Hey everyone. Don’t know if a post I published this morning will show up in google reader or whatever but I deleted it because the problem is solved I figured out the password for the internet so I’ll be around checking out your blogs! Not sure if I’ll update before I’m home but I’ll try

Have a great day!

Hey guys, thanks for all of your well wishes! I’m surprisingly feeling a lot better than I thought I would given how much nonsense was happening in my chest and above. The final tally is allergies, sinus infection, bronchitis and ear infection. Luckily I hopped on it quickly so the bronchitis and ear infection never got too bad (last time I had bronchitis I had no voice for days!) and after a few days of rest I’m feeling sort of human again. Not looking forward to a ten hour workday tomorrow or Wednesday but at least I’ll have Tyler to cuddle with Weds night through Sunday! I’m pet-sitting again and I can’t wait

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say hi. No pics today but I should be back tomorrow to show you some pretty meals. I also wanted to pop in because I was excited to share that while I was laid up the past couple of days I brainstormed some beautiful light, fresh summer meals that I’m going to create and share over the course of the next few weeks. I’m so excited because summer produce is MY FAVORITE and I can’t wait to create beautiful meals, desserts and drinks with them.

Have any of you ever seen the movie “The Endless Summer?” It’s about two surfers that travel the world chasing the summer and the world’s best waves (random fact: I was a HUGE fan of surfing in college and have wanted to learn ever since. As a result I have a decent collection of surf books and movies ). Could you imagine doing that but chasing the summer around the world to find beautiful local produce that’s entirely new to you and creating fun new recipes with them? Ahhhh, if I were rich and had time I’d SOOOOO be on that! Is that a normal thought or should I blame the copious amounts of meds I’m on for that thought?

Anyway, just thought I’d pop in and say hello and thank you all for your concern. When I’m back to 100% I’ll be getting my butt back in that kitchen and making these ideas come to reality for you!

<3

Oh and PS. any of my fellow allergy sufferers… do any of you take over the counter allergy relief or even better have any natural remedies? I’ve heard that pineapple is supposed to be great but everything else seems to be expensive or hard to find. Any thoughts? So far I’ve heard that Claritin and Zyrtec are the best over the counter options. Thanks!

Hey everyone! Just popping in for a quick post. I did want to let you know I may be absent a little bit between now and next Thursday. My co-worker is going out of town and I’ll be covering her hours so I’ll be working til 9 tomorrow as usual and then Thursday, next Tuesday and next Wednesday I’ll be working 11-9. I’ll also be working my usual 8 hours on Friday and Saturday so I’m sure I’ll be tired but I’ll do my best to pop in to update you I didn’t even realize that her vacation was this week until I looked at the calendar today and it made me so happy I prepped meals ahead!

Anyway, here’s some of what I’ve been eating. This isn’t everything I ate today, just what I photographed

Started off the day with some super hydrating and delicious watermelon. Mmmm.

Snacked on some cherries and a banana. I pitted the cherries so I wouldn’t be the gross girl in the corner spitting pits all over the place, lol!

Some delicious un-fried rice. I’m SOOOOO glad I made this.

I also powered down a salad and one of my strawberry mango ice pops! I forgot I had them so it was a sweet unexpected treat

Honestly, I’m probably going to be eating a lot of the same over the next few days: fruit, un-fried rice and salads. And I’m totally good with that! I will definitely try to pop in at some point over the next few days.

I got my blood test results and it was exactly what I expected. My inflammation marker is still high and my Vitamin D level plummeted back down to a whopping 16 (30 is considered the low end of normal). She’s putting me on a SUPER high dose of Vitamin D once a week for a month so hopefully that will help.

Oooh and I have two questions for you guys! First, I would LOVE some suggestions of what themes you’d like to see my tackle for my Fun Friday posts! I could always use some ideas for those posts Second, I’m having a buyer’s dilemma ha! Recently I’ve been debating getting a new pair of frames for my distance glasses. I’ve had the same frames since I first got them about three or four years ago. I’m just so ready for a change but I’m also really trying to save money. I found a pair that I love that aren’t insanely expensive but they are definitely a splurge. What do you guys think, should I go for the splurge or rock these for a little bit longer?

So that’s all I’ve got for you! I hope you all have a great week and I’ll be back when I have a few seconds to breathe

Hey everyone! Just wanted to pop in and let you all know I’m leaving for Florida tomorrow night after work! I am SO FREAKING EXCITED! I will definitely make sure to photograph as much as I can

Before I go I just wanted to share some exciting news! I had a training session last night and my trainer informed me that he FINALLY found someone that would make a good sparring partner for me!! As long as I get some head gear he’s going to try and set up a sparring session within the next month or two! I’m really excited! I’ve been doing boxing and kickboxing training for about six years and I am finally going to cross off spar with a partner on my Fitness Bucket List. We’ll see how this all unfolds in the next month or two. I need to really increase my cardio and conditioning if it’s going to happen.

Anyway, that’s all for now! I will see you all next week and will definitely do my best to catch up with all of your blogs when I get back! Have a great week everyone!

