the friday stone

STONE

this is my russian blue kitteh stone.

i thought i would introduce him to you all. i was going through photos on my camera the other day and i have an embarrassingly large quantity of stone photos. i thought i would share.

i think he is the pickiest cat on the planet...he only eats ONE kind of cat food...one. he absolutely won't eat any human food like cheese, tuna, or yogurt.

but, he is sweet, fun, and i love him

sick-o!

well...i've been sick! yuck! i haven't been sick in quite a long time and now i have been trying to get rid of this throat, lung coughing thing for almost 2 weeks now. here is what i have been using to boost my immune system back up and exorcise this demon out of me...

sovereign silver nasal spray

primal defense probiotics *my favorite probiotic!

dairy free (and soy free) coconut yogurt with organic muesli

neti pot *click here for instructions on how to use one!

ashwaganda + triphala *truth be told...i didn't start to feel really good until i started to take these two ayurvedic herbs.

emergen-c

TONS OF WATER!!!

i know there is that "something" that is going around out there and if you have it, i hope some of these tips help. if there is anything you are using that is helpful, please share by leaving a comment!

be well and healthy!

craving seaweed

this morning i am finding myself craving seaweed! i keep a package of toasted seaweed in my pantry from the asian market. it is my absolute favorite. toasted with a little hint of salt. i have already eaten 5 sheets of seaweed this morning!

The elements abundant in seaweeds include: potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, chloride, sulfur, phosphorous, vanadium, cobalt, manganese, selenium, bromine, iodine, arsenic, iron, and fluorine.

must be what my body is needing!

my artist's date

one of my favorite blogs is naturally nina. she asked if anyone has been on an artist's date lately. well i have! just this afternoon! i finished up my clients today early at 2pm and headed out to barnes + noble to stroll through the aisles to check out the books on my list.

here is my book list i looked at:

wreck this journal by kerri smith

a homemade life by molly wizenberg (i think that anyone that has the word "zen" as a part of their name must be cool and worth checking out!

pop! by sam horn

i did buy the book pop! it stood out for me as what i wanted most in this moment.

that was my artist's day! i then went home to and ate tuna salad on a huge bed of lettuce. i am now off to yoga!

a blissful day!

morning tea

i just can't start my day without it! some people need their coffee to have the perfect start to their day, for me it is green tea. but, it is so much more than just the tea. it is ceremony. it is ritual. it is my morning bliss.

i quietly roll out of bed in the morning, go the kitchen and pour the water in my kettle. it takes exactly 12 minutes for it to gently whistle. while i am waiting my cat sits on my lap as i check emails and putter around on facebook. my cat hears the whistle and jumps down, walks to the kitchen with me and patiently waits as i prepare my tea. my current favorite is a blend from teavana. it is jasmine dragon phoenix pearls + rooibos tropica. i then take my tea with me and go about my other morning rituals...a few sun salutations, a short meditation, make thomas' lunch, then be on my way about my day.


does anyone else have a blissful morning ritual they would like to share?

have a beautiful blissfull day!

blog award!!!

why thank you!!

city girl lifestyle has so kindly bestowed upon me a lovely blog award! thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

About the award:

"Apparently this award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

1. city girl lifestyle ~ i know she has already gotten an award, but i love to return favors! thank you!

2. myspace.om ~ peggy mulqueen's inspiration from a yoga mat

3. kimberlywilson.com ~ yoga, creativity, tranquility, do-gooding

4. double dog yoga ~ if you can breathe, you can do yoga!

5. the nourishing gourmet ~ delicious nourishing recipes, inspiration, frugal living

6. naturally nina ~ living life to the fullest! :)

7. wholesome goodness ~ great recipes for gluten free diets!

8. all about the pretty ~ all things beautimous!

happy father's day!

even though it is raining up here, there seems to be plenty to do. especially for the guys! happy father's day to all the men out there!

lentil salad

another delicious hijacked recipe! i adapted this one from the nourishing gourmet blog by kimi harris. she has the most delicious and inspiring recipes. please check her out. here's my version of her recipe...

lentil salad

2 cups of lentils (green french lentils) *i purchased the precooked ones from trader joe's to save on time
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
1/2 chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 chopped orange bell pepper
1/2-1 large cucumber, washed, peeled, and cut into small cubes
Handful of fresh Basil cut into thin ribbons


Dressing:

juice of 3 limes

drizzle of olive oil

salt + pepper to taste

*mix all ingredients into a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and lime juice. add salt and pepper to your liking. either chill and serve later or enjoy right away!

