Do you realize your potential?

She's so beautiful. She's so perfect. She's a piece of heaven. She is an image of God's perfection & love. Her life has so much potential and there are a million ways that she could change the world...

I'm not just saying this because she's my daughter. Don't we ALL say these types of things about every sweet little innocent baby we see?

Why, then, do we let go of those beliefs once we grow older?
{This is about to get --real-- people.}

Y O U were once this tiny little perfect baby. Y O U, from the DAY you were born, had so much waiting for you in this world. So much potential. So much impact. So much love to give and receive. So WHY have so many given up on this for themselves?

There are moments in our lives where we feel this potential for ourselves. Maybe for you it was in middle school. Maybe when you found your calling in college. Maybe when you got that promotion at work. Or maybe you have yet to feel this moment...maybe it's out there waiting for you.

And there are moments where we let go of it. I'm about to get real here, and it's only because I have vowed to live my life unapologetically and share MY truth, no matter what.

After Kennedy was born, I felt myself slipping away from this potential. I was blessed with incredible parents who always made me believe I could influence the world, so I always had this little voice in my pulling me toward greatness. But when my daughter was born & I looked in the mirror and saw an obese, quiet, self-conscious mother who was feeling completely lost and contemplating giving up on herself, I felt that potential was gone for me.

Honestly.

I figured my little life was now insignificant because I had let myself go. {{Crazy how our body can have THAT much impact on our thoughts and beliefs, huh?}}

I decided I had too much life left to live. Whether God's plan for me was for 1 more day or 80 more years, it was too much to just let slip away without making the most of it and loving every day of it.

BECAUSE I made the decision to grab hold of my health and my body-image, I found that stirring in my soul again.
BECAUSE I began the journey of body transformation, I stumbled upon the journey of LIFE transformation and TRULY 110% feel ALIVE and that I am living with great PURPOSE.
BECAUSE I never gave (give...it's a daily thing ) up on myself, I absolutely believe my life has incredible potential.
BECAUSE I made a commitment to a silly little challenge group that began September 16th, 2013, I now have passion, fulfillment, purpose, and a DEEP desire to make the most of this life and help others realize they are worth MORE than mediocrity and unhappiness.

See yourself as that perfect image that God created...that's what you ARE and that's how I see you. Even if you've given up on yourself, I haven't. I know your life can completely turn around and be so much greater than you've ever imagined. Your life is NOT inconsequential. You have SO MUCH great potential.

Right now I feel the deepest stirring in my soul to make waves in this world. I know I'm meant to do BIG things, and NOTHING can stop me from making them reality. 

It's HERE!

To say I'm excited is a serious understatement...and the thing that excites me most is having a group of people already all signed up and ready to go ((and by "go" I mean "suffer/transform/get crazy lean & strong")) with their Christmas present en route to their doorstop!


Shaun T's new workout ::Insanity Max 30:: is now available!



This present will NOT make it till Christmas morning-- our exclusive test group begins MONDAY!! Not too late to join us if you're feeling crazyyyyyy


Sneak peek at a few of the brand new moves in the video!


Want to join us?? We start MONDAY so you gotta act fast- just go here Max30Exclusive is you're ready to DIVE in or message me if you want to chat first!

Holiday Menu Makeover

I already warned my family that this will be the healthiest holiday ever... I know what Thanksgiving dinners (and breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and desserts) have been like in the past and I know that in order to stick to my 90 day challenge, a few recipe makeovers need to be shared! I challenge all of you to take at least one of these to your family's get-together. Don't even tell them how healthy it is! Just throw it in there and sit back with a smile on your face knowing that you've helped those you love most to be a little healthier on this wonderful day!

Now, you guys know that I'm just getting into this whole cooking really healthy meals thing, and honestly this is the first time I've really tried cooking in general (sorry, dear husband, but yay for finally turning the corner, right?!), so none of these recipes are mine!! BUT they are the recipes I'm taking to my own family get togethers, and sending to my mom so our entire menu is full of the good stuff! Why not share health this holiday??

My theory for Thanksgiving

Here's what my food intake will look like (fail to plan, plan to fail, right?)

(And YES I realize my carbs will be very high today but I'm okay with that because I know I'm going to get my workout in, I know I'm still getting in one well-rounded & nutrition-packed meal to fuel my body, I know I'm going to drink a ton of water, and I know one day of high carbs isn't going to undo all of my hard work...plus, this is WAY better than what I could be ::ehm- used to:: overindulge in!!)

