Busy, Busy

(Even though life is busy right now, we are still trying to get out and explore more of Asheville.  This picture was on the double decker bus that serves coffee and dessert.  It was super cute on the inside!)

As always, life is moving so fast these days!  To add to the already busy holiday season, we are moving this weekend!  This is very exciting because ever since we moved to Asheville, we have been living in a place we are not happy with.  Things will be quite a bit tighter financially but we decided that it was worth it for our quality of life.  So I am sure next weekend will be filled with packing and moving boxes!  The next few weeks might be filled with easy dinners like this:

(Mexi Pizza topped with fresh diced tomatoes and Follow Your Heart Vegan Sour Cream)

I decided to join the gym that I am taking classes at.  I guess they were successful with their Groupon coupon….at least with me.  I really like taking classes to mix things up.  The gym membership is pretty inexpensive as far as memberships go (about $20/month) but I did have to commit to 3 years.  Oh well….I am cheap so that will probably keep me motivated because I won’t want to lose money.  My weekly class schedule looks like this:

Monday: Rip & Ride (Cycling class mixed with cardio and strength training)

Tuesday: Boot Camp

Wednesday:  Rip & Ride

Thursday: Spinning

Saturday: Kickboxing

Sunday: Spinning

Just taking these classes alone is definitely worth the membership.  One of the instructors who is also the owner of the gym teaches most of these classes and she is TOUGH but in such a good way.  She pushes her classes really hard.  She always wants to know what your heart rate is and how many calories you have burned to make sure you are working hard!  I love it!  Sometimes I feel like I am on the Biggest Loser! 

(Ali Vincent-Season 5 Biggest Loser   Photo Source)

Speaking of Biggest Loser, Netflix recently added a lot of the seasons to watch instantly.  Yay!  We just couldn't get into season One, so we decided to skip ahead to season 5 when Ali Vincent wins.  How inspirational!  It's very interesting to watch her and many of the comments she made.  She was just so sure she was going to be the first female Biggest Loser and she was right!  She just knew.  I highly recommend watching this season.  I found it to be very motivating!

Recently, I have had a weird obsession with buying huge amounts of groceries.  I bought this basket of broccoli at the farmers market and it completely filled 2 plastic grocery bags.  Also, in the background is 6 boxes of Kashi Go Lean cereal ordered from Amazon Subscribe and Save.  It’s not in the picture, but I recently bought 10 cans of pumpkin, 6 boxes of Rapunzel vegan bouillon  and multiple cans of tomato sauce.  It’s actually not that weird because I have been scoring some awesome deals on things, but it just looks funny in the teeny tiny place we are living in right now.  Oh well…..I am all about bargains. 

Also, Weight Watchers is still going well--my weight is slowly coming back down.  My goal is to be back at the weight I was this summer right after moving to Asheville by Christmas.  We will see.  I am just going to keep working hard and see what happens. 

Anyway, I know my blog has taken the backburner right now and I am sorry for that.  Hopefully when we get settled into our new place, I will be able to start making some new recipes and posting on some things other than life being hectic! 

A Healthy Thankgiving & a New Obsession!

(It's starting to get a lot colder and the days are a lot shorter-Corny and I decided to go out on a chilly jog/walk even though it was pretty cold!)

I think it runs in my family to become obsessed and fixated on things.  I think I get it from my mom.  My brother has it too.  Several years ago, he became obsessed with health and fitness and I thought he was crazy.  When he started going to Cross Fit gym, I thought he had joined a cult.  When he and his wife were expecting a baby, I told my mom that they would have to sacrifice it to Cross Fit.  Mostly joking, but kind of serious.  Cross Fit is no joke.  However, I don't really give him a hard time about it anymore, because now I understand it a little  better. 

Over the past month, I have been attending a local gym on a Groupon coupon that I purchased this summer.  I don't really use the equipment at the gym, but I go to a lot of the classes.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that I chose the "boot camp" class as my very first class. 

