Wednesday 16 October 2013

Why Hello Again Blog World

I wrote new blog posts probably once a month since I went MIA on here.  Well, more like I wrote half of them and then deleted them all or left them unfinished.

I had too much on my mind to make a cohesive post.  Hell, I still do.   I questioned why I was even blogging.  I didn't really feel I had anything unique to bring to the conversation.  I eat.  I crossfit.  I do a few fun things here and there.  I'm not any different than the average health/fitness blogger.  

And then yesterday I decided, who cares?  Why should I write this for anyone but me?  I've always only ever wrote for me.  Yeah, people read it.  Even people who know me in real life.  But this little space here is all mine.

So here's my post for today.  Maybe I'll be back.  Maybe I won't.  But I wanted to remember this little thing that happened to me.


I keep looking at this picture from this weekend and I was trying to figure out why when it dawned on me.  It was pretty much pure happiness from playing around with my little cousin.  And for once, I didn't look at this picture and pick apart everything I wanted to change about me.   I didn't look at it and think 'I've got work to do still'.   I'm just happy.   It took a long time to get here and I can't guarantee that those thoughts aren't going to crop up from time to time, but to actually recognize that is a big deal.

And now back to my regular crossfit/eating schedule.... and work... maybe work.

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Perspective

Today is Tuesday, March 26th and I'm giving up the scale again for a month.


I've been consistently seeing loses every week for the past few weeks and feeling lighter, smaller, and stronger.

When I stepped on the scale today my heart kind of sunk a bit and I could feel the bad thoughts bubbling up.  Staying the same is hard.

I also know that I had food yesterday and the day before that would probably make me not lose.  I've also not slept well the last two nights.  These are things I need to remember.

I also need to remember that the scale DOES NOT MATTER.  My head knows this, but every time I don't lose my brain goes on overdrive and I think that I will never lose another pound and the scale is going to go up.  Dumb.

The other thing that convinced me to get off the scale?


Today I managed to get 5 reps with 145lbs for my deadlift!  More satisfactory than any number on a scale!  My last try was barely 3 reps.  I'm hoping that a 1-2RM will show up soon so I can test whether or not I've hit goal!   I can't wait!


And this picture reminds me of how far I've come!  I'm back in jeans I haven't worn in years, and they're starting to feel loose!

Time to get rid of that scale again Kelly.  Until April 26th, I WILL NOT get on the scale.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Get Real Food Challenge and Swimsuits

The Get Real Food Challenge is coming to an end on Monday (with a weekend that's going to prove a little tough in the food department) and I'll have a wrap up post coming soon.


This week, things clicked again and my stomach started to feel so much better.  No waking up with an angry tummy.  This week taught me to be more in tune with how full I am.  Once I put everything on a plate, a lot of times I'll eat it all and that's not always needed.  With the time change, I've been feeling off and not so hungry this week, so if I felt like I was done eating, I was.  That's it that's all.  There's not much else to say, except that, for this week.  I feel like the rest will come in my wrap up post!



On to other more exciting things for you readers...

In my 2013 Goals, I listed that I wanted to feel confident in my swimsuit this year.  Sooooo, in typical Kelly fashion, I ended up taking photos in my current bikini.


I'm actually pretty happy with the way it's looking now compared to last summer (last summer I HAD to wear shorts due to my hips' love for looking all muffin toppy.  The top fits perfectly this time around instead of my boobs hanging out every where.   I just want it to fit my lower half just as well.  So that's what I'm aiming for.  OR I'm going to just get some new bottoms.... OR a new bikini.   I should have known when I bought these that the bottoms were a little skimpy for what I usually wear.  

Progress is progress is progress.  Even if it's more about getting it through my head that I can wear a swimsuit without covering up.  Let's see what happens with these pictures when summer is officially here and I'm spending my time jumping in lakes!



Thursday 7 March 2013

Crossfit Benchmarks

I just realized it's been a week since I last posted, which means that I totally missed part 3 of the Real Food Challenge.  Yikes!  Sorry people still kind of reading! Next week I'll see if I can get my buggy sound to work and actually do a video.

In it's place, I shall give you a screen grab from that vid:


Mainly, well because we all know I'm vain, but look at those shoulders!  I finally see some definition going on which is really exciting!

