout than a relaxation Yoga which is nice. However, I am not sure I am too fond of this particular class because you go through so many poses so fast and the instructor doesn't always call out the names so you know which move you are on. I will give another power yoga session a go, however, I probably will not repeat this particular one.

We spent the day shopping, going out to two restaraunts and attending the Home and Garden show. We had fun browsing for new ideas and of course I scored some good finds. We bought some flavored homemade nuts (yum!), 2 cookbooks, 2 types of homemade bread and two magazines.

My AM snack was half of this Blueberry Crisp Clif Bar as we drove. It was eh, ok, I probably won't but it again as I think there are other flavors that are better. I also had a few of The husband's cashews (not pictured).



We stopped for lunch at one of my favorite places in the whole wide world, Jacks Urban Eats. Every city and town should have a place this good. I love being able to pick/choose what you put on your salad - everything is so fresh and the dressings are homemade - so good! I made my own salad and had a slice of freshly baked bread on the side.



I made my salad vegan and my mix included:

mixed greens, chickpea/kidney bean mixture, pickled red onions, dried cranberries, walnuts, grapes, red bell pepper and balsamic vinaigrette. This really tasted as good as it looks.



After shopping at several stores (we are on a quest for a new dresser to match our bedroom set from Pottery Barn), we headed over to the Home & Garden Show. We bought some great seasonings and marinades along with some of these awesome freshly roasted nuts. I quickly opened the bag and snacked on a few as we walked around.



We didn't end up having dinner until late so I also snacked on an organic fuji apple. I took a picture, but, well, it's an apple and I am making this post long already :)

Dinner was at The Old Spagetti Factory ~ The Husband got excited when he saw it so I knew we had to go. Sorry ahead of time for the pictures, I tried to get everything to make them lighter but somehow candlelit dinners are not too great for picture taking. I did my best to keep my meal vegan and the manager assured me that nothing was cooked with butter and only in olive oil - yeah!

I started off with a couple of slices of freshly baked, hot, crusty, chewy sour dough bread - no butter.



Since I had salad for lunch and their salad was mainly iceberg, I opted for the Vegetarian Minestrone ~ Yum! This was so flavorful and fillng - it could be a meal by itself.



For my entree I had the Spagetti with marinara and they topped it with some freshly sauteed (in olive oil, garlic, herbs) mushrooms. This was pretty flavorful, but, the mushrooms were the definite star. I ate about 1/3-1/2 of this and The Husband ate the rest.



Dinner also included your selection of ice cream and it honestly took ALL my want power, will power and strength to hand my dish over to The Husband. He kept telling me one bite was ok, but, I knew it wasn't vegan and it wouldn't be fair to "cheat" on vegan week. I LOVE ice cream - wish they had sorbet because then I could've participated too.

Phew ~ long post and day, but, it was a really great day for us. I am off for snuggle time with The Husband ~ Have a great night all for what is left of it.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward tonight.

Berry Delicious Oatmeal

I was really looking forward to Yoga this morning because my legs/muscles were pretty sore and I LOVED how I have been feeling after. This morning I decided to try a new session from yogadownload.com and did the Lunar Flow#1. I was a little intimidated by the Deaf Man's Pose which I didn't manage to do. I did however successful perform a Plow and held it there! Somewhere along the way I lost my breathing technique and I really think that impacted my stress release from yoga. I think that when the instructor said that this session was better done at the end of the day, it somehow changed my mindset. I know, you are supposed to turn your brain off during yoga, but, I think indirectly it stuck in the back of my head. It could be sleep deprivation still, but, I just didn't feel the same relaxing at peace benefit this morning. I will give this session one more try at the end of a day and see if that changes.

For breakfast today I decided I have been missing my oats and almond butter. I made up a berry-licious bowl:



In the mix:

1/2 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup water
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
2 Tbsp wheatberries
2 Tbsp Trader Joe's Berry Blend
dash of cinnamon

All microwaved for 2 minutes and topped with:

1/2 cup blueberries
2 sliced strawberries
2 Tsbp Trader Joe's Low Sugar Organic Apricot Preserves
1 tsp unsweetened organic coconut
1 Tbsp freshly ground almond butter

I was hungry again mid-morning and snacked on some grapes and some nuts.



5 days down, 2 to go......

Day 5 Vegan Week Recap ~ yesterday I woke up starving and pretty much stayed that way ALL day no matter what I ate. I tried to focus on adding more protein and satisfying foods throughout the day, however, I am sure having just a cupcake for snack may not have been the most filling. I guess some days are just like that, but, I am hoping today is better.

Calories burned: 3,148, Steps taken: 14,955
Calories consumed: 1,935 (the cupcake was STILL worth it)
9% protein, 58% carbs, 12% fat

We are going to a Vegan Restaraunt today for lunch ~ http://www.ubuntunapa.com/

Tell me if anything sounds good to you! Check back later for my review.

