Last time I mentioned that I was doing an online workshop called Unraveling. Well this week’s assignment was memories. Instead of taking photos, this week we got to look back through our past in pictures. It’s interesting, in the past 8 years or so (hello Facebook, then camera phones, then Instagram, etc etc), technology has made it so easy to share photos, I think it’s really change the experience you can have with them. When I was younger I loved scrap-booking. Remember how exciting it was to get film developed and only then get to find out how it turned out? I kind of miss that. I had a lot of fun going back through old photos. It feels so much more personal, and frankly emotional, to flip through an old scrapbook or look go through a shoebox of photos from years past, than it is to scroll through iPhones or Facebook albums.. sighh.. Anyways, I had a lot of fun and wanted to share a few with you. I didn’t want to take the phones out so for a couple I took photos of the photos in the scrapbooks ..

So of course going through photos, especially from childhood, made me remember this.. (the quality of the video isn’t so good, and feel free to skip the first 85 seconds or so).. This is from ~2000/2001.. Oy

I’m definitely due for a regular post soon!

Just a quick post to describe what’s coming. I just started an e-course called ‘Unravelling.’

Please read all about it, but in short it’s a combination of photography, journal and exploration. So far, so awesome! I won’t post everything from the course, but even though it just started I’m already having a blast and would love to share bits & pieces with you.

For example..

View from Down Dog

Be back soon!

Not too much to report on my end. Just working a lot and doing as much yoga as I can fit in. Actually there is one exciting thing.. I’m doing yoga teacher training! It’s an intensive 200hr program and I start late May

The ‘vegan for March’ thing went really well. I only ate meat when I was out in Arizona for a friends wedding. I’m carrying on with it, but consider myself more of a 98%-er. What I mean is that I don’t buy or cook any animal products at home, but if I’m out for dinner and really want something that has cheese, eggs, etc (ok fine.. mostly desserts), I’ll go for it. I haven’t missed meat or seafood at all, but I’ve given myself enough food rules in my life that I’m not going to give myself a label, but just go with it until (or if) I change me mind.

And actually Austin is a completely fantastic place to live if you’re vegan or vegetarian. There are oodles (a technical term) of dedicated restaurants and food trailers, and most restaurants are very friendly to it. One of those restaurants is Mother’s Garden Cafe, which is completely vegetarian. They are famous for their Cashew Tamari Dressing.. so naturally I had to steal it and make my own. I found a few different attempts online, merged them together and made a couple tweaks.. and I’m in love!

My favorite way to enjoy this dressing is sprinkling a serving (2 tbsp) over Kale. Massage the dressing into the Kale using your hands then refrigerate for 5 minutes or so to let it sink in. So good!

Garlic Cashew Tamari Dressing

1/4 cup Cashew Butter (see below for recipe)

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

3 tbsp Tamari

1 tsp minced Garlic

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Blend everything together (a magic bullet worked great). It will thicken a bit after refrigerating.

Cashew Butter

Pretty much the simplest recipe ever, and a base for a lot of fantastic recipes (salad dressings, vegan frosting, vegan queso, etc)

Soak Cashews

Water

Soak Cashews in water overnight. Blend in a high speed blender (Vitamix) or food processor. Add small amounts of water as necessary, until it becomes smooth with a light, almost, fluffy texture.

This morning I went to cheer on the CSF girls competing in the NPC Texas Shredder. They all looked absolutely amazing of course… but I must admit it made be a bit sad. This was the show I was originally planning to do, so even though I know better, I felt a little like a quitter.. and I HATE that feeling. Funny enough I actually got my bikini in the mail this week. No idea when I’ll be able to get back on stage (though maybe fall or next spring), but guess I have a lot of time to bling that itty bitty bikini out :p

And on that note, time for me to get ready to head out. Going to dinner for my Austin bestie’s birthday. I have a feeling this may be one of those very-un-vegan, un-fitness-comp-friendly sort of meals.. da well.. balance right? 

I think this blog has made a liar out of me. I tell myself I’m going to post, maybe even tweet about it or post it on FB, but then nada.

