2014 Goal Revamped!

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I had blogged last month about my goals for 2014, but my younger sister inspired me to think of my goals in a different way.  I decided to write down my goals for 2014 in an inspiring way and display them somewhere I would see them.  I chose to make this colorful display and hang it in the corner of my bathroom mirror so everyday when I am getting ready for work or getting ready for bed I see it.

Displaying my goals in this way has truly made it more motivational and in a way these little affirmations along the way are making a huge difference.  I have a tendency to get quite overwhelmed at times especially when I feel I am stretched too thin like I have been the past couple weeks and this has allowed me to think of things differently.  Instead of getting so disappointed at myself for not hitting a weekly or daily goal I am allowing myself to know that within the year it will happen.  

As I have talked about before I have been battling with hypothyroidism and it has truly made reaching some of my goals quite challenging or near impossible.  I have been battling chronic fatigue, muscle aches, back pain and a number of other icky symptoms.  Over the next couple months I have two appointments to see about getting back on track.  I thought I could manage this on my own because I do not want to be put on a synthetic hormone, but I have decided to seek other help.

I have been able to increase the amount of raw food I have been eating drastically and that has made all the difference.  I have even managed to do raw til 4 (no cooked food until after 4pm) and I really enjoy that.

Here are my goals!  How are you doing with your new years resolutions?  Are you still on track?  Did you fall off the wagon?

What I like about Sundays

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Sundays are a treat for me because it usually I am able to prep food for the week, workout as long as I want, relax, and enjoy just being at home with Chloe and B.  It is so cold here and has even been feeling cold in the house.  We are all bundled up and Chloe basically stays on the couch under a blanket.  

This morning I woke up and hit the treadmill for a nice run.  I ran for 15 minutes and then did the spin bike for another 20 minutes.  After all the cardio I did some sumo squats, wall exercises, glute bridges and v crunches.  I love working out and watching Netflix documentaries.  There is something about me time that is truly amazing.

I decided to whip up this yummy smoothie bowl and carb up after my long workout.


Raspberry Smoothie Bowl

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1 banana
  • toppings (optional)
    • I used unsweetened shredded coconut, hemp seeds and chia seeds
  • Blend until all ingredients are the consistency of sorbet.
  • Enjoy!

I love a hot cup of tea and on a morning like this it's hard to not want multiple cups.  I had a piping hot cup of Trader Joe's organic red chai this morning with a wee bit of raw honey.  Who needs coffee?


The saddest part of today will be taking down our Christmas decor throughout the house.  I love Christmas lights and everything else, but I guess it really is time.  Goodbye beautiful lights and greenery.

I am hoping to get a post up about Freezer Cooking! Stay tuned :)

Juice Recap: January Week 1

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This year I have decided that as part of my January goals I want to juice everyday for my health and to help rehabilitate my thyroid.  Part of that goal means sharing my juices with you folks as a way for me to be held accountable.

I have also been working out again because I have had the energy and my muscle pain and aching has been minimal.  Hypothyroidism pretty much sucks when you know how your body is supposed to feel.  By flooding my body with easily digestible nutrients I plan to get back to my healthy, fit vegetarian self.

Juice #1
  • ABCG
    • Apple (Gala)
    • Golden Beet
    • Carrots
    • Ginger Root
Juice #2
  • Spinach (lots)
  • Celery
  • Kiwi
  • Granny Smith Apple
  • Lime Juice (fresh)
Juice #3
  • Carrots
  • Apple (Gala)
  • Ginger Root
  • Tumeric Root
  • Tangerine Juice (fresh)
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My January Goals for 2014

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This year I have decided to list my goals for 2014 on a monthly basis.  By doing this I hope to make more of them a reality because I will be able to not get overwhelmed.  Also, I know I can do anything for 30 days.

Although I haven't been seen by a doctor because of my symptoms and family history I believe I have hypothyroidism tendencies.  That being said I am hesitant to see a general practitioner because I am against big pharma companies and believe in whole foods.  After doing my own research I have decided to incorporate more raw foods into my diet through juicing.  I eat a lot of whole foods and an abundance of fruits and veggies as a vegetarian, but I really want to work on incorporating more raw foods.  Raw foods are obviously not cooked which means that the nutrients are not denatured and therefor super potent.
I love my new Omega Juicer so I have decided that a juice a day will be the best way for me to incorporate a large amount of nutrients into my diet.  Juicing is truly wonderful because it allows you to get the health benefits from fruits and vegetables without your body having to work to break down the fiber contained in most plants.  I have also found that if I were to attempt to just eat the veggies and fruits I am juicing that it would be too much food.  I would never be able to make it through a meal.  My jaws may even get sore from the chewing (giggles).

