Welcome! 
I'm an illustrator and graphic designer living in Los Angeles, working towards a healthier lifestyle. I hope to inspire others to live healthier lives by sharing what I learn along the way!
Disclaimer Please keep in mind that I am not a registered dietitian or doctor. This blog is not intended as medical advice. I base my recommendations on my own research and personal experience. You should always consult a doctor before making any changes to your diet and exercise routine. You are ultimately responsible for your own health!
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By Megan, on July 17th, 2010
Happy Saturday! How’s your weekend going so far??
Mine’s been great! Last night, I did something I hadn’t in quite a long time– I used the steam sauana! I know, I know– I’m probably crazy for choosing to sit somewhere HOTTER than my own apartment! But, I really want to get back on the sauna-wagon, because I think it’s SO good for you!!
I first learned about the benefits of sitting in the sauana when I read UltraMetabolism, by Dr. Mark Hyman. According to Dr. Hyman,
“If you don’t detoxify, your ability to lose weight decreases as you lose weight because of the negative effects of the released toxins on thyroid function.”
Also from UltraMetabolism:
Regular use of a sauna or steam bath may impart a similar stress on the cardiovascular system [as exercise], and its regular use may be as effective as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning calories as exercise.
-W. Dean, “Effect of Sweating,”
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Pretty cool, huh?
If nothing else, I find sitting in the sauna so relaxing! But the fact that it may help balance the autonomic nervous system, reduce stress, lower your blood sugar, help burn calories, and excrete pesticides and heavy metals through your skin is icing on the cake, if you ask me! 
If you’re a beginner, it’s important to not sit in the sauna too long– I don’t like to stay in there for more than 10 minutes at a time! I actually bring a sports watch with me that lights up (in case it’s dark in the sauna room), so that I can time myself. Once my 10 minutes are up, I mosey on over to the showers and turn the water on COLD. And yes, it’s kind of miserable to jump into a COLD shower with a HOT body! But it’s also supposed to be extra-beneficial for detox, so I just suck it up and get it over with. Once my body is nice and cooled down, I repeat the process! 10 more minutes in the sauna, followed by another cold shower. While you could keep going, I quit after two 10-minute sessions. I don’t want to be there all day, you know?
I feel like I do some of my best thinking while sitting in the sauna, and I feel so good when it’s all over! Don’t forget to bring PLENTY of WATER with you, though! I was really excited to bring my new stainless-steel bottle ($4 at Home Goods!) with me yesterday:
 Since you’re sitting in a REALLY HOT room, you don’t want to bring a plastic bottle with you that might leach chemicals into your water! So stick with the BPA-free bottles if you can. My bottle holds 26 ounces, and I drank almost every drop! Gotta replenish all that water you’re sweating out!
Do you guys ever sit in the sauna? If not, have I convinced you to try it?? I hope so! 
After my sauna visit, I made a lovely goat cheese salad topped with my attempt at a homemade garlic-lemon vinaigrette:
 The dressing was good enough, but needs some tweaking before I share it…
I ended the night by starting Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. Anyone read it? I really reading both The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, so I’m hoping this one is just as good! It’s set in the United States this time, so it kinda reminds me of National Treasure– a movie my husband and I both enjoyed! We kinda have a thing for Nicholas Cage, too. 
 [source]
This morning, I got to sleep in!! It felt oh, so good.
This green juice hit the spot this morning, too:
It powered me through my shopping trip at the mall today– I had to find a bridal shower gift!! My friend, Heidi, is getting married in 6 weeks, and I can’t wait for her wedding!! I could, however, use a few extra weeks to get into bridesmaid-dress-shape! My dress is very fitted, and I’m not exactly ready to rock it out quite yet… but I will be! Hopefully my No More Trouble Zones workout will whip me into shape! I have to say, I am sore today! And in a good “I-can-tell-I-worked-out” way, not in a “it-hurts-to-walk” way. I’m looking forward to more strength training tomorrow!! (doing it every-other-day, to let my muscles recover!)
Okay, I’m off to run some more errands, then I think it’s going to be a laid-back night with some streaming Netflix!
By Megan, on July 16th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy FRIDAY!!!!
It’s been HOT here this week! I’m looking forward to being lazy this weekend and keeping as cool as possible– which is going to be pretty hard considering the A/C in our new apartment just doesn’t work that well! Apparently, the old building we live in has an ancient cooling system that runs off water chillers instead of freon– meaning our apartment just never really cools off, no matter how much we run the A/C! Last night, the thermostat said it was 85 degrees inside! Ouch. (Now we’re understanding why our rent is so cheap!)
Desperate to cool off, I made a trip to Target to buy another fan for our apartment last night– I was hoping some extra air circulation will help me sleep at night! I’m the type that likes to be COLD when I sleep, so you can imagine how miserable I’ve been lately… Unfortunately, everyone else in L.A. had the same idea as me! Target was totally SOLD OUT of fans! Argh. The trip wasn’t a total waste, though– I found a new strength training DVD on sale!
 No More Trouble Zones! I remembered reading that Caitlin really liked this workout, and what I really like is that the workout is 40-minutes long– rather than the shorter 20-minute workouts I was used to on Jillian Michaels’s 30 Day Shred DVD. I tried it out today, and even though the first circuit was challenging for me (I haven’t done a strength workout in months!), I pushed through to the end and felt awesome! It feels good to have strength training back in my life.