Annnyways, the real point of this post is to talk about CF benchmark workouts.  These workouts are either the ladies (so named because apparently, they leave you flat on your back, looking up at the sky wondering what happened to you) or the Hero workouts (I believe these are based on US heros - generally military).

I've now done 2 in my whopping 3.5 months of Crossfit and they are doozies.  I did Fran awhile back and remember dying at the end of my 7min or whatever it was (probably longer but who knows).  Today was Jackie.


In recognition that I may not have been giving it my all in February, March started off with a bang and I'm really trying to giv'r with everything.  Today though... while my cardiovascular capacity felt good, my body had a different story.  I love and hate rowing, the shorty in me just can't go wicked fast so I'm usually the last one off.  On top of that, the advice is to save your energy for the thrusters and pull ups.  

The thrusters started off feeling fine but the last 15 or so started slowing and I couldn't just bang them out... 3... stop... 2... stop... okay 10 more.  

And then I hit the pull-ups (actually, I did chins).  Oh my.  I got the first 10 out of the way and then struggled through the next bit.  As much as I felt like I could, my arms didn't want to.  I hung off the bar for quite some time and the last one was pretty weak.   As soon as I got off the bar my forearms were on fire and getting that fun tight feeling.   I could barely open my hands.

So Jackie, you were a bit of a b*tch.  But I'll get you next time.  

Thursday 28 February 2013

Hey There Plateau

Not this morning, but appropriate for this post.
This month has been tough outside of the whole workout/healthy eating realm that is this blog.   As much as I'd love to blather on about it here, it's not the place, and I need to cope with it.  I've been dealing heavily with feelings of wanting to stress eat over the last 1-2 weeks and not giving in, but I'm sure it's been clouding my food judgement.

I'm not entirely sure what went wrong this month (okay I have a suspicion), but I went into this morning not necessarily expecting great things, but hoping.


The good is that I'm down 1.5lbs.  The not so good is that my measurements didn't change at all this month.  At least it's not a gain?

I'm annoyed, and it set my morning off in a funk that I'm trying to mentally get through.

These things happen, and being stressed about it on top of everything else isn't worth it.

Tomorrow is March 1st, and I'm going to step into it with renewed dedication and drive.

I will break this plateau.  I will meet my goal of being as happy as I can with my body/self-image by the summer.  It will be okay.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Get Real Food Challenge Update #2

There was supposed to be a vlog here yesterday, but my new computer was having none of that and I got too frustrated to fix it yesterday.  Or today.  So you get a blog.  Deal.


Food

Food wise was fairly good last week minus the times we went out to eat, but I stuck with paleo.  Umm.... except for me making a mistake with my pizza on Friday night and forgetting that I had to check 'no cheese' option when I ordered online.  So I ate a piece with it and then picked it off the rest.

Gym

Last week I felt off for most of the week and had trouble upping my weight on a lot of things.  However, during our special Monday workout, I actually managed a 2RM Turkish Get Up with 20lbs and majorly upped my box jumps.  Wahhoooo!  This week I've been PRing all over the place but I'll update that tomorrow.

Life

Sleep has been actually on a roll this week and despite feeling off and the stressors I've had, I've been well rested.  Some of those days were melatonin induced, but I'm okay with it.  Unfortunately this week started off with me trying to push down the stress eating cravings, but so far so good.

GOING FORWARD

Food 

My goal this week has been to take out my paleo treats and decrease my 'paleo approved sugars' to take down the stress eating cravings.  I didn't bake anything on Sunday, and instead prepped lots of veggies and protein to make it through.  Unfortunately, I also made maple cinnamon almond butter and someone needs to pry it out of my hands.  It's so good.


I'm also trying to up my water intake.  I've been slacking recently.  So the brita and I are now BFFs.


Gym

Trying to give it all no matter how I feel this week.  Pushing through and getting it done.  That's it that's all.

Life

My life goal is the same as the gym.  Approach things with positivity and every time my head gets into a vicious cycle of self doubt, counteract it with what is going right in my life at this very moment.



And a little something extra.... pictures and American Eagle LIE.


