mind over body

my body wants to give up with school, thinking, practicing, working out, teaching, the daily routine of things. i would so love a break right now! but i'm here. right in the pit before finals.  took 2 tests today, had a research paper due this previous monday. you would think with only 15 credits this semester compared to the 18-22 that i've had in the past that it would be easier... guess again!
i read this, and it's really been helping me.  :) you tell that body what to do and it will happen!

trying....

I keep trying at this blog.  Hopefully after the last semester of my undergrad is completed then I'll feel some sense of relief so I can waste some time on facebook, blogger and pinterest.  It's on my bucket list. :)

tried some sweet potato muffins last week, can i say yummy goodness? almost as good as chocolate....

I have been trying to do a lot of changing the past few months, and discovering new things about me that make me a stronger woman.  A close friend of mine found this quote and shared it:

It says everything that has been on my mind recently. 

I need to do better

I looked at my blog, and I haven't touched it since November! Shows how crazy life has been.

For an update:
Life is good.  I've been taking on some new challenges this year, like taking a swimming class at the U.  I also have changed my diet completely to 100 percent paleo.   It's been hard sometimes, and you definitely hit mental blocks (for instance, I'm facing one right now). But, I can't tell you the difference that I feel in my energy levels.  I wake up in the morning at 6 am and I feel like it's 12 in the afternoon. It's one thing to eat paleo, but I think the hardest thing to master is channeling the paleo energy into the right kind of foods and the right kind of quantities to get the results you want.  At least that is what I'm finding.

School is great! It's my last semester as an undergrad.  I gave a presentation yesterday with a doctorate student and it went so well.  I know I deserve to be where I am, and I'm so glad that I have experiences that give me the confidence I need in myself to move forward.  I'll start the masters program this summer.

I am going to get into triathalons this year.  It's going to be really fun, and it's going to take a lot of work- but I've watch my brother and his wife do them and I think it would be so cool to be able to do that with them.  Not only that, but to build up my endurance and really work hard for something outside the box of piano.

I turn 24 in one week. ... Not sure how I feel about getting 4 years into  my 20s.  But, I think that I can say that I've experienced some things in life that makes the 24 worth it.  This year has been a great year, with lots of changes, and lots of learning.  So, who knows what year 24 will bring.

I'll start posting more about my paleo journey. Ta ta for now!

My new craving...

The past week I started a poison challenge with one of my friends at crossfit...  we take out something bad in our lives, and add in something good.  if we do the bad thing, we owe the other person 100 burprees for time.  if we don't do the good thing... we owe the person another 100 burpees for time.
it's been real. i can say that i've checked off every single day! my challenges were: take fish oil/multivitamin everyday, get 8 hours of sleep, no sugar and 90/10 paleo, and workout every day (with 1 day off a week).  It has been awesome! I love seeing the check marks at the end of each day, and I'm feeling so much better after knocking all the crap out of my system.
Here is an awesome recipe that I got from one of my close crossfit friends.  :) Enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 3 Lbs of Chicken, cubed (any cut you want, I used breasts)
• 3 Cups Organic Pumpkin Puree 
• 2 Cups Bell Pepper, Diced (Color of your choice)
• 2 Cups of Red Onion, Diced
• 3 Jalapenos, diced and seeds removed (if you want)
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Cup White Wine (Optional)
• 28 Ounces Organic tomatoes with their juice, diced
• 6 Ounces Organic Tomato paste
• 1 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, diced
• 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Whole Cinnamon Stick
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil for Dutch Oven

Process:

1. Heat your coconut oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat
2. Saute your onions until lightly browned, then add your bell peppers, jalapenos, and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes
3. Add in your chicken, chicken stock, white wine, organic tomatoes, organic tomato paste, chili powder, pumpkin pie spice, coriander, salt, and cinnamon stick and simmer for 20 minutes
4. Stir in your pumpkin, cilantro, and cocoa powder and cook for an additional 5 minutes
5. Reduce heat to low and let sit until ready to serve or serve immediately
6. Enjoy and if there is too much, you can freeze it and eat later on in the week

My favorite dishes in the entire world!

This is an excellent guilt free spread, tastes like guacamole!
 Cilantro Cashew Cheeze
1 1/2 t garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/2 t sea salt
1 cup raw cashews
2 1/2 T fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/4 c packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup filtered water
Place garlic and salt into food processor; process into small pieces. Add cashews and process into a paste. Add lemon juice, cilantro, water- process to mix well. Store in fridge.

 Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Zucchini* (Serves 2-4 people)
 • 4 bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs
 • 1 large lime
 • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. Ground Coriander
 • 1 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 2 Tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Freshly ground Black Pepper (to taste)
• 3. Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
 • Zucchini – as many as you want
Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, combine the coriander and cumin with 2 tsp. sea salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Coat the chicken with the oil and on season both sides with the spice mixture. Pan-fry the chicken on medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to oven, and bake for 32 minutes. Small thighs may take only 30 minutes. Remove from the oven when done, and garnish with freshsqueezed lime juice and chopped cilantro.

