Things happen ...

I found out last week that I have a hernia, this was devastating news for me. I know, I know it's not that bad of news it could have been worst but I was so close ... so close to my goal that i could taste it. I was finally entering the 3 months/12 week prep time and purchased my figure suit and was motivated to really hit this full force.

Out of nowhere I started having pain in my groin area and just ignored it as being the weather making my c-section scar act up ... it got worse ... I went and saw family doc he agreed that it was probably a hernia, it was confirmed through ultra sound ... but I think my biggest annoyance here is the fact that now I just have to wait and see a surgeon. People are telling me the waiting could be very long. I hate not knowing how long.

The unknown made me really think and after talking with my man and with my coach we agreed that it would be wise to take it down a notch and go on maintenance mode till I get this dealt with ... but it's killing me I am so scared of losing focus. No one understands the struggles i've had all my life trying to reach a goal and giving in to my little voices telling me to just give up and finally I've been focused and now I have to just coast until I can life heavy again which I have no idea when that will be.

I live in fear of losing my motivation getting back to that feeling where the gym is a chore. I was finally in a place where the gym was my happy place and lifting the little pink weight s at the gym just doesn't feel satisfying ... I have to keep encouraging myself to not push to hard ... It's hard when you spent 2 years now telling yourself COMMON MAX PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN and now I have to tell myself to calm down and take it easy. It feels so wrong.

I know, I know it's the right thing to do and that it will help my body heal or whatever not get worse but it's the mental part i'm scared of. Like it or not it's a phobia. It's only been a few months that my mind finally got it and transformed into that person that wants to be at the gym and I live in fear of losing that again. It might look easy, and people might think you just are that type of person that likes the gym naturally but I was never that person .. I needed a real pep talk to get going ... even now cardio is a struggle for me .. I much would rather lift ... Lifting has become a stress relief to me and maybe I had to much stress one day and thought I was superwoman and lifted way over my capabilities and it got me here but thats what felt good ...

So i'm on maintenance mode till further notice :(

I will not abandon this goal as I won't be happy till I follow through but I don't want to walk on stage just to walk on stage .. I am in this to win. so I will get ripped when the time comes ... you just wait ! :P

It's go time !

Wow It's go time !!! 3 months I'm feeling quite anxious and I was even depressed over the weekend because I find my progress pics all look the same ... I got lots of compliments last week from people saying I looked smaller so I guess they can't ALL be lying .. It's really hard to see the changes for me. it's good to get other people talking once in a while so I know i'm still going in the right direction.


The bbq has to be my favourite tool other then the pressure cooker. The bbq can make anything taste good. We recently upgraded ours and I could not be any happier it's like getting a new car except it cooks food! One of the reasons I decided to become a Epicure independent consultant was because I was buying so many spices that it just made sense for me to sale them so I could get a bit of commission on my own purchases. I am panicking though right now because it's tight financially right now for me with all the supps and coaching and my suit for the show and weddings and etc... and I'm running out of all my favourite spices !!! I honestly use all the spices on my meats .. i mix and match I come up with these awesome combos and now i'm going to have to calm the f down as i'm low or out of all but a few of my spices !! they are so yummy and the new catalogue is coming out soon too so I want to wait for that ... damn this epicure stuff is what is making my diet not deathly boring ... I can actually go on an international trip with my 6 meals a day ... So yeah i'm freaking out !

These are my favourites

It ain't all fun and games, but it's sure not boring !

I decided to hop on this journey in January of 2013. I've always been fuelled by goals. I always needed something that I can push myself to achieve and really I surprised myself with this one. I've always been one to hide myself in baggy clothes, I would get the large sweaters so I would not have to worry when I sit that my fat rolls would show, I always wore pants that were not tight on my stomach so i would not be reminded of how much I was really in denial about over eating and not taking care of me.