For those of you who saw that picture of me in my size 10 shorts and figured I was a 6-8.  Not so much.  AE is never consistent with their sizes depending on the cut.  Case in point:  I have 12s, 10s, 14s and they're all different.   I went in this weekend to try jeans on, and because EVERYTHING is flipping low rise, no 8s or 10s that I grabbed fit me.  Bah!

Saturday 23 February 2013

Fourth Time's a Charm?

You all already know what happened, but let's go back in time for a second and do some build up.

In 2003, I departed to university with this beast:

Or something along those lines... I don't actually remember the model, but it was a huge Dell Laptop that I had no desire to cart to class.  I think it also had a hefty price tag since it was loaded with everything that you could get in 2003.  DVD burner anyone?  Honestly, I don't know why I thought I needed that stuff.

Then one day while doing who knows what at my desk, I dumped a bottle of Diet Coke on that sucker.   Luckily it dried up, got all fixed, and lived a decent life when I wasn't yelling profanities at it for being huge and clunky and slow.

When I left for physio school, I decided to upgrade with my first Mac.  The very stylish black Macbook that was just a little bit better than the white ones, but not quite as expensive as the Pros at that point.


Picture this:  It's May 2-4 weekend and the library is closed because, well, it's a long weekend for 90% of everyone else in Canada, but not for us poor physio kids.  I was working away at my dining room table on my large cumulative project (change of environment?) with a nice cold glass of water instead of my normal bottle.  You know what happened.  Luckily, she revived herself and was good to go.  (Though I needed a new logic board a little later but it ended up being covered).

Until 6 months later when my screen started acting up.  I took it into Apple and they said to replace the hard drive (which I paid for since it was out of warranty by this point).  It didn't work.  I took it back in and then they told me that it was the logic board (again) and that it was due to water damage.  Conceding defeat, I ended up with a Macbook Pro.

I loved my Pro and treated her well.  She was just over 3 years old when I royally effed her up yesterday.


I had a bottle of acu disinfectant in my bag to take to work and my Mac.... I noticed halfway that my leg felt odd but didn't think anything of it until I got to work and tried to figure out why my leg was soaked.  Took a sec and then.... oh noooooooo.   The bottle had completely dumped in my bag which meant that my laptop (which was on) had been sitting in basically water for at least 5 minutes.

 I knew from the moment I picked her up and water poured out she was dead.  But Greg took her apart and let her dry in front of a fan over night.  We tried to turn her on this morning but no luck.  You could see what was corroded.  It just wasn't worth the salvage.

R.I.P. Pretty Macbook Pro.  I love you.

On to the new 13" Retina Display Macbook Pro.  There was a debate of which model I was going to get... but as soon as I saw this one I couldn't go back to the standard Pro.


She's just so light, and is so much smaller than my previous computer.  On top of all that, the new OS is a lot of fun to play with.

Pip approves.


I'll be back soon with a Get Real Food Challenge Vlog!


Thursday 21 February 2013

My Favourite Cupcake Recipe


This probably comes as a surprise to a few people, but I don't always cook paleo/healthy.  Once in awhile, I've been known to create crazy decadent creations for dessert.  When my coworker's birthday came up (and she bakes for us ALL the time) I decided to break out my Kitchenaid and get to work.

 The chocolate cupcake is an Ina Garten recipe and is hands down my favourite chocolate cake/cupcake recipe of all time.  It's got a ton of ingredients, but it's worth it in the end.  It's chocolatey, slightly tangy, and moist.

Ina Garten Chocolate Cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.



 I also use the Peanut Butter Frosting listed at the end.  Normally, I actually need a little under a double batch of her icing, and I'm assuming it's because I pipe my icing.  This time, I totally forgot that and didn't have enough cream to do a second batch, so I just added milk and icing sugar until I got a good consistency and taste.

Peanut Butter Frosting 

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.





Little (okay they were huge) cupcakes of love:


But wait!  There was a secret to these fellas:


You can just barely see it, but I filled them with dark chocolate ganache.

Original Recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-cupcakes-and-peanut-butter-icing-recipe/index.html

Saturday 16 February 2013

It's been a rough week....

This week has been full of ups and downs and stomach aches and frustrated workouts.

I've been sitting on a vlog I actually NEED to do since Sunday/Monday but haven't had the umph to get it done.  I'm hoping to have it up by tomorrow or Monday at the latest.  It's kinda necessary and should promote me doing more.

