Vegan Finds

Jul 31, 2012

Today I want to write about some awesome vegan things I’ve discovered lately.  First of all, did you know that they’ve invented Almond Milk Greek yogurt?!  I was beyond excited when I discovered these at Whole Foods the other day!  Of course, I went back today for more and all they had was plain flavor, but I bought a few more, because I can add a little Chocolate Shakeology and coconut flakes to it (snack idea thanks to another Beachbody coach!) and I’m good to go.

As for plant based milks, my absolute favorite is the Almond Coconut Milk blend by Blue Diamond.  Surprisingly, I can’t find this at Whole Foods at all, and need to go to the regular grocery store to get it.

Next up?  These vegan bars that I saw at Whole Foods today.  Overall, I like to stay away from bars, because they can be a little high calorie and you can eat something like an apple as a snack instead, which is higher in nutrients and contains less calories.  However, they’re nice to have on hand if I’m running from one place to another and get hungry.

Let’s not even talk about the next thing.  So I used to actually not like peanut butter at all, up until a month ago at the Beachbody Coach Summit, when my coach bought some for us to put into our oatmeal in the mornings.  Now I’m seriously addicted to it and can’t get enough!  I also picked up a few Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars, which the fabulous Kris Britton over at i heart wellness happened to post about on her Facebook page the other day.

Last, but not least, I got my pilot issue of Vegan Health & Fitness Magazine in the mail yesterday.

So what are some of your favorite vegan finds?  I’m sure there are many more things that I have yet to discover and I love trying out new stuff!

 

Latin American Fiesta

Jul 30, 2012

What a busy day it’s been!  I’ve accomplished so much and amazingly I’m not tired as I normally would be.  Perhaps it’s the lasting effects of the acupuncture?

I was up at 5:30 am to get in my workout.  I knew it was going to be a busy day and I’ve found that once I do my workout in the morning, I feel so great that it’s done for the day and that I’m helping to rev up my metabolism.  Not to mention that I can’t come up with any excuses as I might later on in the day for not doing it.  On top of that, I’m actually feeling muscle in my arms and calves.  So exciting!  I can’t wait to see the final results.

Today was my first day working back at the Montessori preschool where I used to work before I began working for the county.  It was great seeing all my former co-workers and all the kids that I’ve known since they were 3 years old.  I couldn’t believe how much some of them had grown up and it was nice to receive their hugs and cries of “Miss Jennifer!” when they saw me.

I also managed to go to the dentist for my final Invisalign set, go to the chiropractor, get a manicure and pedicure while reading 50 Shades Freed (the 3rd book in the 50 Shades of Grey series), come home and cook dinner, and various other odds and ends that needed to be accomplished.  My point?!  There should be no excuses for what you want to achieve.  If you want something badly enough, you will find the time to do it (and I live in chronic pain and with normally low energy — no excuses from me!! 🙂 )

My fuel for today included some amazing food, thanks to inspiration that I received from the PCOS Diva.  She’s a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (which is where I’m currently going to school) and has put together a fantastic Summer Meal Plan to help women with PCOS plan and make amazing meals.  The best part is that the recipes are vegan friendly!  I did make a few changes to what she had on the menu for today, but overall I followed the plan and I was excited to be back in the kitchen cooking amazing food!

Overnight oats with chia seeds, PB2, almond coconut milk, slivered almonds, and blueberries for breakfast!

I also couldn’t resist this snack at Montessori, mainly because I wanted to try the salsa.  I have the recipe and will have to make it sometime for myself, because it was super delicious!

Lunch was a GF wrap with veggies and hummus.  I was actually so excited to make my own hummus, until I got home and realized that I’d completely forgotten to buy tahini so I could make it!  Thankfully I had some hummus in the fridge, but it wasn’t the same.

I was trying to avoid eating an afternoon snack, especially after I listened to one of my IIN lectures about Ayurveda and just eating 3 main meals a day, but I got pretty hungry in the afternoon, so I had an apple while I was at the nail salon, and then a Chocolate Shakeology when I got home.  Seriously, that stuff is so addictive.  It was calling my name and it’s well worth it!  Tastes like a chocolate shake, but it’s filled with so many ingredients that are great for you.  Shakeology is the reason I don’t really drink green smoothies, even though I want to start increasing my intake of green smoothies as well!

