tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54686863798603196872023-11-16T01:43:22.753-05:00Girl In HalfThis blog is my space to write about my 170lb weight loss journey and to share inspiration, recipes, fitness tips and more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-2692739476262680552014-08-25T19:49:00.002-04:002014-08-25T19:49:27.710-04:00I'm still hereThings are never clear or obvious, but as you can tell, I took a break from the blog for quite some time. In retrospect, the hiatus was building for a long time. I probably should have stopped sooner, and left some of my dirty laundry hidden. I went through a period of rigidity with my eating and exercise habits that was on the extreme side of healthy, as in, not so healthy. Then after my work conference in Las Vegas I let myself swing in the opposite direction. I have learned quite a bit about myself in almost thirty years, and even more so during this recent period of upheaval.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last bits of debauchery</td></tr>
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I am really good at latching on to something and doing it to the fullest. I am good at making myself do things that I perceive as being the right thing to do, even when they aren’t fun or comfortable. For the last few months I’ve been going out almost every night, drinking more alcohol than normal, not paying as much attention to what I eat and forcing myself to run on very little sleep in order to get in a workout. I’ve noticed my workouts aren’t doing much, and feel more difficult than they should.<br />
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This weekend my roommate and I went to Key Largo for a snorkeling trip, and I mentally marked it as my last hurrah before getting back to what feels right for me. I am working now on finding that balance between extremes. It’s been great to spend so much time busy and meeting people, and I’d like to continue that but at a less frenetic pace. I’m going to cut out the alcohol again. I can see the immediate impact it has on my physical form, and I can find better ways to alter my mood (i.e. good friends, music, moving my body, laughter, etc.).<br />
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I am learning to treat physical activities other than cycling/running and lifting weights as good enough exercise. I’m trying to do more outdoor things and have been kayaking three times since I got back from Vegas. I joined a softball team. I’ve never played before but I think it will be a good way to be active and social at the same time. I’m not officially on the team, but they’re letting me hang out and learn the game which is good enough for now.<br />
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I developed some new eating habits that I need to curtail, like adding granola to every smoothie instead of just the ones I make after long endurance workouts. I’ve been snacking a lot more, and on foods that aren’t the best choice. I’ve been eating out almost every night, and that’s probably the most radical deviation from my norm. I have my dog for the next two weeks, so it works out well to start cooking at home again regularly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoRePzLwDHgEwD2loz-lUbLQ8YfR2a_aXBHtofHSujHyP716H63jR_xT43V1uR6vF80bIRlsI3rpa7OPzOikOo1MCskOTJ7MQsHpVrmqr7C3pnsXo9jcWeRy86m7K6YupMDZfdgpbCEk0/s1600/2014-08-23+07.12.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoRePzLwDHgEwD2loz-lUbLQ8YfR2a_aXBHtofHSujHyP716H63jR_xT43V1uR6vF80bIRlsI3rpa7OPzOikOo1MCskOTJ7MQsHpVrmqr7C3pnsXo9jcWeRy86m7K6YupMDZfdgpbCEk0/s1600/2014-08-23+07.12.59.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don’t know what will happen with this blog. I like the idea of sharing my story and struggles, so I’d like to keep it up. I am doing a lot of good poetry writing and might have some big work changes on the horizon so no promises, but know that I am still out here doing my best to live a healthy and fun life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-16569433279786023412014-07-09T09:43:00.002-04:002014-07-09T09:43:31.119-04:00What I Ate Wednesday + NatureI am finally back and settled from a crazy June where I spent as many days out of town as at home!I have to admit that during my travels I didn't always make the best food choices due to both time/locale constraints and an inclination toward indulgence. I stayed pretty dedicated to my fitness and have been able to mix in some fun things like hiking and snorkeling. My second trip in June was for a work conference in Las Vegas so I didn't take too many food pictures, but I did sneak a few. Here are some food/travel highlights from the past few weeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtb_7MEGVqnPTBvlh8Lnsf5AbjZotQc7PcLyNpglrh4VPugS3Wzfq154lyUFDiL0IKijS90Q43bdCkzrYNcrzqLlS25W6OwiY3kdcrVKwzvE_UOQMYx-27-uq281CG21CFfvRMtYfGx10/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtb_7MEGVqnPTBvlh8Lnsf5AbjZotQc7PcLyNpglrh4VPugS3Wzfq154lyUFDiL0IKijS90Q43bdCkzrYNcrzqLlS25W6OwiY3kdcrVKwzvE_UOQMYx-27-uq281CG21CFfvRMtYfGx10/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from Vegas: Bellagio fountains, 2 of 3 Elvises, conference pool party, Dr. Evil on the Strip & my new favorite shirt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0Y3wSCiQ8vn16B4NwozFeLpYHqGs5UivxR_PAY4y9sx-ocBUgVaJQiiCsDLnziUhS0QccwOI45DPwh6Avhi8Iw-WEaBf8hil_7GIkpFKYR3Of9y6y7CPqzxSrBTvIaeWgqpTOcBF59bF/s1600/14380811027_068e76a34b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0Y3wSCiQ8vn16B4NwozFeLpYHqGs5UivxR_PAY4y9sx-ocBUgVaJQiiCsDLnziUhS0QccwOI45DPwh6Avhi8Iw-WEaBf8hil_7GIkpFKYR3Of9y6y7CPqzxSrBTvIaeWgqpTOcBF59bF/s1600/14380811027_068e76a34b_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first night of the trip the girls I was staying with and I made dinner in our suite. Kale salad with chickpeas to start things off healthy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HL5GqxvdZnSD_Ae4_w4z-tOROsp_yVBSpg0K7plUmqPWp1VRcHH5zbOXtLIm6lHdec4s86IQ1vMAJM4_93S-cpxnDjiH1dFiueSAkBKRqGc8Qhn4AiErhFZx0OgwV5PbkPIVn7KSALCi/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HL5GqxvdZnSD_Ae4_w4z-tOROsp_yVBSpg0K7plUmqPWp1VRcHH5zbOXtLIm6lHdec4s86IQ1vMAJM4_93S-cpxnDjiH1dFiueSAkBKRqGc8Qhn4AiErhFZx0OgwV5PbkPIVn7KSALCi/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage+1.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staying fit at the gym, strawberry gelato, spicy noodles, vegan hot dog on the Strip & baked potato with BBQ sauce that I found in the conference center.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnCan3tBdeCmz6DtjDHvipogSPodni6aenYEZCRgWnjEAcjMVSrqsL6ZiP_rNnUpQJZbaOKwhnZCVKQzAGAIfpIdhGMzvEMwsvfazZ3axS2qcFSWWATkus8m7zVepFOMPA4TTY_n0RPBq/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnCan3tBdeCmz6DtjDHvipogSPodni6aenYEZCRgWnjEAcjMVSrqsL6ZiP_rNnUpQJZbaOKwhnZCVKQzAGAIfpIdhGMzvEMwsvfazZ3axS2qcFSWWATkus8m7zVepFOMPA4TTY_n0RPBq/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage+2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last afternoon some of us took a trip to the Mt. Charleston area about an hour outside Vegas for a 3 mile hike to Mary Jane Falls. Nothing like pizza and beer after a good hike!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgab3uspOuZkhBwViF9At1vw4a6zpXxa3oSUsYZrhyphenhyphenfX5GnOroZg_xT-1TNGAiNbIyiZGVbzF3BhGco473JlAnDRPaFty6M38ABck63QQr8QdmG8Uh7yGLEkvvClyzaOR1MHzVpOR2br0W/s1600/2014-07-02+18.27.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgab3uspOuZkhBwViF9At1vw4a6zpXxa3oSUsYZrhyphenhyphenfX5GnOroZg_xT-1TNGAiNbIyiZGVbzF3BhGco473JlAnDRPaFty6M38ABck63QQr8QdmG8Uh7yGLEkvvClyzaOR1MHzVpOR2br0W/s1600/2014-07-02+18.27.14.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfort food</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX0vGbnREbAgA8lXN3S9EMU9HAD2Q1aRu0IWjEMT1JhfoVvjv4zhSNJWD6q3_2WIA0OUQK32iD-0tmxJ5GDH919KRrqDSOQ-qZPVGuZVHOxGx5Jr2AQ6LDx0JBwvQcBtZSV5TjPBWUjNz/s1600/2014-07-06+13.47.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX0vGbnREbAgA8lXN3S9EMU9HAD2Q1aRu0IWjEMT1JhfoVvjv4zhSNJWD6q3_2WIA0OUQK32iD-0tmxJ5GDH919KRrqDSOQ-qZPVGuZVHOxGx5Jr2AQ6LDx0JBwvQcBtZSV5TjPBWUjNz/s1600/2014-07-06+13.47.14.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tofu and veg in a sweet & sour broth plus a veggie roll at Izziban. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMxEkFPF4qCCvGOq8cPD7rrQDjmW10dsPEqTCYpy2-jKd-AF1OwztHQZ40NAAo1VuoU4ohiHSUAi7S3Xwvcb32KAd4vMvys6fcNVZZVgBqpgDHAODA88AGjhnSpQXYHX4J6TUl2xVj-aL/s1600/2014-07-08+18.30.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMxEkFPF4qCCvGOq8cPD7rrQDjmW10dsPEqTCYpy2-jKd-AF1OwztHQZ40NAAo1VuoU4ohiHSUAi7S3Xwvcb32KAd4vMvys6fcNVZZVgBqpgDHAODA88AGjhnSpQXYHX4J6TUl2xVj-aL/s1600/2014-07-08+18.30.49.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfort food #2.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde9R16rVlUwVUWQYvRCmThj5gvN0s6S8lGkcnHNUAB9xrr5NEQ7V23HHNRNvtCY0SW_XBPIuKE3Mky0FHb3B-Kz675vcZBElYfy62WXL5o_HcRyoZ5xhVPJReZmzzjpwn6AZU4R97bWnN/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde9R16rVlUwVUWQYvRCmThj5gvN0s6S8lGkcnHNUAB9xrr5NEQ7V23HHNRNvtCY0SW_XBPIuKE3Mky0FHb3B-Kz675vcZBElYfy62WXL5o_HcRyoZ5xhVPJReZmzzjpwn6AZU4R97bWnN/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage+3.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG Vegan potluck! Orlando has a great veg group called <a href="http://www.vegcf.org/" target="_blank">VegCF </a>that hosts a monthly potluck. I was able to go for the first time and I will go back every single time that I'm able. It was a wonderful meal with great conversation and a community spirit that was very moving. Please come if you're in Orlando on the first Monday of the month!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncGjJyO1f4zdZNYMwPVt2YrNguNEtLNZJRzL2xK9se2uCjkLozYc6R57a0XxxUrS7BzQy9uk4no9YuM9yQHBafA1ICgbRAQ7Uhq6Sf6Vk4o6BVfpwIqYwtbH8VWJIOJK_XDSD6cwopLTN/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncGjJyO1f4zdZNYMwPVt2YrNguNEtLNZJRzL2xK9se2uCjkLozYc6R57a0XxxUrS7BzQy9uk4no9YuM9yQHBafA1ICgbRAQ7Uhq6Sf6Vk4o6BVfpwIqYwtbH8VWJIOJK_XDSD6cwopLTN/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the 4th of July I took a road trip with a new friend to Devil's Den for some underground snorkeling. It was such a cool place, literally, the water was about 70 degrees! </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-82846175583516731922014-07-04T08:00:00.000-04:002014-07-04T08:00:02.921-04:00Two Years Plant Based!Today is the day, the anniversary of my decision to be fully plant based two years ago. I get asked about my decision quite often, so I thought I'd share my story here.<br />
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I was a vegetarian for a little over a year in high school, and by that I mean I ate potatoes and noodles and fruit. I ate some veggies, but sparingly. I hadn't yet fallen in love with hummus. I was not in a healthy place and it didn't stick.<br />
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In 2007 when I was at my heaviest, I started learning more about food and the impact of diet on more than just weight. The quest to lose weight morphed into a quest to be healthy, and I did a lot of reading and documentary watching in that time. I was heavily influenced by <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History/dp/1594132054" target="_blank">The Omnivore's Dilemma</a></i> by Michael Pollan, and I think everyone should read it.<br />
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After I learned about the factory farming and big Ag industries I started doing my best to make more informed choices. I stopped buying conventionally farmed meat and tried to buy as much organic as possible. I was living in Baltimore at the time, and it was easy to find access to local and sustainable sources of animal protein.<br />
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When I moved to NC it was more difficult to do this, and I was still educating myself about food and the industry that provides it. I watched the documentary <a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/" target="_blank"><i>Forks Over Knives</i></a> in close proximity to reading <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer-ebook/dp/B002SSBD6W" target="_blank">Eating Animals</a></i> by Jonathan Safran Foer. The documentary convinced me that removing animal protein from my diet could greatly improve my health, and the book showed me how significant the environmental impact of eating animals can be.<br />
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I had a moment at work shortly after this where I was chewing the sausage in my Jimmy Dean sandwich and felt disgusted by it. That was February 3, 2012 and was the last time I ate meat. I spent the next few months stressing about getting enough protein by putting cheese on everything I ate. At the same time I was starting to read vegan/plant based blogs and literature and began mentally accepting the idea that I should cut out eggs and dairy as well.<br />
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I decided to make July 4th my first day fully plant based because it was 5 months after my vegetarian-versary and an easy day to remember. My last vegetarian meal was a few slices of the closest to NY style pizza I could find in NC. My first big vegan meal was this <a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday.html" target="_blank">cherry tomato focaccia bread</a> and some assorted salads that I made for a 4th of July hike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mS4NpKrmzLW0ugOBG1F0UJyFTA-lRrtzdKsrDqhNyOl17JCEULtjMrKZmra0gwxTZJCvM7ytADywdpCMr8-W2LeegfO4_60X2QddsFkmf3-Ha9M12w1frZrUbiUFWA0Ye_r5iyfsO_Q6/s1600/2012-07-02+18.07.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mS4NpKrmzLW0ugOBG1F0UJyFTA-lRrtzdKsrDqhNyOl17JCEULtjMrKZmra0gwxTZJCvM7ytADywdpCMr8-W2LeegfO4_60X2QddsFkmf3-Ha9M12w1frZrUbiUFWA0Ye_r5iyfsO_Q6/s1600/2012-07-02+18.07.47.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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My eating style has evolved since then. I started out relying heavily on vegan versions of traditional foods (fake meats, sandwiches, pasta, etc.). I struggled a lot at first with deciphering what ingredients were plant based, until I had the epiphany that I shouldn't be eating foods with unfamiliar ingredients in the first place!<br />