Let's start with the bad:
  • Feeling sugar addicted again and wanting dessert and/or to stuff my face.  I don't know where it came from but I'm guessing stress and emotional eating triggers.  The good news is that I've resisted it, but it hasn't been easy.
  • Alcohol.  With the vlog I need to get out haha, you'll know why, but I've been trying to keep the boozing to a minimum for the next 4-5 weeks and that just didn't happen this week.
  • Getting frustrated with my lifts.  I get really testy when I can't nail my form and have to drop down in weight.  I know it's for my greater good, and I'm only 3 months in, but it would be nice to get out of Foundations.  Unfortunately, my coaches often get the wrath of frustrated OCD perfectionist cranky pants Kelly.
  • That time I ate gluten.... I indulged with 1 homemade dumpling (but only 1/2 of the pastry) and a little bit of glass noodle salad and paid with my gluten baby for the rest of the day.   It was uncomfortable, but at least I can now l can laugh at it instead of curling up into a ball
The good:
  • I managed to squeak out 6 reps at 63lbs for my bench.... last week I struggled to get 2 at 65 so it's a big change in a short time.
  • I upped my box jump to about 20-22 inches... I should measure that.
  • I did not let any of the bad things completely mess up my week and learned to accept and move on instead of dwelling on them.
Alright, I have a date with my oven.... not for fun baking, but cleaning.  Here goes!

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Changing the Mental Game

Part of the problem (or at least my problem) of being chubby, losing weight, putting a significant amount back on, and working my bum off to get it back off, is the toll it's taken on my mental health.

The good news is that my self-hatred for my body has basically been erradicated.  I truly believe that if I was to stay at this size for awhile, I'd be okay with it.  I'm proud of what I've worked at to achieve, and so excited to keep pushing forward.  But if nothing were to happen, if I were to plateau, it'd be okay.

The problem now then?

I still have scale issues.  In the last 3 weeks,  I've been on the scale 3 times.  All favourable results, yes, but every time I get on that scale and feel that little twitch in my tummy of happiness, I wonder what I'm going to feel like if the scale doesn't budge for awhile or if it even goes up.   I can't let a number have power over me. That's not how this works.

It's February 5th, and I'm not getting back on the scale until the end of the month.  Nope.


Anyways..... other things that happened in the last few days:

I'm now down 11lbs and seated in the 150s again (okay 159, but I'll take it!).

I bought a new lulu gym outfit.  Hooray for matching! Though I need to figure out what else to pair with the crops.


I also bought a new shirt from Le Chateau and it was only $9.99.   Score.  I never buy anything from Le Chateau since it's not really my style and it's always pricy.


And then I bought some MAC too which is currently on my face :)  Good shopping weekend.  Bad for my bank account.  Whoops!


OH!  I signed up for a whole year of Crossfit!  It also means that it's significantly cheaper per month now!   Pretty excited to see what the next year may bring.

Sunday 3 February 2013

February Thoughts

I was going to do a vlog today, and then I realized that I really wanted to ramble right now, and I didn't want to be that awkward person talking to her computer while she has friends over.  Well they're still in bed right now, but still.  Anyways.... this sums it up well:

Dumb face... don't ask...
 Also, I'm pretty sure I woke up with a sushi hangover and I also think this might have something to do with it:

Sushi on sushi on sushi

We went to an AYCE place at Queen/Yonge, and it's the first AYCE place that really impressed me.  First of all, it took zero time to get our food (though we were also kinda out of the dinner rush (it was only about 5pm) and the fish it's self was really good quality - totally the area in Toronto I think that dictated that.   I also had this odd but delicious roll called the Firehouse.  It was banana and shrimp with spicy mayo and tuna on top.  It was really oddly good.

Anyways, sushi hangover.  I did really well.  I didn't totally overeat, didn't use a ton of soya sauce, and tried to stick to things that weren't uber deep fried.  Unfortunately, I still woke up with that hangover dehydrated thing, though I'm wondering if it's also because of the fact that there were a ton of foods I wasn't used to eating anymore.  I also had a headache last night and again, I'm wondering if it was because of gluten.  Fun times.

Ugh I lost my train of thought there for a minute.

Anyways, this whole post was supposed to actually be about one thing:  coffee.