southwest chicken salad...yum!

i cannot take credit for this recipe. but, it is SO good i HAD to share it with you. this recipe is from jillian michaels book "master your metabolism".

southwest chicken salad

1/2 C lime juice
2 T olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves
8 T chopped cilantro
1-2 t chili powder
1-2 t cumin
1 t salt
nonstick cooking spray
4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
one 15 ounce can black beans, drained
4 medium-large roma tomatoes diced
8 T chopped scallions
4 C organic romaine lettuce

1. place the lime juice, olive oil, carlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and salt in a closed jar. shake until well mixed.

2. lightly coat a grill with nonstick cooking spray, heat , and grill the chicken until done. slice into 1 inch strips.

3. mix together the chicken, beans, tomatoes, scallions, lettuce, and jar mixture, and serve.

the flavors in this are just amazing and delicious. here are a couple of things i did differently...

*thomas liked his with sesame blue corn chips and sour cream.

*i used chipolte chili powder because i love the smoky flavor. also i used only 6 T cilantro because i don't love a lot of it.

last day of cleanse + detox

hooray! it's the last day!!!!

here is a wrap up of my experience:

*i have lost 3 pounds even though my goal was not to lose weight but to give my body systems a break and hopefully break my sugar cravings (which i did!). the healthiest way to lose weight is at a rate of 2-3 pounds a week. any more than that and you are most likely losing lean muscle. so this tells me that this is a good cleanse and i wasn't depriving my body of what it needed.

*someone commented to me yesterday that my skin looks really good. glowing even! i'll take it!

*i have no desire to have any sweets. this is HUGE for me.

*i have decided to actually continue most of the principles...
i will continue to NOT eat wheat + sugar. i will continue with the shakes because they are delicious and they help me fill in the gaps when i am too busy to make something more well rounded. i WILL add back in limited amounts of dairy, eggs, and meat.

if you are interested in trying this please let me know and i can get you started. it is well worth it especially if you have those last few pounds you would like to take off or if you want to get control over a sugar craving.

cleanse + detox day 7,8,9

i hope everyone had a lovely weekend! i have been quite surprised at how easy this cleanse has become. even in light of a holiday weekend with the temptation of lots of treats, i simply do not have the desire to eat them. i stayed on my protocol!

i will say that if i did have a yearning for something sweet, i ate fruit. the most delicious grapes and cherries!

i came up with a couple recipes i thought i would share. they are so delicious and refreshing. they totally got me through the weekend (along with the grapes and cherries!)

cucumber + tomato salad

1. 3 tomatoes and 4 baby cucumbers
2. chop them up

3. add some fresh basil sliced into fine ribbons
4. mix together well and add some salt and pepper to your taste and coat with beano's submarine dressing

5. enjoy!

here's another weekend, on the fly quick creation...

go to the city girl lifestyle blog for the green goddess dressing. add the green goddess dressing to cold rice, chopped red bell pepper and chopped carrots for a delicious and light cold rice salad. it is SO delicious!

cleanse + detox day 6

"you're not WHAT you eat;
you're what you BELIEVE about what you eat"
~dr. wayne dyer

i kind of don't feel like i am on a cleanse any more. this is odd for me. maybe things are shifting and adjusting. maybe i am simply getting over a psychological and emotional attachment to certain foods. i actually feel like i could go on eating like this for quite a while.

here are things i am noticing...

*i am truly thirsty! i know you have all heard "them" say that most of us are chronically dehydrated and when we go to eat food, most of the time it is just thirst that we are trying to quench. well i have known this in my brain but not until now have i been able to appreciate it...i actually FEEL it in my body! those past longings for gummy peaches are now replaced with a strong desire for a stiff glass of ice water!

*i don't feel like i need to eat as much. i was always fearful that i wouldn't have "enough". enough to carry me through, enough to sustain me. (hmmm...how does that carry over into the rest of my life?!) i was afraid that my blood sugar levels would crash and i would be left somewhere abandoned feeling weak and weary with out food. really now, there is food EVERYWHERE!