Since I last saw you.. well mostly I’ve just been working, doing yoga and working out.. nothing new there. I did go to Fitness Camp in January and had an absolutely fantastic time! It is impossible to fully express how amazing all the CSF ladies are. On top of the workouts, posing and glam awesomeness, it was my first trip to Boston and I fell a little bit in love.

Another fabulous Texas Savage girl and I spent Sunday night in Boston and had SO much fun! After one of the best meals I’ve had in ages (bites of garlic bread, wine, lobster ravioli, calamari, homemade pasta and a peanut butter cannoli.. shh don’t tell my coach, hehe), we wandered around downtown Boston.

The next day I gave myself a little tour making my way up to Harvard, checked out the Natural History Museum, then down to Fenway.

I even got to poke my head in to see this amazing women. Unfortunately we only had a few minutes to chat in between her clients, but I know I’ll be back out to Boston again soon!

Competition Plans

I still definitely want to compete this year, but I’ve had to put things on hold for a bit. It’s a combination of being very busy at work and attempting to work it into the budget. You see fitness competitions are really expensive, especially if you do fitness. Add up a fitness costume, music, choreography and bikini and you can be out a couple thousand dollars even before you register for the shows, do makeup, tanning etc. So basically I just can’t fit all those expenses into two months so I’m going to space it out over the spring and summer and hopefully compete in the fall.

So in the meantime I trying to fit in more yoga while still getting in enough cardio, as much functional training as I can and of course weights.

Nutrition Dork

I have been interested in nutrition since I was 11 years old. I know that sounds crazy, but the connection between what you eat and how you feel and can perform has been intriguing to me, to say the least, since my gymnastic days.

I studied nutrition in undergrad and integrated it into my post-bacc public health studies. Later I got into fitness, then got my health coaching certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. But really I’m simply a crazy consumer of any and all nutrition books and information I can get my hands on. I could go on & on, but in short, I believe:

• There is no one “right” diet for everyone
• Food isn’t just for function; it has very significant cultural & family ties that shouldn’t be dismissed
• What you eat effects how you feel, your health and happiness – I realized that sounds like the most obvious and silliest thing I could say, but yet people still eat crap that they know will make them feel awful.. so it seemed worth pointing out
• Nutrition is fun..

Fun? What?! haha.. yes, I truly enjoy playing with new ways of eating, seeing the results, physically, emotionally, etc. It seems the various diets like to bash one another.. what’s right, what’s wrong, blah blah blah. I won’t be eating McDonald’s everyday for months or anything, but I have tried the “fitness”-style, paleo, low-carb, organic, vegetarian and vegan. Why? Because then I know what it’s like. I know if it works for me, if I feel great and energetic or like a giant blob who ends of binging on bread (cough cough.. Paleo).

Any who… for fun (really!) I decided to eat vegan for the month of March. Honestly, I think it’s a seasonal thing, because right around the same time last year I realized I hadn’t eaten meat in weeks and decided to see how long I could go (it ended up being months). Frankly, not eating meat is really easy for me, but all animal products is a bit trickier.

So I wanted to share a few recipes I’m loving right now that make eating a Plant-based Diet incredibly easy:

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower Head, chopped

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Garlic Powder

2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

Spread Cauliflower over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with Lemon Juice, then Garlic Powder, then Nutritional Yeast. Roasted at 400F for 30 min. Top with Hummus, Guacamole, Salsa, you name it!

Hopping John Salad Wrap

Follow the recipe linked above, except I replace the Black Eyed Peas with Garbanzo Beans. This is especially fantastic when wrapped with Collard Greens. Simply blanch the Collard Greens by submerging them in boiling water for a couple minutes.

Sunbutter Cups

Of course I was going to have a dessert right! I actually adapted this recipe from the Kind Diet.

1⁄2 cup Earth Balance butter  1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
3⁄4 cup crunchy peanut butter 3/4 cup Sunbutter
3⁄4 cup graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker squares
1⁄4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener Stevia, minimal
1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate or carob chips
1⁄4 cup soy, rice, or nut milk
1⁄4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts Just didn’t have any

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Mix together Coconut Oil, Sunbutter, Graham Crackers and Stevia. Divide mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup (I missed this and did too much), among the muffin cups. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted.
Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving. (I ended up preferring to keep mine in the freezer).