My liquid gold!  🙂

And my dinner?!  I made amazing black bean burgers, with homemade guacamole and homemade pico de gallo (all thanks to the PCOS Diva’s recipes), over salad greens.  My burgers didn’t turn out quite the way I anticipated, probably because of the recipe for egg replacer that I used, but I figured that I can always experiment with other egg replacer recipes and that it doesn’t matter if the burgers didn’t turn out perfectly.  At least I was experimenting!

I have tons of leftovers of the black bean burgers too and I’ve already thought of a few different ways to use them up — as fajitas with onions and peppers, in a breakfast scramble with sweet potatoes, or with some quinoa.

All right, it’s been a long day and I’m getting sleepy!  About to get on my Beachbody team call and then I’m going to bed so I can get up early again to do my workout!  Have a great night!

Focus On: Acupuncture

Jul 27, 2012

So those of you that have been following me for a while know that I live with chronic daily headaches and that I’ve tried all manner of treatments to see what will help to heal me.  I won’t go through the entire list of what I’ve tried, but suffice it to say that I’ve been pretty exhaustive in my search for a cure.

A few weeks ago, my chiropractor recommended trying a sublingual Vitamin B12 supplement.  Well actually, the conversation stemmed from trying B12 shots, but those are ridiculously expensive and I don’t even have a doctor to go to that would help to administer those on me (in case you didn’t know, I pretty much hate doctors).  Did the B12 help?  No, but I’m still taking it.

Usually I can deal with the pain, because it’s become such a regular part of my existence. Any other person would probably be whining and complaining about having to take a Tylenol and lay down to sleep with the pain I normally deal with.   So when the pain magnifies, I tend to forget how truly bad my pain can get until it gets there.

Yes, that’s what it feels like when it gets really bad, but I just deal with it.

I can’t stand living the rest of my life with constant headache pain though.  As a result, I’ve decided to try acupuncture once again.  Several months ago, my chiropractor tried it on me, but it was only for 2 days and each session was 10 minutes each.

Thanks to another Beachbody coach on my team, I found out about Community Acupuncture.  Instead of paying regular prices for an acupuncture session (which can run from $60 to $85 or more, as far as I know), at the place I go to, there’s a sliding scale of $15 to $40 per session.  You pay what you feel is best, no questions asked.

I had my first session last week and for once, I actually had results!!!  Super exciting.  My pain did not completely dissipate, but it did almost get broken into clusters (normally I feel pain all over), with pain levels almost dulling down in other parts of my head.  It’s hard to explain, but for me, it was like a miracle.  And then I actually had energy!  Me having energy like a normal person is very rare.  If you ever met me, you’d never know I always feel tired, because I play it off well.

I’ve been twice this week and haven’t noticed anything too significant, but every time I go, I get freezing cold, to the point where I feel like there’s a blanket of cold air surrounding me. The acupuncturist told me that that’s a great sign, because my chi (energy) is moving around my body.  He recommended that I go at least 3x a week for the next 4 weeks, then re-assess from there.  Praying that this is finally my answer!!!

Have a great night everyone!  Enjoy the Olympics if you’re watching the Opening Ceremony.

Protein for PCOS

Jul 25, 2012

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about plant based ways to incorporate more protein into my diet.  Before I get any further, we all know that the number one question that vegans get asked is where they get their protein from.

I do honestly believe that vegans get more than enough protein from adequate plant based sources. Just look at the picture above and you’ll see that the gorilla has no problems getting his protein. Nor does the elephant or the ox (ever heard of the expression “strong as an ox?”) The truth is, the human body does not require as much protein as we have been led to believe. Did you know that there’s an actual term for protein deficiency called kwashiorkor?  If people are so worried about being protein deficient, then how come they’ve never heard of this term before?  It’s almost like people get into a panic about not getting enough protein, but it never becomes a concern until you become vegan.

Isn’t this the truth?!

However, having said all that, I’m wondering if for myself, I’m taking in adequate protein, especially since I have PCOS.  I wasn’t even that concerned until I had a talk with my health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition the other night and she kept asking me about my protein.  The next day she sent me this article about signs of protein deficiency, and I seem to fall under a whole lot of them.  I do have PCOS and fibromyalgia though, so I’m sure that has something to do with it.  And I refuse to follow the article’s recommendation of adding a little red meat into each meal.

For now, I want to experiment with maybe hemp powder or another form of protein powder in addition to my Shakeology, and also see if I can try to get in more of a variety in my diet. I’m looking to two of my favorite authors, Kimberly Snyder and Kris Carr, to help me on my journey.

Since I’m getting amazing results doing the ChaLEAN Extreme and Brazil Butt Lift Hybrid, it’s time I really kick it into gear with super natural, clean plant based sources.  I can’t wait to see what my body will look like with the combination of the two and with modifying my protein intake.