(Photo Source: Phundeals.com)

It was very hard, but the feeling I got afterward was so rewarding.  I accomplished something that I didn't know I could do and I don't think the instructor thought I could do at first either.  When I went into the gym that day,  I said I was there for the boot camp class.  She said, "Have you ever taken this class before?"  I said, "No."  I didn't really know what else to say.  I said I had recently done a 5K and she asked me what my time was.  When I said I did it in 32 minutes, she backed off a little bit but all she said was, "Well, you can give it a try."  In my mind I thought, she doesn't think I can do this and I am going to prove her wrong.  That kept me motivated over the course of the next hour when the exercises got really tough.  I kept thinking, I have to prove her wrong.  I will show her I am capable of this.  After the class she complimented me and said the only reason why she said any of that was because a lot of people come for the class and they really can't handle it because they don't realize what it is.  I decided I would be coming back for more.  I also decided to give kickboxing a try a few days later. 

(Photo source: Kravfitnow.com)

Kickboxing starts off my Saturday mornings now.  Rather than being lazy, sitting around drinking coffee (I'm still caffeine free!) and not getting out of the house until noon, I have started going to the class that starts at 8:45.  It's a great way to start off the day.  I will usually go to the farmers market and grocery shopping after the class too.  I love that kickboxing is a great upper body workout....yes, I know that sounds crazy that  I am saying upper body workout when it's kickboxing but we do a lot more punches than kicks.  My upper body is one of the areas of my body that I feel really self conscious about.  I really want to tone my arms but I am just not crazy about lifting weights.  This is a great way to get an upper body workout and cardio at the same time.  I also feel really tough and powerful when I am punching the bag. 

(Photo Source: Southernliving.com)

Last but certainly not least, I decided to give spinning a try.  In my mind, I always thought that spinning would be easy and kind of boring. Haha....I was SOOO proven wrong!  Spinning is no joke.  Last night, I burned almost 800 calories in less than 75 minutes!  That's a workout!  The instructor (same as boot camp) pushes us so hard and I really think I respond to it.  I love the challenge and I love the feeling of accomplishment when the class is finished. 

My Groupon runs out in less than a month but I have pretty much decided to stick with this gym for the classes.  The gym is pretty basic but the classes are well worth the membership fee.  I feel like when a drug dealer gives free drugs to people to get them hooked.  This Groupon coupon got me hooked on these classes and now I crave going to them.  I love how I feel and how hard it pushes me.  It's hard but exhilirating at the same time.  When I go out walking and jogging, it just doesn't feel the same anymore! 

Along with going to the gym, I had a great Thanksgiving break.  I got to go to Plant, my favorite vegan restaurant in Asheville, for a benefit Thanksgiving dinner.  The food was amazing and so much better than cooking a big Thanksgiving feast!  I worked my ass off for several days earning activity points so I could enjoy the dinner without even thinking about points.  I got on the scale the next day and showed a loss!  Yeah! 

(Excited about going to Plant!)

Another fun picture I thought I would include is of some "Red Giant Mustard" greens from the school garden.  The high school  I work at has a garden that we can go and pick greens from.  It's awesome!  I have been picking collards, kale, turnip greens and mustard greens. 

I haven't tried these yet, but I am very curious about how they taste.  I have never even seen these greens before!  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday filled with lots of great things!  Happy holiday season!



Back To My Weight Loss Roots

(Above the clouds-heading back home to see my mom)

It's been awhile since I last made a post!  It feels like life is just moving so fast  right now.  In the past couple of weeks, I found out my mom had the beginning stages of uterine cancer, she had surgery, and I went home to be with her for a few days.  It was a completely unexpected trip home.  It had been less than a month since I was last home but I was so happy I was able to be there with her. 

As soon as I got back home from my trip, I decided to go back to my weight loss roots.  I decided to go back to Weight Watchers.  Weight Watchers is what I lost the majority of my weight with and I was been struggling so much recently that I really felt like I just needed to go back to the beginning.  Unfortunately, I have gained about 10 pounds since moving to Asheville and I am not happy about it.  Little by little, the weight has been creeping back up and I am not okay with that and it's time for me to do something about it.  So, that's what I am doing. 

(I did my own version of the WW Food Journal to save some $)

Currently, I am not really at a place where I can afford the $40 a month for WW Monthly Pass so I am pretty much doing it on my own.  I printed off my own version of the food journal and I can still access the message boards which was the only thing I really used from the e-tools when I paid every month.  Plus, I am going to a local gym right now and taking quite a few classes.  I feel like that gives me some accountability.  I purchased a Groupon this summer and decided to save it until it got cold outside.  It will last until the end of December and then I will have to decide if I will continue with the gym or try out some specials at other gyms around the area.  I really do love taking the class though and I think I might want to stay with this gym.  I am currently taking Kickboxing, Spinning and Boot Camp.  I love how I get pushed to work harder in classes.  It's a great sense of accomplishment! 