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I was greatly inspired by the Thrive series of books and online information from Brendan Brazier, and because of this I eat a pretty healthy whole foods plant based diet. You should know this if you follow my blog! Here are a few highlights of some amazing meals I've had in the last two years:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkzh7FJLw9wg_QqhD2hCHz49SwbAwqj1TgWZMMx_NJ_TD0ukg2eRhrWxFMYxnvx73g5h8wM_PZk8BjbpFY_3zUeO-eHfjk2aCM8iqpu9Y3aIrwK0Xl5MMxo1EPOFhIs6u7ELAd72Cof8F/s1600/2014-06-17+13.09.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkzh7FJLw9wg_QqhD2hCHz49SwbAwqj1TgWZMMx_NJ_TD0ukg2eRhrWxFMYxnvx73g5h8wM_PZk8BjbpFY_3zUeO-eHfjk2aCM8iqpu9Y3aIrwK0Xl5MMxo1EPOFhIs6u7ELAd72Cof8F/s1600/2014-06-17+13.09.35.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burger at <a href="http://oneluckyduck.com/pages/pure-food-and-wine" target="_blank">Pure Food</a> in NYC, still the best!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpsI7zm_YSWbATRtmlZnlq7nRd7r4C7jyxsSGJP9xh9LCsgLyhASX9joYujoe5F7BTD2B-urWQB4W08trr9-rBQTPvypISO3vLj7BWvC-lAKX8WIlfiC2X9EhfblorXyhOLQn4aYakpgy/s1600/2013-01-12+12.26.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpsI7zm_YSWbATRtmlZnlq7nRd7r4C7jyxsSGJP9xh9LCsgLyhASX9joYujoe5F7BTD2B-urWQB4W08trr9-rBQTPvypISO3vLj7BWvC-lAKX8WIlfiC2X9EhfblorXyhOLQn4aYakpgy/s1600/2013-01-12+12.26.12.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rawco Taco Salad at <a href="http://www.lunaslivingkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Luna's Living Kitchen</a> in Charlotte, NC</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSbB3ZQVSuYwPR_7Q2_Nm0kygJ53bRpkqTlmeIvyqNI7URfcjZA351ffUYOhWRuSfIe8NtNpCN2FiDbxf3RWLxWj-hbm4dZMXWt1Wfdx0yTCMcOe8wZKHz-WwvG0LyUsi71RvczQuVqH_/s1600/2013-08-10+08.59.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSbB3ZQVSuYwPR_7Q2_Nm0kygJ53bRpkqTlmeIvyqNI7URfcjZA351ffUYOhWRuSfIe8NtNpCN2FiDbxf3RWLxWj-hbm4dZMXWt1Wfdx0yTCMcOe8wZKHz-WwvG0LyUsi71RvczQuVqH_/s1600/2013-08-10+08.59.53.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoothie bowls with granola, just about every weekend</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjkFWt1rz-WqYVEmFwltYmUkocN8gqzAMoLB1gPPj_z-MfV9e3mukRfN4sLJUkWvL2YLB0x9onu35MYdsWKlhrYDaNEvHYoh-2G8VwYX0dN5kXyue3OCzjApmytXDVphJuH7IoFPefMHL/s1600/2013-09-26+17.48.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjkFWt1rz-WqYVEmFwltYmUkocN8gqzAMoLB1gPPj_z-MfV9e3mukRfN4sLJUkWvL2YLB0x9onu35MYdsWKlhrYDaNEvHYoh-2G8VwYX0dN5kXyue3OCzjApmytXDVphJuH7IoFPefMHL/s1600/2013-09-26+17.48.17.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw pasta with hummus or pesto, at least once a month</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6cvbI_lVXm-rV5jsPiqepjyyGXl5lkVByZ2-b7kuzq4JoHd-orFu-akzDQ3ONwkVkudNvgvyqwe-44CCXILKD19BFkCJzrwlG6DTWqWsuyX1mKjSLLszstLPDRGiAyO0okgqduCysJsr/s1600/2014-01-07+18.09.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6cvbI_lVXm-rV5jsPiqepjyyGXl5lkVByZ2-b7kuzq4JoHd-orFu-akzDQ3ONwkVkudNvgvyqwe-44CCXILKD19BFkCJzrwlG6DTWqWsuyX1mKjSLLszstLPDRGiAyO0okgqduCysJsr/s1600/2014-01-07+18.09.41.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2014/04/vietnamese-bun-salad-recipe.html" target="_blank">Bun salads</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6TDOw6kIYyXg3Gp5rtXgVJXhksaqJNW71HLTbQFvcUSZDXJBcaMpTp_t1uXbZcAsMjrpCtzrM9IgEbU7BgDanIobODA3dNQzQTLXbAuns74oxjzefJHMGFDusXXbh4AmGrRrQR7aBzjN/s1600/2014-02-01+18.33.00-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6TDOw6kIYyXg3Gp5rtXgVJXhksaqJNW71HLTbQFvcUSZDXJBcaMpTp_t1uXbZcAsMjrpCtzrM9IgEbU7BgDanIobODA3dNQzQTLXbAuns74oxjzefJHMGFDusXXbh4AmGrRrQR7aBzjN/s1600/2014-02-01+18.33.00-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted beet arepa at <a href="http://takocheenaorlando.com/" target="_blank">Tako Cheena</a> in Orlando, FL.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsK_qt8nlrqebBsc_O4icgHdsm4uB_FBaIeYBOJNuDZygnjGm2z8O-6pvBSvLA4kJO_6XtuN9AdC2PUiXTLodz6NOBDckICj6UXNj4Kv0KwkCz2KNUUUu1CwxhwWtwLgKBxqW2t9GcGRS/s1600/2014-04-05+13.55.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsK_qt8nlrqebBsc_O4icgHdsm4uB_FBaIeYBOJNuDZygnjGm2z8O-6pvBSvLA4kJO_6XtuN9AdC2PUiXTLodz6NOBDckICj6UXNj4Kv0KwkCz2KNUUUu1CwxhwWtwLgKBxqW2t9GcGRS/s1600/2014-04-05+13.55.42.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't forget about dessert! Treats from <a href="http://www.raphsodic.com/index2.php" target="_blank">Raphsodic Bakery</a> in Orlando, FL</td></tr>
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One of the best things about this lifestyle for me is that I don't have to count calories and can eat until my hunger is satiated. It's gotten easier to eat plant based in the last year and I think many more restaurants and stores support eating this way. I can't say that I'll always eat this way, and I can't truthfully say I haven't eaten anything from an animal in the last two years. Some things may have slipped by. For now, it's still working, and I'll continue on my merry plant based way.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-33752233443624953242014-06-25T11:30:00.002-04:002014-06-25T11:30:21.239-04:00WIAW - New York EditionHiatus temporarily broken - I have to share the great food I had on my amazing trip to New York last week. I'm off to Vegas for work on Friday so will likely take another break from the blog. As always, <a href="http://instagram.com/digitalcarrie" target="_blank">follow me on Instagram</a> if you want to keep up with food and other adventures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7p4-DUxluRxKdQvAAyIFONvjEFNVU8BsYBUHwX8s4iBq5K0hci0P9LJxBMLO7gQMR2O-T2gTopgELX2gpwbOGtIgg1f9uyLbfaS5ZIXnkvE_sYWNjXECbvmnmvJ-jnLpswpL_aEPX2eJG/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7p4-DUxluRxKdQvAAyIFONvjEFNVU8BsYBUHwX8s4iBq5K0hci0P9LJxBMLO7gQMR2O-T2gTopgELX2gpwbOGtIgg1f9uyLbfaS5ZIXnkvE_sYWNjXECbvmnmvJ-jnLpswpL_aEPX2eJG/s1600/01.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the breakfasts I enjoyed on my trip. I was able to make smoothies once I was at my parent's house!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCDriqv_VgID-vAewzjN_pHNpGANdEBsm31zGIYS0uRzyrB84vr94nFWY7hIrq1uMs90dIftnRuzyqkFSCe1O0i_2X5XVKqUZ4a-kSc7HYDg_RInBYdUDsgTFJ5rRy25KkhjgCfaPnRTj/s1600/2014-06-15+14.10.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCDriqv_VgID-vAewzjN_pHNpGANdEBsm31zGIYS0uRzyrB84vr94nFWY7hIrq1uMs90dIftnRuzyqkFSCe1O0i_2X5XVKqUZ4a-kSc7HYDg_RInBYdUDsgTFJ5rRy25KkhjgCfaPnRTj/s1600/2014-06-15+14.10.12.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My vegan plate at the wedding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTghjnT9nnZFRoRJPNerbKV2F-o8n3_vBz8ON9OYakmNfm45AGBaMegwnxydjKXKkRzi2xP6VwEsmZnlOFfWgcYIhj-FZAfEUgxZtjyDqRteqdZpDZi3JlFvy8IkpSf4CMxOI2iolrWHS/s1600/IMG_4505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTghjnT9nnZFRoRJPNerbKV2F-o8n3_vBz8ON9OYakmNfm45AGBaMegwnxydjKXKkRzi2xP6VwEsmZnlOFfWgcYIhj-FZAfEUgxZtjyDqRteqdZpDZi3JlFvy8IkpSf4CMxOI2iolrWHS/s1600/IMG_4505.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my gorgeous cousins, congrats to Kirsten & Matt on their amazing ceremony!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ2sl4dfTzlt2a1RvDhY4fGhbBtMJrfyBVLy8KU49y-4o68T_N7p03mwQNKPlyXB8-2UKMoM5Cx19sAKLzilW0CD_nhhrVAsWzoK2CXvM6uvMu9VkmDuNt9q0NQ4qOd7aTNwY0C-OQttH/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ2sl4dfTzlt2a1RvDhY4fGhbBtMJrfyBVLy8KU49y-4o68T_N7p03mwQNKPlyXB8-2UKMoM5Cx19sAKLzilW0CD_nhhrVAsWzoK2CXvM6uvMu9VkmDuNt9q0NQ4qOd7aTNwY0C-OQttH/s1600/02.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An assortment of vegan eats/drinks: wheatgrass shot at the Newark airport, kale & sweet potato wrap at Blossom du Jour, stir fry veg at a random Japanese place, kale & radicchio salad at Etcetera Etcetera, summer roll from Trader Joes, hummus at a random place, mango boba from the Japanese place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19-9Se7Fim8ndJGTRaCh5_VO79QB81BO0CoghFl7zIueDENT-iDIsRSAmlF3WTzY0wN8PRtcDwzdE747OJeJZ_IamNG446yJe16RiWQ9WfEiwsxV9osQ-MlcA58nnanRo62SYMZX1cRYr/s1600/2014-06-16+16.41.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19-9Se7Fim8ndJGTRaCh5_VO79QB81BO0CoghFl7zIueDENT-iDIsRSAmlF3WTzY0wN8PRtcDwzdE747OJeJZ_IamNG446yJe16RiWQ9WfEiwsxV9osQ-MlcA58nnanRo62SYMZX1cRYr/s1600/2014-06-16+16.41.33.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decided to be spontaneous and get a tattoo! Had the design picked out for years. If you're in NYC check out Studio 28 Tattoos! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXgblCNqrkB3fTnKLxpBPcVnj-rH4ysX15PDFbO65nDbMksZLraXJHtXXKW_psA6wlUTsjC2aY9R-UjFW9NOzDWjGFsgL-jjs-3g9LBHrbNINvu9HwHfKGFkXnxEzMwra-p7NrPdRP2N9/s1600/2014-06-16+19.16.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXgblCNqrkB3fTnKLxpBPcVnj-rH4ysX15PDFbO65nDbMksZLraXJHtXXKW_psA6wlUTsjC2aY9R-UjFW9NOzDWjGFsgL-jjs-3g9LBHrbNINvu9HwHfKGFkXnxEzMwra-p7NrPdRP2N9/s1600/2014-06-16+19.16.53.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another amazing assortment: hand roll and roll of the month at Beyond Sushi, vegan s'mores pudding at Blossom du Jour, Tallarines a la Huancaina at Rockin Raw, and lentil pastries at Meskerem. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqwxgEstjAwNKs1FRNuUlzmF2l_Z3wWpNOaOCVlvyi1N2I-ecCeClV_r4vP0BFO1x91EZG6ujlWbRvselM9Pco7PLP9DsQ3PSQ7RLdZwDUnynwTqZJk0_8L_xl4V3hRm_4pzN_MgM5H0Z/s1600/2014-06-16+14.37.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqwxgEstjAwNKs1FRNuUlzmF2l_Z3wWpNOaOCVlvyi1N2I-ecCeClV_r4vP0BFO1x91EZG6ujlWbRvselM9Pco7PLP9DsQ3PSQ7RLdZwDUnynwTqZJk0_8L_xl4V3hRm_4pzN_MgM5H0Z/s1600/2014-06-16+14.37.22.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me housing the pudding. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgwqBIaqRWgyAhcGWwyu7YPnDZU1szbzryMxDY5XlHpe9D1X0ag8TRKOmF29kpzrvgJbZeEdhDYGPOJBauQR6U3hc3CxlSMXX0UM3YR6YU4yWrYVw_pL6jnKvdGRzEHSz7B5EH2OX4ZrA/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgwqBIaqRWgyAhcGWwyu7YPnDZU1szbzryMxDY5XlHpe9D1X0ag8TRKOmF29kpzrvgJbZeEdhDYGPOJBauQR6U3hc3CxlSMXX0UM3YR6YU4yWrYVw_pL6jnKvdGRzEHSz7B5EH2OX4ZrA/s1600/03.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CINNAMON SNAIL. Wish I could have gone for lunch but I had to settle for these phenomenal choices: lentil puffed pastry and a pistachio cardamom donut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkzh7FJLw9wg_QqhD2hCHz49SwbAwqj1TgWZMMx_NJ_TD0ukg2eRhrWxFMYxnvx73g5h8wM_PZk8BjbpFY_3zUeO-eHfjk2aCM8iqpu9Y3aIrwK0Xl5MMxo1EPOFhIs6u7ELAd72Cof8F/s1600/2014-06-17+13.09.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkzh7FJLw9wg_QqhD2hCHz49SwbAwqj1TgWZMMx_NJ_TD0ukg2eRhrWxFMYxnvx73g5h8wM_PZk8BjbpFY_3zUeO-eHfjk2aCM8iqpu9Y3aIrwK0Xl5MMxo1EPOFhIs6u7ELAd72Cof8F/s1600/2014-06-17+13.09.35.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BEST THING I'VE EATEN since I went plant based. The portabella and hemp seed burger at Pure Food & Wine. It had this ridiculous smoked cheese and sauerkraut and was so so so good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S3V3a4xEToT3K6_ohOcHy5Zzrj23VGOpZP8f0xFhQtQr1GGM6i1I-infwesLOlgY_AAR-p-0Ht94VU8HQDqEj2dHUSx2FYBPlWn3XxrLGo_j9n4LyE0g6Vr-dpV8QE7eU9R43RGJONqS/s1600/2014-06-16+20.08.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S3V3a4xEToT3K6_ohOcHy5Zzrj23VGOpZP8f0xFhQtQr1GGM6i1I-infwesLOlgY_AAR-p-0Ht94VU8HQDqEj2dHUSx2FYBPlWn3XxrLGo_j9n4LyE0g6Vr-dpV8QE7eU9R43RGJONqS/s1600/2014-06-16+20.08.45.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PSA: Take the Staten Island Ferry at sunset, even if you don't live/stay there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyak8Se3wWNs0hOYucnf7Sctm7ZUxbiE5iS-QR4XTP0-P7lcQ7_FoxJjltXr4x74AexNFh5_htG-ppOEYJUZ0ilWxscVFYbsNjTP1a-UOe6XV3_joJAfizgWdSIURbe1P9oi8ldEgdKYt/s1600/2014-06-18+12.57.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyak8Se3wWNs0hOYucnf7Sctm7ZUxbiE5iS-QR4XTP0-P7lcQ7_FoxJjltXr4x74AexNFh5_htG-ppOEYJUZ0ilWxscVFYbsNjTP1a-UOe6XV3_joJAfizgWdSIURbe1P9oi8ldEgdKYt/s1600/2014-06-18+12.57.04.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mashup lunch while waiting for my train at Penn Station. A raw salad from Raw Organics topped with baked falafel from a little shop in the station.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gqwaLwYMEZS-7esHp9zUhRibBVdfW2cqXzAAZXGdDhRn4HNiqLB1bUV89xCt3_XA9A66Q_Dhrdret9prdu-T8uVl1PG5PdksYcCDkfbP-sOyrb9sKGAHqIBV1JAaTNMyU4iztEoE8fr8/s1600/2014-06-18+18.56.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gqwaLwYMEZS-7esHp9zUhRibBVdfW2cqXzAAZXGdDhRn4HNiqLB1bUV89xCt3_XA9A66Q_Dhrdret9prdu-T8uVl1PG5PdksYcCDkfbP-sOyrb9sKGAHqIBV1JAaTNMyU4iztEoE8fr8/s1600/2014-06-18+18.56.58.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to eat a big ass salad and home cooked meal at my parents!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTbki3efPRtHrQ3xdbPOQ3T14eKJ81pmLvSMgwiiPzlZyQBgzkBC6gZZLMgmavyJPXReI4RvXyiv8QymScGg1hql5VCJRMRZ_RPizR3kl4qflnI4krQv8md2IR-NTdtwZJ5XrHoWMhije/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTbki3efPRtHrQ3xdbPOQ3T14eKJ81pmLvSMgwiiPzlZyQBgzkBC6gZZLMgmavyJPXReI4RvXyiv8QymScGg1hql5VCJRMRZ_RPizR3kl4qflnI4krQv8md2IR-NTdtwZJ5XrHoWMhije/s1600/04.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family dinner, NY style. Amazing white veg pizza topped with marinara.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mqzygZkapI_JJ7-bk7zAalQmeh5iwFPKBlzzi_FGKfzdyxEiVinJz1H31iYl9-6sCBbeH62pcHA67H-HKU9KD5P28ItIqKZMH04G405wWw6y925xN0rF0WWhWbceGnP3jwak_t80IGbh/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mqzygZkapI_JJ7-bk7zAalQmeh5iwFPKBlzzi_FGKfzdyxEiVinJz1H31iYl9-6sCBbeH62pcHA67H-HKU9KD5P28ItIqKZMH04G405wWw6y925xN0rF0WWhWbceGnP3jwak_t80IGbh/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took myself on a hike to Hadley Mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-AM28M2KsuoKKF7oT-hmGGRUVEKvMz8IhOWUUmcsTWg21sE6nhUzUm5Q31JLl6_7RObH33ODu2HjBa8mLVksLj4UH0AfVjEADWcv-gJc7P0Vihaii3UTHx9GYiYrJ4h34qHoMXnL4z4_/s1600/IMG_0299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-AM28M2KsuoKKF7oT-hmGGRUVEKvMz8IhOWUUmcsTWg21sE6nhUzUm5Q31JLl6_7RObH33ODu2HjBa8mLVksLj4UH0AfVjEADWcv-gJc7P0Vihaii3UTHx9GYiYrJ4h34qHoMXnL4z4_/s1600/IMG_0299.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PSA 2: Hike the Adirondacks!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-74055294769474582392014-06-11T16:03:00.001-04:002014-06-11T16:03:09.288-04:00What I Wrote WednesdayTrying something new today. I've written a bit about my struggle with healthy eating and being too obsessive, and I wrote a poem about it recently. If you want food pics, <a href="http://instagram.com/digitalcarrie" target="_blank">check out Instagram</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Pound of Flesh</b><br />