Though I haven’t perfected the layering, these turned out so good!

And Loving

Here are a couple other sites I’ve been loving:

Tranquility du Jour – Love love love! I devoured her books and am now working my way through her podcasts.

Maybe you’ve heard of it.. Pinterest

Polyvore – A new find. It’s sort of like Pinterest, but on crack and only for clothes.

No idea the original source, but I’m guess it’s Pure Nourishmen

I actually started writing a post on my way home to Seattle for Christmas but never hit publish! Since we aren’t too far into the new year I still wanted to share.. I’m just amazed at what a difference a year can make!

Written December 22nd, 2011:

What a year. I’m heading to Seattle for the first time since I moved to Austin 1.25 years ago. I’ve gone longer without seeing my parents and visiting my home town, but what blows me away is simply HOW MUCH has changed since I was last here.

I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement for what this year has brought. Was it all rainbows and butterflies.. of course not. But as usual, things happen for a reason, and I am thankful for everything that has happened over the last 365 days.

Professionally

A year ago I was unemployed. I made job searching 60 hour a week “job” in and of itself and I had recently found out that I didn’t get a position that I thought was a done deal. I just spent the weekend in Baltimore with great friends, and returned back to Austin, to spend Christmas alone and crying. Yeah I know.. no good.

The first week of 2011 I was offered a position and started two days later. I am so ridiculously thankful to have a full-time job doing something I truly enjoy. I love the industry I work in and truly enjoy my positon in that field. I genuinely get wrapped up in the details of getting an icon perfectly aligned on one of our sites (hell, I didn’t know a damn thing about html or css a year ago), and spending hours running metrics reports and analyses (yeah.. I’m a dork :p).

Yoga

I’m mentioned here and there that yoga has changed my life in a way I never could have imagine. This year is what made me realize that. I knew there was something special in the practice.. something that I desperately needed in my life. I think during my first year in Austin I tried 75% of the studios in the city. What can I say, I’m picky. There’s nothing wrong with any of them, but I think it’s important (or it is to me) to find a ‘yoga home’ of sorts.  I found that in February. I started going at least 5 days a week, and I started noticing the practice carrying over to my everyday, off-the-mat, life. I went on a yoga retreat in May. It didn’t end up being what I expected. There were lots of tears.. and mind you I’m not big on crying in front of 25 people I just met, but it was also exactly what I needed and made me realize the things in my life that it was time to let go of. I came back to Austin and for the first time it really felt like home.

Friends

Man, it’s not like it use to be. College, grad school.. you’re basically dropped into a community of friends. Moving to a new city where you know next to no one is not as easy. I’ve always been the type to have a handful of really close friends and not necessarily the social butterfly.

A year ago I basically knew one person in Austin (& that was going to crap), but in the last year a few people in particular have played  a ridiculously huge part in making this year what it’s been.. and probably saving me a shit ton of money on therapy

Moving On

You know the saying ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me’? Well what if it becomes ‘fool me 100 times?’ .. yeah maybe don’t answer that. hehe .. Maybe it’s a breaking point. Maybe it’s just growing up enough to be ready to learn certain lessons. Whatever it is.. 2011 was that time for me. I came out the other side better than I ever could have imagine. So much so in fact that I am thankful for what happened. It’s kind of fun being able to thank someone for being a jackass and screwing you over… though I hope to not make a hobby of that or anything.

Fitness

Read the last post for this one.. But the short version.. fitness is a big part of my life, yoga means everything to me.. they can work together. I’m so excited to compete again in 2012!

End of previously written post.

So that was 2011.. on to 2012! 

I have a few things on my agenda this year.. but the biggest related to this blog.. yup I’m planning to compete. I’ll be 14 weeks out this weekend. I know this time will be completely different, and I have absolutely no idea how it will turn out. But I’m ok with that. I’m hoping to be able to do fitness &/or figure/bikini but it depends on whether my routine is ready or not. The April show is here in Austin about 10 minutes from my house, so I figure I might as well take advantage! There’s another in Galveston in May where I definitely want to do Fitness.