This goal was HUGE to me. To even think of walking on a stage with super fit women I could never imagine doing that. As I am getting closer to that day, I see that I CAN be part of those fit women, I can push myself through and achieve that goal. I struggle all the time still with my little devil on my shoulder telling me to cheat and eat something bad. I just punch him off my shoulder and listen to my will power and think of how proud I am that i'm sticking to this ... It's not easy and everyone doing it will tell you it's a mind game. You're constantly fighting with your mind about why your doing this and why your putting yourself through such a routine. And some that don't get it will say it's vanity, and it's being stuck up. And I do get fed up with some fitness models that constantly post pics of themselves but then I remember how hard i'm working and how looking at my progress and sharing it with others helps me, motivates me to fight and fuels me to work harder so I can be proud walking on a stage half naked with my over tanned skin and done up hair and make up and show off this master piece of a body I dream i'l have at the end of this process ... it's not vanity, it's not being stuck up .. it's pride ... and it's a sense of accomplishment and belief that you can do anything you put your mind to. Even when your mind is telling you WTF I want a drink and nachos ... :P

So I get why these ladies post pics of themselves .. and I respect their hard work physically and mentally and I can now understand where they come from.

August 2nd will be 12 weeks from my comp. Wow time is flying and i'm panicking hard ... but I will be ready ... you just wait ... and if you want to come and root for me ... save the date ... Nov 2nd 2013 is the day.

* A special thanks to the oversized clothing I used to wear to shield me from what I thought was what I needed when what I really needed was a healthy mind and to believe in myself so i could physically and mentally change, I am a much happier person that respects herself enough to take charge. (yes I sound like a self help book, but it's true)

And I have the best support ever from my friends and family, love you guys x0x0x

On another note, these are freaken awesome, they taste like cookie dough with a hint of raspberry and then pow you get these white chocolate chunks ... I'm not a white chocolate fan usually but wow this just works and with 17g of fibre per bar and 5g of carbs they are my go too bar for emergencies when i can't get to my normal meals... this is a new flavour, my other favourite flavour is the chocolate brownie  warmed up a bit they are to die for ...

Kale chips, things I didn't know about my kids

I've been on a Kale chip kick, I have a certain amount of allowable oil in my diet at a given time so I use it in this recipe and I get my veggies at the same time ... to my surprise my daughters love em ! I thought I had let them try it before but hey whatever gets them eating new veggies i'm down with ! :)

I've been visiting our local farmers market at Brewer park in Ottawa and I found this great organic Kale that is sold 2 bunches for 5$ if you go to a natural food store you can get a small bag of kale chips for 12$ a deal right ? pffff my way won't blow your budget and you'll be running to the local farmers market to stock up on some fresh organic kale.

so here is my easy kale chip recipe:

1 bunch of kale
oil of your choice about 1 tbsp
sea salt or spices of your choice

• Turn your oven to 350 degrees. I have convection and turn it on 350 convect. 
• Meanwhile wash your kale and run it through your lettuce spinner or towel dry it. Very important to get all the water dried off. 
• I cup up my Kale in various sizes making sure to get rid of the stems. don't throw out the little pieces those are the best ! 
• now but in a bowl and drizzle with some oil of your choice. I am currently using grape seed as I have an intolerance to olive but anything you wish will work. Try using something with higher nutrients .. not canola crappy oil. 
• cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the kale in one layer on the cookie sheet. 
• Now this is the tricky part I put in the oven and I check on it when it's start smelling like toasted kale ! because of the convection it takes less time so after about 10 minutes I keep an eye on it ... you don't even have to flip you want it crispy not soggy ... 
• and then remove from the oven and season to your liking with any spice .. I like it with garlic sea salt ! 
• then share with your kids !.... if you want :P 

REPEAT ! 

Here they are pictured with some spicy bison sliders ... yum ! I don't know if it's because I've been off chips for so long but these totally fill that salty, crispy, crunchy void i've been having ! :) 

Vega protein

Neverthought i would need to stay away from WHEY until now. I got some food intolerance testing done and turns out i'm intolerant to a whole wack of stuff. The one thing about competition prep is you have to really plan out your meals to a T and if you don't then it's way harder to suceed. With being intolerant to Whey and eggs, and soy and the list goes on. I was very limited in my choices. I was lucky enough to win a tub of Vega Performance Protein Chocolate flavor from Steve over at http://www.canadianpaleoathlete.com/, thanks again btw :) and check his blog out it's awesome lots of good tips on training, he's a machine !

