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 June 28th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Monday!!!
This is going to be a short work-week for me, thanks to the 4th of July holiday coming up this weekend, so I’m hoping time flies by this week! We’re flying to Colorado on Friday, to camp and spend time with two of our best friends from Kansas. I can’t wait!!!! 
Do you guys have any fun plans for the holiday weekend coming up? This will be the first time my husband and I have gone on a vacation for July 4th– but we decided it was necessary to get out of LA for a while! We miss our friends in Kansas, and for some reason July 4th just isn’t as much fun in LA… Plus, this weekend will be our 5-year dating anniversary, so we thought it would be nice to do something special!
To recap a bit from yesterday:
After the awesome Banksy movie, I was feeling a little hungry for lunch… but didn’t feel like putting too much effort into it. Juice sounded like an easy solution, especially since I didn’t have any for breakfast!
The usual combo:
 Romaine lettuce, Kale, 1/2 apple, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 beet = BLOOD RED JUICE!!!
 Looks like a drink fit for Edward Cullen.
Or, perhaps for Eric Northman (from True Blood):
 [source]
Yep, I think I’m on Team Eric!! 
The juice didn’t keep me satisfied for long, so I snack on some un-pictured pineapple before heading over to our in-laws’ apartment to visit our niece. She is the sweetest little baby, and I love spending time with her!!
After a few hours over there, we headed to Whole Foods to get some macaroon ingredients– I was having the BIGGEST cravings for Oatmeal Raisin cookies, but was hoping to satisfy that craving with a RAW version. I had another mint-chocolate green monster to cover my obligatory serving of greens for dinner, then got to work on my cinnamon-raisin macaroons!
 The best thing about making RAW treats, is you can taste the batter while you’re making it without worrying about getting salmonella poisoning! I played around with the seasoning ratios, until the flavor was “just right,” then scooped the batter into little balls onto a baking sheet:
 And let them un-bake away in my oven– which I set to the lowest setting, then turned on and off intermittently throughout the night:
 And since I couldn’t WAIT to eat my creation, I saved a little bit of the batter, formed a cookie-shape, and placed it in my freezer to set. About 30-minutes later, it was solid enough to enjoy:
 Holy yum. Who needs traditional Oatmeal Raisin cookies??
And since my kitchen still smelled like Oatmeal Raisin cookies this morning, all I wanted was a bowl of piping hot oatmeal for breakfast! (the chilly weather this morning didn’t help, either) I’ve really enjoyed not having that “weighed down” feeling in the morning by keeping my breakfasts lighter, so I decided to try an easier-to-digest grain for breakfast: Millet.
 I combined 1/2 cup millet + 1 1/2 cups of water, and let it simmer on the stove for 20 minutes. (this is a great time to get in a quick rebounding workout– that’s what I did!)
Before I knew it, my millet porridge was hot and ready:
Topped with a drizzle of pure maple syrup, a splash of almond milk, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. Millet definitely has a different texture and taste than traditional oatmeal, but I felt totally satisfied after this meal, and my stomach doesn’t feel weighed-down at all! I think it also helps that I kept the toppings simple– nuts or dried fruit would have been fun, but that would be a poor food combination… (starches and nuts/dried fruit don’t mix!) and I’ve really enjoyed properly combining my food lately. My stomach’s never been happier!
I’ve got lots of work to do today, so I’m off for now! Hope you’re all having a great day so far!
Something to do: Check out Pure2Raw’s awesome Anniversary Giveaway!
By Megan, on June 27th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Sunday!!!
Today is the BEST day of the week– because it’s my day OFF from Insanity! Whew!
Yesterday’s workout was a repeat of Tuesday’s workout, and it was just as challenging as ever. I felt maybe a little more in shape this time, but that didn’t make it easier– I just felt like I needed to push myself harder! By the end of the 40-minute workout, I was a sweaty mess. Even though I just felt like passing out on the couch afterward, I knew I should eat something quickly to replenish my poor, shaky muscles:
 Goat’s milk yogurt did the trick! Since some research claims that chocolate milk is the perfect post-workout recovery snack, I figure goat’s milk yogurt is probably even better! Compared to cow’s milk, goat’s milk is less likely to contain hormones and additives, and is more easily digested (because goat milk proteins are most similar to the protein found in human milk). [source] And my yogurt was naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, rather than with refined sugars commonly found in chocolate milk. Sure seems healthier to me!