*yesterday when i was practicing yoga, i felt a little weak. probably a bit dehydrated. anyway, there were more than a few occasions where i wanted to drop to my knees and just take child's pose for 20 minutes or so. BUT...there was this inner voice that said to me, "out of respect for yourself, out of respect for the teacher and the lessons you will learn...you stay... you go deeper...because you can". there was no admonishing tone, this message was sent to me with love. so i stayed...i did the work because i could... and it was GREAT! i felt amazing! this is the growing edge! if i can stop eating sugar, wheat, dairy, meat...i can certainly hold warrior II for 5 more breaths, and do one more back bend!


yesterday's food:

breakfast: metagenics rice protein shake with almond milk

snack: apple + coconut water

lunch: cold rice salad with fresh raw carrots and red peppers with green goddess dressing. if you go to the link for the dressing recipe, i made it with out the dairy, forgot the anchovy, and used rice wine vinegar instead of the wine vinegar and it was delicious!

dinner: more cold rice salad. it was just SO yummy!!!


does any one out there have a "growing edge" story they would like to share? leave a comment!

cleanse + detox day 5

*finish each day and be done with it.

you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.
tomorrow is a new day.
you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.*
~emerson

yesterday my energy was low. i had a long busy day and i didn't prepare enough food to take with me. i didn't stray from the path, but i still don't think i ate enough. by the way...sore throat GONE.

today will be better. i am off to take a steamy yoga class. i have more energy today than i think i have had thus far.

yesterday's food:

breakfast: metagenics rice protein shake
snack: apple
lunch: salad with rice, black beans, tomatoes, guacamole
snack: apple + a couple handfuls of cashews
dinner: steamed broccoli with rice vinegar (yum!) and frozen grapes for dessert.

i was so tired by the time i got home i just didn't have the energy to make anything more than broccoli to eat. poor planning on my part. today is a better day and i off to dive into it!

cleanse + detox day 4

i made it to day 4! this is only significant because when i told my husband i was doing this cleanse and totally giving up sugar, wheat, + dairy for 10 days, he said he didn't think i would make it past day 4. well here i am and boo on him! i have only 6 more days left to complete the 10 days and i am actually considering going longer. dedication + discipline!

this morning i woke up stuffy and with a little sore throat. i am hopeful this too is a cleansing reaction as i actually feel really good today.

my food yesterday:

breakfast: metagenics rice protein shake with blueberries + raspberries
snack: quinoa with salt and pepper with rice vinegar (i love this!), apple
lunch: big salad at sweet green in georgetown for dessert...the most delicious dried pears and peaches (4 to be exact) from dean + deluca.
snack: apple
dinner: quesadilla made with rice tortilla, beans, and spinach (no cheese)

a side note...please go to my friend peggy's site for some inspiration on the path of yoga.

cleanse + detox day 3

this was me yesterday, today is better.

yesterday was a rough day for me. i felt very tired and i had a dull headache all day. the other cleansing reaction i noticed yesterday was that i was very emotional. i had a not so shining moment in my car with another driver that cut me off on the toll road and then an hour later i was crying over a silly commercial.

i slept like the dead...9 hours last night. woke up feeling pretty good with no headache! i am looking forward to a better day!

here is what i ate yesterday:

breakfast: metagenics vanilla rice protein shake
snack: apple
lunch: quesadilla made with a rice tortilla, refried beans, fresh spinach (x2, i was hungry), NO cheese. this was delicious!
snack: apple
dinner: small piece of wild caught salmon with shallots and dill ( i baked this in the oven), 2C steamed broccoli, quinoa plain with salt + pepper.

here are some things i am realizing as i am going through this cleanse:

* i actually eat more sweet things than i originally thought *see confession below (blush).

*sugar is definitely a force to be reckoned with. it has a power that is sneaky and nasty and if you are addicted to it, you will find any excuse to eat it, or sneak it into your mouth in any form possible! i went on a rampage through my kitchen trying to find something sweet that i could eat thinking, "nobody will know i cheated, there is no one here to see if i am being really honest about what i am eating." well, i am proud to say that i didn't give in to it, but it was really tough.

*for some reason, cleansing seems to inspire a great deal of raw honesty about one's life. it's not that things become crystal clear and you have the answers to all things, but that you see your life in all of its beautiful messyness. you embrace it all.

that being said... here is my...

confession: maybe once a week when i go to wegman's to go grocery shopping, i sneak over to the candy aisle and buy about $1 worth of gummy peaches. a small handful, just enough to give my system a little sugar buzz. they are my favorite candy. i pray that won't run into anyone i know and eat them as i walk through the store. in my quiet shame, i hand the cashier the empty bag to scan the now empty calories i just inhaled. i justify my "dietary indiscretion" with extra broccoli for dinner.