So this is my review on the product. Now being new to the non whey protein, I've explored a few other options, I did do egg protein for a while until I found out eggs were a no no on my list so when I scored this Vega protein I was pretty excited to put it to the test. I wasn't expeciting to like it as I've had rice proteins and other types of vegan protein and to be honest I was hoping to not like it as it's not really in my budget. So I made myself a shake and to my suprise I liked it quite a bit. It mixes well with just water which I find vegan shakes stay very griddy. Vega had a thick, frothy consistency and a rich chocolaty flavor. I even made another batch for my pre-bedtime shake using 1 cup of Kale and it did not alter the taste one bit and I want to say was even yummier. It is definitly my #1 choice in flavor but it's a bit on the steep side price wise for my budget as between coach fees, food intolerance testing fees, all the stuff I need to buy for my competition as I am a first time competitor and a mom of 3 kids I have to watch the money. I am meant to take in 40G of protein in a form of a shake 2 times a day so if you do the math 1 tub doesn't last me that long. I do have to add though that it is in the price range of all the vegan shakes out there, and your getting a quality product. All the macros are fantastic .. greater then expected .. the best for vegan protein if you ask me. I was very susprised at the protein count and low carb. I would definitly love to try the other products they offer in the performance line as contest prep I am always looking for supps that will inhence my training and prep and recover my muscles.

All in all I would definitly recommend this product and I am glad I got to test it out ! Thanks again Steve and Vega for allowing me to do so ...

Now go out and test it out for yourself !

progress

So i've hit the 2 month mark and I guess I should post pictures ( mega embarassing) to just keep myself in line and also when i started this journey I wanted your support so for those that read this is to keep me accountable for my training and progress .... Maybe it will be inspiring to some maybe it can show people that nothing comes easy, I workout 5 days a week weights and cardio and eat a strict diet 100% of the time with no cheats, no alcohol and water is my only beverage apart from the morning cup of coffee, so you know those informercials that claim that if you work out 10 minutes a day you will have that rock hard body with no fat at all, well let me tell you people .. nothing comes easy ... you have to work and earn it and I will earn this body that I feel i deserve and I will take care and maintain it for life ... that I can promise you. 

I can tell when my thyroid meds are starting to work as I feel so positive and excited about my goals and working out ... it's like this passion i've always had but can actually do it now cause i believe that can. I believe in me. 

So like I said mega embarrassing .... no where near show ready but you can see some definition coming through the fat :P I'll get there ! Nov 2nd baby !!! 

hypothyroid

I’ve been struggling with hypothyroid since I was in my teens. I’ve tried taking T4, T3 and even tried taking desiccated thyroid (a more natural approach) and I still can’t get my TSH level normal. Might be my training regime and diet that is a strain on my thyroid but I went for a blood test back in nov 2012 and my TSH level came back as a 77 a normal range is about 0.5 to 5.5. We thought it was a mistake as it’s pretty out there! And I was feeling semi functional, but recently I went for another blood test and my TSH came back even worst, I got a 94, the higher the number the worst your hypothyroid is … means your thyroid is really at a standstill. !! This would explain a lot I thought … really bad moods, low to no libido, major cravings, constipation for weeks, dry skin even though we don't have the furnace running, feeling really depressed for no reason, and the one symptom that tipped the glass over was the MAJOR headaches/migraines I was getting, and the lack of weight loss even though I’m busting my ass working out and not even cheating once on my diet in the past 3 months.