Thanksgiving:

    Breakfast: Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles with coconut milk yogurt

    Lunch:      Chocolate Shakeology- plain with unsweetened almond milk & ice

    Dinner:     Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, Warm Roasted Butternut Squash Salad, 

                     Sweet Potato Casserole, Pumpkin Sage Biscuit, fresh veggies

    Dessert:    Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream 

Black Friday:

    Breakfast: Pumpkin French Toast Bake

    Lunch:       Vanilla Shakeology- with banana, unsweetened almond milk & ice

    Dinner:      Leftovers :)

    Dessert:    Sugar Cookies

Again, the following are not my recipes. Not my pictures either! Just wanted you guys to see their beautiful creations :)
Maybe next year after I've had some practice (and a fancy camera? hmm? Santa??) I'll be able to create my own menu for us all...but I wouldn't want to poison anyone or have your family ban you from ever contributing to the holiday meals again. ;) 

My rules for recipes to make it to my menu? Gotta be pretty simple & not need any super fancy weird ingredients or crazy cooking methods. I. Am. Not. A. Chef. I don't know about all that stuff no matter how many episodes of Chopped I indulge in.


Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. You'll see a lot from Minimalist Baker because I've never made something from them that I don't love and they make it so SIMPLE- all recipes require just 10 ingredients or less, one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare! My kind of people!!
P.P.S. Just click the name of the dish to get to the recipe! :) 
P.P.P.S. Make sure you check back over the next few days to find my top holiday survival tips! Okay, okay, for real-- here you go:

Sugar Cookies
I don't know about you guys, but it's a tradition for us to make/decorate sugar cookies every year and I always eat more dough than cookie buuuuut then somehow there aren't many cookies left by the end of the night......... so yeah. Glad for this one ;)

Pumpkin Pie
Uh. Gimme. Now. SO excited that this looks so simple!

No Bake Pumpkin Pie & Whipped Cream

Yes, another pumpkin pie recipe because this one comes with a whipped cream recipe. Be still, my heart.

Pumpkin Sage Biscuits
Yum?! Pumpkin + biscuit = gimme.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Waffles
I think I'm adding a waffle maker to my list for Santa JUST for these waffles...oh. em. gee.

Pumpkin French Toast Bake
Okay I kinda got on a pumpkin kick here but, come on, it's fall so it's okay. And come ON you KNOW YOU WANT FRENCH TOAST!! At least I do. :D This looks like perfection for your Black Friday morning (before or after your shopping extravaganza).

Warm Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Aside from all of the pumpkin things, this is one that I'm SUPER pumped to make!

Winter Squash Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes and Peas

mmmm...I think this will be making a regular appearance.

Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
This one has my name on it.

Vegan Stuffing (that apparently "really rocks.")

I've never been a stuffing fan, but I found this one for you guys. There's a link in there for a non-vegan version as well if that would float your boat a bit better.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Casserole

Um. This looks like dessert and my main dish all wrapped up into one. Get. In. My. Mouth. 

(I'll be using flaxseed instead of an egg ;) )

Cranberry Relish

Back away from the canned cranberry sauce. 

Cucumber Cooler Cocktails

In case you need a better alcohol than a glass full of sugar...

And the main man:

Apple-Shallot Roasted Turkey

I won't be partaking in the bird this year (that whole plant-based thing, remember?) but this looks like a FABULOUS makeover for this handsome fella. And even if you don't change anything about your turkey recipe, at least remove the skin before eating it- it's loaded with saturated fat. 

Did I miss anything? Need something specific? Just leave a comment or message me and I'll help you out!

Happy healthy holiday, loves! 

2 Week Progress

{{Okay, I KNOW this was supposed to go up on TUESDAY but I promise the reason it's just now going up isn't because I fell of the wagon! Just been crazy busy planning FUN things for my upcoming challenge groups so my head has been kiiiinda all over the place lol. Anyway.}}

You know what feels REALLY good?

When you always do your workouts in a sports bra in front of a mirror to make sure you have good form, are going deep enough into each move, and are keeping your core engaged through all the moves--seriously, if I have a shirt on, I let it all hang out!

....and then you SEE yourself transforming-- like, you see that fat has melted off your sides and your ABS are making their debut!!! SUCH a motivating feeling!