It felt almost like I was in a hot-yoga room while doing my workout, too:
 Yuck.
I just kept reminding myself that my muscles would be warmer and more flexible in the heat!
Since my days have been so HOT, I’ve been trying to keep my meals COOL!! I had a chilly green orange juice this morning:
 Not your typical orange juice, though!
 My juice this morning was filled with a head of romaine, 5 carrots, 1/2 cucumber, and 1/2 lemon. I kinda missed my kale (haven’t made it to Whole Foods yet to buy any!), but this combo was alright…
And when lunch time rolled around, all I wanted was a chilly smoothie!! I got an exciting delivery from the people at Almond Breeze yesterday, though it turned out a bit messier than I had hoped. When the mail man delivered the box, we both couldn’t help but notice it was DRIPPING! A lot!!! I immediately ran it over to the sink, then proceeded to open it from there:
 What was the culprit behind all the dripping?
 The bottom of this container BURST in the box! Bummer… I was really looking forward to trying the original flavor! Luckily, there was also a Chocolate flavor in the box, and it was still in tact! Whew!
 What I love about this chocolate flavor, is that it’s UNSWEETENED! I decided to try my sample in my smoothie this afternoon, and even though I almost never drink a glass of almond milk on it’s own, I wanted to taste this chocolate flavor on it’s own before adding it to my smoothie.
 It tasted just like chocolate milk– without any sweetness! I actually really liked it! I blended up a cup of Chocolate Almond Breeze, 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup frozen blueberries, and a frozen banana for a frozen, chocolaty treat– it was deeeeeelish!
Okay, I’ve got to run to Whole Foods to replenish my kale supply! Hope you all have a great night!!
**Don’t forget!!! I’m helping Almond Breeze and Foodbuzz raise money for a deserving charity, Blog Away Hunger. Please take a moment to vote for my charity in the voting widget to the right of this post –>
And to taste Almond Breeze yourself, click here for a coupon!
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Disclaimer: I did receive free samples from Almond Breeze because I am participating in the Almond Breeze Taste and Make a Difference Program, but I am under no obligation to write a positive review of the product!
By Megan, on July 15th, 2010
**Don’t forget!!! I’m helping Almond Breeze and Foodbuzz raise money for a deserving charity, Blog Away Hunger. Please take a moment to vote for my charity in the voting widget to the right of this post –>
And to taste Almond Breeze yourself, click here for a coupon!
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Hi friends! Happy almost-Friday!!
I’ve received a lot of emails lately, asking me about food combining– why I do it, how it works, book recommendations, etc…
So, I figured it would make a good topic for today!
I first learned about food combining when I read The Raw Food Detox Diet, by Natalia Rose. She explained that eating in “quick exit combinations” takes a load off of our digestive system, leaving the body with extra energy to focus on other areas that need work (i.e. getting rid of toxins, cellulite, fat– all those pesky things we don’t want in our bodies anymore!) By keeping certain food groups separate at each meal– such as not mixing starches with meat– our meals digest faster, so that our digestive system isn’t working around the clock! The way I understand it, it’s when we are NOT digesting food that our bodies really have the opportunity to detox and cleanse at a deep, cellular level. Digesting dense, heavy meals also zaps our energy! You know that 3 o’clock slump most of us get during the workday? It could be due to eating a dense, mis-combined lunch!
There are tons of explanations out there on proper food combining, but I like to keep it as simple as possible. In the simplest terms, there are 4 categories of food that shouldn’t be mixed together:
1. Fruit
2. Starches (grains, potatoes, avocados, coconut meat, etc)
3. Fleshes (meat, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, eggs)
4. Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruit
You cannot combine these categories with each other, but you may eat as much as you’d like from within the SAME category, and all of these categories may be properly combined with leafy greens and raw, non-starchy veggies. Ideally, you should wait 3-4 hours for your meal to digest before switching to a different category. Raw veggies make a great snack in between meals, since they combine with everything.
I’m very much a visual person, so I made a little sketch to better illustrate food combining:
(click on the image to enlarge it)
Does that make sense?
So, if you wanted to eat a properly combined FLESH meal, you could have a grilled piece of fish, served with a raw green salad topped with goat cheese, a side of steamed broccoli, and you could even have some ice cream for dessert! The fish, cheese and ice cream all fall into the “flesh” category, so it’s a properly combined meal. You wouldn’t want to add a baked potato to that meal, though, because that would be mixing a starch with a flesh– and it could take well over 8 hours to digest that mis-combination!
There are a couple of exceptions to the general food combining rules I stated above:
- Avocados typically combine as a starch, but they also can properly combine with fresh fruit -OR- with dried fruit (but not with nuts or seeds).
- Bananas can also combine with nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
Foods that are considered “neutral” can combine with any category, and include coconut water, almond milk, butter, lemons, limes and 70% (or darker) dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is one of my favorite desserts, because I don’t have to worry about mis-combining it after a meal!
I have to admit, I was originally a skeptic when I first heard of food combining! It seemed that every health book and magazine I read said it was best to eat a combination of carbs, protein and fat at each meal to stay full longer! But, I decided to give food combining a shot anyway to see what it was all about.