I write about love but I<br />
haven't yet told of my<br />
longest lasting love affair.<br />
<br />
I don't know what to call it.<br />
Food, flavor, gustatory delight,<br />
always chasing the next mouthful.<br />
<br />
I wonder if I'm wired wrong.<br />
Every emotion leads to<br />
Pavlovian drooling for the<br />
brief explosion of taste<br />
that will enhance my pleasure,<br />
mitigate my anger,<br />
soothe my sadness,<br />
quell my fears.<br />
<br />
Emotions fade but<br />
homeostasis breeds<br />
and even more unyielding<br />
desire to chase the<br />
next morsel of distraction.<br />
<br />
I make rules so that I can<br />
feed the hungry ghost<br />
without the consequence of<br />
a pound of flesh.<br />
<br />
Rules are easy to follow<br />
but the making is hard to quit.<br />
Will there ever be a day<br />
where I can relax?<br />
Where my brain doesn't sort<br />
every bite into a pattern<br />
or a nutrient.<br />
<br />
The junkie that can’t<br />
avoid her vice<br />
is doomed to a life<br />
of control.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-57925126652760916172014-06-08T15:51:00.001-04:002014-06-11T16:03:20.389-04:00Small Step Sunday: RestMy wellness advice for this week is probably the most difficult to do, even though it sounds easy. Our modern culture has conditioned us to feel as though we always need to be working to be making progress, and that we don't have enough time in our lives for all the tasks we must do. This makes it almost impossible to let yourself take breaks and rest.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3VOdcn-RKIGGJoyZjE46iL1ptz_2qVrfh6Ds6smTn8ZDURZuXQo0TYQUrxkCwgR5mbXDPqIK-WQsv_gHeyXC4bkNFrT1qNhYrMjC8hWuhIRyeGhbAu_KHNkNvHLt8i1zgzQS-CjvHEVJ/s1600/2011-10-30+11.00.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3VOdcn-RKIGGJoyZjE46iL1ptz_2qVrfh6Ds6smTn8ZDURZuXQo0TYQUrxkCwgR5mbXDPqIK-WQsv_gHeyXC4bkNFrT1qNhYrMjC8hWuhIRyeGhbAu_KHNkNvHLt8i1zgzQS-CjvHEVJ/s1600/2011-10-30+11.00.38.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A restful place</td></tr>
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<br />
I struggle with this, and it's been even harder during a time of emotional unrest. Days when I'm not busy unfortunately are often paired with a low mood. I've realized that feeling sadness is okay, just as getting adequate rest is okay. Rest might mean putting your feet up, or spending time in a peaceful place, or doing light yoga/walking, or getting a massage.<br />
<br />
Take some time this week to force yourself to take a break from your day to day, and from modern distractions. If there's something in your life that's causing undue stress, take some time away from it to see if it's genuinely an activity you need to pursue. On that note, I might be posting to the blog less frequently. I've enjoyed it but am not feeling the same passion. I'll be traveling for most of the rest of the month and am planning to re-evaluate after that. If you enjoy my food pictures you can <a href="http://instagram.com/digitalcarrie" target="_blank">follow them on Instagram</a>, I'm hoping to eat some good food in NYC!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-23226801136931504882014-06-05T08:30:00.000-04:002014-06-05T08:30:08.441-04:00Embracing New PassionsI spend a lot of time on this blog talking about health and wellness, and that discussion is primarily based on nutrition and moving your body. Often those choices influence our state of mind, but I don't know that I've adequately addressed the importance of taking care of your mind and spirit when you aim to be the best version of yourself.<br />
<br />
I am not a religious person, I find my connection with the Earth and nature to be the most soul satisfying and I nurture that by spending time outdoors. I flirt with meditation and can unequivocally state that it's a wonderful practice to heal the mind, body, and soul. Lately, especially with the nagging foot injury and more free time as a single person, I've been obsessed with expressing myself through poetry.<br />
<br />
I <a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2014/05/rocks-in-river.html" target="_blank">wrote a post a few weeks ago</a> about writing, but now I finally feel comfortable to share a poem on here. Thanks to all of you who choose to read it.<br />
<br />
<b>Sea</b><br />
<br />
Coconut scented sunscreen<br />
sprayed liberally on pale skin.<br />
<br />
Soft sand supports the<br />
weight of my supine spine.<br />
<br />
Steady winds dance across my skin,<br />
tempering the heat of the sun.<br />
<br />
Roaring ocean fills my ears,<br />
broken only by giddy screams<br />
of children at play.<br />
<br />
Solitude hurts less at the sea.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-70313835596149319912014-06-04T08:30:00.000-04:002014-06-04T08:30:03.110-04:00What I Ate WednesdayTaking food photos and posting them every week has become ingrained. I enjoy the habit because I love photography and food, but it also helps me identify patterns in my taste/preferences. I am currently on an South Indian kick - I am craving dosas! I'm also learning how to cook for one person and figure out which foods I won't get sick of eating repeatedly. Here's this week's bounty.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoTrDJzJnBzfeZRWkqrqYU0EgIjphNSYbJvQfm-XE1T1aNV6zrX7yriJT9_pGlsy7jndoFMqa7n-8rD9GB8Dtnn5sD46Wzb8wMpFkv01IBP_P8JMMPlsrnydiFfnshBDIu34nn494WUPf/s1600/2014-05-28+18.23.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoTrDJzJnBzfeZRWkqrqYU0EgIjphNSYbJvQfm-XE1T1aNV6zrX7yriJT9_pGlsy7jndoFMqa7n-8rD9GB8Dtnn5sD46Wzb8wMpFkv01IBP_P8JMMPlsrnydiFfnshBDIu34nn494WUPf/s1600/2014-05-28+18.23.13.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New meal for me and it came out great! It's sauteed peppers, onions, peas and shredded kale/cabbage/brussels sprouts mix with Asian flavors. Topped with fresh bean sprouts. Making it again this week!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-sDeLJIZ79jOq5_1FNwm9TBIhtPh061CdLWcJ9gL4U2adewF2AePRR4s9fgOcXSb9ZqZ2ZL1q7hqLcnb9QYFZXp0axzA2zS9XJZ_1PpjxNTr-IY684rgz0QgmT2c0BGal_ys6fakkvLW/s1600/2014-05-29+06.13.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-sDeLJIZ79jOq5_1FNwm9TBIhtPh061CdLWcJ9gL4U2adewF2AePRR4s9fgOcXSb9ZqZ2ZL1q7hqLcnb9QYFZXp0axzA2zS9XJZ_1PpjxNTr-IY684rgz0QgmT2c0BGal_ys6fakkvLW/s1600/2014-05-29+06.13.49.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry proof of my first run back. It went well at the time, but my foot protested a little too much. I am hoping to try again tomorrow. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaYjJU2dlIPpFzXoTF1INnECGY__mh15UYfsX29hMe7ExvRS0mkPrqOjIhqYw3ee0iazDBAOtdjvL8_eWMvVSgqgE2vDBcRjtGKKIeic2gefuH19JCmopRlpCEl33s8w2r31daQUfaQan/s1600/2014-05-29+18.21.29-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaYjJU2dlIPpFzXoTF1INnECGY__mh15UYfsX29hMe7ExvRS0mkPrqOjIhqYw3ee0iazDBAOtdjvL8_eWMvVSgqgE2vDBcRjtGKKIeic2gefuH19JCmopRlpCEl33s8w2r31daQUfaQan/s1600/2014-05-29+18.21.29-2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluten free mega veggie pizza with tempeh from <a href="http://mellowmushroom.com/" target="_blank">Mellow Mushroom</a>. It was excellent, but a little pricey. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEynkcqayXE18gIeTNG5PThLarKsg9E7Ru1hx0FPNe-xvGCeOLFYDXxi8Y_i3nQe2mblZZZJmXBvMjkv_v1b5wwyimwD-sPBkBTOaRtiT90Ezc5iO7rWdcnHwJ7-AmXvTN2EmaiwZc33sQ/s1600/2014-05-31+18.17.44-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEynkcqayXE18gIeTNG5PThLarKsg9E7Ru1hx0FPNe-xvGCeOLFYDXxi8Y_i3nQe2mblZZZJmXBvMjkv_v1b5wwyimwD-sPBkBTOaRtiT90Ezc5iO7rWdcnHwJ7-AmXvTN2EmaiwZc33sQ/s1600/2014-05-31+18.17.44-2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DOSA! I love these things. If you've never seen/had one, it's basically a lentil flour based crepe with a small pile of spicy potatoes in the middle. You tear off the pieces from the side and scoop up the filling. Amazing! This one was from <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/bombay-caf%C3%A9-orlando-2" target="_blank">Bombay Cafe</a>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwUtAtPNDL-x_0mWQzGVwbmvc3jtNW18hLv0iqdBBtffgq3E0_bIfwh_9_dxwvFgE-BdeT0-CiVFB-3KzV264n3ja36rdEfYzrEfQ1RCyWEDMl8H4IQ6yuLShlZu8281yPe0Joo06PmL/s1600/2014-05-31-14.01.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwUtAtPNDL-x_0mWQzGVwbmvc3jtNW18hLv0iqdBBtffgq3E0_bIfwh_9_dxwvFgE-BdeT0-CiVFB-3KzV264n3ja36rdEfYzrEfQ1RCyWEDMl8H4IQ6yuLShlZu8281yPe0Joo06PmL/s1600/2014-05-31-14.01.01.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My roommate's birthday was this week and he wanted to go to <a href="http://kingsbowlamerica.com/" target="_blank">Kings Bowl</a> for his celebration. They had some surprisingly good food - hummus duo with veg, mango salsa & guacamole, and a strawberry salad with no cheese/dressing. All fresh and delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbRQFFIMpRJH967wLN_SlBC2wQ_oU8gWJfJflPmpJRQPaFTBx9Xc3hkXdI-Sxg7dG-CAGC8NwFtAknK_p8c-ddtlw7KJBSncQomxET2NE6P5Ze_WVA1eWt8b0tZJuAfua02scAcQ1BJbH/s1600/2014-06-01+18.44.37-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbRQFFIMpRJH967wLN_SlBC2wQ_oU8gWJfJflPmpJRQPaFTBx9Xc3hkXdI-Sxg7dG-CAGC8NwFtAknK_p8c-ddtlw7KJBSncQomxET2NE6P5Ze_WVA1eWt8b0tZJuAfua02scAcQ1BJbH/s1600/2014-06-01+18.44.37-1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random collection of favorites: <a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2014/03/oil-free-braised-greens-recipe.html" target="_blank">oil free braised chard</a>, roasted brussels sprouts, kale chips, and sweet potato topped with almond butter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrjaWpz4V-f_mIKx3NwBVyqh4FAb-M2Yj-Xdm8PB1I4Bgl1M5Zq4HO6mQUei_ezK-woGSmCD0JuAv6s4izr3OElBnxnY67kRaaMnzTcAG8NgG3myT0KtJ99NOCSM9rzRl1YgCEdXKcgMF/s1600/2014-06-02+16.28.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrjaWpz4V-f_mIKx3NwBVyqh4FAb-M2Yj-Xdm8PB1I4Bgl1M5Zq4HO6mQUei_ezK-woGSmCD0JuAv6s4izr3OElBnxnY67kRaaMnzTcAG8NgG3myT0KtJ99NOCSM9rzRl1YgCEdXKcgMF/s1600/2014-06-02+16.28.26.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I saw a deal on Facebook to try this <a href="http://www.graze.com/us/p/DJJWLL34T" target="_blank">Graze box</a> for $1. Best dollar I've ever spent! You set up your preferences on their site and they mail you four snacks. I got a seed blend, chili lime pistachios, a tropical dried fruit blend, and an edamame snack mix. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAtl91eTMNfmMX6-ydU1uaYSkiL0gEr86jE0mHcYKYHitcbCU8gZxTd2SPVlk-yE1u4dt8PfZYL7fTRYowxIMpyz9Wk4JWZ6md6M741OwA5zCqoVmNEvqas6_ehBMsp756t2RAWDLMuP6/s1600/2014-06-02+18.19.33-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAtl91eTMNfmMX6-ydU1uaYSkiL0gEr86jE0mHcYKYHitcbCU8gZxTd2SPVlk-yE1u4dt8PfZYL7fTRYowxIMpyz9Wk4JWZ6md6M741OwA5zCqoVmNEvqas6_ehBMsp756t2RAWDLMuP6/s1600/2014-06-02+18.19.33-1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is my favorite meal ever. Rawsta with hummus and chickpeas. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NYWDcDBqeim4FyiSE96zZU4aJdv_8NbeGNhgabvhXo4Y2zVFWABSIE2QAef8VjxxgQqzyPjvdx4Km69VHr51pxSHrGljkMStGE6Z3mjHAUH2r61rZzRakB9E5KuYeW3_0FCxlydpI3D-/s1600/2014-06-03+11.25.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NYWDcDBqeim4FyiSE96zZU4aJdv_8NbeGNhgabvhXo4Y2zVFWABSIE2QAef8VjxxgQqzyPjvdx4Km69VHr51pxSHrGljkMStGE6Z3mjHAUH2r61rZzRakB9E5KuYeW3_0FCxlydpI3D-/s1600/2014-06-03+11.25.08.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think life works better when I have half a bottle of kombucha a day! When I get back from my crazy month of traveling I'm going to attempt to start making my own. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRs0FPdU5TAWKVWhO-YiVka1Qa6seCzcoV8JTpOkcYGf1ZZB_ov7uKcMBJ5yVVFxNIl37iKYM_3mrhRLKCp1MPUjzkWoOSnkUXAGF53itcMWwTZ0YaWh1pKR4GUe1QqvUnXRskvxHWgEB/s1600/2014-06.01+11.49.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRs0FPdU5TAWKVWhO-YiVka1Qa6seCzcoV8JTpOkcYGf1ZZB_ov7uKcMBJ5yVVFxNIl37iKYM_3mrhRLKCp1MPUjzkWoOSnkUXAGF53itcMWwTZ0YaWh1pKR4GUe1QqvUnXRskvxHWgEB/s1600/2014-06.01+11.49.00.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took myself to the beach this weekend. There's nothing better than spending time in nature!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-26279155002223539582014-06-01T16:27:00.000-04:002014-06-01T16:27:39.282-04:00Small Step Sunday - Break Your FastOne of the easiest habits to start is also one that many people skip: eating breakfast. Depending on when you eat your last bite of food at night and the time you get up in the morning, you may be without food for 8-12 hours. This might surprise you, but our bodies were designed to run on food! ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXZG8UFYrbnCIjQ4Qo7Mi_RPT1pa0JqsRKLSGGw6JGiyC_E2gW3hISBmVuoVng8mwX0JyQRGgwOsx66IEAU6_kwfKLbaFzEWYyPNzEjf7Dc86UCfTL-xglwMtPkiNBDfqNwzVaSlRlqi0/s1600/2014-05-26+09.03.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXZG8UFYrbnCIjQ4Qo7Mi_RPT1pa0JqsRKLSGGw6JGiyC_E2gW3hISBmVuoVng8mwX0JyQRGgwOsx66IEAU6_kwfKLbaFzEWYyPNzEjf7Dc86UCfTL-xglwMtPkiNBDfqNwzVaSlRlqi0/s1600/2014-05-26+09.03.07.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's important to start your day with nourishment, to break the fast from the night before, and to set yourself up for a day of positive eating habits. If you are already a breakfast eater you can make an attempt to eat healthier breakfasts. If you are not, get started!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgoPbqXanVOKHSGHbYZQmabwihNdLZ8KTshyL85_G6dW58qCHZLRT6Lk8nU5bmLUys4al_eHE9OdwgDaMaBqrwLPeFQG8NVPLKtjm0mslr7Hg4C_nq8N5W5SlXvW1jf1JHRYhRjdg3Uue/s1600/2013-11-16+16.15.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgoPbqXanVOKHSGHbYZQmabwihNdLZ8KTshyL85_G6dW58qCHZLRT6Lk8nU5bmLUys4al_eHE9OdwgDaMaBqrwLPeFQG8NVPLKtjm0mslr7Hg4C_nq8N5W5SlXvW1jf1JHRYhRjdg3Uue/s1600/2013-11-16+16.15.14.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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The timing of your breakfast will depend on your day. I usually work out first thing in the morning so my pattern is to work out on an empty stomach or eat a small bite before I start. After my workout during the week I eat about 100 calories worth of food after, and then eat my full smoothie when I get to work. On the weekends I usually make my smoothies from scratch and eat them when I am done exercising.<br />