I'm hardcore addicted to the stuff.  I get massive headaches (when I normally get like 2 headaches a year and they're not that bad) when I don't have coffee in the morning.  It's dumb and I need to fix it.  On top of the fact that I think I'll sleep better if I get off the juice. 

Plan: this week is one in the morning.  Next week is 1/2 cup diluted.  And after that, I'm taking it by feel.   Now, I'm pretty sure I should kick all caffeine, but there's probably still going to be some of this in my life:


No, not the wine.  Promise.  I finally restocked on two of my favourite teas:  Oh Canada and Happy Kombucha.  These two are the bomb.  Oh Canada is one of the best Rooibos that I've had.  It doesn't get all soapy and has a great sweet flavour.  Happy Kombucha is one of the only fruity teas that I like hot or cold.  The best part about Oolong's too, is that you can brew them twice (or more) and the caffeine content decreases each time.  So though this guy's a bit expensive, it's actually kind of a steal.  I think you'll probably see me drinking this all day today.

I'll try to check in halfway through this process.... wish me luck!

Saturday 2 February 2013

January Progress

January 1st, I decided to join the masses with a goal/challenge to myself. 

I was going to get serious with my diet.

I was going to stop drinking.

I'm no alcoholic, but a glass of wine would make it into my nightly routine 2-4 times a week.  Sometimes less, sometimes more on the weekend.

I have this weird thing.  Often, I struggle with self-control and impulse.  Other times, I can cut out things in my life with no problem.  Diet pepsi, the first time I lost weight,  daily Starbucks. 

Cutting out wine was the latter.  The first week was a little tough, and then I was flying. 

With renewed dedication, and being strong willed, I cut out wine and got serious in the gym.
December, sick on January 2, January 31.

Over the course of January, I lost 7.5lbs and I'm sure a bunch of inches.  I'm really starting to notice that clothes are fitting me differently and starting to notice greater ease with body weight exercies at the gym. 

While I'm never going to get rid of my genetically endowed legs, the difference between these three pics show how much more muscular they look.  First picture: all hips.  Second picture: quaaaads!

February is a shorter month, and is starting off with drinks with friends, but last night I kept it to a minimum and ate well.   I'm hoping to keep the January momentum and keep seeing changes.

All that said, if I was to stay right here, at about 160lbs, with this body,  I think I'd be okay with it.  It's amazing what losing 10lbs and gaining mass amounts of strength has done for my confidence.

Here's to taking it one day, one week, one month at a time!


Thursday 31 January 2013

A Letter To My Twelve Year Old Self


 A few days back, I read this article: http://www.dieselsc.com/letters-to-all-the-beautiful-little-girls-part-1/.  Immediately after, I thought, I really should write one for this ol' bloggy blog. 

Then I struggled with it for awhile.  I don't know if I would have changed the course of my life.  As much as I went through some very tough times as a kid/teen, I landed in a very amazing part of my life.  I found my confidence.  Snagged a pretty awesome boy.  Ended up with a couple adorable cats (ha).  And found a way to move/exercise that I love.

What would I write to my twelve year old self?

Actually, I think I'm about 10 here, but it still works.

Dear Kelly,

I know this time in your life really sucks.  Friendships that you thought would last forever are falling apart and your world is being turned upside down with the separation of your parents who you never saw fight or argue once.  You feel like your world is falling apart and so are you.  On top of all that, I know the self-hate you're struggling with.  Being teased and called fat for the last 12 years hasn't been kind to your self-esteem.  On top of that, your doctor is telling you you need to workout, but any activity = failure for your uncoordinated, clumsy self, and even worse, negative thinking.

You need to realize that you are you and that's okay.  Nerdy, clumsy, weird, smart.  These things are not bad things.  In fact, one day, you're going to have some really awesome people in your life that love you for that. 

Realize that food isn't just something that makes you gain weight, it's pretty vital to your health.  Realize that Weight Watchers points are not a game to try to get under everyday.  A diet pepsi and gum are not a well balanced lunch and they're not going to fuel your brain for being the awesome smarty pants you're going to be.

Look at yourself in the mirror every day and find something you love about yourself instead of looking into that mirror with loathing.  Love and respect your body for it is an amazing little machine (and I'm sorry, you're not going to grow any taller).  Don't let boys determine your self-worth or dictate your body image.  Love yourself.  I'm serious.  It's possible.