At first, it was weird feeling “lighter” after my meals. I didn’t have the heavy, weighed-down feeling that I was used to after eating. I was afraid I’d feel hungry more often, but I quickly got used to the light feeling, and actually loved that I never felt bloated after meals! Best of all, after just two weeks of paying attention to proper food combining, I had lost weight without even trying! I was enjoying avocado sandwiches on sprouted wheat, grilled salmon salads, goat cheese omelets– and I didn’t feel deprived at all!
What really sold me on food combining, though, was how I felt when I mis-combined a meal again! After properly food combining for about a month, my body had been spoiled by all my easy-to-digest meals– so it didn’t know what to do when I mixed heavy starches and proteins again! After eating a mis-combined meal, I had the worst stomach ache and was bloated well into the next day! I know some people specifically choose NOT to food combine because they don’t want to feel bad on the occasion that they don’t properly combine a meal… but I actually like knowing (and feeling) the difference!
I feel like this is a subject that can be really overwhelming if you go into too much depth too quickly, so I hope that this has been a good starter for you “newbies” out there! If you try it, let me know what you think!
And if you’d like to learn more, these are my favorite books on the subject:
The Raw Food Detox Diet
The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health
Happy food combining!!
Reader Feedback: Have you ever practiced proper food combining? If so, what did you think? Like I’ve said before, I really like properly combining my foods, and I can FEEL the difference when I do! However, I’m not militant about it, and there are still plenty of times when I don’t worry about it– but I do feel the consequences sometimes!
By Megan, on July 14th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy HUMP day!! Can you believe we’re already half-way through the week?!
I finally got home last night, after a 2 1/2-hour delay in the airport! Argh. By the time I got home, it was dark and I was starving!! There was no way I was going to come home and make something healthy, so we headed to our favorite restaurant– The Granville Cafe.
I got my usual:
 I could eat this salad everyday! They make the best garlic-y lemon dressing around! I imagine that Garlic Gold’s Lemon Vinaigrette might taste similar, so I’ve been dying to try it! (but I haven’t seen the dressing in my local grocery store yet… bummer!) Perhaps some dressing experimentation is in order in my kitchen…
It always takes me about a day to re-adjust to being back in LA after a business trip. My body has to get used to the 2-hour time difference again, and then there’s this:
 That’s my almost-empty refrigerator. See what happens when I go away? My husband buys vibrant-colored alcohol concoctions (JOOSE is one of his favorites– it’s an energy drink + alcohol… scary!) and leaves a bag of expired lettuce in there. I have NOTHING to eat today!!
Luckily, I did find a container of my goat’s milk yogurt for breakfast:
But when lunch time rolls around, it looks like I’m going to have to make a run to the store! I’m really looking forward to having a fully-stocked fridge again.
Another kink in my regular routine, is this:
Coffee always manages to sneak back into my life when I’m in the Kansas office! To all of you who manage to AVOID coffee in the workplace, I take my hat off to you. It’s pretty easy for me to avoid coffee when I’m working from home, without the temptation– but when I’m traveling, and smell the TWO pots of coffee brewing 5 feet away from my office, there’s no stopping me! There’s just something about a warm, rich cup of coffee that will always hold a special place in my heart. I did notice that I didn’t feel as good drinking it last week, though… so I plan on weaning myself off it again this week. I had a minor caffeine headache this morning, so I had a small cup to get me through my busy morning at work. But maybe tomorrow I’ll feel better with just some green tea!
In other news, I’ve been finding myself really BORED lately. Not with work (where I’ve actually been the opposite of bored– crazy busy!!), but with my WORKOUTS! If you’ll remember, this should be my fourth week of Insanity. Last week, I brought my DVD’s with me on my trip, but found myself having to do them from my laptop computer, because I was lacking a DVD player in my room… which was annoying! I actually felt myself getting really bored the past two weeks with these dvd’s, and I’ve come to a few conclusions why:
1. The workouts repeat themselves at least once a week, so they are becoming predictable and less exciting for me
2. The workouts are REALLY hard, and I can’t complete the whole thing without taking extra rest breaks– which is somewhat de-motivating
3. I miss strength training– but worry about “over-doing it” on top of my Insanity workouts
4. I have exercise ADD– I just can’t do the same workouts over and over! I like changing it up… a lot!
So, I’ve made the executive decision to STOP my Insanity program– at least, for now. I always want to make exercise a positive experience (so that I keep it up!), and since I’m not enjoying it right now, I think I’ll just shelve the Insanity program for another day. Who knows, maybe next week I’ll miss it and start it up all over again! But right now, I want to use something that’s been neglected for way too long– my gym membership!
I know, I know. You guys probably didn’t even realize that I have a gym membership, for how little it gets mention here on the blog. Well, that’s because I haven’t gone in a LONG time! I have a ridiculously cheap membership out here, so I’ve taken it for granted lately, opting for workouts at home or outside (especially during my half-marathon training). But now that it’s HOT outside, and I’m stuck at home a lot during work hours, I’m actually motivated to go to the gym again! I really want to take advantage of the workout classes there, to beat my workout boredom! You know, I’ve still never taken a Zumba class? And I love the way classes keep me working out for a full hour– when I might have quit early on my own! My goal for the rest of the month is to try as many new classes as I can!