Since I had a late workout, and a late post-workout snack, dinner time didn’t roll around until 9pm for us last night. I didn’t feel like cooking, or making anything too time-consuming, so I opted for a simple, light smoothie:
 A mint-chocolate smoothie! This actually was made out of a happy accident I made the other night– when I tried to make a mint-chocolate banana soft serve. Although I was extra-careful only using 2 drops of peppermint extract in my ice cream batch, it was just TOO MUCH peppermint! (it’s REALLY easy to over-do it with peppermint extract…) I pretty much gave up on the soft-serve, but stored my mistake-batch in the freezer, since I didn’t want to waste those good bananas! Last night, I saw my peppermint mistake staring me in the face when I opened the freezer, and knew I should try to make something good out of it! Hence, my mint-chocolate milkshake was born. I simply filled my blender with spinach, added a cup of almond milk, then threw in my peppermint-banana abomination, along with an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder and 2 drops of liquid stevia. It was heaven! And the peppermint REALLY hides the “green taste” of the spinach.
It was a winner, for sure.
And even though my dinner was kinda dessert-like, I still had room more a “real” dessert:
 Raw Brownie Batter! Perfect way to end the night.
–
This morning, I enjoyed sleeping in, took my pup on a sunny walk, then went out to brunch with the husband. I got my weekend coffee fix:
 And enjoyed a large salad topped with goat cheese instead of feta, and a lemon vinaigrette on the side:
 It was glorious, but I had garlic breath for the rest of the afternoon from that dressing! (worth it, though!)
Later this afternoon, we saw a documentary called “Exit Through The Gift Shop.” Any of you readers familiar with the street-artist, Banksy? I have to say, I’m a big fan! Here are a couple samples of his work:
 [source]
 [source]
 [source]
We went into this documentary, excited to learn more about the “mysterious” street artist, Banksy– but we got an even better look at street-art culture as a whole, as well a really interesting depiction of the man who originally started documenting these street-artists on film. I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance. Oh, and seeing interviews with Banksy (no, he doesn’t reveal his identity) made me love him even more!
Alright, I’m off to go visit my niece! Hope you all have an awesome night!!
(I’m looking forward to a new episode of True Blood!)
By Megan, on June 26th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Saturday!
Well, it was happy….
…until Ghana beat USA in the World Cup match this afternoon! 
We headed down to a local Sports Bar this morning to enjoy the game with friends:
 And the place was PACKED!! We ended up standing the whole game, which was exhausting! It was also next-to-impossible to get a drink– I waited for 20 minutes at the bar to order two glasses of ice water (the bartender kinda laughed at me for wasting his time), and my husband and I nursed that water for the rest of the game! There was NO WAY I was going to wait in line again! Since there was also no chance of us ordering food at this place, I munched on an un-pictured bag of raw almonds around half-time.
Even though it was a bummer that we lost today’s match, I’m still really proud of the US team! And, at least we didn’t get robbed of any goals today… that would have been so frustrating!!!!
To recap yesterday a bit:
I started off with the usual juice:
Which I enjoyed out on my porch, because the weather was so nice! Check out the orchid that I’ve managed to keep alive so far:
My husband was so sweet and surprised me with an orchid a few weeks ago, and I was sure that it was DOOMED in the care of me and my black thumb. But– so far, so good! (pretty sure I just jinxed it, though….)
I had a short work day yesterday, so I squeezed in a little mid-day siesta, snacked on some pineapple straight out of the fridge, then buckled down for another Insanity workout: “Pure Cardio.” This workout felt extra-hard, because there were NO BREAKS!! The other workouts have been interval training up to this point, so I had definitely gotten used to those breaks. Sometimes the hope of a break is the only thing that gets me through! Instead, I just tried to keep up, and took a little breather when I needed it. And I got through it!