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Here are some filling plant based breakfast ideas:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2013/08/smoothies.html" target="_blank">Smoothies</a></li>
<li>Oatmeal, rice, or quinoa with assorted toppings (nuts, nut butter, fruit, dried fruit, seeds, coconut, spices, etc.)</li>
<li>Whole grain or gluten free toast with nut butter, mashed fruit or natural jam</li>
<li><a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2014/03/fruity-pancakes-update.html" target="_blank">Pancakes</a></li>
<li>Tofu scramble</li>
<li>Cereal, muesli or granola with nut milk and fresh fruit</li>
<li>Chia pudding</li>
<li>Breakfast cookies</li>
</ul>
<div>
I'd love to hear your favorite breakfast and welcome any recipes!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-16283635972557309282014-05-30T10:07:00.002-04:002014-05-30T10:07:36.565-04:00Pinto Bean Hominy ChiliI love corn and corn based products. Especially paired with Mexican food. Grits, arepas, hominy and tortillas are some of my favorite foods. I made a great batch of chili this week and wanted to share my secrets (one of which is hominy!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6_GBZ0Kkz4oOZ73s8Wci7rXPimwAtHmSrSFVlmv2xWDBVRYtema_juJwUDYYNctrNtZqwea77a2KFMofG3ITE2i8-Hpmm48V3tZLaXRMrn4EzIQw-yoi5v2E0sKheXub3xxSDjXr5ma1/s1600/chili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6_GBZ0Kkz4oOZ73s8Wci7rXPimwAtHmSrSFVlmv2xWDBVRYtema_juJwUDYYNctrNtZqwea77a2KFMofG3ITE2i8-Hpmm48V3tZLaXRMrn4EzIQw-yoi5v2E0sKheXub3xxSDjXr5ma1/s1600/chili.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Pinto Bean Hominy Chili</b><br />
1/2 large red onion, chopped<br />
2-3 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 medium large poblano pepper, chopped<br />
1 medium green pepper, chopped<br />
1/2 pint mushrooms, chopped<br />
1 chayote squash, chopped (can sub zucchini)<br />
1 chipotle chili, diced (omit if you want it less spicy)<br />
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained<br />
1 can hominy, rinsed and drained<br />
1 can diced tomatoes<br />
2 squares dark chocolate (with chilis if you have it)<br />
Red wine vinegar<br />
Spice blend (salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder)<br />
<br />
Saute the onions and peppers in a large stock pot for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 3-5 minutes until the onions are turning translucent. Use water or red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan as you saute.<br />
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Add the mushrooms, squash and chipotle. Saute for another 3-5 minutes. Add the dark chocolate and spice blend. Stir to combine.<br />
<br />
Add the beans, hominy and tomatoes. Stir until combined. Saute on very low heat for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors blend.<br />
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Serve the next day if possible.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn_uhZH2r2kmFazJzUXT7BYBExyUa0Nm-sCrvFoE6zy64X8n140ZJicNvM6naZKCgwaYr1-A0A4jq4pvAOOddbY7q9hATUmRmaa3m1DP2iuAYwXpn0UplZjeZPsrx-LIHMGC7dGGQ7PbF/s1600/2014-05-27+18.24.34-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn_uhZH2r2kmFazJzUXT7BYBExyUa0Nm-sCrvFoE6zy64X8n140ZJicNvM6naZKCgwaYr1-A0A4jq4pvAOOddbY7q9hATUmRmaa3m1DP2iuAYwXpn0UplZjeZPsrx-LIHMGC7dGGQ7PbF/s1600/2014-05-27+18.24.34-2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Toppings</b><br />
Cilantro<br />
Scallions<br />
Avocado/guacamole<br />
Tortilla chips<br />
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<div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-31605098563385677952014-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:002014-05-28T08:00:01.942-04:00What I Ate WednesdayI'm surprised at how many photos I have this week. I've had some good eats, both at home and out. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2E6NywCA67h-qAl_aBIHS1mhAW-EZ4wPKPPZ8wwKf26oAahl621Gh6xKFHJZD8wtNDLIzBC5VnSy7O4wYHBT3G1AMhcjXsdClodMQDrwmKvL37ipC88P1oFNvMeR57fASF6T4X2Q1uts/s1600/2014-05-22+13.13.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2E6NywCA67h-qAl_aBIHS1mhAW-EZ4wPKPPZ8wwKf26oAahl621Gh6xKFHJZD8wtNDLIzBC5VnSy7O4wYHBT3G1AMhcjXsdClodMQDrwmKvL37ipC88P1oFNvMeR57fASF6T4X2Q1uts/s1600/2014-05-22+13.13.36.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A meal in three stages: salad before the cooked food, with the cooked food, and the perfect bite of leftovers.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJeAqH1d4m9WQUvhWJIw5bWuA8wxWDCweTxcEr4mu05kgS3BavS0opqS-6FimBHb1zcvceqHjX9bk57IZOHlxYxqRIvYAzBDHHWA0m3_olfAVc2IoQHIJpyRDMbmi_JQKt_zuGnSY87sQ/s1600/2014-05-22+20.50.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJeAqH1d4m9WQUvhWJIw5bWuA8wxWDCweTxcEr4mu05kgS3BavS0opqS-6FimBHb1zcvceqHjX9bk57IZOHlxYxqRIvYAzBDHHWA0m3_olfAVc2IoQHIJpyRDMbmi_JQKt_zuGnSY87sQ/s1600/2014-05-22+20.50.51.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian dinner with a friend. Not worth mentioning where - it was mediocre. Top is medu vada, left is Mulligatawny soup, right is my mixed veg. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUe-FUI4KciODExMLrZlH43ynyj5PdmhjkAw8mj4llRzwZZsaH5fVz2ZsL9WOaqg64wVTMgoj3Ve7tPX5Eui6LqTX7P69i35T_5yETCla_LHXSUxFgh-Ums9UGorHxlJcBRSZo1mwJvim/s1600/2014-05-23+18.35.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUe-FUI4KciODExMLrZlH43ynyj5PdmhjkAw8mj4llRzwZZsaH5fVz2ZsL9WOaqg64wVTMgoj3Ve7tPX5Eui6LqTX7P69i35T_5yETCla_LHXSUxFgh-Ums9UGorHxlJcBRSZo1mwJvim/s1600/2014-05-23+18.35.50.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday night we had a game night and pasta bar at our house. Mine is spaghetti squash topped with roasted veg, artichokes, tomato sauce and vegan parm. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh32KAI6QvUBJK06-RLzQk6e9VUVcz5Xn_RdM-_kOQfnUg-uyWKhAJ8p02IgTbB433EuUm84S03pXUeQy3oVUcXn1WHZv59KieZ7UOcRgrQNwyiJRKHMqQHPh3SoIJyTzvXwvCrUfA_o6I/s1600/2014-05-24+14.45.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh32KAI6QvUBJK06-RLzQk6e9VUVcz5Xn_RdM-_kOQfnUg-uyWKhAJ8p02IgTbB433EuUm84S03pXUeQy3oVUcXn1WHZv59KieZ7UOcRgrQNwyiJRKHMqQHPh3SoIJyTzvXwvCrUfA_o6I/s1600/2014-05-24+14.45.02.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almond milk froyo from TCBY!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQq2rcc1sVWUWd7d87tIWc8QL287LThfo2tacLEb6_QEPOjUZYBzNi0o3kYbx45bOUCwl_RQYg_i-k1JXgBnYM1bngm8MFc2S8ZBWFU6iqNReEZF2P5fQCZmOwP4xaT0vfEy0SDooMZKcG/s1600/2014-05-24+18.55.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQq2rcc1sVWUWd7d87tIWc8QL287LThfo2tacLEb6_QEPOjUZYBzNi0o3kYbx45bOUCwl_RQYg_i-k1JXgBnYM1bngm8MFc2S8ZBWFU6iqNReEZF2P5fQCZmOwP4xaT0vfEy0SDooMZKcG/s1600/2014-05-24+18.55.06.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soba noodle and edamame salad. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtuVdNf3cAzZMlfr8kXTlQ2qWZQBram5SfxZppsJgP-6QAS_NxfunZszxbELYpetNbH9QVdm_7bn8VlIb4Nx4DI_KX7mwfb7Xm9AH3BuLOxggGqNtupSmQAil_Qlar5_8fb464lpCkaf8/s1600/2014-05-25+15.04.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtuVdNf3cAzZMlfr8kXTlQ2qWZQBram5SfxZppsJgP-6QAS_NxfunZszxbELYpetNbH9QVdm_7bn8VlIb4Nx4DI_KX7mwfb7Xm9AH3BuLOxggGqNtupSmQAil_Qlar5_8fb464lpCkaf8/s1600/2014-05-25+15.04.42.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The making of strawberry vanilla granola. I need to post my recipe but I don't really measure so it's tough!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBFAuU395-Tr5rG6a6qNflGdgtcukNt0OzJDnX9xsATgFdauwZETqgnu-07zzgu-abuw16_9Om_BuJc5rOCSnG7rmRARHTx1N_NcNd14WN6YwNi48Fio_Xw6C2Sg3HHExF-vPblkUFCsL/s1600/2014-05-25+18.34.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBFAuU395-Tr5rG6a6qNflGdgtcukNt0OzJDnX9xsATgFdauwZETqgnu-07zzgu-abuw16_9Om_BuJc5rOCSnG7rmRARHTx1N_NcNd14WN6YwNi48Fio_Xw6C2Sg3HHExF-vPblkUFCsL/s1600/2014-05-25+18.34.44.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I need to eat cauliflower at least once a week. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNmq4YCIxHhlyvCphxNaL9gZlCL0VQo0CUWF3hg10zD445Kqf7h2llJoswzrjXCi4sgaN58ZLoUXAPYTtbQb5KMJPEvGRk4DHeaxzfxnm5hdMVh8kC4P0Cc1MDPUELQ4nRmJr4X1o5ezj/s1600/2014-05-26+09.03.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNmq4YCIxHhlyvCphxNaL9gZlCL0VQo0CUWF3hg10zD445Kqf7h2llJoswzrjXCi4sgaN58ZLoUXAPYTtbQb5KMJPEvGRk4DHeaxzfxnm5hdMVh8kC4P0Cc1MDPUELQ4nRmJr4X1o5ezj/s1600/2014-05-26+09.03.07.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is why I look forward to the weekend! Smoothie bowl topped with the homemade granola and kiwi. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTtcCt1gBy65r9Ez-ZbS2TI8lTla64Sx5_61uZNaZFVNH37n7v9bz4yQB7YBWZx5B_B_mgoOyqEbvxM0VLmyg5E1CsuZgQrBwBG40NLaXVwAsQa4O9406Ez9jhMNkmdgf4R0NUP91VjS4/s1600/2014-05-26+13.10.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTtcCt1gBy65r9Ez-ZbS2TI8lTla64Sx5_61uZNaZFVNH37n7v9bz4yQB7YBWZx5B_B_mgoOyqEbvxM0VLmyg5E1CsuZgQrBwBG40NLaXVwAsQa4O9406Ez9jhMNkmdgf4R0NUP91VjS4/s1600/2014-05-26+13.10.38.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random meal that came out delicious! Sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms, and kale mix mixed with soba noodles, tomato sauce and chopped veggie burger.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMJOV8mM_T2Zkhu_ER-2-Qd0KkyQ8lhbMRBUHNL7tCAFzOFLP5m3rYH20NwTUov-qrlnW5f53ToIp4THcKkb-xtMj9KyC6Cz3m2LeDRaIY_kCSU3ATNaUj6Kxox7rK9EBSIuwkHNSdzrd/s1600/chili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMJOV8mM_T2Zkhu_ER-2-Qd0KkyQ8lhbMRBUHNL7tCAFzOFLP5m3rYH20NwTUov-qrlnW5f53ToIp4THcKkb-xtMj9KyC6Cz3m2LeDRaIY_kCSU3ATNaUj6Kxox7rK9EBSIuwkHNSdzrd/s1600/chili.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The making of pinto bean hominy chili. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn_uhZH2r2kmFazJzUXT7BYBExyUa0Nm-sCrvFoE6zy64X8n140ZJicNvM6naZKCgwaYr1-A0A4jq4pvAOOddbY7q9hATUmRmaa3m1DP2iuAYwXpn0UplZjeZPsrx-LIHMGC7dGGQ7PbF/s1600/2014-05-27+18.24.34-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn_uhZH2r2kmFazJzUXT7BYBExyUa0Nm-sCrvFoE6zy64X8n140ZJicNvM6naZKCgwaYr1-A0A4jq4pvAOOddbY7q9hATUmRmaa3m1DP2iuAYwXpn0UplZjeZPsrx-LIHMGC7dGGQ7PbF/s1600/2014-05-27+18.24.34-2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product! </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-20577206008382596912014-05-26T12:51:00.003-04:002014-05-26T12:51:40.881-04:00Rocks in a River<br />
When I was in my deepest depth of despair over the end of my eleven year relationship (coupled with not being able to run and having health issues) I was listening to/reading/seeing the message that adversity fuels success in various media. At the time I made a note of it but continued feeling sad and not really believing that it could be true. Now that I’ve had time to process and heal, I can see this coming true in my life.<br />
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I’ve always harbored a secret passion for writing and desire to be an author. I was never sure of what, but I knew that writing felt good and fulfilling. As I’ve written more on this blog and <a href="http://carriemoran.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">my work blog</a> I’ve received amazing feedback from colleagues, friends, family, and internet strangers. I wrote poetry occasionally in my youth, and when I was grieving my loss I started writing poetry again. The first few poems I wrote were full of sadness, and they have evolved as I have moved through my healing journey.<br />
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Now that they’ve started coming, they won’t stop. I find myself getting struck by a word or a turn of phrase several times each day. I make note of them or stop and write a poem when they come. I read <a href="http://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/" target="_blank">“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield</a> this morning (yes, just in this morning. It’s a short book and I read while I cycle at the gym). I’d heard a lot of laudatory praise about it and I thought it was great if not quite as impressive as I’d expected.<br />