So, that’s the plan for now. I’m excited to try something new!
Reader Feedback: What do you do to beat exercise boredom? What are your favorite exercise classes?
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Don’t forget!!! I’m helping Almond Breeze and Foodbuzz raise money for a deserving charity, Blog Away Hunger. Reading and writing about food all day, it can be easy to forget how many people in the world are without it! Please take a moment to vote for my charity in the voting widget to the right of this post. Together, we can help end WORLD HUNGER! –>
And for a coupon for Almond Breeze, click here!
By Megan, on July 12th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Monday!!!
I’m wrapping up my business trip in KC this week, so I’ll be back to my regular posting schedule towards the middle of this week… apparently I’m not much of a multi-tasker when it comes to traveling + blogging! There are just too many things to do and people to see! I’ve been up to my ears in illustrating Valentine cards the past two weeks (yes, we do holiday cards VERY early for the following year!), and when I’m not working, I’ve been trying to catch up with as many friends and family as possible! It’s been crazy, but wonderful!!
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This is going to be a quick post (since I’m still flooded with greeting cards!), but I wanted to briefly tell you guys about a program that I’m excited to be involved with– the Almond Breeze Taste and Make a Difference Program. As you all know, almond milk has been my #1 milk of choice for the past few years. I use it almost every day in my green smoothies, as well as in my banana soft serve, and anywhere else you might use traditional cow’s milk.
What you may not know, however, is that I used to drink cow’s milk by the gallon! I was raised drinking skim milk like it was water– I would cover my breakfast cereal with it in the morning, drink a huge glass as an afternoon snack, and enjoy another glass with my dinner! I was definitely convinced by all the milk ads that milk was a “perfect food” and truly couldn’t imagine my life without it! That is, until I started dating my husband.
When I met my husband, he followed a primarily vegan diet, and so did my (now) in-laws. I was not very familiar with what a vegan diet entailed, and wasn’t too interested in converting any time soon– but I was curious why my husband so disgusted by my milk-guzzling habit. So I started doing my homework!
I checked out the PETA website.
I read the book, Skinny Bitch.
I did lots of online research.
…and before I knew it, I was convinced that cow’s milk isn’t healthy for human consumption, either. Almost overnight, I stopped drinking cow’s milk.
If you’re curious, here are 6 Reasons why I choose to avoid dairy:
The Truth about Dairy
According to Dr. Willett, who has done many studies and reviewed the research on this topic, there are many reasons to pass up milk, including:
1. Milk doesn’t reduce fractures. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to the Nurses’ Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent!
2. Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
3. Calcium isn’t as bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk. vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures.
4. Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent. Plus, dairy consumption increases the body’s level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) — a known cancer promoter.
5. Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn’t. Calcium supplements, but not dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
6. Not everyone can stomach dairy. About 75 percent of the world’s population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products — a problem called lactose intolerance.
[source]
(Just to clarify, I have stopped DRINKING milk, but I do still eat cheese and yogurt on occasion, although it’s mostly the goat variety– I am not a vegan, and have no intention of becoming one anytime soon. For more on that, read about my brief venture into veganism)
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The problem with quitting milk was… I MISSED IT!!! 
Hence, my quest to find a suitable milk substitute began. I started off with the most popular milk-replacement at the time: soy milk. At the time, I was working at a coffee shop, and started ordering soy lattes instead of the traditional version I was used to. I’ll be honest– I did NOT like the taste of soy milk at first! It was definitely an acquired taste for me. However, I quickly grew used to it, and soy milk became my milk of choice.
During this time, I was eating a predominantly vegetarian diet, and suddenly found myself eating quite a bit of processed-soy products. I had a feeling that it was TOO MUCH soy, and started looking into alternatives. That’s when I discovered the book that changed my life, The Raw Food Detox Diet. The author, Natalia Rose, explains that soy is a highly mucus-forming plant, and is best avoided for optimal health. She recommended almond milk as a neutral, healthy milk-substitute– so, I gave it a shot!
Like soy milk, I didn’t love the taste of almond milk at first sip. It tasted light and nutty– not like the soy milk that I had grown accustomed to. But like most things, after tasting almond milk a couple of times, I was sold! And I’ve been using it regularly ever since. In fact, you’ve been seeing it everyday in my smoothies!
 (Don’t you love the Mickey Mouse to-go cup I use to take my smoothies to work?)
If you’d like to learn more about why I made the switch from soy, you can check out these 10 Benefits of Almond Milk.
Okay, okay… I know I said this was going to be a BRIEF post! I guess I lied.
I just wanted you to know where I was coming from– and why I love almond milk so much! Which is why I was obviously THRILLED to hear I was selected as one of 5 bloggers to participate in the Almond Breeze Taste and Make a Difference Program. Almond Breeze has pledged to donate $25,000 between 5 charities, and the charity I am representing is Blog Away Hunger–which is dedicated to spreading the word about this solvable problem of hunger while raising money for the World Food Program.
If you could, please take a moment to VOTE FOR MY CHARITY (*edited to say: You should see a voting widget to the right of this post sometime today or tomorrow). I truly appreciate your votes! More votes = more money that Almond Breeze will donate to my charity, Blog Away Hunger. Your vote could help end world hunger!
