Pork & Veggies - Yums!

So last night, I got home about 8 pm and I thought, the last thing I want to do is cook. Then I was nervous that the pork I bought would go bad so - I cooked. And it was delish!

I bought a pork tenderloin and marinated with grapeseed oil, rosemary, garlic, kosher salt and pepper

I roasted some asparagus and okra

I started cooking with grapeseed oil after reading several articles on how olive oil becomes toxic above room temperature. Actually, grapeseed oil tastes much better anyway! Coconut oil is good too but not as easy to use in situations like this

We had a little friend watching us - he looks sweet but don't be fooled

Honestly, this is my favorite kind of meal because it needs no recipe, no prep, nothing. I just took the tenderloin out of the bag, rubbed it in Grapeseed oil, put fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, kosher salt and pepper and that was it. I put it in the oven, 450 degrees, popped in the meat thermometer and took it out when it said (it was supposed to say 170, but mine said 180). It was only 20 minutes so I was a little nervous, but it was done and still juice so that time worked. 

For the veggies, I just put grapeseed oil, kosher salt and gresh ground pepper on them and roasted them for 10 minutes each. I actually did the okra another 5 minutes on broil to soften them up a bit more. 

HAWMC - Day 6 - Haiku

I have a friend who is excellent at writing Haiku's - I am not. But here we go - the challenge for today is to write a haiku on our health focus. 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables

Asparagus. Yum. 

Paleo - maybe not hard

I so love okra

Cow. Chickens. Free Range. 

The extra cost - so worth it

I love my planet

Almond flour - spelt

wait - my sinuses are clear

allergies be gone

There you go! Probably not selling these for money - but it was fun. 

Namaste y'all!

WEGO Health Challenge Day 5 - Photo inspiration

Our challenge for today is to explore Flickr, find an image that inspires us and write about it. Can we somehow relate it to our health focus. 

image source

I'm honestly having a hard time with this. One - I don't really get that inspired from pictures. Two - none of the pictures that probably would inspire me were shown - probably because there are thousands and thousands of pictures to look through. I ended up choosing this one for a couple of reasons 

1 - it reminds me of Africa - the person who posted this did not list where it was taken, but to me, it looks like Africa. 

2 - it also represents to me the beauty of the earth that can be seen when we slow down and pay attention

How it relates to my health awareness is learning to live in the present, pay attention to the gifts that have been given, and appreciate our surroundings. 

So - not the best BUT it is done!

Namaste! 

WEGO Health Day 4 - I write about my health because....

Today's challenge is to finish this statement -

"I write about my health because..."

The first time I even thought about blogging was when reading a magazine and finding that there were blogs out there promoting disordered eating behaviors. As young women, we already get enough pressure from media, fashion, boys, I thought, we don't need more pressure from our own peers.

source - models.com

I started this blog to raise money for the American Cancer Society and it has developed into a lot of different things. I write about m fitness journey and how much it changes, decorating my house, food, etc. The one thing that I try to keep consistent in my posts is an honest, authentic account of my life as it relates to my struggles with body image, nutrition and fighting against the myths that have been bestowed upon us throughout our entire lives. Essentially, I'm trying to show people how I am evaluating everything I've ever been taught about how to view myself and change it.

me as Rachel Zoe - yes - almost identical

I don't have a huge following but I hope that even if someone reads my blog just once, it gives them the confidence to be themselves, whatever that may be. To believe whatever it is that he/she wants to believe. That it's okay to make mistakes - it really makes life more enjoyable - and throughout it all - I am perfect as a child of God.


I think that as women, we have been taught to constantly punish ourselves for being - ourselves. We're taught we always need to be improving our appearance, dye your hair, work out HARD and it's not okay to take breaks. We're supposed to be supermoms, with perfect houses, flourishing gardens and perfect at making everything from scratch. We are to be completely unselfish, put our family ahead of our own interests, and never to complain.

image source

That's not real. Sometimes, I want a cookie. Sometimes, I burn my paleo/low-cal/healthy breakfast that will help me shrink my pant size by 3 sizes. Sometimes, I straight up don't want to run. I just want to watch the real Housewives of Orange Country, put on a pair of shorts that are comfortable in all the wrong places and a t shirt with no bra, and eat a damn brownie. And in those times that I feel that way, that's what I do and that's okay. Maybe if I can be a little gentler with myself and the expectations I have for myself, I'll be more present and willing to do the others things when they need to be done.