 During the stretch, even Shaun T. said he was nervous about this workout– if Shaun T. is nervous, I’m shaking in my boots!! It definitely felt good to have that done for the day.
I was pooped afterward, and used every last bit of energy I had to make my recovery smoothie, which I lazily enjoyed while sitting on my bum on the couch:
The usual combo: Blender full of spinach, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 cup water, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 2 T. Sun Warrior protein powder, 1 tsp. spirulina, 1 tsp. maca, cinnamon and two drops of liquid stevia.
After a much-needed break, I started to think about dinner plans. We ate out A LOT last weekend, so I really wanted to stay in and cook something myself, but I wanted it to be exciting! I looked to my new Engine 2 Diet book for ideas, and decided on the Gingered Mushrooms, Bok Choy, and Carrots recipe, which was something really adventurous for me!
 It turned out LOOKING pretty good, but it turns out the sauce was WAY too gingery for the husband… he was a good sport and still ate it, though!
I kept up the Asian theme with my dinner, too:
 Raw collard wraps filled with a whole avocado, sliced carrots, red peppers and radish sprouts. I made a soy tamari-ginger dipping sauce (gluten-free) on the side, but it was NOT my favorite. I won’t be using that recipe again! I also tried some of the stir-fried veggies, but I really only picked out the broccoli pieces and threw the rest away. There really was too much ginger in that sauce! Gotta be careful with fresh ginger… it can become over-powering FAST!!
Dinner Fail.
Unfortunately for us, the rest of the night was pretty much a FAIL, too! Our DVR didn’t record any of the shows we were planning on watching, our toilet broke, and our On Demand shows were skipping! Oh, and I was experiencing TERRIBLE shooting pains in my thigh. Where did that come from? It was one of those nights where we just wanted to go to bed, and have it be the next day already! So, that’s what we did.
I’ve got another Insanity workout to do (while my husband’s distracted watching Friday Night Lights), so I’ll see you all later!!
By Megan, on June 25th, 2010
Hi friends! HAPPY FRIDAAAAAAY!!!!!
I’m dragging a bit this morning, thanks to a late night staying up with my husband. He had a big project due this morning, so I offered to stay up and help him with it. Working together late into the night reminded me of our college years–> I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but we were both illustrations majors in college, which is how we met! (but we didn’t start dating until after graduation) When you’re an illustration major, you spend MANY a night staying up LATE working on projects! Luckily, we had a really close group of students in our class, and most nights we would all meet up and work late together to stay motivated! (and to stay awake!) As tired as I am this morning, it was still fun working late again like that.
To recap yesterday’s eats, I started my morning with some green juice:
 I know it’s red… but there’s lots of greens in there! A whole head of Romaine lettuce, 2 collard leaves, 1/2 a cucumber, 1/2 a beet, 1/2 a Fuji apple, and 1/2 a lemon. I don’t LOVE cucumber in my juices– I think it can be a bit overpowering in the taste department– but I had run out of kale, so I needed some sort of extra green in there! Using 1/2 a cucumber didn’t overwhelm the juice too much, but I definitely prefer kale in my juice instead!
For lunch, I had a date with my husband at the Granville Cafe. <3
Normally, I opt for one of their mouth-watering salads, but yesterday I was in the mood for a “wrap.” I ordered the Lettuce Cups, which were filled with sliced avocado, fresh mango, and shredded cabbage and peppers– all inside butter lettuce leaves. There was a soy-ginger vinaigrette on the side for dipping, and it was SO TASTY!! I’m definitely going to need to re-create that one at home! As tasty as it all was, these wraps were VERY MESSY… not something I’d recommend eating on a date or with co-workers! Luckily, I was pretty familiar with my date, and not too embarrassed by my mess.
About an hour after lunch, I felt my tummy growling again! (Lettuce cups = not very filling!) I decided to slice up the fresh pineapple I got at Costco the other day, for a little mid-day snack.
 I love slicing up big melons and pineapple, because I just snack on it while I work– so by the time I’m done chopping it up, I’m usually full! And I may have snuck a couple more bites out of the bowl before storing it in the fridge.