Thanks so much for your support, and thanks to Foodbuzz and Almond Breeze for raising money for such a deserving charity!
Hope you are all having a great start to your week!
By Megan, on July 5th, 2010
Hi friends! How was your Fourth of July weekend?
We had a BLAST in Colorado!!!
 (Surprise– I’m a blonde right now!)
To recap a bit, we spent Friday night at a Colorado Springs Sky Sox minor league baseball game:
Our team lost, but the game ended on a positive note– with a fun fireworks show!
We spent our first two nights in Colorado camping near Colorado Springs, in a cute campsite called the Lost Burro. Check out the beautiful view from our site!
We camped with two of our good friends, who drove there with all the camping stuff! We were so lucky to have them, because they were PRO campers! Check out the awesome 12-person tent we shared:
 I have to say, this tent slept 4 people VERY comfortably (well, as “comfortable” as sleeping on the ground can be…)– but I don’t see more than 6 people cramming into a tent this size! I really liked having space to spread out in my sleeping bag. It’s amazing how much the temperature can change between day and night there, too. It could be in the mid-90’s during the afternoon, but at night, it dropped down into the 30’s! I woke up from freezing both nights that we camped! Luckily, all I had to do was scoot my head down into my sleeping bag, then I was warm and toasty again, and slept like a baby. I really love chilly sleeping conditions, as long as I have enough blankets!!
We had a lovely campfire dinner on Saturday, with festive decorations:
After working up quite an appetite hiking through the Seven Falls that afternoon!
 There were a LOT of steps to climb, before even beginning our hike!
 Even after all my Insanity workouts, I was huffing and puffing climbing all those steps! I don’t think altitude was helping, either…
Luckily, they had a rest point after the first 109 steps, so we stopped for a quick photo op:
 I loved the scenery here! Crisp, mountain air, pine trees, waterfalls… it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon!
We also visited Cripple Creek, which featured a small downtown FILLED with casinos! As well as a HUGE sand castle:
 Pretty elaborate, eh?
On Sunday, we got BRAVE, and decided to tackle the drive up to the top of Pike’s Peak. I had NO IDEA what we were in for!
At first, the drive seemed like no big deal. We were on a paved road, that was gradually winding around the mountain. But eventually, the paved road became a dirt road, and the winding roads started to be sharp, hair-pin turns above the tree line! You could literally look out the window and see NOTHING but sky! It was TERRIFYING!! I tried to capture it on camera, but photos do not do this drive justice:
 This was one of the rare areas that had a guard rail– other scary turns had NOTHING to keep you from falling off a cliff! Luckily, most of the drivers were very careful, and drove around 10 mph the whole way!
We were all giddy from the lack of oxygen and pure ANXIETY!!!! At the peak of our fear, the Jeep we were driving started warning us that the engine had over-heated! We took this as a sign that we were not meant to make it to the top. Our friends needed that car to drive home to Kansas, and we didn’t want to risk the extra 3-miles to the top, when we were already so high up! We got to almost enjoy what the top of the mountain was like! While we pulled over on the side of the mountain, to let our engine cool off, we climbed a few rocks:
 We had an AWESOME view:
Oh, I forgot to mention– my husband is ESPECIALLY terrified on heights! Ha ha. He was so scared during the drive up the mountain, that he pretty much hid his head in my lap the whole time! He was a good sport for posing with me on that rock.
Fun fact: Ever since last year, we’ve started traveling with a little shrimp key chain. It started off as an inside-joke, but now he goes on all our vacations with us! (including our honeymoon in Paris!)
Here’s “Shrimpy” posing in front of the mountain:
 I have to say, Shrimpy’s had an awesome travel schedule in the past year– my husband even took him on his European tour a couple months ago!
Our trip wasn’t all hiking and mountain climbing, though– we also found a FUN area that my husband remembered from his childhood! It was a cute downtown area in Manitou Springs, featuring TONS of old arcade games!
We played one of my favorites, Skee Ball!!!!!
 As well as some other vintage games:
And you can bet your booty, if there is a Pop-A-Shot nearby, my husband will find it:
 He loves basketball.
Last night, we headed to Boulder, to explore their downtown. Lots of local restaurants were closed down for the holiday, but we found a local Latin restaurant was open– right in the nick of time! It started POURING while we waited for our table:
I enjoyed a refreshing wine spritzer while we waited at the bar, then ordered their Goat Cheese Masa Cakes as my entree:
 I have to say, I was really disappointed in my dinner. I was really looking forward to the “bed of greens” and “fresh avocado” that the menu described– but all the veggies were soaked in vinegar, and my avocado was battered and FRIED! See that chicken-finger thing on top?? That’s my avocado!! Ugh.
Luckily, we had a lovely barbecue this afternoon with my father-in-law, so that bad meal is all in the past! It was really nice visiting with family before ending our trip!
All in all, we had an AWESOME time! I loved being in the company of good friends, enjoying fresh air and sunshine– even if we did indulge in too many s’mores.
Now I’m in Kansas for another business trip! I know tomorrow is going to be a really stressful day (my dad is moving home, so it’s going to be crazy!!), but hopefully things will calm down by the end of this week!
Reader Feedback: How did you spend your holiday weekend? What’s your favorite food to indulge in over Fourth of July? Mine was definitely camp-fire s’mores! I was looking forward to them all weekend!!