So far everything is going great! Since I got back from Seattle I’ve been eating completely clean and workouts have been awesome. I’m finally (finally!) starting to see my cardio improve a bit along with strength gains.

The only down side at the moment is that I somehow managed to hurt my back. Fortunately it’s something that actually feels better when I workout.. though yoga has been troublesome, which is really frustrating. At the moment I have stylish black tape across my back and exercises to do, so hopefully it’ll get better quickly!

Wow long post.. back to what’s going on now topic soon!

The following are far from “clean” but if you want to partake in the holiday party cheers with a legitimate drink, a reduced calorie version of holiday favorites never hurts..

Lightened White Chocolate Peppermint Liquid Dessert

1 oz Vodka

1 oz Creme de Cocoa (regular or white chocolate) or Peppermint Schnapps

1 oz Sugar-Free Peppermint Mocha Creamer

1 tbsp Sugar-Free White Chocolate Syrup (you can find SF Torani at World Market)

a few drops of Peppermint Extract (optional)

Shake everything together with ice and pour into a fun glass. OR if you wanted an adult version of a Starbucks fave, pour this into a cup of coffee! yum…

Photo credit

Ok actually this next one isn’t even lightened..

Chocolate Pecan Pie in a Glass

1 oz Cake Vodka

1/2-1 oz Creme de Cacao

1/2-1 oz Pecan Liquer

1/2 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liquor OR for a lighter version, Sugar-Free Vanilla Creamer

Shake everything together with ice and pour!

Do you have any favorite holiday cocktails?

I started yoga after I competed back in November 2009. Competing was a wonderful experience, but there was also a lot I did wrong. After the shows I was definitely burned out and looking for something new. Whatever higher power you believe in must have been watching out because I stumbled into yoga, the type just right for me at just the right time. Two years later and I seriously can not imagine where I would be without it! Maybe that sounds melodramatic to some, but I know many of you know exactly what I mean. I can say without a doubt that it has made me a better person. It has made me more compassionate, caring, better able to deal with stress, self-confident, empowered, I could go on and on. Really amazing stuff.

So how can yoga, a practice that is both physical and spiritual, and all about non-judgement and not competing be anything like a sport where you push yourself completely to the limit, then get up on stage 95% naked, covered in spray tan, in clear hooker heals and get judge strictly on your appearance? Easy.. they both challenge me and make me a stronger person physically and mentally.. and I love them both. It hasn’t always been that way.. let me explain..

I ran across this quote in Meditations from the Mat and it completely hit home. What I’d been feeling lately, a connection and easy synch between fitness and yoga, was put into words..

Doing your best is taking the action because you love it, not because you’re expecting a reward. Most people do exactly the opposite; They only take action when they expect a reward, and don’t enjoy the action. That is why they don’t do their best. …

Our experience of life is like that of a trapeze artist–but instead of rings, we swing from one intense attachment to the next. We begin asana practice with an eye to the results. [When you start seeing results], a whole new world is presented to us. Why not hope for more of the same? Because it is in this hoping that we lose sight of the true beauty we have discovered.

We are finding that the only result worth achieving is being here now. All other positive outcomes are by-products of our present-moment awareness. To be attached to the results, be they a tighter bum or a better triangle pose, is to place the cart before the horse and to miss the point. Eventually we will find this striving unrewarding… The alternative–doing your best as an expression of your love for life.

For quite a while I thought that if I wanted to lift weights and compete that I’d be a “bad yogi.” And not going to lie, I got plenty of not-so-positive feedback (some in friendly conversation, some not as sought) from a couple yoga teachers. Yoga had won me over 100% and as I’ve discussed, I’m never one to only “test the waters.” I throw myself in!  So you can image, hearing negative feedback about fitness from people who I really looked up to created more than a little internal conflict.

What’s ironic is that I’ve probably experience more competitive people in the yoga studio than I ever have at the gym.

But let me back up. What I now see as fantastic similarities and connections between fitness and yoga has definitely not always been. Really it’s yoga that has changed how I approach fitness.