Hey everyone! Hope the weekend has been treating you well! I had a bit of an unexpected twist on Friday. I got to work at 10 like usual and was called a few hours later to help out a photographer who needed an assistant at the last minute. As you may recall, my boss told me he wanted me to be in the studio on Fridays and Saturdays but told me I could work the wedding since the photographer was in a bind. So that ended up turning my day from a normal 8 hour day into a 14 hour day. I stayed at work (after a brief trip home to change) until it was time to go to the job and got home a little before 2am. Needless to say I was EXHAUSTED.

I woke up before 8 to get to work by 10 am yesterday. As you can imagine I was really really tired. I was essentially useless when I got home from work and ended up passing out at 9:15!!! That’s ridiculously early for me but I needed the rest and I definitely feel better today!

Today I pampered myself a little with a pre-vacation pedicure. I also decided that I needed a really delicious, comforting meal that is still healthy but satisfying for the soul. And here’s what I came up with!

Check out this super delicious, comforting and incredibly satisfying dinner!! A quesadilla made with a gluten free tortilla, fat free refried beans, lots and lots of spinach and some Trader Joe’s Vegan Cheese. OMG so freaking good.

And this, my friends, is the perfect meal. My beautiful, yummy, stuffed to the brim with greens quesadilla with a glass of refreshing and delicious sparkling limeade. Check out my new Glass Dharma straw!! I meant to show it off in my last Fun Friday post but totally forgot to add the pic! Oh well, here it is!

So that’s what I have going on for today! Tomorrow is Monday which is technically my Sunday (which I love) and also the start of Tornado Week on the Weather Channel!! Yup it’s nerdy, but this is my Shark Week guys. Some people geek out of sharks, I geek out over weather. And I can’t freaking wait So tomorrow I’ll be watching Tornado themed television while I pack up for Florida! Can’t wait to leave Wednesday night!

Have a great night my friends!

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well this lovely Wednesday (at least here, it’s SO BEAUTIFUL out!!). I’m getting ready to run out to work so this is going to be a short post of what I’m eating today

For breakfast I had a Chocolate Smoothie With A Twist by Megan Elizabeth. If you’ve never heard of her, she has a very popular channel on YouTube and a nice website. She follows the 80/10/10 diet which I clearly don’t, but she offers a lot of beautiful raw recipes for smoothies, salads, dressings, desserts, etc. I made this smoothie with fewer bananas (definitely don’t need 4) and regular filtered water instead of coconut water. It was ok but I don’t think I’m used to the malty taste of the carob powder so it was a little off to me. I’d probably make it with raw cacao powder or cinnamon next time.

For lunch I’m going to have some hot and sour soup. Getting a little warm for soup but I’ll power through

Dinner is going to be some of my yummy pasta primavera that I prepared on Monday. It’ll be so good! And the best part is that it took all of 5 minutes to prep my meals for today.

That’s all I’ve got for you today! I may try one of my popsicles tonight depending on how I feel when I get home. I don’t like eating too late but since fruit digests so quickly I’m sure I’ll be ok

Hope you all have a great day!

Hey everyone! Hope you are all well. Today is Monday which means it’s my Sunday Which I love. It started off with a trip to the dentist to get my permanent filling in the tooth that had the root canal. After that I decided to use up some of my produce to get some prep done for the week. I ended up making two yummy things.

I had some fruit that I needed to use up and instead of just freezing it for smoothies, I pureed it and made some beautiful strawberry mango popsicles!! I had one mango and a container of strawberries left which made 3 large popsicles. It’s also the first time I got to use my new BPA free popsicle molds Aren’t the popsicles a pretty pink color? I haven’t tried one yet but I can’t wait!!

After I used up my fruit I took a look at the veggies I had and decided to make a large batch of pasta primavera for the week.

I sauteed zucchini, carrots and lots of spinach in some veggie broth and garlic. I seasoned that with a little salt and pepper. I cooked a half of a package of gluten free brown rice fusilli and added it to the veggies. I couldn’t believe how much pasta a half of a package made!!

It’s so simple but it’s really good. I’ve mentioned a million times that I am not a huge pasta person but I have been craving it lately so I figured I’d add a ton of veggies in a light sauce and it came out really nice! I have a TON of it… at least 3-4 servings. Perfect for meals for the week.

So I’m sure you could tell I haven’t really been myself lately. And by lately I mean for months. I don’t know if it’s because of my shoulder or from feeling sick or just a combination of a few things but I’ve just felt lazy and crappy and it has really affected me emotionally. I’ve been trying to do some soul searching recently to try and feel better and I basically decided that I really need to focus my energy on rising above those feelings and getting back to my old self. I’m planning on doing so by getting back into a gym routine, permanently adopting a completely gluten free Crazy Sexy Diet lifestyle, meditating, and trying to find the things that make me happy. It’s also going to include small things like bringing back my Fun Friday posts (which I had wanted to start last week but that would have been insanely inappropriate) to try and find those things I’m passionate about. I’m confident that these things will help me feel better and I’ll be back into my old routine in no time!