My first week back on Weight Watchers felt successful.  I used all of the activity points I earned and only 3 of the extra weekly points.  I feel like that's a success.  I haven't weighed myself yet though.  I plan to do that either tonight or tomorrow.  I think Tuesday will be my WW weigh in day. 

I did a lot of food prep this weekend along with taking a spinning and kickboxing class.  I tried out two new recipes that you can find online!  Here they are:

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna from the Peas and Thank You Blog

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers from Vegetarian Times Magazine

I loved both of these recipes.  I doubled up on the recipe for the burgers so I could freeze a lot of them.  I love doing this because it's so much cheaper and so much less processed than frozen vegan burgers at the store.  I also loved the idea of the zucchini as lasagna noodles.  It worked perfectly and it tasted delicious.  I didn't even miss the pasta especially since there's quinoa in the lasagna.  I would definitely recommend both of these recipes. 

Random Post: the Weekend, Eat to Live Thoughts, a New Recipe and More

(Hooker Falls-Dupont State Forest, NC)

I feel like I should start off with the positives of this weekend.  I got a lot of great activity in!  On Saturday, I went to my second kickboxing class.  I still loved it and it was a great workout!  I burned even more calories this week because I pushed myself harder.  I love that I am getting a great upper body and cardio workout at the same time.  When I was finished, I had burned 700 calories!  

Then on Sunday, we drove out to Dupont State Forest and hiked out to many of the waterfalls within the area.  The hiking is pretty easy out there with some inclines but we hiked for almost 3 hours.  I burned over 600 calories when we were finished hiking.  

R is way more adventurous than me....when she found out that you could "walk" behind Bridal Veil Falls, she had to go back.  I knew when we went out to Dupont State Forest yesterday, that she would be doing this.  I decided not to hike behind it but I still enjoyed hiking to the top of this waterfall. 

(The only reason why I included this picture is because there's a heart shaped water puddle if you look closely...I just thought that was cool.)

 

I also had 2 recipe successes this weekend.  I made gluten free pancakes that were a success and I made the Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup from Appetite for Reduction.  The gluten free pancakes were exciting because I have tried this before with no success.  This time, I used the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour with a little bit of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour is it was a great success.  The consistency was fine and they didn't fall apart.  I know R was excited because she eats gluten free all of the time and I think this was the first success for gluten free pancakes. 

(Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour--Photo source:  navanfoods.com)

The picture below is of the Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup from AFR.  Have you checked out this blog before?  She is working her way through Isa's entire cookbook and taking pictures of everything she makes.  I love it!

(Photo Source: The Reduction Project)

I guess I should just go ahead and talk about my Eat to Live-Week 3 results.  I still lost a little bit of weight.  I lost 0.4.  It's better than nothing.  I will be honest, I am struggling with Eat to Live and I just have myself to blame for this.  I have become too relaxed and eating things that Dr. Fuhrman would probably not approve of (Starbucks Decaf Soy Misto).  Starbucks soy milk has quite a bit of sugar in it and I know that's why I like the drink so much.  Also, I have started using some stevia again to sweeten things.  Part of this is because I don't really think stevia is bad for me and part of it is because we were using way too many dates to sweeten things.  Not only do the calories add up, but it's expensive.  (I will talk about budgeting in a minute.)  So, I am going to do my best with Eat to Live for the final 2 weeks of the program, but then I am seriously considering going back to my weight loss roots....Weight Watchers.  I have taken a break from Weight Watchers for about 9-10 months and have been struggling to lose weight for about the past 6-7 months.  It's just something I am thinking about right now.  Now that I have a better grasp of calories, I might be able to be more successful with Weight Watchers and not abuse the whole "free fruits and veggies" thing.  We will see. 

I said I would talk about budgeting in a minute.  I was pretty shocked when I did the math for last month's grocery spending.  For two people, we spent over $700 in groceries.  Yikes.  I have set a goal for us this month to spend $500 or less and that will include going out to dinner if we choose to do that.  That way, if we decide to go out to dinner, we know that we might be struggling a little bit more with our grocery budget and we might have to work more on making due with what we already have.  We want to move out of our current rental place and get a better place that has more space and is nicer.  But in order to do that, we know we will be spending more money.  Money can be so frustrating! 