I’ve lost 10 lbs in the past 3 months but I guess I would have wanted more drastic results considering I feel like I work so hard and have so much will power. I am so lucky to have my support system around me  … People that understand that I bring my own food to social events and don’t drink any alcohol (for this year anyway :P) some people probably think I’m so weird but I’ve had to ignore any negativity towards my goals as that’s what they are MY goals and I really am doing this for me. My coach sent me my march pics compared to end of May and I guess I didn’t realise it but I am transforming and it’s a slow process but I will get to my goal. We’ve adjusted my T3 medication and I am seeing a nutritionist to get a bio signature test done and a food sensitivity test done to see if anything is harming my progress apparently this guy is very very good and helps lots of athletes in the region … I am excited and hopeful about all this as it might be the AH HAH moment I’ve been looking for, for so long ….

I do think something good will happen … my mood has been getting better, I’ve started taking 5 HTP which helps with the mood and I can really feel good changes lately even started losing weight again.

If I have the guts I’ll post my pics to show progress but I’m nowhere near where I need to be but you can rest assure that I will work as hard as I can to get on that stage and look the best I can look ! August is my major go time … it will 12 weeks till show time! Hope everyone is well and yes I’m still following Paleo just been a more boring version of Paleo for comp prep so haven’t been posting food. Oh and when I do post my pics ... I know I know I am whiter than Casper !!!

spirals

I got this new tool from a Groupon and at first when I got it it looked sketchy, it had no instructions, the box only had asian writing no english or french I was really not impressed but It looked so cool on the groupon pic !!!

So anyway I decided to give it a shot and seriously I have to say I prefer it over my julienne peeler I raved about in another post. Check out the finished product ...what I love is that you use up the whole zucchini, you are not discarding the core like with the Julienne peeler, the texture is great and for some reason it even feels less watery. My trick is I just sauté them warm but I leave them raw they have a bit of a bite and they are like al dente noodles. I added garlic and coconut oil and it added loads of flavor to them ... who needs noodles!

I then serve my marinara chicken (chicken I just cooked in my pressure cooker with that marinara sauce I talked about in the other post and and some spices of choice) right on top YUM !

I heard that Ma Cuisine on the byward market in Ottawa has a spiral mandoline, not sure how much it is ... but probably less sketch then this tool I got off groupon for 12$!

secrets... short cuts

Thought I would share a sauce I use a lot for short cuts ... it's all natural, no sugar and it's delicious and the best is they sell em by the 2 pack at Costco here in Ottawa. I make chicken with it, chili, "not pasta"sauce. So there you have it folks one of my secrets :P

Life is always hectic and i hear day in and day out how people say they can't follow Paleo coz of whatever excuse you want to insert here ... but really if you really really want to feel better you will have no excuse to find the way to make it happen. Over the year i've found countless ways to make things easier. I boil a dozen eggs when I have a few minutes, I cook up a bunch of chicken in the pressure cooker or on the george foreman grill in lots of different spices just to make things interesting and have it on hand anytime I need to eat. I buy a big bag of peppers and chop them up in 10 minutes ... it only takes 10 minutes to prep things one item at a time ... I also hear a lot well I am always out ... So am I but buy a big lunch bag and ice pack and use it ... you should see what my movie snacks look like, yup chicken and veggies ... and really if they bug me for bringing it in i'll just tell them that if they can offer that to me on the menu then i'll gladly buy it for quadruple the price. Hasn't happened though. I don't think i'm better then anyone but everybody thinks I have all the time in the world ... I have 2 daughters 3, 6 and an 9 year old step son ... I work a 7.5 hour a day job, I workout in my free time and then the time that is left I prep and cook food. I make it happen. because I want to make it happen.

Things that are found on my grocery list every week.

from Costco

• French green beans, these come pre cut and all you have to do is steam em I even eat them raw
• A slab of 30 eggs. A lot of them get boiled for a quick protein fix, the rest are used for whatever. 
• Cherry tomatoes
• English cucumber (pack of 3) 
• Pack of 6 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow) Which I slice when I have free time and store in a big ziplock for raw snack or stir fries 
• Big box of frozen chicken 4kg  (I know it's not organic but I can't afford the organic so it's where I compromise for now till I find a good connection) 
• egg whites ( for shakes, and for morning omelettes) 
• Superantioxident frozen fruit mix ( this is delicious, cherry's blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, pomegranate.)
• mix greens
• sliced mushrooms
• baby spinach
• apples
• mixed nuts (not every week but every 3 weeks maybe) 

These are pretty much our staples for the week. and they help make meals easier to prep. 