After work, I had ANOTHER date– this time with Shaun T.
Today, he promised me a “recovery” day….
…but he kinda lied.
He called it a “Cardio Recovery” day, which meant we didn’t do any CARDIO, but we sure did do some resistance training! He had me holding squats and lunges, then doing numerous sets of pulses, planks and yoga postures. It’s funny, because you forget how much strength you use holding yoga poses, until your leg muscles are already fatigued from doing squats!! My poor leggies were shaky and tired after this “so-called” recovery! At least I’ve got a full-day of recovery in sight– Sunday is my official day “OFF” from Insanity! I can’t wait!!
My post-workout snack was some goat milk yogurt:
And since Yasha is just so darn cute, I let her lick the container clean:
I figure, since goat’s milk is supposed to be easier on MY digestive system, it’s probably easier on her’s, too! (Better than the occasional ice cream lick she gets!)
Dinner last night was simple, but delicious!
A MONSTER salad, filled with mixed greens, red peppers, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
 Then I topped off with some raw goat cheddar and vinaigrette, and chopped it up into bite-sized bits! And for an extra-special topping, I picked up some of this at Whole Foods yesterday:
 Garlic Gold! I’d seen these on Gina’s blog recently, and was so excited to see them in my local store! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE garlic, so these crunchy little nuggets are going to be making a regular appearance in my life from now on! Vampires (and husbands) BEWARE!!
I also continued the garlic-covered theme with a side of roasted Brussels Sprouts:
 I’m telling you, ANY veggie tastes good when you roast it! I think the husband was nervous when I said I was fixing Brussels Sprouts for dinner, but he was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful they tasted! I simply chopped them into quarters, tossed them in coconut oil, garlic and salt, and roasted them in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a salty-kick–> what’s not to like??
And of course, no night is complete without something sweet:
I finished off the rest of my Thin Mint dark chocolate and sipped on some herbal peppermint tea.
Ahhhh… talk about a perfect way to end the night.
Here’s what I’ve got on my plate for the rest of the day:
- Book my next business trip to Kansas
- Insanity workout
- Laundry
- Afternoon nap?? (I’m still sleepy!!)
- Possibly a movie tonight? I’m not even sure what came out this weekend… but since we have FREE movie passes, we’ll probably see SOMETHING!
Do you guys have any fun plans for the weekend? I think this one is going to be pretty laid back for me, because NEXT weekend we’re going to Colorado for the Fourth of July! Wahoo!!
By Megan, on June 24th, 2010
Happy Thursday! I loved hearing some of your book recommendations yesterday! I’m looking forward to checking them out over the weekend!
I was pretty exhausted this morning, after what seemed like a LOOONG day yesterday… I pretty much blame INSANITY for zapping all my energy! Yesterday’s workout was HARD! It was 40-minutes of intervals like I’ve never done before– tons of jumping squats, push-ups and full-body moves that left me gasping for air! There was a point where I thought my husband was going to come home and find me passed-out on the floor!
With a workout like Insanity, you really have to know your own fitness level– you need to take rest breaks when needed (even if they’re not resting on the DVD), to keep your heart rate in a safe range. The whole point of interval training is to push yourself, then allow yourself to RECOVER before pushing again! For many people, the 30-second recovery period on the DVD may not be enough time to let your heart rate recover before jumping into the next set! One thing I like to do is PAUSE the DVD when they do the 30-second break, then I pace my living room until my heart rate is recovered enough to move onto the next set, usually about 60 seconds. Then I’m good to go! Insanity makes you feel TOTALLY out of shape (I can run 13 miles, but I can barely do 40-minutes of this?!), but I LOVE that it’s so hard–> it gives me something to build up to! If I could do everything perfectly during the first week, that wouldn’t be much of a challenge, now would it?
I have noticed my appetite increasing since starting Insanity, too! I usually stick to 3-meals-a-day, but yesterday, I was quite the snack-er!
 Green red juice.
 My FAVORITE Goat’s Milk Yogurt –> and I’m happy to learn from Ashlei that Redwood Hills Farm is the first certified-humane goat dairy in the U.S! I love supporting their brand!