Happy Halloween and Eat to Live (Week 2)

(Photo source: Threadless.com)

Happy Halloween, everyone!  I had kind of a laid back weekend but I also have some things to report as far as trying new workouts and recipes.  Since I activated my Groupon coupon for a 2 month gym membership last Saturday, I have tried 2 classes.  Last Tuesday, I went to a Boot Camp class.  I quickly realized why it was called Boot Camp.....it was HARD!!  But I felt really great after I was finished with the workout.  Plus, when I told the instructor I had never taken the class before, or any class for that matter, she acted like it might be too difficult for me.  I decided I would prove her wrong and I think I successfully did that by the end of the workout...yay!  A quick way to motivate me is to tell me I might not be capable!  I plan on going back tomorrow.  On Saturday, I took a Kickboxing class with the same instructor.  I think it should have been more appropriately named "arm boxing."  We did way more punches than kicks and I was fine with that.  My arms are one of my trouble zones and my goal is to tone them.  I loved Kickboxing and also plan to go back to it next week.  Plus, it got me up and around on Saturday and I was able to go to the farmers market (where it started snowing on me) right after my workout.  I still have yet to try Zumba and spinning.  They are on my list and hopefully I will get to try those soon. 

I made two new recipes this weekend:

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos from Oh She Glows--the verdict.....EXCELLENT!  I loved the taste and the flavors.  I love butternut squash just about anyway you can make it. 

Impossible Vegan Pumpkin Pie from the Fat Free Vegan--the verdict....definitely tastier the next day after it was refrigerated.  I also made a few adjustments to this recipe because I didn't have Ener-G Egg Replacer and I didn't want to use sugar.  Instead, I used 1 TBSP of ground flax seed and about 7-8 dates (food processed with the other ingredients).  It turned out great and set up just fine. 

Eat to Live Week 2 Recap

-I didn't really lose any more weight....bummer!

-I decided I will have to not buy cashew butter anymore b/c it has become a trigger food.

-My blood pressure went back up again but it is still within a very healthy range.  (110/78 this week)

-I will need to limit myself to 2 bananas per day.....just like when I did Weight Watchers Points Plus, the amount of bananas I am eating would be considered "fruit abuse!" 

-I kind of had a snack attack binge last night after dinner....boo! 

-I am still hungry between breakfast and lunch but my hunger is still at a minimum between lunch and dinner.  For the most part, I am still keeping the mindless snacking to a minimum. 

-I have started allowing myself to drink a decaf soy Misto when I go by Starbucks.....could this have anything to do with my crazy snack attack last night?!  Something for me to think about......

-I guess that's about it for Week 2

Eat to Live

(Photo source:  DrFuhrman.com)

I know I have mentioned this several times on the blog, but ever since moving to Asheville, I have been struggling to lose weight.  In fact, I have been struggling not to gain weight.  Typically what happens is that I have a successful week, then I end up eating too much on the weekends.  The weekends in Asheville are usually full of festivals, trips to downtown and other things where I am surrounded by good vegan food.  This has been a struggle since July now.  I have been trying to get it in gear but I just haven’t been successful. 

Where I work, all of the seniors have to do a senior project in order to graduate.  One student is doing her project on the Eat to Live program and she sent out an e-mail asking if any faculty members would participate in the program for 6 weeks so she could keep track of our results.  I knew that Eat to Live was a vegan diet, I knew it was healthy and I had also seen Dr. Fuhrman interviewed in Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Forks Over Knives.  Because I knew it was vegan and healthy, I decided that this would be the push I needed to get back on track.  Committing to 6 weeks will be a very good thing for me.  Plus, it really came at a perfect time.  I took a trip to see my family last weekend through the beginning part of this week and I knew that I would start Eat to Live as soon as I got back.  I could indulge at the Spiral Diner while I was in Dallas and enjoy some other treats while I was on vacation and then I knew I would have a fresh start with Eat to Live as soon as I got back. 