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After reading the book I’m convinced that I need to continue to pursue writing and make it a daily effort. I need to embrace the muse that is visiting me daily, thank her, and do the best work I can. I don’t know that I would have been able to do this without experiencing a great loss, and without being forced to spend time with myself. I feel like I’m discovering new parts of myself and have had the freedom to visit some old parts that had been hidden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWDlGUTCs0yPJ4t1v3pq7XDn_IyHJHdglSZ7jJtvIKIlD5tdTW3-lpYXVcPNubVGmpgB7i9zk-DEwXQI3NK2DVO1FaV8LF-6X5Y1WNPUHwYmtB-O_Zg2M29OQJFJ0Ief6A_tjJn242ybC/s1600/2014-05-25+14.28.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWDlGUTCs0yPJ4t1v3pq7XDn_IyHJHdglSZ7jJtvIKIlD5tdTW3-lpYXVcPNubVGmpgB7i9zk-DEwXQI3NK2DVO1FaV8LF-6X5Y1WNPUHwYmtB-O_Zg2M29OQJFJ0Ief6A_tjJn242ybC/s1600/2014-05-25+14.28.20.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New me, new shirt. It says let your dreams set sail.</td></tr>
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I’m starting to honor myself and treat myself to new experiences. I am putting myself in new situations and embracing the inherent awkwardness. I am still struck by sadness every now and then, but this week I’ve felt happier than I have in years. I started a blog with my poetry and photography. I hope to fill it with more writing and art.<br />
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The point of this post is to say that we never know where our lives will take us. We are like rocks in a river. We may get stuck in place for months or years, but new experiences will keep moving us along. We’ll retain our integrity but may change shape. We can’t go back to the past or know what the future holds, but we can embrace where we are on our journey.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-54205258208349975172014-05-25T16:09:00.001-04:002014-05-25T16:09:21.302-04:00Small Step Sunday: Minimize ChoiceMy goal with these Sunday posts is to quickly convey something you can do to achieve your health and wellness goals. I also aim to find things that are easy steps that can build incrementally to a healthy lifestyle. Many of the posts in this series have hinted at today's tip: <b>minimize the choices you make in your life. </b><br />
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I've had this on my list of things to write about for a few weeks, and was inspired to go through with it when I heard Tim Ferriss read his essay "<a href="http://fourhourworkweek.com/2008/02/06/the-choice-minimal-lifestyle-6-formulas-for-more-output-and-less-overwhelm/" target="_blank">The Choice-Minimal Lifestyle: 6 Formulas for More Output and Less Overwhelm</a>" on his <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tim-ferriss-show/id863897795?mt=2" target="_blank">weekly podcast</a>. It's worth the time to read/listen because it outlines the science behind minimizing choices.<br />
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Essentially <b>you only have so much mental energy to expend on making decisions each day</b>. You can call it motivation or willpower or another term of your choosing, but it's all on the same spectrum. If you can automate many of your daily choices, you will use less of that energy. This can make you more productive and feel happier in general.<br />
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<b>Here are some easy tasks you can turn into routines:</b><br />
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1. A daily meal - I know I always eat a smoothie for breakfast, and that I bring oats and fruit with me if I'm traveling.<br />
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2. Your commute - You know what type of commute fits your personality, and if you can automate the route you take each day and the time you leave.<br />
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3. Exercise - Even if you can't control your daily schedule you can control your workout routine. You can set a plan to alternate forms of cardio and do the same strength workouts in a pattern.<br />
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4. Clothes - Take 10 minutes on Sunday to hang your outfits for each day of the work week in your closet in sequence so you don't have to decide in the morning.<br />
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5. Shopping - There are a ton of great free grocery apps for phones and tablets. You can put them to work for you - they remember what you've bought in the past and you can easily tap your most common items to add them to your list. You can also set quantities to help make your store experience as easy as possible.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-10636543602983084292014-05-24T18:16:00.002-04:002014-05-24T18:16:36.782-04:00NamasteI was looking for a word that could express my deep gratitude and sense of awe at the love I've gotten from the readers of this blog and from the places that have shared my story. Namaste is a Sanskrit word that means bowing to you. I think that's appropriate here. I decided to collect all of these stories in one place because they all give a slightly different perspective on my journey.<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/i-lost-weight-carrie-moran_n_3900111.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.fitsugar.com/175-Pound-Weight-Loss-Story-33479193" target="_blank">Fit Sugar</a><br />
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<a href="http://theweighwewere.com/i-lost-weight-after-a-wake-up-call-diagnosis-carrie-moran-lost-170-pounds/" target="_blank">The Weigh We Were</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.fitnessmotivationpodcast.com/episode4/" target="_blank">Fitness Motivation Podcast</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.indicepr.com/noticias/2014/01/14/style/13906/mujer-que-rebajo-175-libras-quiere-inspirar-a-los-demas/" target="_blank">Indice (in Spanish)</a><br />
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If you are a new or old reader I'd love to hear from you. Comments go directly to my email or you can find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/DigitalCarrie" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/digitalcarrie" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<br />
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Namaste to you <3Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-10451732960765336902014-05-21T08:30:00.000-04:002014-05-21T08:30:12.736-04:00What I Ate Wednesday + RelationshipsI am on a mission to start building and fostering relationships locally. I have amazing family and friends in my life, but the majority of them live more than 8 hours drive away. This is probably a topic for an entire post, but this is my way of saying that I'll probably be eating out more and taking less photos of my food than in the past. I've had a couple good meals this week that didn't get captured digitally, and I'm okay with that. Onto the food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yD5bzyfBanZ5K3iDBZUwu0GyhKwH6IGraHaqZOcI6b8bByXg777TmY-0OmNE-rpBmVLnz9tB9Dn7PvzDPw8Ao4jEbUfAoqHtgX51G17dy8LqKG2_MOWikNq0ZVaEO_9ohEREFq8DtSr2/s1600/2014-05-14+18.17.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yD5bzyfBanZ5K3iDBZUwu0GyhKwH6IGraHaqZOcI6b8bByXg777TmY-0OmNE-rpBmVLnz9tB9Dn7PvzDPw8Ao4jEbUfAoqHtgX51G17dy8LqKG2_MOWikNq0ZVaEO_9ohEREFq8DtSr2/s1600/2014-05-14+18.17.57.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fajita salad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucyk4dz3lqdmUXw9VcvjSRHasjfo7jb4Tk_wnkRCc1L5V8smW2WLEgtUCLmKLHZNxaz_sWz_eFoo7LCK5ln5oaVvfW1U_byB9JdwAVLYgLZ_TemqMJppsFO811gNhrGN3TzoJGl2XQdRN/s1600/2014-05-15+19.28.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucyk4dz3lqdmUXw9VcvjSRHasjfo7jb4Tk_wnkRCc1L5V8smW2WLEgtUCLmKLHZNxaz_sWz_eFoo7LCK5ln5oaVvfW1U_byB9JdwAVLYgLZ_TemqMJppsFO811gNhrGN3TzoJGl2XQdRN/s1600/2014-05-15+19.28.28.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw my first double rainbow this week!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Up-TDMjOqu8w7TioQY6CvxEBEAQh1GFXU2OQqNQuebhX935oQTzYGavE92IM8sG4Qf27AQxwAhU7dZRWzst7XJKjFI5_mxVAdhedrAMNKxbCyzEILHH8mbJZyOhaCxhyZIoBYoecM2r1/s1600/2014-05-16+14.32.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Up-TDMjOqu8w7TioQY6CvxEBEAQh1GFXU2OQqNQuebhX935oQTzYGavE92IM8sG4Qf27AQxwAhU7dZRWzst7XJKjFI5_mxVAdhedrAMNKxbCyzEILHH8mbJZyOhaCxhyZIoBYoecM2r1/s1600/2014-05-16+14.32.14.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got to spend a night with my sweet beagle <3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrY_kt_UJPN1nDqK9fwYiGUAonvxWkdwOEI_YdFOZL_fjR32TmT7uE8ry_QrEU2odJa5WYlTkaIMMzshgjyWNhX1CvQ8HIKeFPOTA46f-rZGfJtGn3OvmzoQUA5XafR4q1Vet4b2fdUDr/s1600/2014-05-16+18.25.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrY_kt_UJPN1nDqK9fwYiGUAonvxWkdwOEI_YdFOZL_fjR32TmT7uE8ry_QrEU2odJa5WYlTkaIMMzshgjyWNhX1CvQ8HIKeFPOTA46f-rZGfJtGn3OvmzoQUA5XafR4q1Vet4b2fdUDr/s1600/2014-05-16+18.25.58.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't pass up the local corn! Served with roasted sweet potatoes, lentils, and a salad. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD9-_CsYNCKIsNDHAHyYQPZYN9jX6GEekMegc4MUk630V5bUvym-OJin5k8MCbPhKEZeXGHvD_IvxKfnDwuedcWx4VzXc1kEJn5zKX8w6a8Wj4fsLX-Dgo85RXPOdQEktdo5UD6riaqpm/s1600/2014-05-17+13.08.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD9-_CsYNCKIsNDHAHyYQPZYN9jX6GEekMegc4MUk630V5bUvym-OJin5k8MCbPhKEZeXGHvD_IvxKfnDwuedcWx4VzXc1kEJn5zKX8w6a8Wj4fsLX-Dgo85RXPOdQEktdo5UD6riaqpm/s1600/2014-05-17+13.08.13.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic broccoli at Lac Viet. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe0Zs5EBzIXpgPOXosH6eFIBbIOhfsyJ7Oz0xUMddbEQyYPuNlEzsgMwf85lTi-8p54p7aAiXft18eG1GvOVe116e_KtzwMhAbfiOmjjrtJsoryRF1AhcsPAtAIkyY0awxkZDCkUcPAQx/s1600/2014-05-17+13.45.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe0Zs5EBzIXpgPOXosH6eFIBbIOhfsyJ7Oz0xUMddbEQyYPuNlEzsgMwf85lTi-8p54p7aAiXft18eG1GvOVe116e_KtzwMhAbfiOmjjrtJsoryRF1AhcsPAtAIkyY0awxkZDCkUcPAQx/s1600/2014-05-17+13.45.58.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box of gluten free, vegan goodies from Raphsodic Bakery.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MGekZUjLSd118pQVM4uKZpWK0_n3hAyPW2baNMmMj-JyZ19rbTinyZi2HbO-uRo-uZZAPWw-QZv_NjfJN7ybn8QIMlMvZGmBRzx_KKhjkigdcSZ-N2OQNAUgBPCDYTSKQFcmVjJYnWC2/s1600/2014-05-19+13.42.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MGekZUjLSd118pQVM4uKZpWK0_n3hAyPW2baNMmMj-JyZ19rbTinyZi2HbO-uRo-uZZAPWw-QZv_NjfJN7ybn8QIMlMvZGmBRzx_KKhjkigdcSZ-N2OQNAUgBPCDYTSKQFcmVjJYnWC2/s1600/2014-05-19+13.42.42.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday night I went to a potluck with a bunch of my librarian co-workers, and they all made vegan food even though none of them are vegan! So freaking awesome. I made a wild rice edamame salad. I also had lentils, baked polenta with veg, two chickpea salads, roasted veggies, fresh fruit and of course several samples of the desserts pictured above!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcSGg9VOrn7i8Xq3QPxRjMDvZaQV_gvntA1QSkqvEI06U4SfT5D7Ce2ln4SSCSpW4OVmQd3_GxxOoNXjhk3qD1kJ9Izv-J2lD0V7zRBxfErcRSY05RswHdGZ3xiMfYiSeFXV5IgOrctY0/s1600/2014-05-19+18.21.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcSGg9VOrn7i8Xq3QPxRjMDvZaQV_gvntA1QSkqvEI06U4SfT5D7Ce2ln4SSCSpW4OVmQd3_GxxOoNXjhk3qD1kJ9Izv-J2lD0V7zRBxfErcRSY05RswHdGZ3xiMfYiSeFXV5IgOrctY0/s1600/2014-05-19+18.21.32.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-magical-spaghetti-squash.html" target="_blank">Spaghetti squash</a> topped with a tomato sauce with onions, artichokes and peas. Nooch and olives for garnish. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1u0DzVCu7SV0KMcG4Qhf_ZgW-u4b_-Hy4HXHb7uGDE6UFHQowLAbBjWFt_0wjyYz7bOQvZkVJhDWYuBri6STEIGuwFZqO7VmfNpKAY5Lz2itbL4lNAKxlMcA3LawZxbWq737PtLms7MJY/s1600/2014-05-20+18.20.42-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1u0DzVCu7SV0KMcG4Qhf_ZgW-u4b_-Hy4HXHb7uGDE6UFHQowLAbBjWFt_0wjyYz7bOQvZkVJhDWYuBri6STEIGuwFZqO7VmfNpKAY5Lz2itbL4lNAKxlMcA3LawZxbWq737PtLms7MJY/s1600/2014-05-20+18.20.42-1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Southern homage: grits, black eyed peas and collard greens. </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-62046201939100875552014-05-20T12:00:00.000-04:002014-05-20T12:00:03.005-04:00Fat Carrie and the 175 Pound GhostFor some reason Fat Carrie has been making quite a few appearances lately. In this case when I use Fat Carrie I'm referring to my debit card. It has a photo of me from the day I opened the account sometime in the summer of 2005. I probably weighed close to my heaviest then. It's a small photo, but it's easy to mistake it for a totally different person. I usually carry it with me in social situations, so it's my go to when people hear about my weight loss and want to see proof.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj4BbJ4k2aei-7mb_xF7bNju0KurwAx4nXrVQq938N8ZQkXUoBJ6iT_pjh-jJih7IO5bvYdqxG09ynGDnF4QJBk3yO3bxMFoTRfBZ_QnV1GH6AgwMELzJlsZ2lcTvKiFvaZJNdXRpzc_O/s1600/2014-05-20+11.38.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj4BbJ4k2aei-7mb_xF7bNju0KurwAx4nXrVQq938N8ZQkXUoBJ6iT_pjh-jJih7IO5bvYdqxG09ynGDnF4QJBk3yO3bxMFoTRfBZ_QnV1GH6AgwMELzJlsZ2lcTvKiFvaZJNdXRpzc_O/s1600/2014-05-20+11.38.41.jpg" height="200" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat (& happy) Carrie</td></tr>
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When I pay with that card I say/think "Fat Carrie's got this!". My bank won't issue a new photo, and it used to bother me. Now I've embraced it, and I find it humorous. We have to be able to move on from our past, and now I like having a reminder of my success in my pocket or purse all the time. Most of the time I don't think about the weight loss, but other times feel like there's a 175 pound ghost lingering with me in the background.<br />