Then we get other stuff at the grocery store to compliment, and my freezer is jammed packed with grass fed beef we bought from a local farm. but I'm off beef due to my strict meal plan. I crave it sooooo much ... 

so there you have it ... 

-

1 year anniversary !

Just a little update ... It was my 1 year Paleo anniversary. Yup been following this lifestyle for 1 year now, 3 months alcohol and dairy free. Things are going great wanted to share a progress photo you can see some muscles coming out and i'm pretty proud of that ... it's been a long and hard working year but when i see these pics it motivates me to keep on going. 

I got me some supps to help the process, Magnum Greens (this stuff I can already feel working it's magic), Glutamine, and BCAAs ... also taking multis, vitamin c, fish oil and EGG protein. 

Received my competition shoes, I have a posing seminar coming up, this should be interesting! haha meaning that I might fall flat on my face! 

week 1

Week 1 of my new meal plan is going ok ... having a hard time eating the same thing everyday ... and the most painful thing of all there is no BACON on this plan OMG .... NO BACON. Life is sad ...

no but in all seriousness I am dedicated to this and Sara knows what she is doing .. I need to melt fat and whatever I was doing wasn't working anymore so I will listen and try anything. And hopefully see results again. Plateaus suck! The workouts are really good I really feel on track and it's a nice change and structure ...

So I have to remind people that Paleo is what you make of it ... It doesn't have to be a weight loss diet but for the goal i have I needed to kick stuff up a notch so I am on a strict 1400-1450 calories a day no red meat, high protein meal plan these days to help shed some fat i've been doomed to hold on too ...

I should be on that show "last 10 lbs" except for me  it would be last 20 lbs ! burn baby burn !

Before I started my meal plan I made this chilli, It was delicious ... and btw I still cook Paleo friendly stuff with red meat for the man ... I won't be posting what I eat just yet as i'm paying someone to organize this for me and really think about it .. if I post what she has me eating then I might as well send you all a bill for a cut in my coaching fees !

I found this super greens organic mix at Costco, it's baby kale, baby swiss chard and baby spinach. I've been putting that in everything and this chili is no exception ! It adds to the nutrients and it is delicious.

Grass fed organic beef chili

• 4 lbs of grass fed ground beef
• 1 jar (1.18 littre) of the white linen marinara sauce (It's all natural and I get it at costco, comes in a pack of 2 jars, no sugar or crap added :) ) 
• 1 large onion chopped up 
• Spices of your choice I use Epicure ( Louisianna hot and spicy dip mix, marinara mix, garlic powder)
• 2 cups or more of the super organic greens from costco (baby kale, baby swiss chard and baby spinach)
• 2 cups or more of pre-sliced mushrooms 

I use my pressure cooker and can have this chilli ready in 45 minutes and it tastes like i've done it in my slow cooker simmering all day. Feel free to use any cooking method but insure your beef is cooked ... 

I put all the ingredients but the greens and mushrooms as they would get to mushy ... I add them at the end and just let my pressure cooker with the lid off and let the veggies cook abit and serve with some crispy exotic veggie chips ! 

Wow another year gone .... zoooom

I'll be 34 years old tomorrow, and in the best shape since I can't even remember but still not where I want to be but i'll take it! 35 is my goal year ... and i'm well on my way to be in the best shape of my life by 35.

A few years back I was miserable and really didn't know what to do with myself. I had 2 beautiful little girls and should have been ecstatic but I was at an all time low and just thought I was doomed and felt sorry for myself. Had millions of excuses and just didn't feel good emotionally, didn't even have the energy to do my motherly duties but had to so did what I had to do ... just didn't feel like that was enough for my girls. I think the changes I made throughout these couple of years have all helped me become the person I am today. Things I am still struggling with is moods (hormones), tiredness and my immune system but I won't give up. I've been on Paleo for almost 1 year. I'm at the gym hitting all time records for myself in the weight lifting department and have joined muay thai and love kicking and punching other men, ugh I mean into thai pads. It releases all the stress I seem to hold on too all the time, helping with my mood swings that I seem to have adopted over the past couple of years (probably from holding all my emotions in and taking on so much stress in the past) It had to come out sometime, sorry Joe that it's on you :P

So my amazing man got me a nice spinner bike as an early birthday gift to stick to my goals.