Also, I knew the plane rides to and from my parents’ house would give me the opportunity to read Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live book.  I wanted to fully understand the program before I jumped in.  I am so glad that I did.  Reading the book from cover to cover gave me such a better understanding of the research and reasoning behind Dr. Fuhrman’s guidelines for the program.  For example, he explains true hunger vs. toxic hunger.  Toxic hunger is often felt due to the body withdrawing from caffeine, other substances, or even nutrient poor food.  He said that many overfed Americans may have never actually experienced true hunger.  I had never heard anything like this before.  Also, Dr. Fuhrman says that even alternative sweeteners such as stevia cause a person to overeat because the sweet taste from sweeteners encourages a person to crave more food.  Coffee and stevia…..two of my main staples.  I knew that starting the Eat to Live program would require some changes to my diet, for sure.  The main areas I knew I would have to work on were:

-Giving up caffeine

-Cutting out stevia

-No in between meal snacking

Other than that, I felt like Eat to Live wasn’t too far off from how I eat already.  But those 3 areas I needed to work on are MAJOR areas.   While I was at my parents’ I started to wean myself off of coffee.  Instead of drinking coffee right when I wake up, I decided to drink a cup later in the day.  I did this for about 3 days.  Yesterday was my first day completely caffeine free.  It was a little rough!  However, I am already feeling better today with just a minor headache.  I know it can take up to a week to completely detox my body off of caffeine so I am trying to be patient with this. 

Also, it was a little rough yesterday not snacking.  But I am trying to remember what Dr. Fuhrman says about toxic hunger and giving myself some time to get used to a different way of eating.  I think this will pass too with time. 

So far, I am feeling pretty optimistic about Eat to Live.  Because not many faculty members are participating, I feel really motivated to stick with it and be successful.  I want to provide reliable data for the student but I also want to work through the 6 weeks of the program and see how I feel.  I think it’s the motivation I need to truly get back on track. 



A Great Birthday Weekend!

Look!  My new watch is telling me it's time to eat cake!  Yay!  :)

I had a great birthday weekend!  My birthday celebrating started on Friday night with a trip to Plant in Asheville.  I think it might be the most amazing restaurant I have ever eaten at!  I've been to some great vegan places, but Plant is just outstanding! 

I also got to open one of my birthday presents.....R got me a subscription (kind of as a joke) to Gothic Beauty magazine.  I don't really know much about "Goth culture" and I think that's why I LOVE this magazine.  R and I have this Barnes and Noble competition going.....everytime we go we have to try and find the most unusual/unique/obscure magazine that we can.  R found Gothic Beauty last year when we were in Atlanta and I found "Pole Fitness" this year.  Those are the top two we have found!  I read the issue of Gothic Beauty from cover to cover that night at Barnes and Noble last year.  Now I know how to make black roses on a budget....SCORE!  :) 

My actual birthday day was full of more surprises!  I got to open my "real" present....R got me a new Polar HRM since my last one broke.  We have a membership to REI now so if anything goes wrong with it, we can take the watch back without any problems.  It was great to be able to keep track of my calories burned while hiking this weekend. 

Steps to Mingo Falls....lots and lots of steps!

That leads to the next surprise......waterfall hiking in the Smoky Mountains National Park!  I love the Smokies and now that we are in Asheville, we are just about an hour away from the Cherokee side of the Smokies. 

Mingo Falls

I knew after my 30th birthday last year, that I wanted to incorporate health and fitness into my birthday celebrating.  It's a goal of mine that I try to get healthier each year I get older.  I know I was healthier at 30 than I was at 29 and I am healthier at 31 than I was at 30.  So naturally, I wanted my birthday to be full of hiking and nature. 

Smoky Mountains National Park trail

Indian Creek Falls-Smoky Mountains National Park

We also did some exploring around the town of Cherokee, NC.  My blog isn't really the platform for political and social debates, but I do have to say that I was very frustrated by the conditions that the Native American people of Cherokee live in.  I am from Oklahoma and I am not going to say things are perfect for Native American people there (far from it) but I feel like there's more of respect for Native culture in Oklahoma.  It just felt like the Native people of Cherokee were a spectacle to tourists....not cool, in my opinion. 

Anyway, we did some exploring around the town and I did see this awesome retro hotel sign.  I love old retro signs and I love taking pictures of them with my retro camera app!

Pink Motel-Cherokee, NC

The only thing about my birthday this year that was not cool was getting stung by a yellow jacket yesterday and then having an allergic reaction to it!  It was scary!  We went hiking with friends and we were almost finished hiking and back to the car when a few yellow jackets stung me and one of my friends.  He didn't have an allergic reaction, but I did on the way home.  I got blurred vision, my hearing was weird, I started seeing things that weren't really there, then my skin started itching.  Eventually I was covered in hives all over my body.  Yikes!  R bought me some benadryl and we had an epipen in the car (luckily, we never had to use it).  Today, my arm is still really swollen but luckily all of the hives went away.  It was a pretty scary experience!  I looked like one of those bumpy gourds you see at the pumpkin patch....not a pleasant feeling on my skin.  Even my scalp had the bumps all over it.  Anyway, I guess I will be carrying Benadryl and an epipen with me from now on! 