Bringing back childhood memories....

After hearing Kirwin describe the Gentle Hatha #2 session as a great way to wake up, I decided that was what I was going to do this AM. I actually really felt like I needed yoga this morning as my legs were pretty tight and a little sore from yesterdays run. We really improved our time a bit and I am sure it had to do with all the happy sunshine lol. This mornings session really helped to stretch out my muscles and it felt like I was getting a bit of a massage. I felt the tension getting released from my shoulders and my legs getting more flexible. I actually convinced The Husband to try out Yoga with me! I told him it was like getting a massage and he said he’d try it as long as I don’t laugh – yeah! I will definitely do this session again even if I am not flexible enough to do a “Fixed Firm Pose~Full Expression”. Maybe someday….

Breakfast brought back childhood memories for me. I wanted to mix things up a bit and have something different. It is actually challenging to think of new ideas each morning so I do not eat the same thing all the time. Being Vegan means not a ton of options, but, I am learning. I started off with a bowl of cream of wheat. To make it last longer I added, 1 T ground flaxseed and 2 Tbsp wheatberries.



3 Tbsp Cream of Wheat
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
2 Tbsp Wheat Berries
1 cup water
Dash of cinnamon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Whipped Vegan Butter
A few banana nut cheerios (blah – too sweet, but, it was a free sample)

Along with this I made up a quick fruit salad:



And keeping with the theme, here is one picture of me when I was little ~ check out those cool pink“ cords” pants I have!



Day 4 Recap

I had thoughts today that made me realize that being Vegan isn’t as tough as I thought it would be….it has almost become part of my lifestyle. My only big challenge so far that I had to deal with was where to eat when you go out to eat. That was the day we ended up getting salads at Whole Foods. However, Friday, we are testing out a Vegan Restaurant – can’t wait! I really enjoyed my food today and how quickly it took to make it. The carrot cake cupcakes were definitely the highlight along with my morning yoga and run. I feel balanced even though I am tired! Starting out the week sleep deprived is never good for the rest of the week.

Calories burned: 3,066, Steps Taken: 13,960
Calories Consumed: 1,623
Protein 12%, Carbs 56%, Fat 32%

Happy Thursday all! The weekend is almost here – yes! See you for lunch.

Power Breakfast ~ Almond Butter & Strawberry Sammie

I started my day off with the Advanced Beginner Power Yoga session from yogadownload.com. I think I somehow skipped the beginnger one and went straight to advanced lol. When I first woke up I contemplated hitting snooze and doing yoga at some other time today. But, then, I remembered yesterday and thought, nope, I need to start my day off "balanced". This session was 25 minutes and honestly I LOVED it! It had a good combination of stretching, relaxation and breathing. I have to admit being able to sit in Savasana (lying down/being still) for about a minute in the morning was awesome. I felt so good when I was done and was ready to start my day. I will definitley do this session again and add it to my list of favorites.

I was running a little behind this morning so I had to grab a quick breakfast. It's a good thing I use my Trader Joe's cloth grocery bag for lunches because I can just throw things in there an put them together at work. Yes, visualize me throwing in an entire container of strawberries or the bag of celery. I am sure my co-workers think, wow, does she really eat that HUGE bag all day :D

Anyway, I made up an Almond Butter Strawberry "Sammie" (yes, like Rachael Ray) using 2 slices of Ezekiel with about 1.5 Tbsp almond butter, slice strawberries and a few blueberries for an antioxidant boost.



All served up with a big organic fuji apple (cut with a way dull knife at work!) and decaf coffee. Running Bunny joins me again ~ woohoo!



Happy Wednesday all! I am actually super excited to get my day going - it must be the power Yoga and Breakfast. I will be making updates to the site as I figure out how to make the new template work so please be patient as I figure it all out. It's fun but I am by far no techie.

I Heart Gentle Hath Yoga ~ anytime of day

Since I chose to sleep in yesterday, I didn't start my morning off with Yoga. I really should have because my day was really frazzled and I wonder if not doing it contributed to my "grumpy" mood all morning. Either that or lack of sleep or maybe it was wasting time watching The Bachelor to have it end like that! Anyway, I didn't have a chance to sit down and do my yoga session until after The Biggest Loser. I completely and totally did not want to do it, but, I remembered my commitment and told myself ~ just do 10 minutes and stop if you are not feeling it. I decided doing my favorite session would help with my desire so I chose Gentle Hatha Yoga from yogadownload.com Well, guess what, once I got started, I didn't want to stop! And added bonus The Husband did all the dishes while I did my session :D he rocks! I will make sure that I do a different session tomorrow to branch out, but, this was the perfect way to end my day. I felt like it helped to release all the stress of the day and I slept amazing. I usually wake up 1-2 times at night, but last night, I was out until the alarm went off ~ ahhhhh!