I also have some exciting news for you! I forgot to tell you but a few weeks ago I booked a trip to visit my friend in Orlando! I’ll be going May 1-6!!! Can’t wait to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with my bestie I’m pretty sure a margarita and some sangria will be imbibed on that day as well as a delicious home cooked celebratory meal!

That’s all for today! I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend and are off to a good start on your week. <3

I’ve been going back and forth about whether or not to post since I feel so disgusted by what’s going on in Boston and it seems silly to post pics of my meals. I decided that business as usual is the best way to sustain normalcy. I’m sick to my stomach watching the news and just hope that everyone will be safe and that this is over soon.

Gorgeous fruit salad for breakfast. Plan on having another tomorrow. Mango, strawberries and blackberries.

Grilled veggie salad for lunch. So good and definitely fulfilled the veggie cravings I’ve been having.

No dinner yet, just got cleaned up from the gym. Trying to figure out what it’ll be.

I was driving to work and saw this gorgeous tree that just lifted my spirits and brightened my day a little. I literally pulled over (put the car in park obviously), leaned over and stuck my phone out of the passenger side window and blindly took this pic. Not too bad!

That’s all for today. I’m going to try and figure out dinner. Work tomorrow. Blah.

Hey everyone! I’m popping in with a little update Nothing new really happening here. The only exciting thing that’s happening is the amazing weather we are having!

Say what!? It was so nice today! I opened all of my windows, took a ride to take in some of the fresh warm air, did tons of laundry and cleaned. It was a truly perfect day off. And check out what’s happening Tuesday and Wednesday!!! Oh and they were lying a little, no rain today! Only beautiful, bright sunshine here!

I also received two fun things in the mail today!

Check out this super cute postcard I received from Laura! She recently took a giant leap and picked up and moved to San Francisco! I find that incredibly brave and inspiring. Anyway, check out her blog to follow her adventures in her new city! Thanks for the postcard Laura!

I also received my copy of Amber‘s new book, Practically Raw Desserts! I couldn’t wait to check it out and let me tell you it is absolutely beautiful. It is chock full of beautiful, decadent desserts that are good for your body and soul. I seriously can’t wait to try these! I already picked out my cake for my 30th (yikes!) birthday later this year! I’m sure I’ll try a bunch of the recipes by then though

As far as food and health, it’s more of the same. Been eating easily digestible foods (lots of smoothies) and trying my best to get workouts in. I hit pads again with my trainer last Friday and it felt really good. It’s nice to have that back, even if it’s just once a week.

Been drinking lots of smoothies like this one. I’ll be changing up the combos to try and practice better food combining and hopefully that will help my digestion. I obviously grabbed this one on the run, but I’ll be making some at home tomorrow which I’ll share with you

I’ve also been eating simple lunches like this. Veggies mostly with some stuffed grape leaves. Also salads.

Since I’m still feeling like total crap I’m going to try a cleanse to try and reset my digestion. After reading Bianca‘s review of the Kaeng Raeng cleanse, I decided to try the three day beginner cleanse. I figured I can do anything for three days, and the smoothie based cleanse isn’t intimidating for me since I feel better when I drink my meals anyway. Hopefully that will change after the cleanse! I’ll discuss it more when I do it, which will probably be this weekend as long as I get it in time!

I think that’s it for now! I hope to be back soon with another update. I’ll definitely be luxuriating in the warm weather. I don’t want today to end!

Hope you all have a great night!

Hey everyone! It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve shown you some meals I’ve been eating. Well, I’ve finally gotten off my lazy ass and took some pictures of a few things I’ve crammed in my face over the past few days. I’m now being plagued by persistent headaches (all day every day) so appetite has been an issue but I’ve been trying to get some good meals and snacks in. The new Dr. called me back and we are working on getting an appointment scheduled for this week or next week. Coincidently, this is the rheumatologist I was supposed to see in the first place but didn’t want to wait three months for the appointment. Turns out someone I know is good friends with him and pulled some strings and he is working on fitting me in to his schedule! It’s so nice of him, I feel really lucky that he was willing to get me in.

Anyway, let’s check out some meals:

Gluten Free Carrot Spice Muffin for breakfast on my pretty new Vegan Plate (thanks again Shen!!). Lots of great stuff happening in this photo

Snacked on the trail mix I picked up the other day. LOVING this stuff! Can’t eat a lot at a time because it is very sweet but it’s really delicious. And I’m glad I got to try the mulberries, I love them! Very cool texture!

I’ve also been snacking on some grapes. This bunch has been so good, it’s hard to stop!!

And here is the piece de resistance! This is an AMAZING salad I enjoyed yesterday. It has mixed greens, cucumber, carrot, roasted mixed veggies and two stuffed grape leaves. It was dressed very simply with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Holy crap guys, this was DELICIOUS!! I think there will be some hummus involved next time

So that’s what I have today. Gonna relax for a bit then get ready for work. So glad I only have to work until 9 pm one day a week now… wish I didn’t have to at all but I can deal with one day. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day!