I also had a MONSTER green smoothie after my Insanity workout:
 Blender full of spinach, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tsp. maca powder, 2 T. Sun Warrior protein, 1/2 tsp. Spirulina, juice of 1/2 lemon, and cinnamon. So good, and SO FILLING!
But somehow my appetite showed up again before dinner, so I snacked on half a bag of baby carrots:
Last night, we decided to go to the movies! We wanted to see the new movie, Knight & Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
 [source]
Since it was opening night, we weren’t sure how busy it was going to be, so we opted for the Arclight Cinema, where you reserve your seats ahead of time. It makes going to the movies stress-free, since you don’t have to worry about getting there early to find a good seat! When we got the theater, we were in for a treat:
There was a movie premiere going on at the theater entrance! Turns out it was for the movie “Love Ranch,” starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci. As you can see from the way the red carpet is set up, we ended up walking RIGHT BY all the celebrities on the red carpet– and were only feet away from Helen Mirren as she was posing for photos.
 [source]
Doesn’t she look stunning?! Seeing her was definitely a fun way to start our night!
In the theater, I was STARVING again! Good thing I packed some snacks in my purse before I left!
 A single-serving bag of raw almonds, which I munched on during the previews…
Followed by a Cherry Pie Larabar! (terribly shot in the dark movie theater…)
We really enjoyed the movie, but I’ve heard it’s not expected to do very well… bummer! I had a good time watching it though, so don’t let the bad reviews stop you from seeing it! It was fun and action-packed, which was everything I expected it to be!
After the movie, I was STILL kinda hungry… so I figured a serving of Banana Soft-Serve should do the trick! I even added a scoop of almond butter, which made it extra-rich and creamy!
Before:
 After:
I’ve never met a variation of Banana Soft-Serve that I didn’t like.
I’ve got a lunch date with my husband today, so I’ve got to get ready to go! Hope you’re all having a great day so far!!
By Megan, on June 23rd, 2010
Happy Wednesday! Anyone else watch the World Cup this morning?
 It started EARLY here– 7am! But this game was well worth waking up for!!
 Just when I thought the USA had been robbed of another win (we’ve had TWO games where a GOOD goal hasn’t been counted for us…), our team pulled out another goal in the 91st minute! What a way to win!!
USA! USA! USA!!!!! —> definitely a perk of working from home: I had the game on in the background while I worked! Of course, when my adrenaline started rushing from the game, I did take a couple intermittent breaks on my rebounder! Rebounding is great for releasing all that pent-up energy! (and easier to store than a big at-home cardio machine!)
Green tea has been keeping me awake this morning, too:
 I go through phases with my green tea– lately, I’ve been LOVING plain, green tea! But I keep a variety of teas in my kitchen, for when my mood changes! Jasmine green tea is another favorite of mine, and I’m sure I’ll go back to it once this box runs out… I’m weird, and like to go through one whole box of a certain flavor, rather than switching up flavors daily. My one exception is night-time tea, when I always opt for herbal tea so I don’t stay up all night from caffeine!
Last night I had some herbal peppermint tea, along with a few squares of my Thin Mint dark chocolate:
I call it my “Thin Mint” dark chocolate, because it tastes EXACTLY like a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie! Seriously!!!! And dark chocolate is always best when paired with hot tea, in my opinion. I love the way the chocolate melts on my tongue after sipping hot tea!! (my other favorite combo is decaf chai tea + plain dark chocolate– the spicy tea makes the chocolate taste even BETTER!)
It was a perfect way to end my night, after my HUGE recovery smoothie dinner:
This smoothie contained a blender-full of spinach, 3/4 cup fresh strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 2 T. Sun Warrior protein, 1 tsp. Maca, 1/2 tsp. Spirulina, juice of 1/2 lemon, almond milk, cinnamon, and a couple drops of liquid stevia. It was SO filling! I have big drinking glasses– 19 oz.–and my smoothie was much bigger than that! I filled up this glass, drank it down half-way, then filled it up again with the rest! I took a much-needed after dinner walk with Yasha afterward, because I felt like a stuffed turkey! Ha ha. But the awesome thing about smoothies is that they fill you up immediately, but you don’t have that “heavy” feeling for long since they digest quickly!