By Megan, on July 2nd, 2010
Hi friends! Right now, I’m probably camping and enjoying some fresh Colorado air! Hope you are all enjoying your Fourth of July weekend! Bring on those fireworks!!
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As you probably all know by now, I’m a sucker for kitchen gadgets. I love being in my kitchen, and I think a variety of kitchen gadgets can really help you get creative with healthy food!
So, you can imagine my excitement when a representative from CSN stores contacted me to review one of their products! Among all of CSN’s 200+ stores, obviously Cookware.com is my favorite– you can never have enough kitchen stuff, can you? I had been itching to try the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer for sometime now… so this seemed like the perfect opportunity!
I got my order in the mail within a week of ordering– so the processing time was great!
 It’s perfectly assembled, straight out of the box! And even though it’s made of plastic, it seems incredibly sturdy!
Check out the three blade options:
 You can make all sorts of shapes with these blades– there’s one with bigger holes for making curly fries, one with smaller holes for making pasta-like noodles, and a flat blade for making fruit or veggie chips, or a spiral pasta. There is an instruction guide included to help you decide which blade to use!
I knew right away that I wanted to try my hand at making zucchini noodles, so I opted for the blade with smaller holes! Check out the built-in storage system for the other blades:
 Genius!
I got to work right away making my zucchini noodles! I simply washed a zucchini, chopped of both ends, and set it up in the spiral slicer:
Before I knew it, I had oodles of noodles! (yes, I know I’m cheesy)
 And clean-up is EASY, since the blade slides right out!
 I topped my zucchini noodles with my favorite marinara and raw cashew cheeze, but the possibilities are endless!
These noodles would be great sauteed, or chopped up for an “elbow” style noodle. I can’t wait to try spiralizing other vegetables, too! I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing some fun, curly salad-toppers on this blog in the near future!
Thanks again to CSN Stores for letting me review this product! I couldn’t be more pleased!
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Disclaimer: CSN Stores provided me with the opportunity to review the product of my choosing, and I was under no obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
By Megan, on July 1st, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Thursday!!
It’s pretty much like Friday to me– tomorrow morning I’ll be off to Colorado! I’ve got SOOOO much to do to get ready to go– so this is going to have to be a quick post!!
To recap yesterday’s eats, I had a lot of my usuals:
 A blood-red Cullen juice for breakfast– especially appropriate, since we saw the new Twilight movie last night! I haven’t read any of the books, but we’ve seen all the movies, and this one is definitely the best so far! My husband was a really good sport, as we endured many screaming girls in the theater last night.
Lunch yesterday was a tropical smoothie:
 I used the rest of my fresh pineapple, a frozen banana, 2/3 bag of fresh spinach, 2 T. Sun Warrior, 1 tsp. Spirulina, cinnamon and a drop of stevia. It was nice and refreshing!
After my smoothie, I gave myself some time to digest before doing my Insanity for the day. When I looked at the schedule, I saw that I was supposed to do the “Cardio Circuit” dvd, but there was a problem– I didn’t have a DVD in my collection named “Cardio Circuit!!” Oh, no!! This is where I will confess that I bought my Insanity set off of Ebay, instead of from the official Beach Body website. My package came “factory sealed– brand new” and the only problem with it is that some of the dvd holders in the package aren’t glued very well– so I figured I was getting a discount for defective packaging. So, when I couldn’t find the “Cardio Circuit” dvd, I freaked out! I felt like I had gotten a defective dvd set!
Then, out of curiousity… I decided to Google the term “Insanity Cardio Circuit.”
Guess what?
There is NO dvd named Cardio Circuit! Turns out there is a TYPO on the Insanity Workout Calendar! What it should have said is “Plyometric Cardio Circuit.“
See how in Week 1 it is correctly called Plyometric Cardio Circuit, and in Week 2 they shortened it to Cardio Circuit? It’s especially confusing, because in the following weeks they refer to it by it’s full name again! No wonder everyone was confused!! But now, the case of the missing dvd is solved. I wanted to make sure I pointed this out, because I know a few of my readers are starting Insanity as well, and I don’t want you to be as confused as I was!
I’m glad I solved that mystery before writing an angry email to my Ebay seller! Ha ha. That would have been embarrassing, since I do feel like I got a pretty good product– cheap! Sometimes Ebay purchases do work out!
Post-workout and the drama, I indulged in a few Cinnamon Raisin Truffles while putting my feet up to relax:
These suckers are SO GOOD! In fact, my husband came home from work last night, and told me he had been thinking of them all day! There are only a few left today, so I think I’ll save them for him tonight. I’m definitely going to need to make another batch when I get home!
Dinner last night was the biggest salad I’ve ever had in my life:
 An entire bag of mixed greens, topped with an entire pan of roasted veggies. It was too much food!! I was trying to clean out my fridge, to use up all our fresh produce, but even I can’t eat that much!! But it did keep me full through our late-night movie!
Alright, I’ve got SO many errands to do before we leave tomorrow! Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Fourth of July weekend!!
By Megan, on June 30th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Hump Day!!!!