SO - that's what I write about my health.


Namaste y'all!

WILW - Photo Edition

Yay for what I'm loving Wednesday!!!

Thanks Jamie

I sometimes think it's funny to look back on photos I've taken during the week. It's amazing the things that peak my interest, most of which are food. So I've decided today's WILW will be dedicated to my photos for this week. Enjoy. 

my new paleo focus has me eating odd snacks - I like almond butter better than sunflower butter I found, BUT it was $6 so I'm eating the whole jar - I can promise that

My mini meatloafs and mashed sweet potatoes - but the pic turned out too warm - bleh

 I was trying to be artistic but this just looks kind of gross - it was actually really really really good

So I've been telling my hubby I wanted Iris's and look at what popped up in my yard - thank you previous house owner!

I love them

I ate this last week - pre Paleo. But I am going to continue to eat things like these because I can - just not as frequently maybe - maybe... 

Ellen's is sooo good - support your local!

Super excited about my new Toms even though I got a size too big

BBQ place in Columbia that is straight up nasty 

Yeah - I did take a pic of this 

Charleston Pralines - this was delicious but hurt my teeth

Should I be disturbed that almost all of these are food? Obvs, we found my fav thing to photograph. 

Hope you like them!

Paleo Again - Planning for the Week

I am attempting a paleo-esque diet again simply because I am trying very hard to eat a little healthier. The main person who is influencing me to try this again is my friend from In The Pink and Green, Jane. Her and her hubby are eating Paleo and they love it. Jane is one of those people that just has such a healthy outlook on life. She doesn't eat healthy for weight loss (it's a nice by product but that's not her goal), she just wants to feel better. She and her husband love to eat and explore like my husband and I do, so they do that. But when they're at home, they're trying to lead a healthy and green life style. So I can use them for inspiration!

a pic I stole from her blog

The thing I like about Paleo is the emphasis on eating things whole. Getting away from the traditional processed foods that include bleached white flour and other chemicals. I can take that idea and run with it. Ultimately, I think that if we can eat it as close to it's natural form as possible, our bodies can digest it in a way that is healthful. I don't agree on certain things, like certain veggies are bad for you, because like I said, if God put it there for us to grow, we can probably eat it. Unless it's poisonous in which case it has it's purpose but not for us to eat :)

I know there are people who disagree with me, but I don't care :)

So, what's on the menu for this week??? 

Breakfast - Sweet potato, sausage and spinach hash - 

Recipe

my version :)

Lunch - 

Chicken salad with avocado instead of mayo

Recipe

from the recipe above - I did not take my own pic yet

I brought an apple with some Sunflower butter for a snack and also to pair with my chicken salad for lunch. I also brought a pear and I have some trail mix. 

Dinner - Mini Meatloafs

Recipe

From the recipe above 

With this, I am going to roast some okra. And maybe have a couple of small sweet potatoes? I don't know. We'll see!

I'll eat the breakfast hash and the chicken salad for a couple of days so the only thing that will be different is dinner which I will post about later. 

Have you ever tried Paleo? 

Do you typically alter a "diet" to fit your lifestyle? 

HAWMC Day 3 - Superpowers

Today's challenge is to pick a superpower that you would like and what would you do with it.

source

My husband and I were talking about this the other day because we were doing the questions I found on this blog. My husband said he would want to fly. Actually, his answer to a lot of questions was the ability to fly so I guess he just really wants to fly. 

how good does that look? 

So I'm about to write probably the corniest answer but it's something that I really believe so I'm going to go ahead and apologize in advance. 

I wouldn't want a superpower. I feel like I learn so much from my limitations that by changing that, I may prohibit my ability to grow. I also feel like we go through things in life for specific reasons and while they may not always be comfortable, there is a reason for those difficult situations. Maybe that's why child stars always end up with some kind of crazy life because they don't have to face adversity? Who knows, but I feel like the world works together in such a way that I can't understand but that by me taking my minuscule little mind and trying to change it with my limited understanding, I'd mess up something much bigger! 

So that was my answer - short and sweet - corny but true. 

Namaste Y'all! 

