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 !