He also got me these great runners for xmas and I finally get to try them out ... I was debating when to retire my Asics nimbus but now I use both ! :) Love both by the way. 

And if I needed more reasons to brag about my awesome supportive man, He got me a gluten free sugar free cake from Thimble cakes ! :) 

Life is well on track and I don't think I could have a better support system... thanks to all that understand the time, energy and dedication my goals are taking and will be taking and thanks for pushing me and encouraging me along the way ... from my man Joe, family, friends, co-workers,  I appreciate all the support you have and are giving me a long the way. My motivation and drive is in most part from all of you that surround me ! :) This year is going to have ups and downs, I've hired Sara Fennell to coach me a long the way, I'm excited to push harder then I have before .. and i'm confident that this is all gonna be great! 

Almond butter thai coconut shrimp on zuchinni noodles

I received a lot of requests for this recipe ! so here goes ...

Almond butter thai coconut shrimp on zuchinni noodles 

• 16 Raw shrimps ( I used fresh ones) 
• 1 tbsp coconut oil 
• 1/4 cup Almond butter
• 1/2 can of coconut milk (I try and look for the one that has just coconut and water in the list of ingredients) and I stay away from lite 
• Fresh Cilantro to taste
• 1 tbsp Epicure Thai spices ( I would probably have used red curry paste if you don't have Epicure spices ) 
• 1 tsp of thai green chilli pepper finely chopped 
• lime juice
•  6 small Zucchinis

Heat your coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the green chili to the skillet and let cook a bit then add the peeled and cleaned shrimps, let sear on both sides and then add the coconut milk (I tried to use the creamier part of the milk) and almond butter let shrimp simmer for 2 minutes, add lime juice and let shrimp cook thru the total cooking time for the shrimp depending ont he size should be between 3 to 5 minutes ... don't over cook!!! add chopped cilantro. 

For the Zucchini noodles: 

Julienne all 6 zucchinis with a julienne peeler and steam them for 2 minutes in the microwave. You still want them to have a bite .. not mushy so it's better to undercook. 

Serve the shrimp over the noodles and enjoy ! 

schedule

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of meeting up with Sara Fennell http://efitonlinecoaching.com/ for a consultation of prepping for a figure competition. She measured my bodyfat, I as kinda impressed as I thought I had a higher percentage. It's still no where it needs to be but it's not as bad as I thought :). She gave me lots of great pointers and I am implementing some of her suggestions. My man got me a nice spinning bike for my birthday so I can do fasted cardio first thing in the AM that will be a huge help as i can concentrate on weight training on my lunch hour. I also found out I was probably trying to take in to many calories a day, so all these things are being adjusted and i'm already feeling good about it .. I can see a difference in my stomach already ... arg that annoying stomach fat ...

Really wish we could have made it to the Arnold Expo this year but we will plan for next year .. how amazing that would be ... I am planning on attending a few competitions in the near future just to get a feel for it. Things are starting to feel real. I am going to go try on some shoes tonite so i can order some and start practicing walking.

An idea of what i'm eating in a day lately :

Morning
Banana Protein pancakes (2)
coffee with splenda hazelnut flavoured syrup (I know I know artificial sweetner but I try to keep it to my morning coffee)

Morning snack
140G superantioxident frozen berry mix  (I like to have this still a bit frozen it's almost like gelato :)

During workout
9 g of Amino Energy grape

post workout
32 g of EGG protein shake chocolate

Lunch 6 oz of chicken (right now I made a pressure cooker full of the honey rosemary chicken)
1 cup of steamed brocoli

Afternoon snack
Green apple

Dinner
5 oz Tilapia Filet pan seared with lemon juice, dill, garlic and black pepper
Green beans


Trying to drink lots of water but really have to remember to do this .. it does not come naturally to me ....