And lastly, find your voice.  Or realize that one day you will.   Though closing yourself down and becoming painfully shy will put up a shield around yourself that you think is going to prevent you from hurt, it's only going to delay some very amazing friendships and opportunities that are going to come your way.  Opening up to the people that matter will make you infinitely more happy.  To quote some Dr. Seuss "those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind".  Believe it.

Love, your 27 year old self.
(You'll even be able to grow your hair out one day AND straighten it with the invention of ceramic flat irons)

P.S.  Dye your hair whatever colour you want whenever you want.  Just be smart about bleaching those curls.



Sunday 27 January 2013

The Black Hoof

As much as I love being a lazy bum all weekend, hanging out in my workout clothes/sweats, making yummy food and watching Doctor Who, I also love getting all dolled up and going out for dinner.

Yup, I need to remember to clean my mirror.

Last week, my friend and I decided to go out for a little foodie experience with our boyfriends.  Her boyfriend is a chef in the city and has been looking up places to try.

They were both excited to try The Black Hoof so Greg and I agreed to go out with them this weekend.

Remember how I said this year was all about getting out of my comfort zone?  Yeahhhhh.  The menu for The Black Hoof was a little out of said comfort zone.  However, it was also a very paleo friendly menu.  A restaurant that focuses on good quality meats and good food, means no guilt eating out since you can pretty much guarantee they aren't using anything too funky in their cooking (like crummy oils).


It was a bit hard to see but they have their menu up on two chalkboards.  Very cool.

Our waiter noted everything was basically to share, so the four of us each ordered something that appealed to us, plus 'appetizers'.

The order looked something like this:

Bread, Olives, Charcuterie.

Salt Cod Mezzaluna, Bone Marrow, Pork Carnitas Tacos, Pork Belly and Cappuccio, Oxtail and Scallops, and the eat your veg option which was Squash.    Yes, we ordered almost the whole menu!  Everything came out about one dish at a time which added to the experience, with new plates and cutlery every few dishes.


The charcuterie board was out of this world!  I loved stuff that I wasn't really sure about.  The chicken liver terrine was spot on, and the meat at the right end was....... horse.  Yes horse.  Luckily I didn't know that before I inhaled it.  We also got warm, fresh olives, that were amazing.


 Pork Carnitas.  I made a paleo exception and ate the tortilla (corn is a no no) but it was worth every bite.  Perfectly spiced pork rinds and a squeeze of lime took these to the next level.


Bone Marrow.  Honestly, while I liked this, it wasn't my favourite.   It was buttery and really interesting, but I think it would have been better if I was able to spread it on the bread.  I just didn't want to endure bloating for the rest of the meal.

So this was the pork belly..... We realized with one bite left no one had taken a picture of it.  This went down quickly and was my personal favourite!  Pork belly on a brussel sprout sauerkraut with a creamy polenta (damn corn) and an anchovy sauce.  Wooooooow.

I didn't snap pics of the oxtail but it was a table favourite as well.  Unfortunately it was breaded, so I kinda ate around it but what I did have was delish.

The squash (unpictured) was in a coconut sauce with roasted pepitas and must be recreated in my kitchen.

Honestly, there was nothing we didn't like. it was all ridiculously tasty and the service was amazing.  Very attentive staff who knew the menu well and made suggestions.  We'd go back in a heartbeat though I think we're off to new culinary adventures next month!

Friday 25 January 2013

Wednesday 16 January 2013

So you may have heard...

That I posted a vlog!


Go check it out.  I rambled more than I do here but there's a big success I wanted to share that comes at the end!

And if you want to know what I meant by bloating, this was the last time I posted a picture of it.  Right is normal, left is post gluten:




Tuesday 15 January 2013

6:05am

6:05am is when my alarm goes off.  I usually grumble a bit (especially on Mondays) and lay there until about 6:12.   I finally roll myself out of bed and quickly get changed so I don't wake Greg.

I grumble a bit down the hallway and make some coffee and eat something small all the while trying to figure out how much time I have before I have to leave (and therefore how much I should eat).

By 6:40, the grumbling stops and I actually feel awake.

Out the door at 6:45, and in class by about 6:58.