It’s Not a Lie.. It Really is the Journey

In 2009 when I was getting ready to compete, it was ALL about the end goal. I was training solely to get on that stage and check an item off my bucket list. When you focus your energy that hard on something, and have complete tunnel vision (like I tend to when I set my eyes on a goal), a lot of things tend to get sacrificed. With sacrifice, sometimes comes a bit of resentment. It didn’t seem like it at the time.. by hindsight ya know.. And when you realize what you sacrificed in order to reach that goal, then the end result becomes even more important. You (ok me) think, “If I gave up this and that and this and that.. then I better win, or none of those sacrifice would have been worth it”.. in the immortal social media words of 2011.. #fail! When it’s all about the end goal, the purpose starts to get lost. I even remember someone asking me why I decided to compete.. and I was at a loss for an answer. How can you put so many hours into something, spend a lot of time being hungry, a lot of money, loose and semblence of a social life and not be sure why? I know, I know..

So it took a couple years of being confused about the whole thing.. and a lot of down dogs..

The actually competition is such a small part of what fitness is all about for me.

Now.. I love yoga more than ever.. I love weight training more than ever.. I love being part of a team of amazing and inspiring women, and I look forward to competing again (FAP Lonestar), and may again (TX Shredder) and perhaps again (FAP Universe)..

The difference? The REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE.. it’s no longer about the stage. Getting on stage is just an added bonus during the process. It’s a fun weekend in Galveston and/or Miami. It’s not the goal, not at all. The goal is to remember each day I step on my yoga mat, each time I go to workout, and when I’m panting for breath during a functional workout (I must look hilarious and a complete wreck to anyone watching), that I get to. That I get to do that. That I’m healthy enough, that I have the time and money to get to workout, to play with new inversion, travel hours just to cheer for friends competing, and go to ridiculously amazing yoga events, and share it all with even more amazing people.

I feel so fortunate to have now found yoga teachers who are supportive of me in every way. And I think that’s helped me realize that these two “hobbies” of mine aren’t so mutually exclusive. At the same time I’ve met some of the most selfless, caring, loving and giving people I’ve ever known through fitness competitions. I don’t do yoga to be better at fitness or to be more flexible, and I certainly don’t lift in order to be able to hold a handstand longer.. I do both, because I love both.. that’s all that really matters.

*Added after Publishing Friday night:

It’s funny, today (Saturday) during yoga, the teacher said something along the lines of “isn’t it a miracle how people come into our lives just when we need them. They may not stay long but it’s a miracle that it happens.”

I laughed to myself and thought about what I had written and published in this post. I was feeling a little uncomfortable that what I had written may have come off not as positive as I meant it to. I am very grateful for each an every yoga teacher (and fitness trainer for that matter) that I’ve had, because I know that’s exactly what I needed at that time. I’m probably at such a great place with yoga & lifting because I took that break, and being exposed to different perspectives, whether I agree or not is something I value very much as well. Hope that makes sense.. Promise a not-so-serious, mostly likely recipe-post next 

Because why wouldn’t you do handstands in the middle of a hotel lobby, on a beach in Costa Rica, while wearing a halter top, after a couple margaritas.. ?! Yes yes, and after not putting enough sunscreen on that day…

Enough cheesy? (ya know I gotta go there hehe).. Well then.. I am also thankful for having a tremendous healthy baking success this weekend! I stumbled on unsweetened frozen cranberries at Safeway and finally decided they needed to be put to use. I combined a bunch of different recipes, made a few switch-outs, and ta-da! .. A lightened up version of the oh so seasonal Apple Cranberry Crisp.. hope you enjoy

Lightened-Up Apple Cranberry Crisp

2 cups unsweetened Cranberries (frozen or fresh)

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Maple Syrup (I used Walden Farms 0-calorie)

Stevia (depends on the type you use, but I used a few squirts of liquid extract)

2 Apples, chopped (I used Granny Smith)

1.5 tbsp Almond Flour

1 tsp Cinnamon

Crisp

1/2 cup Oats

1 tsp Cinnnamon

2 tsp Brown Sugar

1/2 scoop Protein Powder (I used Muscle Gauge Cake Batter Whey Isolate)