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My instinct is to avoid narrow passageways and clothes shopping as vestiges of this former self. When I catch myself doing it I usually laugh it off, but there are times when it feels deeply unsettling. There's always a fear that I could get there again, and I think that worry fuels my motivation and willpower. Some more concrete vestiges of this past include my ceaseless appetite and the physical markers of significant weight loss like stretch marks and saggy skin. I've learned to work on and work with these limitations.<br />
I always carry food and try to eat every few hours. I can't operate successfully when I'm hungry, and as stated above that is something I can't avoid. I started and continue to lift weights to slowly chip away at the skin that hangs from my arms and stomach, and to shrink my thighs to a point where the muscle can peek out. I am a work in progress and I don't always love myself, but I feel satisfied knowing that I'm doing what I can.<br />
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I read recently about <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/" target="_blank">a test that was developed at Harvard to measure implicit preferences</a>. You can choose to measure your preferences (realistically, your biases) on topics like age, gender, race, disabilities, religion and weight. I wanted to try it out, so I took the test about weight. The essence of the test is that you're shown photos and words. You have to press a key on the keyboard to associate all the fat/skinny photos with a certain letter, and all the good/bad words with a certain letter. There are several rounds, and later in the test you are shown a mix of images and words. You have to associate the good word key with skinny images and then switch.<br />
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Here were the results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvc-PScEOT40ow651lijRZJa3Y9JkH5V5TugZo77W-nlWbAGLzIwCRnIDnBkDA61GxQXDFO_zrx_6lJfLh2ME7RXD5MgXNYk2e7DktmRDj-J-FBQs7mIg-6szzDZOdBB0CrqS1cRhrw65/s1600/2014-04-25_0836.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvc-PScEOT40ow651lijRZJa3Y9JkH5V5TugZo77W-nlWbAGLzIwCRnIDnBkDA61GxQXDFO_zrx_6lJfLh2ME7RXD5MgXNYk2e7DktmRDj-J-FBQs7mIg-6szzDZOdBB0CrqS1cRhrw65/s1600/2014-04-25_0836.png" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had no implicit bias toward weight, and fell into the "Little to no automatic preference..." category, which represents only 19% of test takers. I think this is because of my unique experience of having been clearly obese followed by my current reality where people refer to me as skinny/thin without being prompted. It's hard even as a former fat girl to not place judgment on overweight people and to assume qualities of their character based on their external experience. I hope that as we realize how entrenched the societal factors that contribute to weight gain are, society will be more willing to assign blame to them and less to the individuals who are prone to weight gain.<br />
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This post isn't one of my more focused or helpful, but there are times I need to express myself honestly on topics that I cogitate on frequently. Thank you for staying with me if you're still here, and you can look forward to food photos tomorrow!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-54850097238422220172014-05-18T12:10:00.002-04:002014-05-18T12:10:30.028-04:00Small Step Sunday: Connect with Nature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Humans evolved to co-exist with nature. There are direct psychological benefits to spending time in nature. A <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378013000575" target="_blank">2013 article by British researchers published in <i>Global Environmental Change</i></a> used a unique GPS based collection method to study the effects of nature on happiness. The study found that "On average, study participants are significantly and substantially happier outdoors in all green or natural habitat types than they are in urban environments." </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESXcYdvYrPcpxbxNDQi5czMAGficKeAFknYg3uHsh8mtaDsfshUzsd4jL7o4LNePzAhzXzJ33iTv4cSLVDKq-OSumKlxU1WNzTCQvqSfRDlxyZSqI8Xdx3xTlqrC9Wgyw6DcCypWoUN81/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESXcYdvYrPcpxbxNDQi5czMAGficKeAFknYg3uHsh8mtaDsfshUzsd4jL7o4LNePzAhzXzJ33iTv4cSLVDKq-OSumKlxU1WNzTCQvqSfRDlxyZSqI8Xdx3xTlqrC9Wgyw6DcCypWoUN81/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty yellow flower at <a href="http://www.leugardens.org/" target="_blank">Leu Gardens</a> in Orlando</td></tr>
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My personal experience has always been that nature has a calming, grounding effect on my feelings. One of the reasons I chose to move to Orlando was to have weather that would allow me to spend a lot of time outdoors and in the sunshine. An <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moment-youth/201403/does-nature-make-us-happy" target="_blank">article from <i>Psychology Today </i>titled "Does Nature Make Us Happy?"</a> discusses several other current research findings about this topic if you're interested. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVT8U6esLBykNydflx-JmwUzMbyVg_mwMH04NAPjkdk5sz2K84-70wwBtRHb828IGLyIy267IfZ0ok8DDkTuJwJtzMOp18jnSKmfvXJ_6VyzL-dPQnLGCRt1H9ZVVygr5lV1KQURDWvi8C/s1600/2012-04-07+10.13.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVT8U6esLBykNydflx-JmwUzMbyVg_mwMH04NAPjkdk5sz2K84-70wwBtRHb828IGLyIy267IfZ0ok8DDkTuJwJtzMOp18jnSKmfvXJ_6VyzL-dPQnLGCRt1H9ZVVygr5lV1KQURDWvi8C/s1600/2012-04-07+10.13.05.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Ridge Mountains, photo taken outside Asheville, NC.</td></tr>
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It isn't hard to find opportunities to connect with nature, even in urban environments. Many cities have parks, nature gardens, and other dedicated green spaces within the urban setting. The photo of the flower I posted above was taken at Leu Gardens in Orlando which is right in the middle of the city. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxwj4SYRF8dt1ZuT91E-DL5ecwLGJo-xI5yUwZKrnr2s_uTvRmHo2gfY6hJywBelh5t3Vet_S51qbLf-Y99OHIPZEpUH7ptCaVK9rvMwyPs0df_o3_sckkpqa59xtK53paQ1RnHe92r0A/s1600/dec27_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxwj4SYRF8dt1ZuT91E-DL5ecwLGJo-xI5yUwZKrnr2s_uTvRmHo2gfY6hJywBelh5t3Vet_S51qbLf-Y99OHIPZEpUH7ptCaVK9rvMwyPs0df_o3_sckkpqa59xtK53paQ1RnHe92r0A/s1600/dec27_03.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many gorgeous beaches of Curacao</td></tr>
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Here are some easy ways to get time in nature:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Take a walk or a hike</li>
<li>Ride your bike in a new area</li>
<li>Go for a scenic drive and stop to take photos when you feel inspired</li>
<li>Find a park or beach to have a picnic</li>
<li>Invest in some cheap outdoor games like bocce ball or lawn darts</li>
<li>Sit on the beach with a good book</li>
<li>Take a child in your life or the child in yourself to a playground</li>
<li>Sit in outdoor spaces at your home when you're reading, writing blog posts, or playing on the computer</li>
<li>Find an outdoor fitness class</li>
<li>Look for local festivals and events held in parks</li>
<li>Sit quietly outdoors in your favorite setting and listen to the birds</li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-63307194430671531862014-05-16T09:30:00.000-04:002014-05-16T09:30:01.336-04:00In Other WordsThere’s been a lot of great content floating around on the Internet lately so this post is a bit longer than some of the others.<br />
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<a href="http://www.niashanks.com/2014/04/fitness-test/" target="_blank">Does Your Fitness Regimen Pass The Test? Why You Need To Be Able To Answer Yes! To This One Question</a><br />
The first of two Nia Shanks posts on my list. I love her no BS approach to health and wellness. This post is short and sweet – she talks about the main criteria of a fitness plan, and I will leave it a surprise for you to go read!<br />
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<a href="http://myvega.com/vega-life/vega-blog/best-sources-vegan-protein/" target="_blank">The Best Sources of Vegan Protein</a><br />
I feel like I need to post something about veg protein sources every now and then so my family knows I will not die eating only plants! This article is really comprehensive and I love that it goes beyond tofu and beans in its list of sources.<br />
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<a href="http://greatist.com/fitness/how-to-fit-exercise-into-a-busy-work-schedule" target="_blank">How to Fit Exercise into Your Routine—No Matter How Busy You Are</a><br />
Hopefully you read the Nia Shanks post already, but this is kind of on the same theme. It’s easy to say/think “I’m too busy for…” but we have a lot more time in our day than we realize. I like to use my time to move my body!<br />
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<a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/back-to-the-basics-the-urgentimportant-matrix/56903" target="_blank">Back to the Basics: the Urgent/Important Matrix</a><br />
ProfHacker is a great blog series for anyone interested in higher education. This post talks about the Urgent/Important matrix from the 7 Habits plan. It’s a great way to look at the big picture of your life, personally or professionally, and make decisions based on what really matters.<br />
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<a href="http://www.katwhitfield.com/2014/05/13/honest-health-and-fitness-advertising/" target="_blank">Honest Health and Fitness Advertising</a><br />
Kat Whitfield is another blogger I love for her straightforward approach and critique of the health and fitness industry. This post is amusing and scary at the same time – she rewrites real headlines to reflect a more honest interpretation of the article. <b>This is a must read. </b><br />
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<a href="http://www.niashanks.com/2014/05/let-go/" target="_blank">Let Go: How To Get Rid Of Anxiety Caused By Health And Fitness (And Why Doing So Can Help You Achieve Better Results)</a><br />
Here is the second Nia Shanks post, and one that I sorely needed to read. I've written recently about my struggle with being too rigid with my health choices, and I realize now that I was desperately trying to control something in my life. I’m healing physically/emotionally every day and finding it easier to relax. My favorite line from this post <b>“What is the absolute worst thing that could happen if I eat (and enjoy!) a PB and J?”</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.today.com/health/6-ingredients-banned-other-countries-ok-u-s-2D79619825" target="_blank">Safe to eat? Common ingredients banned in other countries, but OK here</a><br />
I typically don’t trust the major news media to report on health and fitness in an accurate and non-salacious way, but I had to share this. It blows my mind that the food industry in the US is still so dedicated to feeding us foods and additives that are harmful to our health. This is why I advocate eating whole, real foods regardless of your dietary preferences!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-70149522774775800362014-05-14T08:00:00.000-04:002014-05-14T08:00:01.956-04:00What I Ate Wednesday - Mom EditionWhat a week! I attended a conference Wednesday-Friday and then my Mom came for a visit from Saturday-Tuesday morning. I've done more eating out this week than I have in months. I did my best to make good choices, but have also been better about allowing myself to relax about my food. One or two meals isn't going to ruin a pattern of healthy eating.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmCq52rTrNb1bRfE9B186uTEW4ENe4i1n1inCkqABsXQVsPvDflEAlVEpCfiXvsxEVUCnPhrjuzNrInvXH5kLcLiFWaTXveBClcaFFxwm0LxfNMJb7sVssWdHq4bW8_xRuN2bzYkwllqO/s1600/2014-05-07+18.10.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmCq52rTrNb1bRfE9B186uTEW4ENe4i1n1inCkqABsXQVsPvDflEAlVEpCfiXvsxEVUCnPhrjuzNrInvXH5kLcLiFWaTXveBClcaFFxwm0LxfNMJb7sVssWdHq4bW8_xRuN2bzYkwllqO/s1600/2014-05-07+18.10.18.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-conference dinner - comfort food!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlDH3U_PXpfBcu4ovJTqIKQKfUgHDUetMHEEaC5XYFitr7HkbJUGvNFWeIu8-9pDzkwoQ423dvI_S2oWY9S6-Jn9TIHz4z_O0QKnPocosGkWL3LbLASwYLeQ9KcVj4ru1SenzXP5tnZbq/s1600/2014-05-08+17.58.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlDH3U_PXpfBcu4ovJTqIKQKfUgHDUetMHEEaC5XYFitr7HkbJUGvNFWeIu8-9pDzkwoQ423dvI_S2oWY9S6-Jn9TIHz4z_O0QKnPocosGkWL3LbLASwYLeQ9KcVj4ru1SenzXP5tnZbq/s1600/2014-05-08+17.58.52.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A similar meal on night two, plus Brussels sprouts!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dYSTvQIkEQ-NvkvyUmlMfpukEDk2Lehdkwnhig2I6YBlDXZOno3-rIdv8P9w8GpqdFQHO9MzQJm4x4sCYbTvm6V61m_O5eIK-NU6ceaSniEdB4qqCXrpr0wN7bgNKZdYf51yPOgjFhKE/s1600/2014-05-09+13.01.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dYSTvQIkEQ-NvkvyUmlMfpukEDk2Lehdkwnhig2I6YBlDXZOno3-rIdv8P9w8GpqdFQHO9MzQJm4x4sCYbTvm6V61m_O5eIK-NU6ceaSniEdB4qqCXrpr0wN7bgNKZdYf51yPOgjFhKE/s1600/2014-05-09+13.01.25.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at Whole Foods</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSE-NAKXlwWFmFt3-FY0zam7HLiJIjgWYIp4L3jW3oIJ0PznW5b5K23DUtijNZ-8En8LQoUCew6ij23E9HhGXBp33ZReW6tH8kH6c05QblZmRJV4HWaUdfWjg33vH4H64mrQUKLa6fwX5/s1600/2014-05-10+13.14.