Mixing "it" up with Yoga

This morning I started my day off with Yoga for Runners that I downloaded from here. I LOVED being able to roll out of bed and workout in my pj's. This session focused on balance and strenghth more so than the Gentle Hath Stretching that I did yesterday. It felt like a little bit of a workout plus stretching and relaxation. It was a great way to start my day, but, it did make me move a little slower getting ready for work today :D

For breakfast I decided to mix it up a bit. I have 1 cup of Kashi Heart to Heart with 1/2 cup of Nature's Path Organic Pumpin Raisin Crunch, 5 Quaker Qats Squares, topped with 1 banana and 1 cup of vanilla soy milk. I really enjoy mixing healthy, lower calorie cereals with healthy higher calorie cereals as it really makes the healthy low-cal ones taste better. I like coming across say raisins or pumpkins seeds or the Quake squares ~ it's like having a hidden surprise lol. My favorite to do this with is Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal (a.k.a. Fiber Worms), however, it contains "whey=milk" so it is not Vegan.



I am hoping the fiber plus protein plus banana make this a satisfying meal that stays with me.

Day 1 of Vegan week went well ~ here are my stats:

Calories burned: 2,384, Steps taken: 6,044
Calories consumed: 1,570
8 % Protein, 51% Carbs, 41% Fat

Happy Monday all! It's The Bachelor finale tonight and yes, I will be watching. I like watching the first and last episodes best....I can't wait to find out what their big surprise is. (I won't post a link so I don't spoil it for you) ~ I hope what US magazine reported isn't true, but, we shall see!

Veggie Chili & Vegan Skillet Corn Bread

We got a bunch of stuff done today including our taxes, which = money back- woohoo! It has been raining all day long so something warm and comforting for dinner sounded really good. I whipped up a batch of Vegetable Chili:


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
** You can add any other veggies you like, carrots, zucchini, squash as well
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup your favorite salsa
Chili Seasoning* (as below) or using a package mix
Optional: add your favorie meat substitute for additional protein

*Make your own chili seasoning here.

Toppings:

Soy cheese
Chopped green onions
Chopped Cilantro

Served with organic corn tortilla chips for dipping and crunch or corn bread ~ Yum!

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add all the vegetables through the garlic and saute for about 5-10 minutes until softened. Add the beans through the salsa and spices. Stir, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Scoop and serve with your favorite toppings. It makes about 6-7 1 cup servings.


This is a very low cal recipe that is so feeling and satisfying. The Husband and I really loved it. He had chips with his (which I stole a couple) and I had this Vegan Skillet Corn bread with mine.


The corn bread is definitely not a sweet bread even though I used vanilla soy milk. I topped my 1 1/2 slices with a little vegan butter and honey. Yum!

After I put the chili on and the corn bread in the oven, I settled down for a Quick 20 minutes of Gentle Hath Yoga from yogadownload.com. This has to be one of my favorite ones ~ it's all about relaxing, stretching and letting everything in your day go.....Ahhh! It really made me want to do nothing after though. Good thing dinner was pretty much done.

I am off to read, relax and maybe watch a movie with The Husband again. We picked up 3 on Friday that we are slowly making our way through.

Nite all!

Balance me with ~ 31 Days of Yoga

Happy March! It's a new month which for me means a new challenge. I set up my New Year's resolutions each year so that I tackle 1 new thing each month. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit so hopefully by the end of the year I will have develop 12 new good for me habits. Sometimes my resolutions are related to food, i.e., March is a no candy/junk month and sometimes they relate to health or exercise. I try to pick one of each so that I am focusing on two important areas in my life. There are of course things related to house, finance, etc in there but we won't get into those or my post would be so long!

Yoga has always been something that has interested me because it is an excellent way to achieve mind/body balance and helps you to de-stresss ~ something we all need. I have been inspired by Kath who started doing yoga a month two ago even though she was never a huge fan. She now totally loves it. Then, I saw that Tina at Carrots n' Cake, was going to start a 31 Day Yoga Challenge for the month of March and I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. So, I asked my friend Kirwin to join in and the challenge is on ~ woohoo! I will be using the downloads I have from yogadownload as well as a few DVD's I have and may possibly attend a class or two. I am starting out with just 20 minute sessions but I will be sure to report each day what my thoughts are.

Now onto the most amazing breakfast ever!!! 2 slices of Ezekiel Bread with Organic Almond Butter, sliced banana and Dark Agave Drizzle



Up close ~ Look at all that yumminess!



Ok, maybe I missed Gluten a little too much, but, this was seriously a rockin' breakfast.

Have a great day all ~ we have another busy one planned.