I don’t know what’s gotten into me this week, but this bag of coffee has been calling my name for the past couple of mornings:
 It think it’s because:
a) It’s a BOLD, Italian roast coffee– which is my favorite kind!
b) It was freshly ground at Starbucks this weekend (did you know they can grind it perfectly for CONE filters??) and smells divine just sitting in my kitchen
c) I’m already getting into “vacation mode” for this weekend– and coffee is usually a weekend/vacation splurge for me!
I’m not too worried about it, since coffee is the LEAST of the vices I’ve been battling. But, eventually, I would like to not crave it like I do! There’s just something about that rich, warm, aromatic drink that I can’t get enough of sometimes. It’s like comfort in a cup!! When drinking coffee, though, I am always careful to drink it BEFORE eating, and NOT after! According to what I’ve read, coffee is very acidic, and can acidify everything you’ve eaten if you drink it after a meal. So timing is everything!
The past couple of mornings, I had it first thing:
 Along with a big glass of water to keep myself hydrated! (I also like to swish the water in my mouth after each sip of coffee to prevent teeth-staining!) Ever since whitening my teeth before my wedding last year, I’m more cautious of what stains my teeth!
Looking back at yesterday, I had another intense Insanity workout– Pure Cardio. I know I say this to myself almost every day, but I think this workout is the hardest of them all so far. During this workout, there are NO rest breaks! And it’s not like you’re just jogging in place– you’re doing jump squats, push-up jacks, jumping kicks, etc. In short– there’s a LOT of jumping, and a LOT of squatting. Needless to say, I was a sweaty, exhausted mess by the end of this one. But there is NOTHING BETTER than being DONE with an Insanity workout!
My pre-workout fuel yesterday was a big salad, which I forgot to take a picture of until I was already half-way done eating it!
 It was just my usual– mixed greens, cucumber, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, shredded raw goat cheddar, and some basic vinaigrette. Delicious!
And post-workout, I was REALLY looking forward to trying this:
 Strawberry-flavored goats milk yogurt! These have been on sale at Whole Foods lately (which is why you’ve seen it so much on my blog the past week!), but they finally ran out of the vanilla flavor! I decided to try the Strawberry version for a change, since I can’t seem to get enough of this stuff! It is definitely an all-natural yogurt, meaning you have to STIR IT in order to mix up all the strawberry flavor:
I was very pleased with the taste! At first, it was almost too-sweet for me, but then it became a sort-of afternoon dessert. I bet this would taste GREAT as a frozen yogurt! When I get back from my trips, I may have to break out the ice-cream maker and give it a whirl.
The ingredient list isn’t too shabby either:
I still prefer the vanilla version for a regular basis, but this was an awesome treat! Yasha was BEGGING for a taste, too– so I let her lick the container when I was done.
 I love how determined she is to not miss a drop– she just shoves her face in there! Ha ha.
Last night, I was having one of those nights where all I wanted was DESSERT for dinner! Luckily, I knew I could make that happen. I prepared my husband’s dinner first:
 Roasted veggies (broccoli, asparagus, and butternut squash) along with a heaping pile of brown rice– easiest dinner EVER to make! (And yes, he has a slight obsession with the 1992 Dream Team, and loves to drink out of his collector cups each night!)
Then I got to work on my dinner:
 Don’t be fooled by it’s green color! This tasted just like ice-cold chocolate milk!! I blended almost a FULL bag of spinach (gotta get those greens!) with 1 cup of almond milk, then added a frozen banana, 2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa, and a handful of ice cubes. Then I simply let my Vita-mix do it’s thing! It pulverized it into a silky-smooth drink that seriously tasted JUST like chocolate milk. I was in heaven– and got a hefty dose of greens to boot!
I kept my smoothie simple for food-combining reasons. I knew I wanted to indulge in some Cinnamon-Raisin Macaroons later!
My husband and I are both crazy for these guys:
 Holy deliciousness. These rock my world.
We did an experiment last night– trying to figure out if we like these better frozen or at room-temperature. I sat four of them out on a plate to thaw for 30-minutes, then we had a sampler platter– two frozen and two at room-temperature. I definitely preferred the room-temperature ones better! They are soft and moist, and you can taste every flavor! But my husband preferred them frozen! (We both really enjoy eating traditional cookies frozen– there’s just something about it!)
I also have a little trick when I make treats like this (traditional or raw versions):
I make each (cookie/macaroon/you-name-it) HALF the size the recipe calls for!
If it calls for dropping the dough by rounded tablespoons, I will use a half-tablespoon instead. That way I get to eat MORE of them, for the same amount of calories! I am NOT one of those girls who is satisfied by ONE cookie. No way. I need to eat AT LEAST two, if not more! By making my treats smaller, it’s a nice little mind-trick– I get to eat more and feel like I’m REALLY indulging! Who doesn’t want to eat FOUR macaroons instead of TWO? Hence, why my husband and I ate FOUR of them last night!
They were so good, I could have eaten more than four… but I stopped myself. I’ve realized that I can’t have treats like that sitting around my house very often! Even though they’re totally raw and pretty healthy, I think about them sitting in my freezer all day long! I want them at every meal! So, I’ve been trying to give them away to friends, so I have less of them around to tempt me. I gave a bag away on Monday night, and another bag last night. When you make them smaller, you have bunches to give away to friends! Now, our stash is looking much more manageable, and not quite as tempting– I have a feeling we’ll probably polish them off before we leave for our trip on Friday!