Weekly workouts will be this :

Monday
11 am - weight training
6:30 pm - Muay thai (intense cardio)

Tuesday
5:30 am - HIIT ( High intensity interval training) spinning
11:00 am - weight training
5:30 pm - Muay thai (not this week)

Wednesday ( rest day if needed )
5:30 am - HIIT ( High intensity interval training) spinning
11:00 am - weight training

Thursday5:30 am - HIIT ( High intensity interval training) spinning
11:00 am - weight training
Friday
5:30 am - HIIT ( High intensity interval training) spinning
11:00 am - weight training

Saturday
Sunday
 the weekends will be a whatever time I feel like ... If I feel I need a rest day I will see how I feel on either day ... might do active rest day and just do cardio .... need to burn fat ... so i can uncover the beast muscles underneath !

Staying on plan when travelling for work.

In the past I was guilty of being that person that feels like since I’m not at home I will fall off the wagon because let's face it restaurants have menus filled with hidden calories. We have no perception of portions and we certainly have no control over the ingredients. I was wrong. As I prepare to be contest ready by Dec I can't make any excuses, if I make excuses I’m only kidding myself. Who am I doing this for, you guys or myself? So when I was asked to go to Vancouver on business I didn’t get stressed I knew what my plan was and I was going to stick to it. Here is my eating and fitness journey while 4 days away from my normal routine. Keep in mind that there is a 3 hour difference with where I live, Meaning that Vancouver is 3 hours behind, which doesn't sound like much but affects a lot.

My planning started at home, I baked myself some banana cocoa muffins for my breakfasts, I wasn't going to risk not having anything to eat in the morning, and trying to find something paleo friendly at such an early time, I stuck to my grande starbucks coffee and homemade paleo muffins. For the plane I got myself some green apples (low on the glycemic index) and some apple pie larabars (found a box of 12 on sale for 16$)

I had to do Ottawa to Toronto to then connect to Vancouver so the small amount of time i had i ran around trying to find a decent salad to bring on the plane and found this awesome jerk chicken salad with mangos and pecans. Sounds expensive for a salad, 12$ but this thing was huge I could not finnish it!

When i checked in to my hotel the first thing i wanted to go check out is the gym facilities, I was pleased with the equipment and went and changed and came right back to do my workout for the day.

A bit later I met up with my co-worker/friend :) and we went scouting for a place to have diner. We settled on Milestones as it was getting late and I was starving. I decided on a bunless gluten free burger and had some toppings added, house made pico de gallo salsa, bacon, avocado and usual lettuce, tomatoe, pickle, onion and some gluten free garlic mashed potatoes.

With the time change it was really hard not to want to go to bed at 10 Ottawa time but we stayed out and shopped to try and push through so we would not be up in the middle of the night ... FAIL went to bed around 10pm Vancouver time (1am Ottawa time) but then was up at 3 am (6 am Ottawa time) and could not get back to sleep. I decided to get my gym in early (much earlier then I wanted) It made for a SUPERRRRRRRRR long next day !

The next day, had my usual muffins, and coffee and then for lunch we had to scope for a good spot, My friend already had looked at the food court for me the day before and suggested the greek place and I agreed it was the best choice. I had the chicken brochette with a greek salad, no feta or tzaziki, extra olives and a lemon wedge. i actually stuck to that for the 2 days of training as the other choices didn't seem right and this was cheap and big !

For diner we decided on a mexican sorta fast food place called Chipotle and I ordered a salad with half chicken and beef lots of salsa, and some added guacomole. It was delicious  

 We went treking for a Whole Foods as we don't have one in Ottawa and I had googled it before getting here. Off we went .. it was in a kinda dumpy part of town but we went in and I found a few snacks for the rest of the trip. Got some Kombucha fermented tea that the Paleo community raves about but I had never tried, and im not converted yet I didn't like my first try at it ... Gonna give it another go soon ... Got some coconut chips, but then found out they had sugar so could not eat them ! booo and tried some seasnax but again not for me ! so Fail ! hahaha but I still had my muffins, larabars and apples ! We bought a case of water and kept hydrated throughout the trip too. it helped that my mini fridge was empty so I filled it with my own food.