Overall though, it was an excellent birthday full of great surprises and fun!

More Exploring and More Lessons Learned

It feels like I am finally starting to get settled into a routine.  I have been at my new job for about a month and a half now and we have been living in Asheville since the beginning of July.  I struggle mostly with the weekends....there's always a festival or some opportunity for amazingly delicious vegan food to be lurking around every corner.  To say that I am getting the hang of this would be a lie.  I have put on about 5 pounds since we moved.  I am very aware of this and I am working to get it off and then the last 15-20 pounds I need to lose beyond that.  With that being said, this weekend is my birthday weekend and R has some surprises for me.  I love that she is putting this time and energy into something for me, but I am really going to have to keep it in check.  When we first moved, I was able to eat lots of great vegan food on the weekends and then by the middle to the end of the week, I would have the weight back off.  Now, that's not happening so quickly.  The weight is starting to creep up on me and I refuse to let this get out of control.  Not an option.....

But there have been some positives along the way too with my weight loss journey.  I have been exploring the local Asheville trails for walking and running.  I have found some great parks and I have been able to switch up the scenery during the week and do some hiking on the weekends.  Here are some of the highlights:

Also, about 3 weeks ago I decided to go without chocolate for 2 weeks.  Well, I was mostly successful.  I went without chocolate for an entire work week and then had a piece of amazing chocolate cake on the weekend from the French Broad Chocolate Lounge.....and that was it.  What I discovered is that it's not really the chocolate that's a trigger but it's just the sugar.  If I have high sugar treats after dinner (or any other time for that matter), it sends me into a binge.  I can do this on almost anything sugary.  I know this doesn't seem like such a monumental discovery, however, it was an eye opener and lesson learned for me.  I decided that I would treat chocolate and other desserts as a treat....because that's what they are.  I am not eating chocolate to satisfy my hunger.  I am eating it because I like the taste of it.  That's basically it.  I will eat things like this when I go out on the weekends.  I will treat chocolate like a special indulgence.  Maybe once a week on the weekends, I will let myself have some ice cream from the Hop or a piece of that amazing cake from the French Broad Chocolate Lounge or one of the many sweet treats from Firestorm.  I will plan for this and keep my calories in a range that will allow for this indulgence.  I don't need to keep sugary desserts, bars, etc. in the house.  It just sets me up to fail.  Lesson learned. 

I still snack too much at night and this is something I will continue to work on but Rome wasn't built in a day.  Baby steps.  That's how I am going to approach this journey.  Rather than beating myself up about the choices I make, I am going to learn from them and proceed.  I have a plan this week for the nighttime snacking.  We will see how that goes. 

Also, I have a few random pictures from the past few weeks.  I feel like Asheville is full of photo opportunities all of the time!  Speaking of photos, I am signed up to take a photography class starting next month at the community college!  Hopefully I will start to get a handle on my new(ish) camera! 

In the meantime, here are some random photos from the past few weeks  (all of the photos from this blog post are taken from my cell phone and mostly the Retro Camera app):

Asheville Graffiti is hardcore!

Free apples from an apple fest at an eco-community

I just loved all of the bumper stickers on this van...so Asheville!

Peaches from the big farmers market

This has sort of become a ritual for me every week....picking up the Mountain Xpress and a Cofee Light Frappuchino

Life is good.....I just need to stay motivated and focused.  Life is full of learning opportunities and I am trying to learn something from everything I do and every choice I make.  Like the title of my blog says, this is a journey.  I am not in a race.  This is life and I just have to figure a few things out. 

Have a great weekend!

Pushing the Reset Button

This isn't a particularly flattering picture of me, however, it's an important picture because I had just completed an intense workout.  A workout where I burned over 800 calories getting ready for the upcoming Hope for Horse 5K that's coming up in October.  I took this picture because I want to remember this feeling I had after I finished a workout on a particularly hot day.  I was tired and hot, but the sense of accomplishment far outweighed the feeling of fatigue.  I want this picture to serve as a reminder for how I feel when I do something good for myself and my body.  This picture can be there for me on those days where I feel lazy and unmotivated.  I can look at this and think about how I will feel afterwards and that feeling makes it all worth it.  