My plan for the rest of the day:
- Work, work, work!
- Insanity workout Day #3
- Another trip to Whole Foods (downside of having a TINY fridge– lots of trips to the store!)
- Laundry and spring-cleaning!! (I hate doing laundry!!)
Reader Feedback: Any good book suggestions for me? I’m looking for something good to read, and I’ve run out of ideas lately…
By Megan, on June 22nd, 2010
Happy Tuesday! How’s your week going so far?
Besides STILL being car-less, mine’s been pretty good. Hopefully I’ll find out what’s wrong with my car soon, and it will be cheap to fix! I get nervous when my car is stumping the dealership… but I guess it’s good that they haven’t found anything wrong with it yet?? (gulp)
Last night, after my walk to Whole Foods, I was really excited to try Jenna’s Classic Pesto recipe. One of my husband’s favorite dishes is a Pesto Gnocchi at a local restaurant, so I wanted to try and re-create a healthier version at home! I started with a quinoa pasta, instead of gnocchi:
And whipped up the pesto in my Vita-Mix:
 In no time, I had a lovely green pesto:
And it made enough to last me a while, too! I think I’ll be saving the leftovers in the freezer, for an easy dinner next week.
Once the pasta and pesto were ready, dinner was pretty quick! I simply sauteed some yellow and zucchini squash, along with some cherry tomatoes, then added a serving of pasta and pesto (about 2 tablespoons) in the skillet, until heated through.
The finished product:
 He said it tasted almost like the restaurant’s version! Score!!!!!!! Thanks for the recipe, Jenna!
I also roasted a side of fresh asparagus, with garlic powder, sea salt, and coconut oil:
Every vegetable tastes better roasted!! Seriously, this stuff was so good.
For my dinner, I decided to experiment with some collard green leaves:
 I saw these HUGE leaves at Whole Foods, and knew I just had to try making a raw wrap! I split one HUGE leaf into two halves (removing the stem), then spread each leaf with stone-ground mustard, an entire mushed avocado, sliced red pepper, matchstick cucumbers, and radish sprouts. I also drizzled a bit of my favorite vinaigrette on top, before rolling up the wraps.
 It wasn’t the prettiest wrap, but it got the job done. This was surprisingly filling, too– must be all those healthy fats!
This morning, I started my day off with a lovely juice:
 Thank goodness for the foam guard on my Breville pitcher– I hate the foam!!
A little bit of foam usually manages to escape the guard, which is why I love drinking with straws– I stop drinking as soon as the foam is at the bottom of the glass! I’m such a foam-snob.
Lunch today had to be quick, since we’re really busy with deadlines at work! I threw together my go-to goat cheese salad:
 A whole bag of mixed greens, cucumbers, red peppers, raw goat cheddar, and my favorite dressing. Yum!
After work, my sister-in-law took me on my first visit to Costco! Our mother-in-law paid for a joint membership for us, which was really sweet of her! There aren’t too many things I need to buy in BULK, especially with trying to squeeze things into our one-bedroom apartment or super-tiny fridge, but I did manage to find some good deals for us!
 I got 6 heads of Romaine for less than $4, plus a huge box of ORGANIC spring greens and ORGANIC spinach! The frozen blueberries and pineapple are not organic, but they were still a pretty good deal. I usually prefer to buy things organic that you don’t typically peel before eating– such as apples, berries, and greens, but I made an exception this time. The Romaine lettuce looked really fresh, and the blueberries sounded so good! I always forget to buy frozen fruit, so that BIG bag should keep us stocked-up for a while. I was definitely overwhelmed by my first trip to Costco, but I think next time I’ll explore more– I can’t believe that they sell clothing, video games, electronics, etc! If any of you readers have some good Costco tips for me, I’m all ears!
After our shopping extravaganza, I buckled down for another Insanity workout. It was tough, but it feels so good to get through it! I printed off a schedule, and have posted it on my fridge to keep me motivated:
 2 days down, 61 days to go!
