In Persuit of.....Perfection????

OK, another long break from blogging. I'm back. Just gonna say right now that this is going to happen.  Of course, I have amazing intentions of blogging every day or at least several times a week, but it just isn't reality. I have a job. And a family. And ADD, aaaaand that really gets in the way. Anyways, that brings me to today's topic: perfection. Webster defines "perfect" as: entirely without ANY flaws, defects or shortcomings. Well, now...that surely doesn't describe me or anyone I know....but I certainly am guilty of putting immense pressure on myself to be "perfect."
I'm not sure when all of this started, but it has been only in the past few years. Since I have gotten super involved in fitness, being a trainer, and now a nutritionist, i have really put crazy pressure on myself to eat perfectly, to have an amazing workout every day, and to live the "perfect" active lifestyle.Not to mention being the perfect mom and wife.
All this pressure on myself has made me a little crazy! I see my clients putting pressure on themselves, too. It happens a lot with food....if we haven't had a "perfect" day of eating, well, screw it. We might as well just give up and start again tomorrow.
This is CRAZY!!! This all or nothing mentality that I am guilty of, and that I encounter all the time with my clients. We need to give ourselves GRACE. There are so many external pressures out there demanding our time and efforts, it just does us such a disservice to place severe pressure on OURSELVES, too. I have a lot of grace with my clients. I understand that life happens, life gets crazy, it destroys our best intentions  and thwarts our best efforts.I understand that they are human, and life is not always kind. I encourage them to pick up where they are right now~not where they think they "should" be~and keep going.
If we get up and keep trying, CONSISTENCE can take the place of that perfection mentality. It can also be much more rewarding. Perfection is not attainable, and putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect can only make us miserable and it makes us feel like a failure. In stark contrast, being consistent builds upon itself. The act of doing something well (i.e. a healthy habit) over and over again builds our confidence and builds momentum so we are able to continue being consistent and then we will reap the amazing benefits from establishing healthy habits.
                Small improvements, over time, lead to stellar results.
Start one healthy habit today, and do it again tomorrow, and again the next day, until it becomes a part of who you are and what you do, then start something else. Small improvements, over time, lead to stellar results. Perfection not needed. Have a great day!

Salad of the Day #1

It's no surprise to some of you that I love salad. Often when people (my clients, friends, etc) ask me "What do you eat?" My answer is "a lot of salads...."  I get a disgusted/bored look. Which makes me sad, because there is SO much you can do with this "magic~ness in a bowl" that is usually referred to as a boring old SALAD. So,  am going to take it upon myself to educate you salad haters out there, and also to give you a plethora of ideas to make your own salads totally un~boring.

Today's SOD~salad of the day. Spinach, artichoke hearts, black olives, tomatoes, avocado + ground turkey.

Dressing of the day~mustard, red wine vinegar, EVOO, whisked in a bowl and poured all over. 

Super easy, and so good!

                                                              Have a great weekend!!!

My First Whole30 Success Story!!!!

I am super proud of Lyndsay! I gave her the Whole30 program and she DID it! She got her boyfriend on board, too, and he did it. They did it right, and got fantastic results! I weighed and measured and measured her bodyfat % on the first day. Then again, today....30 days later. The results are stellar and I am so happy for her! She's going to continue on with it, because it changed her life, but I just wanted to share what 30 days can do.
She lost 10 pounds. And because I measured her bodyfat, we know.....it was 10 legitimate pounds of FAT. Not water, not muscle, every single bit was fat. So, she maintained every bit of muscle mass (which is AMAZING....not on one "traditional" diet will this happen......you will ALWAYS lose muscle, too.) Lyndsay lost 1/2 inch off her chest, 2 1/4 inches off her waist, 2 1/4 inches off her hips, 2 inches off her "muffin top" (yes, I measure that, too), 1 1/4 inch off each thigh and 1/2 inch off her upper arm. And her boyfriend lost 15 pounds and has a MUCH flatter stomach and much better energy and digestion. The results speak for themselves and I am so happy for them!
So, if you are ready to clean out the crap and change YOUR life, contact me and I will help you learn how! I went to the Foundations of Nutrition Workshop all day last Saturday. THAT changed my life. I truly believe in this program and in what it can do for YOUR health. More energy, better sleep, better digestion, clearer head, LEANER body! It can be done, and I would LOVE nothing more than to help you get there! HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!

The best chicken...ever!!!