I have mentioned how it's been a struggle for me lately because of moving, starting a new job and just life transitions in general.  Life has been hectic.  It's easy to put health on the backburner when everything else gets stressful.  But I have pressed the reset button.  I am starting fresh and I am not going to let my health get pushed aside just because life is stressful.  In fact, that's when I need to be healthy the most.  I have set three new goals for myself.  Two of the goals are weight related and one of the goals is fitness related.  We have started meal planning again and grocery shopping.  We are getting our lives put back in order and it feels good.  I have two weight milestones coming up.  The first one coming up is my first goal--Goal #1 is to get in the 160s.  I am so close and I really feel like it could happen in the next two weeks.  The next weight goal--Goal #2 is to hit the 100 pounds lost milestone by my birthday.  That's also very possible if I stay focused.  Yes, I know our bodies do their own thing sometimes, so if my body doesn't want to cooperate, that's okay.  But this is what I am going to work towards with my exercise and calorie range each day.  And goal #3 is my fitness goal--to run in the Hope for Horses 5K in mid-October and try to do it in under 30 minutes.  So.....those are my goals!  

I have pressed the reset button!

Keeping Myself in Check

(Vegan donut from Firestorm Coffeeshop and Bookstore)

My new city that I live in, Asheville, is wonderful and great.  I love it!  However, I have found that it's a bit of a "food danger zone" for me.  Wonderful vegan food is almost on every corner.  There are two local ice cream shops that make their own vegan ice cream.....TWO OF THEM!!  And they are both delicious!  It's crazy!  When my mom was in town a couple of weeks ago, we went out to eat at all of the wonderful restaurants instead of me cooking at home.  I went a little wild with that!  One of the restaurants we ate at was Sunnypoint Cafe.  Sunnypoint is listed on the Happy Cow but I had never actually eaten there b/c my time has always been so limited in Asheville and I usually would just go to the all veg restaurants since there are a few to choose from.  However, I was blown away by my vegan meal at Sunnypoint.  I would definitely go back, especially with my non-veg friends.

I am going to have to learn to control myself with some of the places like Firestorm.  It's so easy to be downtown and just stop in for one of their many delicious baked goods.  I also discovered this past weekend that their sandwiches are awesome too!  Firestorm.....oh how I love and loathe you!  :)  Just kidding.....I really just love you! I just need to not come in every weekend for your delicious food!  

Another place is Veg Heads Vegetarian Drive-thru......a veg drive thru!  How awesome is that?!  Luckily, this is a little off the beaten path for me so I have only stopped by once and that was really just for the experience.  I just got a frozen coffee drink and was able to keep myself from ordering everything off the menu!  

After this weekend, I knew it was time to weigh myself again it was not pretty.  I have to learn to "check myself before I wreck myself!"  I think allowing myself to really enjoy the Asheville foods is important, but moderation is key.  That's what I have to figure out.  I have to figure how to let myself enjoy without going crazy.  Life is a balancing act and I guess nutrition is too.  This is what I am going to work on while living in this wonderful city!

Life in a Blender

(Picking blueberries at the orchard)

I went to see my chiropractor the other day and when I told her about life being stressful right now, she said, "It's like you're in a blender."  That pretty much sums up how life has been lately....."life in a blender."  It's been chaotic.  Moving is such a huge transition but this time there are a lot of other factors involved.  R has started her new job in Asheville but I don't have a job there yet.  Our house went up on the market last week and we now have a rental place on top of that.  Yikes....a lot is going on right now.  I just thought I would do more of a picture post this time of life as it is right now.  I am trying to balance as much as possible-the things that have to get done and also trying to enjoy summer a bit.  

(Drum Circle-Downtown Asheville)

(Rosetta's Kitchen-Asheville)

(Constantly mowing with the push mower)

(A chocolate pie recipe I am working on)

(Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

(Trying to keep up with my workouts)

(Nothing says summer like watermelon)

(Check out that sweat dripping down my face!)

(Being silly with strawberries)

(Looking Glass Falls, NC)

(Rosetta's street food)

(The Big Crafty-Indie Craft Fair)

(Downtown Asheville)

(Walking around downtown Asheville)

I am really hoping that life settles down some really soon!  I love that we are in the process of making our dream to get to Asheville come true, but it sure is stressful in the process!