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Coconut Oil

Mix together Cranberries, Maple Syrup, Lemon Juice and Stevia in a sauce pan. Cook over medium head for 5-8 minutes until cranberries pop. Meanwhile, chop Apples and toss with Almond Flour and Cinnamon. When Cranberry mixture is ready, remove from heat and stir in Apple mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix together all the Crisp ingredients. Pour Cranberry-Apple mixture into a sprayed 8×8 dish. Sprinkle with the Oat mixture and bake at 400 F for 30 minutes.

You could eat the whole batch and not feel TOO guilty.. but if we’re being sensible (have to every-so-often right?!), if you break the pan into 4 servings the stats are:

Topped with a little Goat’s Milk Yogurt..

Healthy Living & Fitness

Fit Approach: Lots of great stuff here! There are a few different others you write about all things related to health: recipes, fitness, yoga, getting motivated, you name it!

She Rocks Fitness: Another fitness and yoga loving lady.. naturally I’m going to adore her

Our Lady of Second Helpings: I’ve known this woman since I was 2 years old! Sure it’s cool to see someone get on a fitness stage year in and year out, but Rose’s story is what really inspires me (check it out). She did a completely changed her lifestyle when it comes to fitness & nutrition, and now preaches (pun intended :p) about the benefits in her always witty and entertaining blog.

Gilly Anne Smith: One of my coaches when I was doing CrossFit. She doesn’t blog a lot but when she does it’s always so beautiful.

Recipes

Finding Vegan: A warehouse of vegan recipes submitted by other bloggers, so many great ideas that could convince any hater that eating vegan is far from boring.

Dessert Stalker: I’m pretty sure this is the opposite of the site above.. aka Paleo. But the Paleo folks have some amazing dessert ideas, so you’ll find all sorts of Almond and Coconut Flour-using sweet tasting recipes here.

Two Peas and Their Pod: You know those sites where you realize you’re bookmarking every single recipe and they must be reading your mind with what sounds absolutely fantastic? .. yeah that’s this duo

My pumpkin obsession is no new thing.. proof.. and I couldn’t let November pass without a couple recipes for ya!

But first..

It’s All About the Powder!

Alright, ya’ll know I love my various protein powder concoctions. I get asked all the type what protein powders I use.. and it all depends. Some are good for pancakes and protein bars, while I prefere others for shakes. And even then it’s different for sweet chocolaty shakes versus my beloved Green Smoothies.

For my morning Green Smoothie, my number one favorite is Olympian Labs Vanilla Pea Protein, I also love Vega Sport (I think the one I used just got discontinued but they have a new product that looks good) and Genuine Health’s Vegan Proteins.

Now pancakes.. How they come out depends a lot on the protein powder you use. I love Pea Protein for my Green Shakes, but have had horrible results with it in pancakes. My very favorite powder for pancakes is Muscle Gauge Whey Isolate in Cake Batter.

Ok, onto the good stuff..

Pumpkin Gingerbread Protein Shake

Inspired by Angela’s recipe.

1/3 cup Pumpkin

1/2 frozen Banana

 1 scoop Protein Powder (my fave is Olympic Labs Pea Protein)

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Gingeer

3/4 Unsweetened Almond Milk

Ice

Blend. Enjoy.  Particularly awesome with a little Peanut Flour sprinkled on top!

Even Better Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Makes 4-5 pancakes:

4 scoop Protein Powder (used my fave)

1/2 cup Pumpkin

1 tbsp Oil (I’m loving using Hemp Oil, but Coconut would also be great)

3/4 cup Egg Whites

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Pumpkin Spice

Blend with a hand mixer, than pour ~1/3 cup into a pre-heated pan. yummm

And in Other News..

As I watch this I’m watching the ladies rock the Fitness America stage! I’m seriously being blown away by the level of competition this year.. so awesome, not to mention crazy inspiring.

I can’t believe it was two whole years ago that I was up there.. sighh.. Think I’ll do an extra functional workout or two tomorrow.. ;-)