I’m off to make a BIG recovery smoothie for dinner. Hope you all have a great night!!
By Megan, on June 21st, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We spent Father’s Day with our in-laws (since it was my brother-in-law’s FIRST Father’s Day!) and had a lovely brunch with them. Later, we saw The A-Team (which I loved!), then we ate ANOTHER meal out! Luckily, we saved room for dessert at home:
 There’s ALWAYS room for banana soft serve! (with peanut butter again, because it rocks!)
However, I was feeling incredibly stuffed when I woke up this morning! My body was NOT happy with me for eating out so much this weekend. I decided to listen to my body, and ended up having my first meal well after noon– I think my digestive system needed a break! When I finally felt the desire for something, fresh juice sounded amazing:
All organic: Head of romaine, 1/2 bunch kale, 1/2 Fuji apple, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 a beet. I know I’m in a juice-rut, but I don’t care. I love this combo so much!!
After work, I had a date with Shaun T:
 I did a few Insanity workouts last week after my business trip, but this is my first “official” week on the Insanity program– I wanted to start on a Monday, so the extra workouts I did last week just count as my warm-up. Today was the “Fit Test,” which sounds like nothing, but it’s truly a workout in itself! I can’t believe how hard it is! I did feel pretty BUFF, though, because I beat Chris in a few of the tests:
 But, Chris did beat me on the push-up drill– I’m a WEAKLING when it comes to upper body strength! I’ll get you next time Chris… ha ha.
I’m kinda dreading tomorrow’s workout, but I’m excited at the same time! I’ve taken my “Before” pictures– so we’ll see what kind of results I get!!
After my workout, I dragged my sweaty, shaky body to the kitchen and decided a green monster would be the fastest way to re-fuel. I had some organic strawberries that were on their last leg, so into my smoothie they went! (after chopping of the icky spots, of course!)
I also added half a bag of mixed greens, one frozen banana, 1/2 tsp. Spirulina, 1 tsp. Maca, juice of 1/2 lemon, cinnamon and a couple drops of stevia. It didn’t look pretty:
But it tasted fabulous! :D Lemon juice and cinnamon really help cover up the green taste!
Now that I’m all re-fueled, I’m going to walk to Whole Foods to get dinner supplies! I’m kind of in a hurry, but I have to walk because I’m car-less! My car is in the shop, so hopefully it will be good as new soon. Or at least it will start. That would be nice…
See you later with a dinner recap!
By Megan, on June 19th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Saturday!
This is the first “normal” weekend we’ve had in a month! I almost don’t know what to do with all this time on my hands! Not that I’m complaining– it feels really good to be lazy sometimes.
Yesterday was a short work-day for me, so my husband and I grabbed lunch out at Granville Cafe. I had their awesome house salad, topped with goat cheese and a delicious lemon vinaigrette:
 (taken with my phone camera… )
Soooo good. I wish I could figure out how to re-create this dressing– I’d eat it every. single. day.
After lunch, I did my Insanity workout, then relaxed with my new book:
I saw this book featured on Dr. Oz’s show a while ago, and I finally got around to ordering it on Amazon. I’m always on the lookout for more “manly” dinner ideas to make my husband, but I want them to taste good AND be healthy! The Engine 2 Diet cuts out meat and dairy, as well as many processed foods, so I figured it would have some good recipes! Last night, I tried the “Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna.”
It was filled with sauteed veggies and tofu:
Oh, and I used Martha Stewart’s “candle trick” while cutting my onion last night:
And I think it really did help! I think the flame burns up some of the gasses (that make you cry) from the onion.
The lasagna was a bit time-consuming to put together, but it looked beautiful when it was all done!
 The husband enjoyed two slices for his dinner:
Topped with some raw cashew “cheeze”
 I simply combined some raw cashews, garlic powder, sea salt and a splash of lemon juice in my mini food processor, and pulsed it together until crumbly. It tastes better than Parmesan, in my opinion!
I used it on my dinner, too:
Spiralized zucchini noodles, topped with Paesana marinara and raw cashew cheeze. YUM!! I would have tried the lasagna, but I don’t eat soy products– since it may negatively affect the thyroid, and almost every member of my family on BOTH sides has thyroid issues! I figure, better to be safe than sorry, so soy isn’t something you’ll see often in my diet.