So, I have gotten in the habit of buying all of my meat from Whole Foods. Yes, it's a little more expensive, but I  have started to realize that it's worth the cost difference (which, in reality, isn't all that much) to ensure my family is getting meat with no freaky added hormones or antibiotics, and most importantly, isn't "tortured" like feed lot meat and poultry. I like to think that I am eating happy cows and chickens. :)
Anyway....so, they started carrying these "Skagit Red" chickens~whole, pastured chickens that are.so.good. The taste, compared to your run-of-the-mill Foster Farms~type chicken is just not even in the same league. So, anyways, if you get a chance, check out these little happy chickens. I am sure they had friends, too.

Tuesday:

5am: black coffee, 2 eggs+1 white

10am: ground turkey, homemade pasta sauce, zucchini noodles, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts
 (kosher, from Trader Joe's~also, super good....a little side note....Kosher turkey has the same or higher standards as organic)

7:30pm...The above mentioned chicken, roasted with roasted vegetables...beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, zucchini, onion, butternut squash.
*sidenote* roasted root vegetables are like candy....so good!!!

False Start...

     
 "If you focus on results, you'll never change~but if you focus on change, the results will come."
I like that one...it's very true. I have a confession.... I got a bit of a false start on the Whole30 challenge. I had a SUPER stressful/emotional weekend, which, I am realizing, kinda drives me to be careless about what I consume. SO...stressful weekend behind me+ renewed vigor and motivation=new day, and a new challenge! I'm ready for it! I have successfully cut so many things out of my diet that the only thing left that "triggers" a binge is nuts. So....for the rest of this thing, nuts are out. They are super addictive to me.
 I could have kept going, pretending like I didn't "fall off the wagon" but that wouldn't be very honest....and I am trying to get everything out in the open, for one, so I don't deceive myself, but also for everyone else out there that STRUGGLES with food....I get it. I SO get it. It's really really hard sometimes to maintain discipline in that area of my life. And I know sooooo many women who struggle with a food addiction of one kind of another. I don't think it's any coincidence that Satan tempted Eve with FOOD. Pretty crazy. All we can do is keep trying! Anyways, I hope ya'll have a good day and I'll see ya back here with my (nut free) food journal later today. Happy Tuesday!

Carnitas!!! and the Whole30 challenge

First of all, I'm not a huge pork fan. But I saw this recipe on Kait's Primal Kitchen blog, and I knew I HAD to make it. In the crock pot ALLLLL day....5am~5pm. A quick blast in a hot oven to make them crispy....so so so good. So, if you're in the mood for some delicious PIG, make this recipe! 

This is what I made with them. Twice. Cabbage, onions, tomatoes, guac, salsa and lots of carnitas. Mmmmmm......

So, on to the challenge I told ya'll about the other day. Starting yesterday (because it was October 1st, and why NOT start a challenge on the first day of the month, I ask you???) several of my clients, and whoever else I could recruit (because believe me, I try to recruit everyone for stuff like this....it's THAT good) and I started the Whole30 challenge. The Whole30 is a 30 day challenge to eat ONLY whole foods~organic/pasture raised/wild meats and seafood, lots of vegetables, some fruit and some great healthy fats like avocado and coconut products. The challenge eliminates all foods that must be processed in order to consume them~dairy products, anything made from grains, all sugar, etc. It's such a GREAT challenge because it "resets" your body~eliminating all cravings for all the crap that you just.can't.stop.eating. I LOVE it! So many people have experienced such fantastic health benefits from eating this way....I just can't give it enough props! Anyways, if you are at all interested in joining the challenge, check out the website and read about it for yourself. I will be posting my food journal for the next 30 days (as regularly as I can) so you can see what it might involve. It's not hard. It's goooooood!!! I will also be posting recipes for good food! Have a great Sunday!

Surprise veggie box....

Happy Thursday! 

Yesterday, one of my clients brought me this awesome box full of vegetables from her garden!

So I made this:

Ground Beef, Sauteed brussels (why is there an "s" at the end of that word?)  sprouts, beets, carrots and broccoli with zucchini "pasta" tossed in (homemade) pesto. 

Pesto Recipe:

1 large bunch of basil (i use trader joe's)

2 handfuls spinach or arugula

3-8ish cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)

1/2 c.(ish) extra virgin olive oil

salt

Put greens and garlic in the food processor...process until finely chopped. Stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. sprinkle in a little salt, pulse one more time....good to go! Instant magical vegetable~topping sauce!!!!

Have a great day! I will be posting about a challenge later today.....