I have NEVER been one to be at the gym before 8am.  Making this a routine has been really hard.

I need to remember at 6:05, that within a half hour or so I'll feel fine, and that extra hour of sleep isn't worth the energy I gain at the gym.


Sunday 13 January 2013

A Long Time Coming...

The title of this post is about 3 fold.  

Partly, I wanted to post this earlier in the week after I made 2 really significant tweets about my weight and goals.  It's now Sunday, but that's okay.  I'm getting it done now and that's what matters.

The other two meanings behind this post are a lot more in depth.  

First off, after how many years of trying to get rid of the weight I put back on, I've managed to fit into an old pair of size 10 jeans I've had hanging around for possibly 3 years.  They were kind of tight when I bought them... and I just remembered I have a really awkward picture of me in them from when I got them!  Oh photobucket, thank you for keeping all of my photos.


 

Anyways, the point is, I've been trying them on off and on over the last few years just to see.  It usually ended up with me in tears and hating on myself.  But not this time!

Yes, I totally picked at the hole in them until I blew it out, but they fit!  And I even wore them in public today!  Super exciting stuff.  It's only been 2 months since changing my diet and exercise program and I'm seeing such results that it's keeping me incredibly motivated.  It was so frustrating to see no changes no matter how hard I tried.  To see changes in terms of pant size pushes me to keep going.  I'm down at least a pant size, though it's hard to tell since most of my pants are stretchy.  Think jeggings and lulu.

The last and deepest thoughts that occurred to me this week is how comfortable I've become.  I'm not pulling at my clothes, and to be honest, if I was to plateau here, I think I'd be okay.  Negative self-talk in terms of my body image used to be a constant that I could never get away from.  I realized earlier in the week that it's gone.  I look in the mirror and I DON'T pick myself apart any more.  I don't hate on all the 'flaws'.   I really think that's been a key to success this time around.  Because of my better all around body image, I'm happier and my goals have definitely changed.  Rather than being focused on a number or pant size, I want to get stronger.  I want to be able to do an unassisted chin up.  I want to deadlift my body weight.  I want to be able to do burpees faster. 

I love this new outlook, and I will try my best to keep things positive.


 

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Gluten Free Carrot Muffins


 Actually, these puppies aren't just gluten free, they're paleo too.  But I figured the less I tote around my paleoness the better.  So let's just call these little muffins of love.  Okay never mind.  That's even worse.

I went to bed last night with every intention of going to the gym but this morning it was NOT going to happen.  Apparently I need to stop drinking afternoon caffeine.  I've been up 2 nights in a row until at least midnight trying to get my brain to stop thinking.  It just won't.  So I'm tired today and rambling.  And currently drinking tea.

Whenever I stay home on Tuesday/Thursday mornings though, I can never just rest.  I literally pulled myself out of bed at 9 and made myself some breakfast and got to work.  Lots of tidying, vacuuming, etc was going on.  And some baking.

After the holidays we ended up with a huge bag of carrots.   I love carrots, but honestly, they aren't my go to veg for meals.  However, what I like more than carrots lately is anything to do with the idea of carrot cake.  Prior to starting the paleo thing, I made carrot cake baked oatmeal and it was SO GOOD.  Thinking that there's got to be a way to make it Kelly-friendly I started searching the web last night and found a few recipes.  I finally snagged this one and got to work this morning.



The batter was a little thicker than I was expecting, but kept my fingers crossed and 25 minutes later was trying not to eat all 12.  These are delicious, full of good stuff, tastes just as good as your average junk filled muffin, but, dare I say it, are good for you?

Carrot Muffins

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
3 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (optional)
1 1/2 cups carrots, grated
1/2 cup pecans, chopped


1.  Pre-heat oven to 325 and line a muffin tin or spray with coconut oil.

2.  Combine almond flour, seat salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

3.  Stir together coconut oil, banana and maple syrup, and eggs.

4.  Fold in pecans and carrots into the wet mixture.

5.  Add wet to dry

6.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7.  Try not to stuff your face and eat the whole batch


**My modifications:   I love cinnamon so you bet I upped that to a whole tbsp.  I also added some coconut shreds to the mix.  I think next time I would experiment with the spices in this one.  A little bit of nutmeg would have put these guys over the top!