I’ve been interested in my dog’s diet lately as well, ever since that scary lump popped up a few months ago! I’ve been reading that dogs shouldn’t be eating wheat or corn, so I’ve been on the lookout for a healthier dog food for her! After doing some research online, I found that this Wellness brand dog food had received excellent reviews from other pet-owners– it had improved their dogs’ allergies, which Yasha suffers from as well! (I’ve heard that purebred dogs generally suffer from allergies– another reason to adopt from a shelter, rather than buying from a breeder!)
I was excited to find Wellness Super5Mix Weight Control (Yasha’s supposed to lose 4 lbs!) on Amazon, with free shipping!
 Yasha’s never been so excited to see the postman visit!!
 I ordered the 13 lb. bag, so it should last us a while!
Check out all the perks of this food:
Yasha’s not a picky eater, so when I mixed this into her old food last night, she happily gobbled it down! I’m going to gradually wean her off of the old food by mixing in this new food, and hopefully we’ll start seeing some positive results soon!
I think our lazy weekend is going to turn into a movie-filled weekend… we saw Toy Story 3 last night, which was SO good! I was definitely choked-up by the end!! And I think this afternoon we’re going to go see Killers!
Hope you are all having a great weekend!!
By Megan, on June 17th, 2010
Hi friends! Happy Thursday!
This week is FLYING by for me– probably because my business trip broke up the week! Yesterday was my first day back in L.A., and I am so glad to be with my husband and my pup again! I’m also really happy to be back to the abundance of fresh produce we have here! I love Kansas, but the produce there doesn’t compare to the fresh stuff we get in So Cal! Now that my fridge is fully stocked:
I’m ready to enjoy more raw foods again! It’s funny how the warm weather really does make me crave juicy, fresh produce!
There were organic mangoes on sale yesterday, so I enjoyed one with my dinner last night:
I remembered really enjoying a Thai salad at Granville cafe featuring avocado and mango, so I figured that would be a good place to start for my dinner! I chopped up half my mango, half an avocado, some cherry tomatoes, and served them on a bed of mixed greens.
 I dressed it with a simple combo of lemon juice + stevia, and topped it all off with a couple fresh mint leaves. I need to remember that a little goes a LONG way with fresh mint– it kinda over-powered my salad! I might have to stick with mint in my tea for now… and leave it out of my salads next time!
No worries, though… I had some banana soft-serve to cleanse my palate afterward.
My husband and I both agreed that you really don’t EVER need real ice cream again, once you’ve tried banana soft serve. It’s SO creamy and satisfying! Last night, I added a hint of natural peanut butter to the chocolate version, and it was like eating peanut-butter-cup ice cream! Perfect way to end the night.
This morning, I finally got my green juice fix:
Kale, Romaine, 1/2 beet, 1/2 Fuji apple, 1/2 lemon = perfect juice!!
This combo makes me so happy! Plus, I was buzzing with energy for work– no coffee needed!! (I did have my usual cup of green tea a bit later, though…)
When lunch time rolled around, I figured I should just keep this good thing going…
 … more raw food!
My favorite salad: mixed greens, chopped red peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and raw goat cheddar, topped with my favorite vinaigrette!
I’m hoping all this raw food will help me power through my Insanity workout this afternoon! I’ve been looking forward to giving this system a real shot, and I’m so glad that I can try it now that my race is over! I really enjoyed running the half marathon, but I’m looking forward to doing my Insanity dvd’s, as well as my Physique 57 dvd’s for strength-training over the next couple of months. It’s nice changing things up, and having no pressure! I’m sure I’ll want to run another race in the future, but for now, I’m going to enjoy my break. (not that I’d really call Insanity a “break!”–ahh!!!)
Since my food journaling kinda fell off my priority list over the past month, I bought myself a cute little notebook to motivate me again:
I don’t know why, but all of the sudden I can’t get enough of cute bird stuff!
Alright, I’ve got to go workout! Wish me luck!! (gulp)
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