*Zucchini makes a great addition to this dish - I cut them in half lengthwise, season with olive oil & pepper, and put in the oven with the chicken when there are 16 minutes left. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Top 6 Reasons Why You Haven't Lost Weight

My friend Maria has been really inspirational in going on my paleo journey, and I about fell over and laughed when I read this article. Enjoy!

We've all heard it....
Losing weight equates to simply monitoring "calories in vs. calories out". Or, increasing your workout duration and frequency. Right?
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. There are many misconceptions about losing weight and some of the information below may surprise you.

1. Sleep
Probably the most misunderstood cause and effect when dealing with weight loss. Lack of sleep will mess you up in terms of hormones. Specifically cortisol (fat-storing hormone), leptin (the hormone that tells us when to stop eating) and ghrelin (hormone that stimulates appetite). Not enough sleep will cause your body to wake up in a stressed state, leptin and ghrelin receptors will be elevated, triggering an increase in appetite. You will be hungrier, have an increase in cravings and end up snacking needlessly or eating more frequently than necessary.

2. Stress
We're not just talking mental stress; physical stress can be damaging to your health in ways you may not even realize. Chronic levels of stress elevates cortisol (yep - again) which, in turn, creates havoc within our bodies - causing muscle breakdown, insulin resistance and increases in fat deposits. Add on to this the unfortunate fact that many try to fight off stress by increasing exercise, and you set yourself up for a wreaked, broken down system that will, eventually, lead to more serious health issues. We all have stress, learning to manage that stress will produce amazing results in your life.

3. Emotional Eating
Just about everyone has been there, done that. You're bored, you're in front of the computer screen or TV, you're stressed, tired, frustrated, upset....I could go on, but the fact is, during most of those times, you really aren't hungry (can you recognize real hunger?), you are simply reacting to a circumstance. When that reaction is a regular part of your life, weight loss is elusive and, as a matter of fact, weight gain is on the doorstep.
Make sure you are getting enough protein and healthy fats in your meals in order to avoid the reaction to circumstance. Keeping those nutrients on the list of priorities in your meals/snacks will balance your hormones and enable you to handle those stresses more efficiently

4. Dairy
For a good number of people, dairy stalls fat loss. Just because you're not "officially" diagnosed as being lactose intolerant or having a dairy allergy, doesn't mean dairy does NOT do your body good. Dairy is insulinogenic, meaning it stimulates insulin secretion in a BIG way. Although many think lactose is the problem, it's not. It's both the protein and carbs combined that cause the insulin load. We're talking milk of all kinds, yogurt, cheese (uh-huh...cottage cheese also), including anything with whey and casein (yep, powders too). Just how bad of an insulin load? Worse than a piece of white bread! In the end, you will have to experiment yourself to see if dairy is causing you problems. Eliminate it for 2-3 weeks and see.

5. You Think You're Eating Healthy, but....
The majority of your food comes from a box, can, bag, and package or contains more than 5 ingredients. Your plate is full of carb-loaded, gut irritating noodles, your fridge is full of sugar-ladened yogurts, your cupboards contain processed, 20-ingredient cereals and you eat whole wheat bread because you think it's healthy. Is this you? This is not real food and it certainly isn't going to get you any closer to optimal health, as a matter of fact, with each bite of said foods, you are taking steps further from weight loss and taking steps closer to annual weight gain, metabolic syndrome and autoimmune disorders.
Disregard the claims on those packages and boxes - take control of your health and commit yourself to better health.

6. Liquid Calories
Ahhh...the smoothies that are either purchased or made at home, the protein shakes that are consumed every morning because it's the most convenient way to get some protein on the way to work - easy breakfast (right?), or the bottle/mega-jug of soda/fruit juice that sits on your desk at work. All delicious to sip on and, aside from the soda, seemingly healthy. Or is it?
If we're talking weight loss and body composition, I have to give a resounding "NO!".
Think about the amount of fruit that goes into a smoothie - some have up to 5-6 servings! Let's say you make a smoothie at home and put in 1 banana, 1 c berries, 1/2 strawberries and perhaps some juice - would you eat all that fruit in one sitting?? That amount of liquid calories will create a greater insulin load when consumed. It makes it a heck of a lot easier to over-indulge in fruit when processed into a smoothie.
Protein shakes are essentially a dairy-based liquid protein substitute (remember the talk about dairy??). Now, that's not to say that protein shakes do not have a place in an athlete's diet - it can be very useful - but for most people (especially those that have weight/body composition issues), relying on a daily protein shake in place of real food/real protein will only hinder the weight loss process.
If you have a choice, choose to eat your food rather than drink it.

House!

I love my new home. I just walk in the door and think- this is mine.

I have decided on a soft rustic and contemporary style. I found this picture for my bedroom, and I think it fits perfectly. Now, I just have to find the right frame.