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSE-NAKXlwWFmFt3-FY0zam7HLiJIjgWYIp4L3jW3oIJ0PznW5b5K23DUtijNZ-8En8LQoUCew6ij23E9HhGXBp33ZReW6tH8kH6c05QblZmRJV4HWaUdfWjg33vH4H64mrQUKLa6fwX5/s1600/2014-05-10+13.14.40.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetarian plate at <a href="http://blackbeandeli.yolasite.com/" target="_blank">Black Bean Deli</a>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUNsDymaYS1Kx7BehWX-paHlx77ujyWG_Fzp09n4KcEXPKZTzJP76HI6bVNAaln26VJso836jI1HQ4SeOuR_K2GtuMN_tFKYtYV_yMDmJVOHgxFDGszkvINmSrAUZC9-_I4P7WFE80qSB/s1600/2014-05-10+18.49.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUNsDymaYS1Kx7BehWX-paHlx77ujyWG_Fzp09n4KcEXPKZTzJP76HI6bVNAaln26VJso836jI1HQ4SeOuR_K2GtuMN_tFKYtYV_yMDmJVOHgxFDGszkvINmSrAUZC9-_I4P7WFE80qSB/s1600/2014-05-10+18.49.16.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Falafel plate at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/habibi-semoran-orlando" target="_blank">Habibi </a>- this place is super close to the Orlando Airport & I highly recommend it to anyone traveling this way!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m_hyphenhyphen6aRbiwk5UzStfI1iXzqMjLWTpvOj8GT-poNgezb65YIx0DYCuZSYElxcaxSkY0KSIDQCd0uzfxBbixslsGyPjqY54PkIuXUDLlpeYl5yTxLfKBm0IAmNpxbK_Nl1lbzurBHwl6Rr/s1600/2014-05-11+11.46.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1m_hyphenhyphen6aRbiwk5UzStfI1iXzqMjLWTpvOj8GT-poNgezb65YIx0DYCuZSYElxcaxSkY0KSIDQCd0uzfxBbixslsGyPjqY54PkIuXUDLlpeYl5yTxLfKBm0IAmNpxbK_Nl1lbzurBHwl6Rr/s1600/2014-05-11+11.46.43.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and I at brunch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG-P7BEt38JJ_tqHdnhVQVV941gI5SKJ4FIh1Hd8EPy99oRjX_RP9s3TJvg7XWuGm-Z-jHVFTYl0sRgP9daSJVCh47uDuli_kc9MHzuoegvLZa0i3Kh7ld4laWRkqjDbHwlW-ScjTnqn7/s1600/2014-05-11+11.33.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG-P7BEt38JJ_tqHdnhVQVV941gI5SKJ4FIh1Hd8EPy99oRjX_RP9s3TJvg7XWuGm-Z-jHVFTYl0sRgP9daSJVCh47uDuli_kc9MHzuoegvLZa0i3Kh7ld4laWRkqjDbHwlW-ScjTnqn7/s1600/2014-05-11+11.33.00.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw brunch on Mother's Day at <a href="http://www.vitalitybistro.com/" target="_blank">Vitality Bistro</a>. L to R: Bluberry cream cheeze crepes with eggplant bacon, fruit bowl, maca pancakes with bananas and candied walnuts<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjaF6x9XyiVRRiLWdc1j8xOTfwaJ4itUXowd5kXoVn-P5QtLGgWxb2qLN8Z2amn0xdtTcRLkuY2c5FdCagJv-Yfqd-O7LujcHiJdwMD_OcN7ilGRDuUsAXeJU_Rgo4u379QYdRtBCn-r8/s1600/2014-05-11+18.55.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjaF6x9XyiVRRiLWdc1j8xOTfwaJ4itUXowd5kXoVn-P5QtLGgWxb2qLN8Z2amn0xdtTcRLkuY2c5FdCagJv-Yfqd-O7LujcHiJdwMD_OcN7ilGRDuUsAXeJU_Rgo4u379QYdRtBCn-r8/s1600/2014-05-11+18.55.54.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetarian Bun at <a href="http://www.lacvietbistro.com/" target="_blank">Lac Viet Bistro</a>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8Jp2d1I92CZG_cTNKhXsT0mT9WyovWBjnQjgVM1SULfrwumcDrJzHbTm-UwNRh1Z3cPZpP9VRt0gaPXHuYWfrAdPcliwu7gqTW-O2QMBoSUL7W8xp4KPourz_agc2mK0TDrOcIy35Qlw/s1600/2014-05-12+13.17.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8Jp2d1I92CZG_cTNKhXsT0mT9WyovWBjnQjgVM1SULfrwumcDrJzHbTm-UwNRh1Z3cPZpP9VRt0gaPXHuYWfrAdPcliwu7gqTW-O2QMBoSUL7W8xp4KPourz_agc2mK0TDrOcIy35Qlw/s1600/2014-05-12+13.17.15.jpg" height="190" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at <a href="http://www.infusionorlando.com/" target="_blank">Infusion Tea</a>: 1/2 tempeh taco salad and 1/2 fruit salad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36EOFDqWvR3O5W56BeI5psYEpXP9mvnbxik3fF0GsAkQoZsHN5Fywdc_ICdD3QX4FJKc-2oGHBmjkaJglEj1lX0DtyKj4VAANUtwwnI82hXXZn43oQyDSmFV8SyUrxDB1cp8EzFO0Pb_5/s1600/2014-05-12+18.32.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36EOFDqWvR3O5W56BeI5psYEpXP9mvnbxik3fF0GsAkQoZsHN5Fywdc_ICdD3QX4FJKc-2oGHBmjkaJglEj1lX0DtyKj4VAANUtwwnI82hXXZn43oQyDSmFV8SyUrxDB1cp8EzFO0Pb_5/s1600/2014-05-12+18.32.36.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at <a href="http://tartinipizzeria.com/" target="_blank">Tartini Pizzeria & Spaghetteria</a> - they were great about answering my dietary questions and offer gluten free pasta. This pizza had zucchini, roasted peppers, tomatoes, onion, olives and arugula. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgun-kggVAu4oOVjezXD3Gnov0YONuAaHDq6AZY_EOaOpCQrqChZPvDwZWounFUT_063IXbG4Q5fj1bczAKQPuISSn2Fu1aVmkiqw8eL1fZQR-Z_AhnMtjMInqC80VIQJU7ae0gDlibNESJ/s1600/2014-05-13+18.15.00.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgun-kggVAu4oOVjezXD3Gnov0YONuAaHDq6AZY_EOaOpCQrqChZPvDwZWounFUT_063IXbG4Q5fj1bczAKQPuISSn2Fu1aVmkiqw8eL1fZQR-Z_AhnMtjMInqC80VIQJU7ae0gDlibNESJ/s1600/2014-05-13+18.15.00.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally got to eat at home last night - made my <a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2013/11/lentil-mushroom-sloppy-joes.html" target="_blank">Lentil Sloppy Joes</a> (without mushrooms, the ones I bought didn't last!) with gorgeous purple cauliflower.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-3952406983930569532014-05-11T08:30:00.000-04:002014-05-11T08:30:00.715-04:00Small Step Sunday: Mother’s Day<div class="p1">
I have a tendency toward cynicism, and I think most holidays have been created or monopolized by marketers to sell products. Fortunately, we can choose to celebrate holidays in unique ways that don’t buy in to the mass marketing ideal. Today is Mother’s Day and I am incredibly blessed to spend it with my Mom for the first time in at least 8 years. It is also the first time she’s been able to come visit in the year since I moved to Orlando. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXh1dkxwaICaanFHx7ZIJ6JS15TrFb73DEprqMg5w1wSGFzGU2wgxzfDppXsmY15n5nuTdOLTR8qT8K4oiIPqow-cQp56rN8Cffa7orQ4p8FQft3qIq4N-03m4Iw_BOwPZXoVaWOKUSOdF/s1600/2013-07-13+19.27.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXh1dkxwaICaanFHx7ZIJ6JS15TrFb73DEprqMg5w1wSGFzGU2wgxzfDppXsmY15n5nuTdOLTR8qT8K4oiIPqow-cQp56rN8Cffa7orQ4p8FQft3qIq4N-03m4Iw_BOwPZXoVaWOKUSOdF/s1600/2013-07-13+19.27.48.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & my amazing Mom this summer</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">I know that many of us aren’t able to have our mothers with us on this day, or have mothers who are no longer in our lives or have mothers that never were in our lives. Some of us have other strong women in our life who have taken a motherly role. We can all choose to honor the women in our lives who have been important in helping us navigate through the ups and downs of life. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-21E1k-fG14PgYoLyBVu-4LkdElZI6_8CRtBqqLM-RvRwa82VOtl1MCYMtzWELlDfo0nItcARDvUNsSiAuUhRM69RmvfPQ8wbKPwD2DFlY2FOwEHczY6BNi_HFFhDifwReh9wII8_PNh/s1600/Terry+and+Gus+Ekelund+copy+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-21E1k-fG14PgYoLyBVu-4LkdElZI6_8CRtBqqLM-RvRwa82VOtl1MCYMtzWELlDfo0nItcARDvUNsSiAuUhRM69RmvfPQ8wbKPwD2DFlY2FOwEHczY6BNi_HFFhDifwReh9wII8_PNh/s1600/Terry+and+Gus+Ekelund+copy+edited.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite photos of my Mom's parents. </td></tr>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">On this Mother’s day I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the important women in your life. If they are still alive, find some way to connect. If they aren’t, find a way to honor them - maybe listening to their favorite music, visiting a special place, or just sending a silent thought of deep gratitude. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uOLBN_dI6YJVZGh1BU22g7Aw9r1qXjoXHH8yyZQKeFsVENNQ3f-9IgF93VuNIfWMkHNdfFS8cgGvoONrTBOnEwkMLbPVOhVzd0k8Itn9HExU9j1vAjE1T_Nwzqj6Q04Cf7P8EiAw9vfP/s1600/IMG_0140+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uOLBN_dI6YJVZGh1BU22g7Aw9r1qXjoXHH8yyZQKeFsVENNQ3f-9IgF93VuNIfWMkHNdfFS8cgGvoONrTBOnEwkMLbPVOhVzd0k8Itn9HExU9j1vAjE1T_Nwzqj6Q04Cf7P8EiAw9vfP/s1600/IMG_0140+copy.JPG" height="320" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my Grandma on my Father's side</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">I hope you all are able to make this holiday meaningful for yourselves and the mothers in your lives. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-57589296764870480512014-05-07T09:30:00.000-04:002014-05-07T09:30:00.661-04:00What I Ate WednesdayIt's been a strange week for my schedule, which makes it difficult to get into a new routine with cooking for myself. I'll be at a conference today and for the next two days. For those of you who are plant based, you know that being forced to eat in different settings can be a challenge. I'm going to attempt to bring my own food at least today so I can scope out the options. This is one of those times when I'm thankful for quick snacks like roasted chickpeas and pre-made bars!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OkKsaHsibEEK-FxoQEjl7LahZ-4OT5ICA-W-TN3XFrYuAKTuLD-eBKBxe1LaqXn5UVfL7QyBlrVYuRdXQys62PzHX8zFyTii5AJQaorucQ7-Xwes7SpwsBc2k8sGJCDcSohR0yaUpA1Z/s1600/2014-04-30+18.20.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OkKsaHsibEEK-FxoQEjl7LahZ-4OT5ICA-W-TN3XFrYuAKTuLD-eBKBxe1LaqXn5UVfL7QyBlrVYuRdXQys62PzHX8zFyTii5AJQaorucQ7-Xwes7SpwsBc2k8sGJCDcSohR0yaUpA1Z/s1600/2014-04-30+18.20.30.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rawsta with an Italian flair, pre and post mixing. I sauteed mushrooms, onions, green beans, spinach and crushed tomatoes with Italian spices. I also threw in some pre-marinated tofu and olives. Super good!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwzP_AC2Q8Xi71zOA-9lp9ImjA0JJ6PvNQyP374c9sH1YVeQ6WVcc0_quN8Blb8YxnscelKqvtXG4rm_k97yHKXDOV-bYrsKA0p9RCLBunA9JVQeWARiTCw4SMnZm8DP_u7M4xPvnlow0/s1600/2014-05-01+18.17.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwzP_AC2Q8Xi71zOA-9lp9ImjA0JJ6PvNQyP374c9sH1YVeQ6WVcc0_quN8Blb8YxnscelKqvtXG4rm_k97yHKXDOV-bYrsKA0p9RCLBunA9JVQeWARiTCw4SMnZm8DP_u7M4xPvnlow0/s1600/2014-05-01+18.17.51.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm experimenting now that I'm cooking for one. This is a weird blend of raw slaw with peanut dressing topped with steamed broccoli & eggplant mixed with thai chili paste and rice vinegar. I threw in some kimchi for extra weirdness but it all worked!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7ppqmVxRjWxBPWRYGun0mrub2BVLOv7VglpIbvyZD-2DHnWk9mN49a-NnF-VVW9E-GHai-UUOJfljoo2LYKDLaDEN94Wz1nN2rhJzsoaa_mrtHnGFE7Zckw1evGXzgHFwZgYN4JdiG6V/s1600/2014-05-03+09.13.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7ppqmVxRjWxBPWRYGun0mrub2BVLOv7VglpIbvyZD-2DHnWk9mN49a-NnF-VVW9E-GHai-UUOJfljoo2LYKDLaDEN94Wz1nN2rhJzsoaa_mrtHnGFE7Zckw1evGXzgHFwZgYN4JdiG6V/s1600/2014-05-03+09.13.54.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what my typical weekend smoothie looks like (before I add the almond milk and blend). This one ended up with romaine, spinach, collard greens and kale! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVZtRfTXsdjJlpeKR6fpwBXBMkm0hyphenhyphenxY2TltJysKW_QWy3rqA-HUbM1qdHaLdMGR1N4oo_8shPQCup_pbjN99ydUrF6N-6f9uRTGedJesKg0MHp4ZmO8TSfKfyNaCkLWWORKrFiOJ3J6y/s1600/2014-05-03+13.19.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVZtRfTXsdjJlpeKR6fpwBXBMkm0hyphenhyphenxY2TltJysKW_QWy3rqA-HUbM1qdHaLdMGR1N4oo_8shPQCup_pbjN99ydUrF6N-6f9uRTGedJesKg0MHp4ZmO8TSfKfyNaCkLWWORKrFiOJ3J6y/s1600/2014-05-03+13.19.52.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was inspired to make summer rolls for lunch on Saturday. I used brown rice wrappers and filled them with raw veggies and teriyaki tofu.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLqOpxblGIDC8IaRv-_peJdWkPucAZgeE1eF8LG29jL1CyKP8-MiQUBHoc2iqR3Hie8rkXQPCc6VnIFVXewQIYOFDi9RDL1MYCxiZUmBs9MprYiEaJkVU-tJGHHrHRI2umLw65WwrL3bA/s1600/2014-05-03+19.05.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLqOpxblGIDC8IaRv-_peJdWkPucAZgeE1eF8LG29jL1CyKP8-MiQUBHoc2iqR3Hie8rkXQPCc6VnIFVXewQIYOFDi9RDL1MYCxiZUmBs9MprYiEaJkVU-tJGHHrHRI2umLw65WwrL3bA/s1600/2014-05-03+19.05.10.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Saturday night I took my new roomie out for Indian. We started with samosas and I had this delicious vada and uttapam for my entree. If you're in Orlando or Charlotte check out <a href="http://www.woodlandsusa.com/" target="_blank">Woodlands</a>!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfvLCgpNJDldGeX6uxg7ZE3OSq2b-8ZW0b5c0wrA8Spzxcz5n1MhkWD3z5VZRkpILRm1O_ob4AmSNL7HZ4X0O55ZcBHemj63rYx0Phsbi9e0F39KocliDC1e753RTEPR8CwaBdz2yFyNa/s1600/2014-05-04+18.19.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfvLCgpNJDldGeX6uxg7ZE3OSq2b-8ZW0b5c0wrA8Spzxcz5n1MhkWD3z5VZRkpILRm1O_ob4AmSNL7HZ4X0O55ZcBHemj63rYx0Phsbi9e0F39KocliDC1e753RTEPR8CwaBdz2yFyNa/s1600/2014-05-04+18.19.35.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice island casserole from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cheap-Robin-Robertson/dp/0470472243" target="_blank">Vegan on the Cheap</a></i>. I only made a few small modifications (like adding kale). It's been delicious for lunch as well. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtTZ1Xs-jintqerzPK078-IyeaGiCknYbPG3opr-1wJVHzZGcoUcQ8OHrDVJYWQTL43OnFYIpbU4tssaSe0etwVryEv6H8HJEjKSkgHz50KOF807yXp3DtMg8TVCASI6HoPQsfYytuZNt/s1600/2014-05-05+18.16.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtTZ1Xs-jintqerzPK078-IyeaGiCknYbPG3opr-1wJVHzZGcoUcQ8OHrDVJYWQTL43OnFYIpbU4tssaSe0etwVryEv6H8HJEjKSkgHz50KOF807yXp3DtMg8TVCASI6HoPQsfYytuZNt/s1600/2014-05-05+18.16.16.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Mexico. I think I was Mexican in a past life. Even though I know Cinco de Mayo means little to Mexicans, I appreciate having a day to celebrate. I made this bomb fajita salad. Since I didn't want to open a whole can of beans for one meal, I used <a href="http://www.thegoodbean.com/smoky-chili-lime/" target="_blank">Smoky Chili Lime chickpeas from Good Bean</a>. Great idea - added flavor and crunch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingzdlJoAm0HuDQOkws-XULS6xjqDY9_-SLrQQqv2_IFchmGauKGcNAH40WT5tTdUFPqWeIhRnz88J6cH-plAE78lXuDh5y8RUUPWY5XuNY4Ec21K50MdffD7BgOUveOLHt9-CDxwymNbx/s1600/2014-05-06+18.16.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingzdlJoAm0HuDQOkws-XULS6xjqDY9_-SLrQQqv2_IFchmGauKGcNAH40WT5tTdUFPqWeIhRnz88J6cH-plAE78lXuDh5y8RUUPWY5XuNY4Ec21K50MdffD7BgOUveOLHt9-CDxwymNbx/s1600/2014-05-06+18.16.00.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've been in the mood for Brussels sprouts. I roasted them with some mushrooms and tossed them in a big salad with chickpeas, hummus and fresh veg.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-14117706569066045982014-05-04T10:30:00.000-04:002014-05-04T10:30:01.951-04:00Small Step Sunday: Pick a DayOne of my co-workers who reads this blog is having some health issues that could be improved by weight loss. Unfortunately, this can be much harder than it sounds. <b>When I talk to people on a weight loss journey I usually see the same pattern.</b> Something in their life causes them to commit to losing weight. They go crazy and drastically change all their eating and health habits overnight. They keep this up for a few weeks and lose weight. The changes become unsustainable and they either stop losing or start gaining. They resign themselves to this pattern and wait a year or so to start again. Sounds familiar, right?<br />