Was it OVERNIGHT progress? No. But OBVIOUSLY the reason I was able to see those changes was because I stayed consistent even when I did not see changes immediately! I mean, nothing changes unless something changes, ya know? Daily habits and commitment to the process even when I had 10,000 other things happening and it really wasn't convenient-- THAT is why I saw progress. 

before & after one of my P90X3 workouts...SUCH a tough one!

And the whole food plant-based thing? How's that going? Um. 

I. Freaking. LOVE IT.

Why do I love it so much? Because it's so feasible for me. Really, it's pretty easy. BUT I know that many people wouldn't feel the same way... I've never really liked meat so that was easy to cut out. I hadn't been drinking cow's milk for a long time because about a year ago I started using almond milk for my Shakeology and never looked back. The only thing I used to eat a lot of that I don't now is parmesan cheese. (I've never liked red sauce on my pasta- told ya I was picky- so I always just doused my noodles with parmesan and called it a day!) 

Cravings? Ummm not really? I mean my husband was evil the other day and brought home marshmallows...one of my old faves lol. So I've kept those hidden and out of my mind! Really the only time I had BAD cravings was last week when I ran out of my favorite flavor of Shakeology and had to resort to an old bag of a flavor I don't really love but I could tell the taste was off so I'm pretty sure it had gone bad. THEREFORE I didn't have my daily shakeo for 2 days and on that second day...I wanted the bad stuff. I wanted tres leches from Chuy's Mexican Restaurant (cake soaked in sweet milk- so good) but that got me thinking about Chuy's and then I wanted chips. Then I wanted chocolate. Then I wanted a Starbucks cake pop. Then I wanted a donut. I wanted a pumpkin donut so bad that I almost caved and turned in. I was tired. I wanted the old foods I hadn't had in a while. I was cranky.

And then I realized I hadn't had my Shakeo!! DUH, TORI. Because I hadn't been giving my body the nutrition it NEEDED and was used to, it was screaming at me. And screaming some confusing signals.

See, when we are craving certain foods, it's because our body is missing something. It's still in need nutrients that the foods we've had up until that point didn't provide. Shakeology is very commonly misunderstood as a protein shake or a "weight loss thing" but it's SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. There are over 70 superfoods in here to give us protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, phytonutrients, and adaptogen herbs. Yeah. THAT is why I drink it. It gets my body running at peak performance and fills all those holes in my diet that other foods don't. It gives me energy and gets rid of those cravings. So yeah. When I didn't have it for 2 days, I was hurting lol. 

Anyway. I know what you guys really want....a RESULTS report, right?? 

Okay here ya go:

that flat tummy excites me!!

DRUMROLL PLEASE ;)


Down 5.8 pounds! I don't remember the last time my tummy was this flat...if ever. Not because of fat but because something behind my lower abs was pushing it out down there. (Ya know...like all that stuff in my digestive tract??) So I'm definitely giving wfpb the win on that! 

And these results NOT from starving myself, begin miserable, having zero energy, or cutting out any necessary nutrient that is leading me down a path that will eventually lead to rebounding and putting on MORE weight than I'd lose. {{This is why I don't like calling what I'm doing a "diet" ...diets lead to needing more diets!!}}

Feeling good. Feeling energized. Feeling happy. Feeling EXCITED about these results!! And I'm loving P90X3 and the changes happening thanks to that BUT I have NEVER been as excited/nervous/anxious for a workout program as I am about Insanity Max :30!!! Can't wait to start that program with the handful of people brave enough to do it with me! Are you doing it with me? Fill out this little questionnaire to see if it's a good fit for you! :)

Talk to you soon loves...what'd you do today to make it a FIT day??

Dance Party with Shaun T

So Kennedy, Shaun T, and I are going to invade your house tonight for a decorating dance party! Hahahaha I absolutely love this video- SO fun!

But for real I'm PUUUUMPED for Shaun T to invade MY house and whip my butt into the best shape of my life! I might not learn any new dance moves but I'll settle for a 6 pack ;)

Are you going to do Max 30 with me?? Or do you need help finding the working program that fits YOUR needs? I know this highly intense workout isn't going to be right for everyone (shoot, I would have ran away as fast as possible if I had tried to start with something this crazy!!) but I want to help YOU find whatever you need to find your happy through this healthy lifestyle! BUT if you DO want to try this INSANE workout with me, message me and let me know so we can get you into my exclusive test group!

But for now, enjoy this masterpiece:

Where will you arrive?

Ten years from now you will surely arrive. The question is, where?

A girl wrote me on Instagram today after seeing my post-baby transformation and said, "my baby is 8 months old now. I should've worked out when I first had her instead of waiting."


Have you guys ever felt this way? Regretful that you didn't start something days, months, years ago? Well, first of all there is NO POINT in looking back. There is literally nothing you can do to change it so what's the use? The only things that the "could have/would have/should have" game will bring are regret and lower self-confidence...you're just going to feel bad about yourself and you DON'T need that little voice in your head working against you even more than he already does. ((Seriously-- be nicer to yourself!! You wouldn't be friends with someone who followed you around every day whispering mean things in your ear, would you?))

Back to my point: 2014 is almost gone, isn't it? Is there something you said you were going to do but didn't? Some resolution you swore would be different this time around? Some big life event showed up and ruined your plans?

Look, the next month, 6 months, year, 10 years are going to pass NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO! You can spend your time watching tv, eating fast food all day, and being mean to yourself OR you can commit to making healthier choices that will get you closer to that goal, or maybe to the PERSON you have always wanted to be. Think about yourself on the other end of that time frame...think about all of the amazing progress you can make toward whatever your goal is if you just.start.now.

It's INSANE how big of an impact being consistent {daily} with the LITTLE things can have on your life. What small, seemingly insignificant acts are you performing daily that will compound into where you want to be?

Prepping to MAX OUT

Why are we so excited??


Because.....




He's baaaaaack!!!

And, honestly, I'm SCARED. But it's my favorite kind of scared- the one that makes me giddy and excited and makes my eyes go big out of excitement.

Recognize this guy? You might not since he looks like he's dying instead of nailing it like usual.

Seeing this picture made me realize just how REAL this workout is about to be...oh, and this one.

Um. What?

But I don't CARE that I know I can't do that ninja move YET because I know when I give this workout my all, I'm going to take my body--and my MIND-- to places they've never been and that has me SO FREAKIN PUMPED!

Ready??

Oh. My. YES!!! 

About a month ago I was trying to decide which workout program I wanted to do next...I really wanted to give Insanity a shot but didn't know if I could give up my 30 minute or less workouts. 

Then my hero came swooping in- in red shorts instead of a red cape. He read my mind!! And I'm sure so many others have been thinking the exact same thing!

A couple of my friends were invited to do the Beachbody official pre-release test group with this program and, um, seeing their TEN DAY progress pictures blew my mind!! Oh, hi ABS! Can't wait to meet you!!

I want to start a test group myself! I want to find 5-10 people who are CRAZY ENOUGH to dive into this to take their LIFE to a whole new level. Is it going to be hard? Yes. Are we going to fail? Yes...that's the whole point of this workout- push yourself to failure, catch your breath, and get right back in it. (Kind of a good life lesson, don't ya think? Fall down and stay down OR fall down and get your booty back up?!)

Anyway, if you fit ANY of the follow descriptions, 

-INSANITY graduate

-Shaun T lover

-T25 fanatic

-Workout-a-holic

-Health guru

-Challenge lover

-In need of a life change

-Feeling INSANE enough to make a commitment to an amazing body, mind, and soul transformation

I WANT YOU IN MY LIFE!!! I'm gonna need a group of crazy people around me so I know I'm not the only one! :) Let's do it!!

Want more info? Message me on Facebook or fill out the form over there ----> 

Max 30 maybe not for you but want to start your health journey?? We'll find the perfect plan for you to knock out your goals- just click here, create that FREE membership, and I'll reach out to you!

WFPB Pumpkin Pancakes

Holy AMAZE-BALLS!!! I don't even know what that means but what I want it to mean is YOU MUST MAKE THESE!!

Those dang Denny's Pumpkin Pancake commercials have mean taunting me for a week now so I decided to do something about it!

::togoogleigo::

Every time I search "wfpb ____" for recipes I get jack-diddly-squat. SO I search for vegan recipes and then make the adjustments needed!


And up pops The Minimalist Baker's recipe.

You. Guys. Seriously these are better than any other pumpkin pancakes I've EVER had!



I do NOT take credit for this recipe. It is ALL thanks to them... And I really wanted to take a picture for you guys but we scarfed them the second they came off the stove sooooo....I'll just show you their gorgeousness instead haha! So, photo creds--> also minimalistbaker.com

They now have a permanent spot at the top of my favorites list. Seriously, I'm in love with them. I mean their recipes. 




---my modifications inserted ((in italics)) because again, this is NOT my recipe. just want to make that clear lol---


VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE PANCAKES

PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
5 mins
TOTAL TIME
15 mins

Tender, spiced vegan pumpkin pancakes that require just 1 bowl and 20 minutes to prepare. Healthy, simple and perfect for chilly fall mornings.

Author: Minimalist Baker
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS
3/4-1 cup* unsweetened vanilla almond milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar ((I used rice vinegar--and yes I was pretty nervous about it lol))
1/3 cup packed pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted (or sub grape seed or coconut oil) ((I used coconut oil))
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp maple syrup or agave (or sub honey if not vegan) ((I used honey))
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (sub up to half with oat flour if desired) ((I used brown rice flour))


INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat electric griddle to medium heat (or about 350 degrees F), or a large skillet on medium to medium-low heat on the stove stop. You want the surface to be hot but not screaming hot – oil shouldn’t burn when it hits the surface.

Combine 3/4 cup milk and lemon juice in a large bowl and let rest for 5 minutes to curdle. ((You should have seen my face.))

Then add melted butter or oil*, pumpkin, maple syrup ((honey)), brown sugar, vanilla extract and whisk to combine. ((*Make sure your coconut oil is fully melted otherwise you'll fight with it when trying to whisk, take out the chunks, microwave it, then put it back in lol))

Next add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices to a sifter and sift over the wet ingredients. If the batter appears too thin, add a bit more flour. If too thick, add a splash of almond milk. If too thin, add a bit more flour. Let batter rest for 5-10 minutes.

Butter or spray your griddle with cooking spray and pour 1/4 cup measurements of the batter onto the griddle. There should be 6-7 pancakes. Flip when bubbles appear in the middle and the edges turn slightly dry. Cook for 1-3 minutes more on the other side, then plate.

Top with Earth Balance and maple syrup and a dash more pumpkin pie spice, or whatever else you desire. Will reheat well the next day in the microwave. ((I didn't put anything on top...they seriously don't need it. Just enjoy as finger food. ;) ))

NOTES
*Start with 3/4 cup of almond milk. If the batter appears too thick after mixing, add the remaining amount in Tbsp increments. Thickness will depend on your pumpkin puree and whether you used maple syrup, honey or agave.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving size: 1 pancake Calories: 127 Fat: 2 g Saturated fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 24 g Sugar: 7 g Sodium: 173 mg Fiber: 1 g Protein: 2.4 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

------ http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-pumpkin-spice-pancakes/ ------

Squash Cucumber Quinoa BRILLIANCE

Um. Just stop. Stop what you're doing. Hold. The. Phone.

I just blew my freaking mind. 

So you know how I said I needed to figure out how to create yummy meals with these new foods I've never eaten/cooked with?

Well, I just made the healthiest meal I've ever eaten, hands down.

You ready for this??

I drew inspiration from The Simple Veganista and Kalyn's Kitchen but it ended up being pretty much randomness that came together to create a fabulous super healthy meal. I needed a recipe to use an acorn squash, parsley, and green lentils. I looked up acorn squash recipes and found Veganista's idea...realized I only had a few of those ingredients but decided to run with it anyway. Pulled out the veggies we had and that's what led me to Kalyn's cucumber deliciousness. (Oh, and ps- I was cooking a sweet potato for my daughter while I was making this and decided to try the quinoa mixture with the potato instead of squash, loved that even more, aaaaand found my new Sunday dinner meal. Pretty sure I'm taking this to Thanksgiving, too.)

You. Are. Welcome.

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1 sweet potato
1/2 cup green lentils
1/2 cup quinoa (if no green lentils, make 1 cup quinoa)
1 cucumber
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup chopped spinach 
1 medium apple (I used Fuji...Granny Smith would be good too.)
2 tbs safflower seed oil
1/3 lemon squeezed for juice
Dash cinnamon
Simply Organic Spices (Spicy Sea Salt) (we get this from Whole Foods. I found an online place to buy so you can for sure find it because this spicy salt totally MAKES the dish!!) 

Heat oven to 400 and cook for 35-45 minutes.
1 acorn squash- cut in half and scoop out seeds with spoon
1 sweet potato- wrap in aluminum foil

In small sauce pan, cook 1/2 cup green lentils in about 3 cups of water for 10 minutes, then add 1/2 cup quinoa and cook for approx. 20 minutes, until water is soaked up.


While everything is cooking, chop cucumber, parsley, spinach, and apple. (And if you have little minions begging for food like me, slip em some cucumber slices ;) )

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, cinnamon, and spicy sea salt.


Combine produce and "dressing" and mix. 

Oven and stove ingredients should finish about the same time. Let both cool for 10-30 minutes before combining quinoa/lentils with salad mixture.


Plate, top with some spicy sea salt, and try to eat slowly! SO GOOD, RIGHT?!?

I might just cube up the sweet potato next time and throw it into the quinoa mixture...I don't know. Whatever you do, get everything into one bite and let your taste buds sing. 

P.S. If I'm going to be posting pics of yummy recipes, I'm gonna need to ask Santa for a fancy camera for Christmas lol. 

Week 1 WFPB Update

So. 1 week down!! ::insertcheershere::

Was it ridiculously hard?

Did I slip at all?

Did I have crazy cravings?

Was I miserable?

Shockingly....no. To all of the above.

I mean I may have slipped up unintentionally because I'm still learning what all is/is not part of the "plan" but, to the best of my knowledge, I did a dang good job! And the mirror is definitely reflecting that-- I am feeling VERY lean! Love seeing this fat melt away!! I'll share some progress pictures next week so you can get a good 2 week side-by-side transformation. :) 

Last night I was really wanting a Qdoba naked queso chicken burrito but that was mainly because I was STARVING and leaving somewhere that it used to be a bit of a habit to go to Qdoba...

Sooooo yeaaaaah no Qdoba for this girl! I came home and had some carrots with hummus and oil-free stove top popcorn. (Did you know you can just throw popcorn kernels on the stove--in a pot, covered with a lid-- and it'll pop up just the same? I did not. You are welcome. Oh, and melt some natural peanut butter to drizzle over top. You're welcome again.)

Anyway. I'm feeling really good after my first full week! Waking up without the snooze button. Sleeping well. Plenty of energy and not feeling deprived. Water intake on point. Down some pounds, but new workouts have me pretty, okay, EXTREMELY sore so I know the scale is not accurate right now, as it's reflecting that water retention. (Side note: 30 minutes of pushups and pull-ups will make you very sore.)

I'm definitely still learning and trying to find new, yummy meal combinations. I tried a recipe with chickpeas the other day. Eh. It was just okay. I need to figure out what to do with this squash. And kidney beans. And zucchini. I've seen some baked zucchini chip recipes before so I think I'll try that.

All I know is, thank GOODNESS for all of those bloggers out there who share their knowledge and their meals. (Especially the desserts. Bless you, ChocolateCoveredKatie.) I know I've said this before but seriously, this adventure wouldn't be nearly as successful without the convenience of looking up "wfpb recipes" every couple of hours on my handy dandy little iPhone. 

Still going strong! And creating a WFPB approved Thanksgiving menu to share with my family who, I declare, is going to have the healthiest holiday season ever. :) I'll share it with you, too, if you want? Leave a comment or message me on Facebook if that's something you'd like to see here. Don't worry, they won't be questionable recipes created by me-- I'm going to pick and choose a full menu from the experts/my fave recipe bloggers I've found here in cyber-space so you'll know they've been taste-tested and follower approved. ;) 

7 days down, 83 days to go! :D

WFPB...What I'm Learning

I have been doing a TON of research and finding all these bloggers out here in cyber-space to be extremely helpful to my journey. LIFE TIP: If there's something you want to do, there are hundreds, if not thousands, out there who are already doing it. Just #gts -- google that sh..! ;) 

Exhibit A: for anyone who is a little fuzzy on what the heck it is I'm doing, here's a great explanation by theplantbasedblogger.com:

"A whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet is a diet that consists completely of unrefined plants. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, seeds, and nuts are the staples of this diet. Almost a century’s worth of research has led many (including myself) to the conclusion that a WFPB diet is the optimal diet for virtually all people. A plant based diet–more commonly known as a “vegan” diet–excludes all animal products. Someone who follows a plant-based excludes meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs. I don’t personally promote a vegan diet for better health purposes, because it can be very unhealthy. You could be vegan and eat only potato chips and drink only soda. This is why I encourage people to follow a whole-foods, plant-based (WFPB) diet, which excludes any unhealthy processed food."

Other random things I've learned...

• I'm totally going to be that crazy mom that doesn't allow their child to have juice boxes or candy at school...a cupcake for their friend's birthday, sure. But being rewarded with candy every day or having a juice box with fake food in their lunch box every day? Hell no. 
• Water is CRUCIAL in keeping me full. This is true no matter how/what you eat, but since I don't have the chemical crap in my food, I have no false sense of hunger or anything like that. So YAY!
• I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to like onions. They cause me physical pain/discomfort (burn my stomach...is that normal?) soooo I think I'll just leave them out.
• I really don't know what to do with some of these veges. Or beans. Or lentils. Again, thank goodness for google. 
• It makes me seriously want to CRY when I walk through the store and see the masses filling their carts with the BS the food industry has made so readily available, seemingly "healthy" or not. Becoming more aware of everything in my food and learning more and more about how REAL food helps your body run at peak performance has got me so much more passionate about the topic and wanting to get out there are scream it from the rooftops!!! Or...from my little corner of the internet. :) I seriously am shocked at how it's possible for a body to FUNCTION AT ALL living on the terrible mainstream diet that is so pushed down our throats every day. More on this later...
• Chocolate Covered Katie rocks my socks. And my sweet tooth. <3 <3 

More updates to come! I am 5 days down and loving this, you guys!!! 

Consistency or Convenience?

Consistency. 

It's a tricky thing. It seems so easy.

Some things you are consistent with without even thinking about it: brushing your teeth, driving a car, loading the dishwasher. Or maybe some things that don't necessarily serve you like that cappuccino every morning, turning on the tv before bed, mindless Facebook scrolling on your lunch break...

Here's the thing. What you choose to be consistent with will define your life. Those choices define who you are today and who you will become tomorrow, next year, and 50 years from now. It's called the compound effect (if you're a Darren Hardy fan) or the slight edge (if you're a Jeff Olson fan). 

small, seemingly insignificant steps repeated over time lead to...your life.

Most people let the consistency of bad habits lead them to a life they don't live to the fullest. So many people allow the consistency of bad habits to compound over time to create a life unlike the one they have envisioned for themselves, sometimes a life they actually hate.

Such a simple concept, you'd think it'd be an EASY fix. But simple and easy are not the same thing. When we get down to it and try to use this compound effect to our advantage, it gets tougher than we want it to be. Jeff Olson says it this way, "the repeating of simple daily disciplines versus a few errors in judgement."

Did you see that? Disciplines.

When that word FINALLY stuck out to me, everything changed. You have to be disciplined in order to create new habits. You want to lose weight? Okay, the first two days go GREAT but then you see a donut at work and tell yourself, "oh, I've been so good the past two days so this will be fine." See? No discipline. I'm not saying you can't LIVE or ENJOY yourself or have treats from time to time...I'm saying you gotta stay disciplined. You have to do what you said you were going to do instead of letting excuses and "justifications" get in your way and throw you off course. (...because I know you know that one donut is going to lead to throwing the whole day off and then you telling yourself you "can't do it" then giving up entirely.)

It's just like with my workouts. I committed to doing P90X3 over again and there are so many days that I put it off till my daughter's nap time but then something comes up and I find it's 1030 pm and I still haven't fit it in. It'd be really easy to come up with an excuse or justify doing it in the morning...but I promised myself to stay DISCIPLINED through this workout program and this WFPB challenge  

Here's the thing. There's ALWAYS going to be an excuse. It's NEVER going to be convenient. There will ALWAYS be something that comes up or some event or party or holiday or tradition that will try to get in the way. 

There's Thanksgiving, then the other side of the fam, then the leftovers, then "oh Chic-fil-a just sounds so good today," then Christmas traditions are coming, then "okay, yep, my new year resolution will take care of it all," but then there are the new years parties, the football games, birthday parties, donuts that sweet coworker brought into work, Super Bowls....

....there will ALWAYS be a way for you to come up with an excuse.

You have to figure out what your priorities are. 
(Hence why I've been looking up WFPB Thanksgiving recipes all day.)

So. What do you TRULY want?