Speaking of our trip, I finally got my car back yesterday and was able to stock-up on some camping snacks for this weekend:
 A variety of Larabars– Cherry pie, Apple pie, Cashew Cookie– and a Peanut Butter cookie bar for my husband. (the peanut ones don’t do it for me)
Snack-sized bags of raw almonds.
 And, of course, dark chocolate!!! I love the travel tin– perfect for camping!!
We’ll be stopping at a grocery store for supplies once we get to Colorado, so I’ll pick up some fresh produce there! I’m ready to GOOOOO!
Hope you’re all having a great day!!
By Megan, on June 29th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Tuesday!!!!
Only two more days of working before our vacation! Wahoo!!
Since I’m going to miss two days of my Insanity program during our camping trip, I’m trying to push myself extra-hard during this week’s workouts! Although, Yasha has been secretly trying to SABOTAGE my efforts:
 Almost every day, this little squeaky toy winds up underneath my foot during my workout! Little bugger!
Yasha gets so excited to see me jump around (and there is a LOT of jumping in Insanity), so she squeaks her toy in excitement… then drops it on the floor for me to trip over. Don’t even get me started on when I start doing push-ups! The second she sees me hit the ground, she immediately runs up to me and rolls over expecting a belly rub. Yeah, right!
After my super-sweaty workout, it was all I could do to walk to my kitchen and make a smoothie:
 This was surprisingly good, considering I had run out of spinach and had to use mixed greens instead! (I’m trying to use up EVERYTHING in our fridge before our trip!) This baby had a blender full of mixed greens, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 frozen banana, cinnamon, maca, spirulina, and Sun Warrior protein.
I stumbled across a FAQ page about Maca today, and it has kinda made me question my daily Maca addition in my green smoothies! I actually started taking Maca in hopes that it would boost my marathon training over the last couple of months, but adding it to my smoothies became such a habit, that I didn’t even think about taking a break from it. Then I came across several articles, mentioning that it is a good idea to take a break from using maca every now and then. This FAQ addressed some of my concerns:
I think I’m going to break-up with Maca powder for a while, and see if I can feel a difference! With my Insanity workouts, I may need that “boost” again, but I’d like to see how my body feels without it! I figure, my upcoming vacation and next week’s business trip are the perfect opportunity to see how this goes!
I also found out that there is some debate on whether RAW or GELATINIZED maca is best, which is addressed here:
I currently use raw Maca that I purchased from iHerb, but perhaps I’ll try the gelatinized version someday to see if it’s easier on the digestive system!
Anyway, after my last maca-filled smoothie for a while, I went on a shopping spree with my good friend, Teija!
It was JUST what I needed– girl time and shopping! We made the rounds at my local mall, and I made it out only buying 1 shirt, which was on sale at The Gap! I also picked up some necessities at Target, since we were running low on EVERYTHING! I am STILL without my car, because apparently it has stumped everyone at the dealership! Seriously, it has been there over a week, and they can’t find a single thing wrong with it. I’m not complaining– since usually it’s the opposite at a dealership! Don’t they usually OVERSELL you on things?!
Well, since my husband needs his car fixed, too (when it rains, it pours)… I am picking up my car today– fixed or not. The reason I took it in was because it wasn’t starting for me almost every morning. But apparently, it’s starting almost every morning for them now, so they think it’s okay for me to drive again. Cross your fingers for me that it stays that way! It’s also nice to know that nothing else is wrong with my car, since it seems they’ve checked everything now! I love having peace of mind after taking my car into the shop!
Once I have my car back, I plan on doing a little more shopping– gotta stock up for our trip!! I plan on bringing plenty of healthy snacks for our trip, so I don’t get stuck somewhere STARVING and making BAD CHOICES. That’s not to say that I’m not going to indulge in a camp-fire s’more! But I want my indulgences to be on my terms– not just because I had no other options. I think having a stash of Larabars, raw almonds and fresh fruit will make me a “happy camper.” Literally.
Hopefully, while we’re in Colorado, I’ll be able to find a nice meal out like the one we had last night! My husband and I went out with Teija and her boyfriend to The Granville Cafe. I enjoyed my favorite salad:
 The Granville Salad– with no onions or olives, and goat cheese instead of feta. Best. Salad. Ever. (that bread was immediately removed from my plate as well… if I’m going to enjoy bread, it’s not going to be dry, white salad bread!)
And since I was STARVING, I also ordered a side of grilled asparagus:
 (taken with my crappy camera phone!)
It was all I hoped it would be and more.
I *may* have indulged in a few pieces of mint dark chocolate for dessert, while watching The Bachelorette last night, too. Is is just me, or did they give away WAAAYYY too much in the sneak peek for next week? I hate it when they show you who is going to make it with her to the hometown dates and tropical getaway! C’mon guys! Don’t give it away!!!
Okay, I think my husband’s going to be here any minute to take me to pick up my car. Here’s hoping it starts for the rest of the week!
Reader Feedback: Do you use any superfoods, like maca? If so, which ones?
I’m kinda weary about using too many, but I really love sneaking Spirulina into my smoothies everyday. I’m not a huge sea-vegetable fan, so sneaking it into my smoothies is the best way for me to get those extra vitamins and minerals!
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