For diner we chose this place called Rogue and I went for a nice steak and veggies with sweet potatoe fries. I ate the steak and veggies first that way i was getting full and only had a bit of the fries .. but everything was yum.

On the way back, we had breakfast at the airport and I went for bacon and eggs, left the homefries and loaded up on some blackberries for the plane ride.

So you see it was easy to stay on plan and I felt good doing so ... didn't come home with extra lbs or feeling like I fell off the wagon ... I guess i've been on the wagon for a while now April 2012 and it's just part of me now ...

Playing favorites

Everyone has favorites, favorite brands, favorite scents, favorite materials, etc. I will share my favorite kitchen tools. My can't live without tools, my, if ever I have to leave the house in 60 seconds what would I grab other then my family and non kitchen related tools!


#1 is by far the Pressure cooker, I was given this tool from someone that is dear to me and it has changed my life. No other tool can ever replace this one and if it broke I would have a meltdown ... It delivers melt in your mouth, no knife needed succulent meat in 20 minutes or so. It seals the flavours and you will never look back, you can use a slow cooker for 4 hours or use this in 20 minutes

#2 is my fairly newish Epicure Selection Square steamer, while I cook my meats in the pressure cooker my sides are steaming to perfection in my microwave silicone steamer. Perfection and healthy meals in no time.

#3 My Cuisinart food processor. I use this tool to make my cauliflower rice, larabars, muffins, etc.


#4 Kitchen Aid Mixer pretty self explanatory but this thing is just a lifesaver! Love it for all sorts of baking.


#5 Julienne Peeler to make zucchini noodles ! It's not just an ordinary peeler look closely it has little separator knives.

 #6 Cuisinart ice cream maker, I make yummy paleo friendly ice cream treats that makes Ben and Jerry's seem not to tempting ...

I could probably go on as I am obssesed with anything that has to do with cooking. I think I need help but the difference between me and a small appliance hoarder is that I use ALL of mine ALL the time ... I sometimes have them all lined up on the counter cooking multiple things.

Training

After just thinking of taking up Muay Thai again, the place where my bf is training BJJ was having a promotion half price for 1 year membership so i jumped on it ... And last night was my 3rd class and I still love it ... I feel like I push my limits. I'm bruised and have muscle pain but always feel like a machine when I'm done with a class. I push myself to keep up with the men there and I just love the stress relief it gives me. It's a nice break from the gym routine, offers my body a change of pace from the gym. It's like a violent boot camp :) you get to punch and kick !

I need to take measurements and progress pics. Had lost motivation after my Jamaica trip fiasco of gaining weight and didn't think of taking pics but I have to do it soon as i won't see the progress ! Very important to keep on top of that ... another thing I must get into is tracking my calories, i think I don't eat enough, but I'll never know until i take the time to count another important part of all this.

Hope everyone is good .. train hard !

Next post will be about my work trip to Vancouver and staying on plan !

mmmmmm donuts !!!

I kind of hate that I don't take the time to blog more. Sorry folks ... As much as I want to life takes over and I forget ... It's so much easier for me to just post a pic on Facebook but there has to be more and I realise that !

So I’ve had many requests for this recipe

Chocolate coconut donuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 12-15 minutes
Makes: 12 large donuts

1 cup creamy almond butter, unsalted
4 eggs
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup (or to taste) honey can also be used
2tbsp. unsweetened organic dark cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup of unsweetened coconut (optional)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place almond butter in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until creamy. Add eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Continue to beat until thoroughly blended. 

2. Add baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix well. 

3. Place batter into a well-greased donut pan, I used coconut oil.  You could use a muffin tin but they won’t be donuts!!! Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan.