Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Wednesday Recipe

I've been in the mood for fall goodies lately! I LOVE LOVE LOVE pumpkin! Did I mention before...I LOVE pumpkin! Yep, I do. I've been super craving some pumpkin bread lately. It's been taunting me in cafes I've been in and at markets. Yummy. I neededdd some pumpkin bread! I decided to try and make a clean protein version I could eat up for a snack! Here it is! I hope it turns out for you all!

CLEAN PROTEIN PUMPKIN LOAF


Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) Garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
3/4 C Almond flour
1/4 C Agave syrup
1 C Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp Baking powder
1 Pinch salt
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Pumpkin spice
1 Heaping scoop Protein powder (I used vanilla whey, you can use hemp or whatever you like to make it vegan)
1 Handful broken pecans


I might have eaten some of the pecans off the top...I love them. :)
In food processor mix all ingredients except almond flour and pecans. Blend until even and a runny puree. Pour into large bowl. Add almond flour. Mix thoroughly. Pour into greased (I used olive oil spray) glass bread loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes (depending on your oven). It will still seem a bit soft in the middle but if the sides have browned pretty dark, the middle part will firm up when cooled. Let cool in pan. When cool, take out of pan. Slice and enjoy! 

Hope you all had a good Wednesday! You're halfway there! :)



Monday, September 24, 2012

Positivity Tuesday - Join In!

I finished my goal of my very first century ride! :) I can now cross it off my list! I haven't updated you all on that because I'm going to make a video which takes time. I'll aim to get it out this week.

In other news, I've decided that TOMORROW is positivity Tuesday! That's right, spreading random acts of positivity! What may have inspired this? Well, a random act of positivity and kindness that someone did for me! It wasn't anything huge at all but someone that I don't know too well simply complimented my hair! That was it! That was all it took! It made me feel real good inside and it also reminded me how much those small positive acts can really make someone's day! That's why it's important to do them often. Sometimes, I slack on giving those positive comments but then someone reminds me of how important it is.

These reminders make me think of how much we ALL, me included, can complain rather than compliment or be thankful. We find the negative before we see the positive. Or we see the positive but we forget to comment on that. There are studies that show that you need 5 positive experiences for every 1 negative experience. These same studies also say that as humans, it's natural that we remember negative events far more than positive events. As such, we must bombard our brains with positive experiences to overcome the few negative events. Other studies have even proven that psychologists can pretty accurately predict divorce dependent on this ratio that they call "the magic ratio." What I am saying is, positivity and positive acts are important for us all!

Source: tumblr.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

This is why tomorrow is positivity Tuesday! Thus far, these are some of the positive acts I have planned:

My coworker was gone at work today. It was a busy, busy, busy day. I am not going to lie and say     that I was feeling positive about this situation today. However, rather than be negative that my coworker had her day off, I am going to thank my coworker for coming back tomorrow and let her know that I missed her and I appreciate her when she's around! That I can notice when she's not there and she makes a significant impact.

I am going to write a positive comment card at my gym. They have a comment and concern box     and I'm quite certain that an overwhelming amount of those cards are concerns and complaints rather than compliments. I'm going to put in compliments to everyone - especially those people that work hard and frequently get overlooked like the cleaners.

I am going to make sure to thank my friend again for biking 100 miles with me. I don't think that I stressed enough to him that I really appreciated it. I did.

I will make sure to compliment a random stranger on the street about their dress, hair or great personality!

Those are a few of my plans! I will be sure to add much more! Join me in positivity Tuesday! You'll feel better and so will the people who receive your positivity!

Source: via Tonya on Pinterest

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Wednesday Recipe

This week's recipe isn't much of a recipe at all! In fact, it's more of a taste test! DAMY Health, during the summer, put up a raw food challenge. They suggested people try and eat at the very least, one meal a day raw. Well, I failed miserably. I tried one day to eat that way and I just didn't feel filled up and was missing cooked foods quite frankly. Lately though, I've been in the mood for some fresh veggies and nothing cooked.  I can't name why this is, it just is! I remembered seeing recipes similar to this one before (or at least the concept). So, I decided I would come up with my own concoction.


RAW SPICY THAI CASHEW & COCONUT ZUCCHINI PASTA


For this recipe, I was really wishing that I had a veggie spiraler. I've seen that they do wonders and people talk about how much they love them. Nonetheless, I had to do with what I had. Perhaps the spiraler can be an investment for the future.

Ingredients:.

1 Zucchini
Fresh Veggies
 (Choose what you would like in it. For mine, I used broccoli, red peppers and shredded carrots)
1 - 2 spoonfuls of cashew butter 
1/4 - 1/2 C light coconut milk
Ground ginger powder (or fresh ginger if you prefer)
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you prefer)

First, using a peeler, I removed the dark skin from the zucchini. I then continued peeling the zucchini into long shredded pieces making my "pasta". I stopped shredding on each side when I reached the seeds. This is your bed of pasta. Put sliced up vegetable variety on top.

In a bowl, combine the cashew butter and coconut milk (you can always food process raw cashews and coconut milk too. I did this for time's sake and no raw cashews at my house). Mix until smooth consistency. You may want a thicker or more runny sauce. Put in less coconut milk for a thicker sauce. Add in garlic powder, cayenne pepper and ground ginger powder. The amount that you put in of these is really up to taste. I generally put the most garlic powder, next a few shakes of ginger and a little bit of cayenne to give it a bit of a kick. Pour this over your plate of veggies and "pasta". If you desire, something else that you could add to this for texture is to break some raw cashews into smaller pieces and sprinkle in with the dish. Now, enjoy!

Hope you all like this raw recipe! I finally feel like I at least did one meal justice with raw foods and maybe a late try at the DAMY Health challenge!

Hope you all had a fantastic day!
It's Wednesday...you're halfway there! 


Goal Review - Goal To-Do!

I feel as though I need to be more specific about some long term goals on here. I have another list on my Wunder List app that are HUGE long term goals that I know one day I will get to. I feel as though I write smaller goals on here because I know that in life, it's all baby steps. I may spend some time reviewing some of my long term goals and adding some of them to the list. While I think small steps are good, I also think remembering long term goals keeps you dreaming and stretching. I feel like this is just what I need to do!



Lately, I haven't discussed knocking off some of the goals on my list. Since the business has been keeping me busy, I haven't really had the time to! Don't be disappointed in reading this though...because I have cleared a day off of my schedule this week to embark on one of those! Woo hoo! I love crossing goals off the list!

I know you are all curious...so this is what it's all about:



What else!? Biking! Maybe not QUITE like this, but I'll be sure to sneak in a moment very similar to this one! Even though I've been biking all summer, I still have one goal this summer that I really want to achieve and that is my century ride! I haven't trained at all for this, but I know I'm in good shape and I can do this! I recently did Babes in Bikeland, an all women alleycat race. I try and do that race every year. Since I've been doing tours all summer, I forgot how much fun it is to work my tail off and race around the city like an idiot! :) The second I took off from the race, my seat came loose! I rode 75% of the race with a seat that was jiggling all over the place! I even tore my leggings! Shucks! Even the tear in my panties was worth every moment of fun and challenge I had. It made me itch for more so I've cleared this Thursday off of my work schedule to do my very first century ride with my friend! YES! I am SO pumped! I'm going to keep you all updated during the day as well!

Look out for me on Thursday! I'll be the girl running you down on my bike! 

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Change

Why yes, I'm going to ride off of the former political slogans of Obama...we want change and so do I! I mentioned in yesterday's post that I know I haven't been blogging much lately and that's due to several factors.

Firstly, time and stress. During the summer, I work 7 days a week. I work every day in the summer with no breaks between my business and my day job. When I do have a couple of days break, the last thing I feel like doing is hopping online and working more. Not that blogging is work, I enjoy it but sometimes I just need some decompression time, an opportunity to have more of a social life and not have to think about these things. This summer has also proven a bit more difficult at my day job. There has been an increase in demand at work and my coworker has taken several vacations during the summer leaving me to a week or more of work on my own (don't get me wrong, she needs vacations and deserves them too, I just can't have that luxury myself during the summer when I'm doing my business - don't worry, I'll make up for it this winter!). It can be very mentally taxing at my work and I find that when I get home from work during high peak times, I arrive exhausted and not fully driven to complete other tasks, like blogging. This has been a real struggle for me this summer because mentally, I want to blog and document my accomplishments and what I'm working on, however physically, I don't always have the drive to do so.


This stress and lack of time has contributed to another factor. I've gained some weight and to be perfectly honest with everyone and myself, I haven't been doing as well on clean eating as I would like. Lack of time and ambition when I have some free time has led to me not being able to prepare as many snacks and meals for the week as I normally would. I realize this can easily be seen as an excuse, however when I say I really am stressed and busy, I mean it. Yes, I have time I could be making meals, but that takes away from my social time - the little I have during the summer. When I'm stressed, the social time means a lot to me. I'm an extrovert and being able to socialize and be out of the house really benefits my mood. Ultimately, when I start eating a lot more sugars and refined foods, I become addicted again and crave those foods. It's a process I'm still working on and I'm trying to re-dedicate myself to clean eating. I have basically been at about 75% clean this summer. When I am not sticking to something I know is good for me, I don't feel I can blog about it with 100% honesty. But this post is honest about where I am at with that in this present moment of my life. 75% is not near enough but I know when I'm ready and the time is right, I will get back on this. I will keep you all updated! :)

So true! Diet is about 75% of staying fit and healthy! Eating good is so important and it's why I'm itching to get back to clean!


This lack of time and need for social activity has also led to a new important development for me and my currently living situation! Another situation that has become quite stressful for me over this summer has been my place of dwelling. As I mentioned, when I first moved there, it was a tiny place that worked for me because it was conveniently close to my business, affordable rent and I have a lovely landlord. On the downside, I was going to have to sacrifice space. I have done this for the past 2 years and now, I'm starting to crawl the walls! I feel very confined in my space and I know that now that I'm a little more financially stable with my business, I can afford just a bit more. However, I realized I can get a bigger space and spend about the same if I live with someone. That's where my new, wonderful and amazing friend, Lindsey comes in. I really get along with Lindsey who I met through a mutual friend.
Me and Lindsey - don't mind my crazy bike helmet hair.
We are both single gals, have similar interests, enjoy being healthy and eating well. We have come to the tough decision of moving in together and having our very own, "bachelorette pad"! I am nervous about this because I have lived alone for quite awhile (as has Lindsey). While I know there are some freedoms lost when moving in with someone, I also know that there are opportunities gained. It will be nice to have company when I am having a down day, someone to do social outings with and Lindsey and I have even spoken about having clean eating cooking days where we work on making treats and meals together! I think this will be a great change and I'm looking forward to it if everything pans out. It will be different, but sometimes new and different is good! If all pans out well, we should be moving in together in late fall.

Those are the reasons I haven't been blogging as frequently as I would like. Soon, my biking season will be coming to an end (although I'll still be working on it through the winter) and I can get back to some consistency and regularity. Also, a move will really do me good as well, I think.

Do you ever get stuck in a rut? What change do you make to get out of it? How do you snap yourself mentally out of it and get back to the you that you want to be?

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Wednesday Recipe

I realize that today is Thursday, but let me preface this post by saying that I stayed up all night ON Wednesday making these. As far as I'm concerned, this is a Wednesday recipe! :) I did something AMAZING last night! I made one of THE best clean fall treats that I think I have EVER made! I was inspired by a post that my friend Karen put on Facebook - thanks Karen! I saw this recipe she had posted and thought, "I can totally make a clean version of that!" So I did! How could I deprive the world of a clean version of this amazing recipe?! I also stole part of my idea from DAMY Health and tweaked one of their recent recipes to achieve what I wanted. I hope you all enjoy this one and if you don't, you're just plain crazy! ;)

CLEAN PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS WITH
TOASTED PECANS & MAPLE GLAZE

I adapted this yummy treat from THIS RECIPE on Shutterbean.com. While this is a very simple and fairly clean recipe already, I knew it could be cleaned up more - sans refined sugars and white flours! Easy as pie (or doughnuts in this case).
Doughnut Ingredients:
1/4 C oat flour
3/4 C almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 C pureed pumpkin
1/4 C agave syrup
1 egg 
1/4 C melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* I made my own oat flour by blending organic gluten free oats in my Ninja Blender
** Make this recipe vegan by substituting 1/4 C no sugar added applesauce for the egg
Topping Ingredients:
1/4 cashew butter
1/4 melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 handful pecans
* NOT high fructose corn syrup maple syrup - that is not syrup! ;)
** I stole the idea for this glaze from DAMY Health's Cinnamon Bun Recipe! I just changed the agave syrup for maple syrup. If you don't like maple flavor, you can just use agave instead.
Nom nom nom!
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease doughnut molds with spray olive oil. To make the doughnuts I mixed all of the dry ingredients together in a larger bowl with a whisk. Next, I whisked all the wet ingredients together in a smaller-sized bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together evenly. Per Shutterbean's instructions I placed this mix in a ziplock baggie and cut one corner and filled a 6 doughnut sized pan. I did not fill them two thirds full per Shutterbean's instructions. I filled them much more full. I filled each doughnut mold evenly until all of the mix was gone. Bake in oven for roughly 25 minutes. These take longer to cook than the "dirty" version. They will not seem very stiff when they come out like a doughnut but you can peak into them with a fork to ensure they are cooked through. They will harden up and get more doughnut-like when they are cooled more. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes then pop each doughnut out onto a cooling rack.

While the donuts are cooling, toast your pecans and make your glaze. Place the handful of pecans on a pan and put in the 325 F oven. Check frequently to make sure these get toasted but not burnt; roughly 6-8 minutes. I let them cool a little then break them up into tinier pieces.

Add all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. DAMY Health suggests using a food processor, however I simply mixed mine with a fork until fairly smooth then I mixed more vigorously with a whisk until a smooth, glossy glaze was attained. Place your cooled doughnuts on a place and spoon glaze over each doughnut evenly letting the glaze run down the sides of the doughnuts. Sprinkle your toasted pecans over the glazed doughnuts. You have melt in your mouth clean pumpkin doughnuts! I put mine in the fridge overnight on a place and the glaze got a real nice creamy harder texture to it! You can freeze these and thaw them out in the future to eat too!
Go ahead! Shove your face! :D
Also, I know I've been absent from my blog. I have plenty of explaining to do! I'm going to be updating you all this week on lots of changes in my life which can help to explain why I've been absent and what I'm looking to do goal-wise lately! Don't miss it!
Happy Wednesday AND Thursday everyone!