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This week my wellness tip is to start small. Most diet plans have you pick one day each week to indulge. I'm recommending the opposite if you're just starting out. <b>Pick one day a week to eat healthy</b>. Don't eat out. Only eat foods that you recognize. Skip the artificially and regularly sugared beverages. Once you can sustain that for three weeks, add another day.<br />
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Another alternative is to pick one meal each week to eat healthy. Depending on your schedule, this might make more sense. Breakfast is that meal for me. <a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2013/08/smoothies.html" target="_blank">I always drink a smoothie</a>. I make them fresh on the weekends (and random days off work), and I spend an hour each weekend making a set to be frozen for the week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AKHmBOyOjjdQzn-yVitkAP_L7_igrndK1IGMCvjKP8p9xeWuQN1yIwC62cECCjb4qidGfvzF_OoSN4uCyVf96rn82m47CoqyGfWQzo16HQF6FK6ZS7_ngT4LmTM3b3KFyJaoEzOEq1Kb/s1600/2014-05-03+09.13.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AKHmBOyOjjdQzn-yVitkAP_L7_igrndK1IGMCvjKP8p9xeWuQN1yIwC62cECCjb4qidGfvzF_OoSN4uCyVf96rn82m47CoqyGfWQzo16HQF6FK6ZS7_ngT4LmTM3b3KFyJaoEzOEq1Kb/s1600/2014-05-03+09.13.54.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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This picture was from yesterday morning. I got home from the gym and whipped up this green delight. It has a frozen banana, 1/2 C frozen cherries, a handful of carrots, 1/2 a zucchini, 1 C frozen broccoli, a handful of romaine, a handful of kale, frozen collard greens, frozen spinach, Vega protein powder, spices & a cup of unsweetened almond milk. When I start my day with that much veg and green I know that I made at least one great health decision.<br />
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In summary: don't make drastic changes.<b> Pick one day or one meal each week to be super healthy</b>. Once that feels normal, add more days/meals. You can do it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-11101056942077218802014-05-02T17:06:00.002-04:002014-05-02T17:06:19.888-04:00Choosing MyselfI have been comforted and inspired lately by Laura from the Gluten-Free Treadmill blog. She is also going through stressful life changes and running injury issues and all of her posts feel like they are speaking to me. Her post "<a href="http://www.theglutenfreetreadmill.com/2014/05/01/unhealthy/" target="_blank">unhealthy</a>" from yesterday resonated deeply. I feel like I am in survival mode right now and I need to prioritize what I need to be good at.<br />
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I am choosing myself, first and foremost. I am choosing to forgive myself, to treat myself and to let myself learn how to enjoy life again.<br />
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This got a little easier this week after my two big doctors appointments. First, the rheumatologist doesn't see anything that indicates an autoimmune condition. Second, my bone marrow biopsy came back normal!!! I am stoked about the news but also still a bit miffed at the lack of diagnosis. I had blood drawn at the biopsy appointment and my blood cell counts are still low. The next step is probably a follow up with my primary doc and a second opinion from another hematologist.<br />
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In keeping with my new motto to choose myself, I chose to put off those phone calls until next week. I need a break.<br />
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The best part of the experience for me was this:<br />
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I was a biology geek in high school (would've chosen this as a career if I could go back in time) and I think it's so freaking cool to see my chromosomes!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-42245490242970795262014-04-30T15:01:00.002-04:002014-04-30T15:01:32.676-04:00What I Ate Wednesday Moving EditionIf you follow along here you know that this weekend my ex moved out and a new roommate moved in. I also had my aunt & uncle take me to dinner, and had a dinner out with a new friend. I've been eating out more this week than I have in months! Fortunately, I'm also giving myself this time to heal and not worry as much about what I'm eating. I don't have pics of everything from this week (some people don't get my weird meal photo taking thing!).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbJ_o-37oi7BCN4AgZkOGGT1vQ0nMWtTft73QBZfhj3t33T1QLqU9jbtwG_RW99A_OjCYOPPRAUAZKl3AoSDtxS9zTwNestQ7JOWvHOPiyrYqip5HVJJ4DF4ncEOBQuz-twuM7cVCipf2/s1600/2014-04-23+18.41.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbJ_o-37oi7BCN4AgZkOGGT1vQ0nMWtTft73QBZfhj3t33T1QLqU9jbtwG_RW99A_OjCYOPPRAUAZKl3AoSDtxS9zTwNestQ7JOWvHOPiyrYqip5HVJJ4DF4ncEOBQuz-twuM7cVCipf2/s1600/2014-04-23+18.41.28.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takeout Garlic Pepper Tofu from <a href="http://www.spicethaiorlando.com/" target="_blank">Spice Thai</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziFfX_agGI6DFlUaRqyT1DPJOmgCnQkKoQf2vpWyo7nlvesXFbrEuTG-tnrnRs5Fsojn__phIxD8teratLSDwzQk3bCOml5WuK28VmxZfF70emqnONK0GDKlIi2RIeoyAz4MQkWfTDJrG/s1600/2014-04-24+18.17.58-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziFfX_agGI6DFlUaRqyT1DPJOmgCnQkKoQf2vpWyo7nlvesXFbrEuTG-tnrnRs5Fsojn__phIxD8teratLSDwzQk3bCOml5WuK28VmxZfF70emqnONK0GDKlIi2RIeoyAz4MQkWfTDJrG/s1600/2014-04-24+18.17.58-1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://girlinhalf.blogspot.com/2014/04/vietnamese-bun-salad-recipe.html" target="_blank">Vietnamese Bun Salad</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOMrYJ4zW3-4F6NA311cP9CnZelVFaEzvlO1NuCkzLgHmV3FUR4W88OwWTBPkDXj9NDx_0eSZWqv_Y2_dDfNO-r8d6aUpPT_VUvta12oBVLxOgxq9FOMpeG2FyuHQAmELG9oHXWbxCBpR/s1600/2014-04-25+18.26.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOMrYJ4zW3-4F6NA311cP9CnZelVFaEzvlO1NuCkzLgHmV3FUR4W88OwWTBPkDXj9NDx_0eSZWqv_Y2_dDfNO-r8d6aUpPT_VUvta12oBVLxOgxq9FOMpeG2FyuHQAmELG9oHXWbxCBpR/s1600/2014-04-25+18.26.44.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy leftover salad mixed with hummus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgDOe8yxwbEAecli54YVJfEKotPfTNgXrf2m0R3Z-az6n_0iC9Yq4e9XVdOrqD5HEt3SVufRoZKrorPM8aGseW4cvz9WNrC6-O5NySmRQJyXW5uIfu4uX5u3MuoQ1xQLRSt33aKaP_u8b/s1600/2014-04-26+12.49.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgDOe8yxwbEAecli54YVJfEKotPfTNgXrf2m0R3Z-az6n_0iC9Yq4e9XVdOrqD5HEt3SVufRoZKrorPM8aGseW4cvz9WNrC6-O5NySmRQJyXW5uIfu4uX5u3MuoQ1xQLRSt33aKaP_u8b/s1600/2014-04-26+12.49.13.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fulfilling a Chipotle craving</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS92acmMqy0YcBe9uQMGum04-din1Qf7-H_toAobcdH9xoqwRx2IsYGN0InXca9IrcvCesqv1UJDLgP-hGdrTB-eNRkL18Fw87RhYsCJRhqXxh6-XO1I1XgUkjvqIncg1rCKfCAIAgy16w/s1600/2014-04-26+19.13.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS92acmMqy0YcBe9uQMGum04-din1Qf7-H_toAobcdH9xoqwRx2IsYGN0InXca9IrcvCesqv1UJDLgP-hGdrTB-eNRkL18Fw87RhYsCJRhqXxh6-XO1I1XgUkjvqIncg1rCKfCAIAgy16w/s1600/2014-04-26+19.13.07.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer rolls and bun at <a href="http://www.lacvietbistro.com/" target="_blank">Lac Viet Bistro</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHW0IQm5wG_q3hyphenhyphenV79-AV6Yw38Ptaq9XuFg7UXzuwGQqOvjjwRBHzm1AfLs0E0HSyI9erL6-TStUAh2OpcsdY1bpAcPyGhdYJ-MCg-iDAeARRjJeLDf58AdQ29x-5_Q4MYYBXtg59fUywR/s1600/2014-04-27+12.28.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHW0IQm5wG_q3hyphenhyphenV79-AV6Yw38Ptaq9XuFg7UXzuwGQqOvjjwRBHzm1AfLs0E0HSyI9erL6-TStUAh2OpcsdY1bpAcPyGhdYJ-MCg-iDAeARRjJeLDf58AdQ29x-5_Q4MYYBXtg59fUywR/s1600/2014-04-27+12.28.23.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauteed mushrooms and onions in tomato sauce with italian tofu served on raw noodles. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSYNvx-bMj_V5h3bn2KUU9iq-nokQTRdnVU3cOc6oWUoidsVbf6B4YlJn_uvrYDuGQ6m_35F5iNHDva-bfhzUHhmcrPYu0KVSo7eQ66qNApak4q5rsblwDTvr8jYbB1L1vFbJeqXJ_Hjo/s1600/2014-04-28+18.13.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSYNvx-bMj_V5h3bn2KUU9iq-nokQTRdnVU3cOc6oWUoidsVbf6B4YlJn_uvrYDuGQ6m_35F5iNHDva-bfhzUHhmcrPYu0KVSo7eQ66qNApak4q5rsblwDTvr8jYbB1L1vFbJeqXJ_Hjo/s1600/2014-04-28+18.13.41.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade chunky chili and grits</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09578037158171453795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468686379860319687.post-23535966133353597882014-04-29T10:30:00.000-04:002014-04-29T10:30:00.694-04:00Vietnamese Bun Salad Recipe<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVzkzp0rpNA7sqd_mO8HBv_R8jbLMD5gGdQBVc6-YNahm-NLO5UUnjG2ROABGt9bCe0MZvsqgQPsEACYYLrq7SUA-_JHvBvrTBr0K6lvM47GuY4hl5zHmfafLW5wMklMkBltYZV4mwQUJ/s1600/2014-04-26+19.13.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVzkzp0rpNA7sqd_mO8HBv_R8jbLMD5gGdQBVc6-YNahm-NLO5UUnjG2ROABGt9bCe0MZvsqgQPsEACYYLrq7SUA-_JHvBvrTBr0K6lvM47GuY4hl5zHmfafLW5wMklMkBltYZV4mwQUJ/s1600/2014-04-26+19.13.07.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A recent trip to <a href="http://www.lacvietbistro.com/" target="_blank">Lac Viet Bistro</a> for summer rolls and bun. </td></tr>
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Vietnamese restaurants are one of my favorite choices when dining out. Summer rolls are a must, and I rotate between various other dishes when I visit. One of my favorites to re-create in a more healthy way at home is the Bun. Bun is traditionally a noodle dish with lettuce and other fresh veggies plus cooked meat/tofu/veg. When I make it at home I don't cook with oil and flip the ratio of noodles to lettuce. <div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuxm_KTESEehShPMUPKkJlVnsjcJaD3DuGmUPJ_A8OQdQE0txGJysllEoiuaw2vNeJUcJ3G2eIS1Gzx4PebLPN52tFw3kTf1X3lasjodqmv1NghAY3KQLCIS4L4h5PZ3pwSufRALFhyd2/s1600/bun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuxm_KTESEehShPMUPKkJlVnsjcJaD3DuGmUPJ_A8OQdQE0txGJysllEoiuaw2vNeJUcJ3G2eIS1Gzx4PebLPN52tFw3kTf1X3lasjodqmv1NghAY3KQLCIS4L4h5PZ3pwSufRALFhyd2/s1600/bun.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Buns of my life :)</td></tr>
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<b>Vietnamese Bun Salad</b><br />
Serves 3<br />
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6 oz. rice noodles<br />
1 package tofu (I prefer pre-cooked/marinated versions for this dish to make it easier, <a href="http://www.wildwoodfoods.com/products/meat-alternatives/tofu/flavored/sproutofu%C2%AE-aloha-baked-0" target="_blank">this is my favorite</a>)<br />
1 package of romaine lettuce hearts, chopped<br />
1/2 english cucumber, julienned (thin strips)<br />
2 medium carrots, julienned<br />
1 package bean sprouts<br />
1 bell pepper, julienned<br />
Cilantro<br />
Scallions<br />
Sriracha<br />
Peanuts or cashews<br />
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Dressing:<br />
1 tsp sesame oil<br />
1 Tbsp ponzu or soy or tamari<br />
1-2 limes, juiced<br />
1-2 Tbsp chili garlic paste<br />
2 cloves garlic, crushed/diced<br />
1/2 Tbsp agave<br />
2-4 Tbsp water<br />
<br />
Combine dressing ingredients in a cruet or container with a lid and shake to combine.<br />
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Prep your salad base by chopping romaine, cucumber, carrots, pepper, cilantro and scallions.<br />
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Cook your noodles in salted water. They should only take a few minutes, drain and set aside.<br />
<br />
Cut your tofu into cubes or slices. Fry in a dry, non-stick pan until browned on at least one side and heated through.<br />
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Assemble:<br />
Place romaine, cucumber, carrot, pepper and bean sprouts in your bowl. Top with 1/3 of the noodles and 1/3 of the tofu.<br />
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Garnish with cilantro, scallions, sriracha and nuts to your preference.<br />
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Drizzle dressing over top to coat.<br />
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