If you have PCOS, how do you feel about your protein intake?  Do you feel you’re getting enough, especially if you’re vegan?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Sunday!

Jul 22, 2012

Hey everyone!  Happy Sunday!  How’s your weekend been going?  This weekend it was very cool & rainy in the DC area.  I actually had to wear a light sweatshirt outside yesterday, which was odd considering the 100 degree temperatures that we’ve been having this summer!

Today’s been a great day, especially because I finally had the opportunity to go to brunch at Great Sage, an all vegan restaurant out in Maryland.  I was there back in October for a benefit dinner and the food was outstanding.  Today was no different.

I’m friends on Facebook with one of the staff members at Compassion Over Killing and when she posted that she and some of her co-workers were going to be going there and asked if anyone else wanted to join, I decided to go along and check it out!

My meal started with sweet potato carrot ginger soup.  It sounded too good to resist when I heard it being read off as one of the soups of the day.

My main meal was a gluten-free wrap with roasted veggies and a side of tempeh bacon.  The wrap looked much nicer when it arrived and this is already half eaten, but the picture I took with all the veggies inside didn’t show much 🙂

After brunch, I headed out to see Katy for a few hours.  It was nice to catch up, especially since I don’t see her everyday anymore (we both taught at the same school) and since she’s moving back to Ohio soon.  We decided to grab a salad at Sweetgreen, one of my favorite places to go in the DC area for an awesome healthy meal.  This was their awesome Chic-P vegan salad!

While I was out by Great Sage, I bought some coconut water at the organic market by the restaurant.  The funny this is that the first time I ever tasted coconut water I hated it, and then today when I was at Sweetgreen I was wishing that they sold it there so that I could have some with my meal!

Now I have to get ready for a coaching call with my health coach from IIN.  Enjoy your evenings!

 

Getting Back on Track

Jul 21, 2012

I’m not quite sure how to begin this blog post.  I can’t believe it’s been a month since I was in Vegas, learning from the best coaches and corporate team at Beachbody about how to grow my business.  I got to meet Shaun T…

Attended amazing training workshops…

Over 5,000 coaches!!!

and solidified my commitment to continue to help as many people as possible by helping to End the Trend of Obesity in the United States.I also celebrated my 30th birthday with my friends & family with some gluten-free vegan Z Pizza and an awesome gluten-free vegan cake from CakeLove.

Yet despite my commitment to help End the Trend by helping others, I let myself slip with my eating habits.  Ok, so I haven’t really been eating THAT bad — I still don’t eat junk or anything processed.  I lost weight in Vegas, but coming back, I wasn’t mindful of planning my meals, and would start eating bananas or whatever else was around.  Now a banana here or there is ok, but eating too much of anything will cause you to gain weight, no matter what. And we all know that having PCOS causes you to gain weight in the flash of an instant if you’re not careful.

The result?!  I gained back at least 7 pounds of the weight that I lost on the Beachbody Ultimate Reset.  Not good!  Now I feel like I have to work 3 times as hard to get it back down again (of course, not uncommon with PCOS).

I really think I was ashamed to admit that I’d gained weight.  Afraid to admit that I allowed myself to slip up and that I wasn’t being as perfect with my eating as I sometimes appear to be, as if I’m being a hypocrite.  Yet I’m admitting this to show that we can’t all be perfect all the time.  We all slip up, but the most important thing to remember is that we can always get back on track.

I’ve been working out consistently with my Beachbody workouts (even doing a little Brazil Butt Lift, so much fun!!!), and it actually looks like I’ve lost several inches, so you can’t tell that I’ve gained weight.  I’m determined to get back to where I was and then some.  I refuse to allow PCOS and fibromyalgia win.  I am more than just my body, but my body is also what allows me to enjoy everything that life has to offer, and I’m going to do what it takes to be an example for myself and for other women that PCOS can be successfully managed through proper diet and exercise.  We’ve got this!

Happy 4th of July!

Jul 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July!  Ok, so I haven’t blogged in forever, and I still need to post about what I did in Vegas and how I celebrated my birthday vegan style.  But I couldn’t let the 4th of July slip past without it getting a brief mention.

I spent it by the pool, reading 50 Shades of Grey and then 50 Shades Darker (and let me say, I’m officially in love with Christian Grey and would love to marry him! 😉 ) and then I made myself some black bean burgers, sweet potato fries, and kale salad (sans the mushrooms, just because).

How did you spend your day?!