Day 2 - WEGO Health - Quotation Inspiration

Today's challenge is to:


"Find a quote that inspires you (either positively or negatively) and free write about it for 15 minutes". 


As soon as I saw this challenge, I thought Marianne Williamson because I just love her! I have gotten so much out of listening to her cds and reading her books. So I decided to choose this quote - 


As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others.
Marianne Williamson

source

This is similar to another quote that I love from Gandhi - 


"Be the change you wish to see in the world"

source

or at least the way I interpret it

I would say there are two parts to this quote that strike me. The first one relates to authenticity. All of my life, I have been told by people that I am "eccentric". That's not really my favorite word, but in essence, I have been told I'm different over and over. Over the years, I have learned that in order to fit in, I need to "hide" certain aspects of my personality. I like to say that I'm a "worldly girl" in a southern girl's body. I'm interested in things that others aren't as much - but as I continue to re-evaluate everything I've ever been taught & everything I know, the more comfortable I am with the fact that maybe I don't fit in all the time and that's okay. I love how she says that we should "let our light shine". I've found that the more I explore who I am and become comfortable with that, the more that 1) I find people that are similar to me in thought and 2) the more that the people I thought were not similar to me actually were but never really expressed it. 

The other piece of that quote is that (for me) I don't have to worry about anyone else in this world. I can sit back and judge everyone else about who they are and what they're doing but in actuality, if I want to change something around me, I need to start with me. Once I can live up to the own ideals I want to create for everyone else, then maybe, through seeing something different in me, people will want to change too. Or maybe not. But it doesn't have anything to do with me. Maybe through being myself, others can sense my own authenticity & maybe they'll choose to take that path as well. Or maybe not. All I have to worry about is me! And I love that!

What's your favorite quote? 

Namaste, y'all! 

Day 1 of WEGO Health Challenge - Health Time Capsule

Today is the first day of the WEGO Health Writer's Challenge (actually it was yesterday but I was traveling home from Charleston, so I thought I'd do a post early this morning and the other later this afternoon) and the topic is a Health Time Capsule. I have to pretend I'm making a health time capsule that will be opened in 10 years. What do I put in it & what will people think of it when they find it. 

First, what I need to do is define my health focus for this challenge. I write about a lot of different things so I can probably pick a million, and maybe I'll do a different one each time but I think the biggest movement that I truly believe in and where I'd like to be an advocate is revealing the truths of the diet industry. I began my "get healthy" path by going on a couple of extreme diets & working out hard every day. One week, I'd be cutting out all high density carbs, including fruit. The next week, I'd be measuring out my almonds and weighing my protein. It all was very extreme and emotionally distracting. What ended up happening was my inability to continue to stay on such an extreme diet would emerge, I would binge all weekend and then feel guilty about it the following week. Then my binges started on friday instead of saturday. Then thursday and by the end of it, I was only eating healthy on Tuesdays. The rest of the days, I was rebelling against the idea that I couldn't eat certain fruits & veggies because they had too much "sugar". In the end, I was eating a box of oreos. 

I appreciate that there are many out there who have no issues with food control, but based on the multi billion dollar diet industry, shows like the biggest loser, and the rising numbers in disordered eating, I would say that I'm not alone in my inability to do so. So if I were building a Health Time Capsule, I would include certain things that have helped me change that "diet" mentality along the way. Here's a brief list. 

1. A book called "Women, Food & God" by Geneen Roth

buy it here

2. Another book called "A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson

buy it here!

3. A yoga mat & a yoga book to help start a yoga practice

source

4. A cookbook called " Super Natural Cooking" by Heidi Swanson

source

5. (since I'm in Greenville, SC & I'm assuming people looking at my time capsule live here) A list of local farms that sell milk, cheese. meat, veggies, etc. 

I'm doing this this year!

6. A book called "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mirielle Guiliano

Amazon

7. Hiking guides for the surrounding states

Hiking Trail in Eastern NC/SC

I'm sure I could come up with many other things, but those are probably the things I think would help get my point across. I would hope that as people look through my time capsule, that they were things they have already adopted! But if not, I hope that they realize that being skinny isn't the most important thing but a by product of living a healthy lifestyle. I wanted to include the local farms, specifically the ones that serve meat, to show that one can eat meat in a fairly healthy/sustainable way. 

I can't wait to read what other's wrote about today! This is going to be fun!

Namaste, y'all!