I am going to do my best to post my juices on a weekly basis so you can see what I am eating and I can be held accountable.

Last year at this time B and I decided to do a Spending Freeze and we did an awesome job.  We not only were able to save more money, but we are now more aware of our bills, excessive expenditures, and know what is coming in and going out of our accounts.  We are wanting to move closer to the city and shorten our commute times (about 3 ish hours daily) and that means that it is time to cut back on our not necessary expenditures and work on ways to save.  I love feeling empowered and honestly who doesn't?!  We are in full swing and ready to take on the challenge and further explore what works for us.

I feel like when my health and money are in order everything else becomes less of a struggle.  After all, when I am fit I feel more confident and stress less and when I know what is going on in my bank account I feel even better.

I am also going to get our wedding save the dates out, further plan the bachelorette weekend and Nashville, and work on the ceremony decor.

Here's the short list...

January Goals 2014

  • Juice everyday 
  • Spending Freeze
  • Wedding Details

15 Favorite Things from 2013!

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These are a few of my favorite things from this past year.  Here goes...

1.  My engagement! I can not imagine my life without B and I can't wait for 6.14.2014 we will be joined as man and wife.  

2.  Vega One Nutritional Shake makes the list because it is a vegan protein powder made from peas.  I love it because it is not whey or soy based.  I love all the flavors, but the Vanilla Chai is the one I like best.

3.  Vegetarianism!  In March I posted about plant based eating and even took on a vegetarian challenge for the month of April, but it wasn't until July 4th weekend that I decided to convert completely.  I have never felt better and whole foods taste so much better than nasty processed meals 8 days a week.

4.  DIY Wellness Motivation Board:  Not only is it inspiring having this in my workout space, but I love having all my motivation and exercises easily available.

5.  B bought me a used spin bike off Craigslist from my birthday and I love it.  I got it to help with conditioning for half marathon training and it has yet to disappoint me.

6.  Weekly Meal Prep/Freezer Cooking:  I love cooking food on Sunday afternoons for the week ahead or prepping food for the freezer for easy weeknight meals.  I commute about 3 hours a day, so this is a massive life saver.  I prep lots of soups for the slow cooker and cut up lots of raw fruit and veggies for the week.  Overnight oats is only of my favorites too.

7.  Long hair don't care.  I have stopped coloring my hair and have let it go long.  All the supplements and healthy foods have made my hair grow faster and shinier.

8.  Pink Polar Heart Rate Monitor:  This little baby is awesome for making your workouts more effective and really help you know the calories burned.

9.  Tea:  Because I have been trying to rehabilitate my thyroid, I have eliminated caffeine and that means limiting coffee to once every week and a half or so.  I have learned to love hot tea and I enjoy everything from English breakfast to chai.

10.  CSA or Organic Farm:  We have finally found a program that works for us and have been enjoying organic farm fresh produce that is easy and affordable for us to get our hands on.  

11.  Vitamins and Supplements:  While I eat a lot of raw foods and get an amble amount of micro nutrients I have been taking lots of vitamins and supplements.  I joke that if someone saw what I take they may think I have a terminal illness or cancer.  I carry all my "drugs" in a massive pill case in my purse and take them with lunch at work.  I take a high potency multi vitamin, vitamin D, liquid B-12, iron, selenium, zinc, kelp, B complex, biotin, and a pre natal vitamin (to repair the hair loss because of my thyroid).

12.  Ready Made Snacks:  Instead of spending lots of money on protein bars I have taken up the challenge of making homemade granola and even homemade Oatmeal Cookie Larabars.

13.  Plant and Food Education:  I have watched lots of documentaries including Forks Over Knives, Food Matters, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Farmegeddon.  I am also mid way through reading Michael Pollan's book In Defense Of Food and so far it is AH-Mazing.  I can't wait to read his other books.

14.  Smoothies:  I have come to look forward to a smoothie and have found that it is an easy way to get a lot of raw fruit or veggies into my diet.  Here are some of my favorites:  Pink Pineapple Smoothie and Double Berry Smoothie.  I also like to add spinach, banana, fresh orange juice, strawberries, and chia seeds to a blender for a breakfast smoothie on my drive to work.

15.  Juicing:  Juicing is a fantastic way to flood your body with micro nutrients and allow your body to easily digest everything because a lot of the fiber has been stripped out.  I got a new Omega Juicer for Christmas and I can't wait to really break it in.  Check out some of my juice recipes or whip up your own using what you have on hand.

B and I also embarked on a Spending Freeze in 2013 and are taking measures to start again in 2014 so we can save more money and pay down our debt further.  The spending freeze was a huge part of our 2013, but it is far from my favorite highlights of the year.

Happy New Year!



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