This is one of my best friends Kendall.  She is fighter and not only that but one who fights with passion and joy sure of the victory she has in Christ.  I got to have dinner with her at a fancy French restaurant in Dallas, TX last week.  My mom had told me about it and said that I HAD to go.  (Kendall doesn’t have her mom here anymore.  I remember this often and I look at her in amazement of how she grieves with such honesty and grace)  So anyway we went to dinner had a beer and ate a healthy Soufflé.  I miss her already.

Kendall has a fabulous blog and she inspired me to start blogging again.  Sometimes I think shorter blogs are SOOO much better.  We dont all have time to read LONG blog entries every day do we?  Well I guess I should just speak for myself and all the other ADDers out there!  She signed up for a marathon for Febuary because I inspired her!  Shouldn’t that be what best friends do?  We are made for relationship and to inspire one another.  Do your friends challenge you and inspire you to live a healthier purposeful life?  Kendall does and for that I’m grateful.

So I told you I would show you different ways to use chia seeds.

I went ahead and bought ground chia seeds from Whole Foods even though they do not need to be ground to digest well, I just thought it would be easier to place in smoothies.

I then pulled out the Vitamix and put several of my favorite things all together.

1. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk

2. Kale

3.Wild Blueberries

4. A packet of Truvia

5. and 1 tablespoon of Chia powder

6. Oh and a bit of Acai juice

I blended it up and then poured a little bit of Cocao Nibs in there!

So YUMMY!

I put half of the smoothie aside for hubby so he would have a treat when he woke up and then I cooked up 3 egg whites and placed them on a piece of cinnamon raisin ezekiel bread.

All set for my morning breakfast and Jesus time!

The rest of the day consisted of 40min on the elliptical

Free yoga at the Nashville Lululemon showroom

Lying out at the pool for 3 hours with friends

A margarita for lunch

A quick visit to the hubby in the recording studio

And a walk at dusk with a wonderful friend.

Such a wonderful Saturday but man was I pooped! But in the best kinda way

I have seen these mentioned in all my food blogs that I stalk daily.  I couldnt take it anymore so this weekend I picked some up at whole foods.

Here are some of the incredible BENEFITS!

1. They can be mixed with water that produces a a gel that can be substituted for oil or butter when baking! WHat?!?

2. They are the richest plant source of Omega 3′s

3. They are hydrating.

4. They have fiber and keep you full longer thus helping with weight loss.

(you can put them in smoothies, make the gel and mix it in baked goods or drink it to help with endurance and hydration during intensive training etc, etc, etc…)

Stay tuned this week, I will use them in several different ways!  Cant wait

Wish the picture didn’t turn out fuzzy but you get the idea.

This is everything I put in it.  So yummy!!! *and healthy too

Ingredients

• Red Quinoa
• Black Beans
• Kale
• Orange pepper (would have preferred red but TJ’s was out)
• 1/2 an avocado
• 1/2 roasted red pepper
• Red hot sauce
• 1 raw zucchini
• peanut vinaigrette from TJ’s
• a little bit of minced ginger
• a pinch of Salt

Mixed it all together and left it in the fridge for 30min so the Kale could soften.

You must try this at home!

As of monday I am the full-time Nutrition manager for Mercy Ministries here in Nashville.  It is a faith based rehabilitation home for girls that are struggling with eating disorders, cutting themselves, unplanned pregnancies and chemical dependency.  The great thing about it is that the girls get to go for free.  The organization runs on funding from business, churches and individuals.  The nashville house has 40 girls in it at a time and the girls stay an average of 6 months.

I am still pinching myself and I feel like I am going to wake up at any moment.  Driving home from work tonight I got a text from one of my dear clients and I was listening to Kings of Leon on the radio and I just welled up with joy.  For the first time in a long TIME I feel like I am flying and I am in my element.  The past 4 yrs. have been extremely trying and especially since I moved to Music City.  Grief has been my friend and hope in God has been my rock, but through this trying season of life I have learned contentment and patience.  I have been challenged and strengthened in my character.  God in his great mercy and love has opened a beautiful door and my heart overflows.

Next weekend Mercy Ministries is having a 5k at Edmenson Warner Park on Saturday morning at 8am for only $20.  Would love to see all you Nashvillians out there.

“My love for food hasn’t changed just what I eat has”

I loved this because it is just sooo true.  We can change what we crave and the foods we love.  I used to LOVE I mean LOOOOOVE Ranch Doritos. I mean you have to admit they are really really tasty.  But now I Crave Sweet Potato Fries (baked that is)

So we Can go from Craving this…..

(sausage mcmuffins with donuts inside)

And this….

(Ice cream cake with donuts inside)

To craving this….

(Raw, vegan, and gluten-free Peach Pie)

and this…

(mixed baby greens, tomatoes and lemon cucumbers from our local farmers’ market, along with some daikon sprouts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and some home made raspberry vinaigrette)

The Pictures above came from these 2 sites that you MUST visit!

This is why your Fat and This is why your thin ENJOY (you guys are gonna freak at the stuff on the “this is why your fat” site.)

Oh and I suggest spending most of your time on the healthy site.  Scroll through all the yummy looking healthy foods and LEARN to CRAVE them.

YES. Yes they are.

This past month I was slacking on eating my vegetables and honestly it just came from laziness.  Soo I have been buying mostly frozen vegetables because they cheaper and easier to prepare because they are already clean and cut up!  so those of you who have heard that they are less nutritious, I am telling you that they are a GREAT option if you are slammed at work or just don’t feel like cleaning and cutting!  Oh and did I mention that frozen veggies are cheaper!

Amarillo, TX….You need my help!

I stumbled upon this site a couple of days ago and I decided to take the challenge.  It is always good to quit coffee for a week, go totally sugar free and just DETOX.  October is the beginning of a new season and it is SOOOO easy to pack on some extra pounds during the colder months so I thought that this Monthy challenge Social Workout is presenting would be a good way to set the precedent for rest of the season.  So go check out this challenge and let me know if your with me?  Lets do it together!

BabyCakes

On Saturday my friend Jan and I decided to make some the bakery’s gluten-free, vegan Chocolate chip Cookies.

These may not be the most low-calorie cookies but they are CLEAN and really good.  Here is the recipe: (that we got via GOOP Gwyneth Paltrow’s Blog)

YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, applesauce, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully push the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and combine until dough is formed. With the same spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Using a melon-baller, measure out the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets. Space the portions 1-inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 14 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The cookies will be crispy on the edges and soft in the center. Remove from the oven.

Let cookies stand 10 minutes. They’re best served warm, but to save them use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Voila!!!

Picture via Goop