Yogi Makes Me Feel Good

Tea, well, have never been my cup of tea. No pun intended. Every now and then I find myself craving tea but typically choosing coffee over tea. The folks over at Yogi tea sent me some free samples to try for a taste test. For my first attempt I tried the Green Energy tea after my workout this morning. It was very good with a strong sweet green taste that was perfect. My next tasting was this afternoon as I was relaxing from a hard day of a cleaning frenzy. I enjoyed a cup of Apple Cinnamon Spice that had a great cinnamon taste (favorite spice) that was not to overpowering. I have one more flavor, Berry Detox that is caffeine free that I hope to try one night for an after dinner treat. If you see me out somewhere you might find me drinking a cup of Yogi tea instead of coffee. Thanks Yogi Tea!

Greens Power

With summer creeping in, my smoothie cravings are increasing, especially post workout. Many other blogger friends have been raving about green smoothies. Green smoothies because they have added greens such as spinach or kale. At first I was skeptical, thinking the greens would add a bitter flavor to the smoothie. I am girl who loves new food experiences with a strong belief that everything should be tasted at least once. I decided on spinach because I have never been a big fan of kale. After demolishing my smoothie creation in a mere minutes the verdict is in. AMAZING! The spinach was a great compliment to the sweetness of the smoothies, loved it!

To anyone that is skeptical, give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

Greens Power Smoothie

• 1 cup 8th Continent soy milk
• 1 scoop Amazing Grass chocolate greens
• Banana
• 1tsp dark chocolate coco
• 2 cups Publix organic spinach
• few ice cubes

Place all in a blender and let her rip. ENJOY!!

My Two Loves In One

Oh my goodness! I cannot wait to try this new cereal. These are 2 flavors that I just adore, blueberry and cinnamon. Will update later with a product review.

Well, I just finished my first bowl of this new cereal find and the verdict is 2 thumbs up. For my tasting I paired the cereal with 2 classics, a banana and 8th Continent soy milk. The cereal had just the right amount of sweetness from the blueberries to compliment the more smoky cinnamon flavor. I love the harder texture of the cereal allowing it to hold up longer. I hate eating soggy cereal. I already packed some for a snack at work tomorrow to pair with cottage cheese. I cannot wait!

Buzzing Through The Day

Nothing like a good buzz in the morning to get your engine going. If you have been a long follower of my blog you know about my love for coffee. I am always trying new flavored brews, add-ins, or ways to serve. Today was no different as I created this tasty concoction from Archer Farms Honey Nut. With the rising summer heat I find myself enjoying my iced coffee more and more. The caffeine kick lead me well into the afternoon for a round of wedding to do's. I signed up with Palm Beach Tan to begin regaining my Florida girl status for the wedding. This should be interesting because the last time I went to a tanning bed was in high school. My afternoon agenda also included wedding shoe browsing which lead to an actual purchase. I am not a shoe person but when I saw them I said, "Oh my goodness those are perfect!" After my round of shopping I headed home to bake these delicious cupcakes for a Memorial Day party at work tomorrow. I made 2 different kinds, Devil's Food cake with bits of Andes Mints and Double Fudge cake with honey peanut butter added in. My fiance and I loved them both but agreed the mint cupcakes were better. Tomorrow will be the test! Off to bed soon, up at 5:ooam for a 12 hour shift at the hospital. At least I get holiday pay.

Iced Coffee

• 1 cup cold Archer Farms Honey Nut coffee
• 2 packets of Amazing Grass chocolate greens packets
• dash of dark coco

Blend till perfection and enjoy!

Just Breath

"Just Breath," such a simple two word saying but how hard it can be sometimes. In times of big changes and stress all you really need to do is just breath and take it all in. For the past two years I have been an avid runner logging an average of 40 mpw. But with many life changes, stress, and a need to try something different I have moved to other forms of exercise to help me get my sweat on. Though this transition is needed and my decision it has been a harder battle then I thought. I am still running but significantly less to an average of 15 mpw. My appetite, body, metabolism are all changing while I am learning to adapt myself as well. The different activities I have been doing are ok but do not give me that since of empowerment and a stronger sense of self that I can get from running.

I have been hearing so many great things about yoga and what it can do for your body and mind. As a runner, stretching has always been a integral part of my workouts but only focused on a few moves after my runs to loosen my legs up again. After doing some research I found a studio that offered Bikram, "Hot Yoga," as my class of choice. Bikram yoga is a 90 minute class of intense yoga in a enclosed room with a temperate of 95+ degrees. The idea behind the heat is to raise your bodies temperature causing it to work harder thus burning more calories and sweating A TON to release and let go of all those toxins.

I completed my first 3 classes last week and I am officially hooked. I already bought a unlimited pass for 1 month. Above are 2 of my favorite yoga positions.

Smooth Operator

Many discussions in different forums have been started about this somewhat new creation from Starbucks. I have been wanting to try one probably since they came out but never did. I would always say that after my workouts I can just go home to make a smoothie for free. But my curiosity kept me coming back and so I went for it. I did a little research at the Starbucks website about the new Vivanno smoothie and was surprised to find how much protein it contained. There is a Starbucks in the same complex as my gym so I decided my Vivanno would make a great post-workout smoothie. The Vivanno was very creamy, I hate a shake with ice pieces still in it. There was a great chocolate taste with a slight sweetness that was not to over-powering. For all those sceptics out there, I say give this smoothie operator a chance.

The Long Road Still Leads Me On

Wow! What a difference a few, well 6 years makes. For those of you who do not know my background the pictures above say it all. I am the product of a 100 lb weight loss journey that I began, struggled with and over came during a four year period. The first picture above (me on the far left) was taken in Spring 2002 during my high school senior cruise to Mexico . At that time my weight was 235 lbs, and at 5'7" that is to much extra weight that I did not need to be carrying around. The second picture was taken in Spring 2008 on another cruise to Mexico with my parents. At that time my weight was 133 lbs which I had already been maintaining for 1.5 years.

It is so amazing yet surreal to examine these images side by side. It is not until now that I realize how heavy I actually was. For many people including myself we can be in denial about what are actual size is. The same goes for the second picture because at 133 lbs I thought I was at a good weight, even trying to lose a pound or two. According others and my Family Nurse Practitioner, I was to skinny and needed to gain a few pounds. Which I did, and feel 10X better.

I am just a girl who lost an INCREDIBLE amount of weight, on my own with no help from a company or personal trainer. Through my weight-loss journey I have found a love for running, a love that has developed into something more. Running has become apart of me while teaching and seeing me through so many different times of my life. For me, I am now trying to find a healthy balance of everything in life. It is all about moderation because the long road is still leading me on. It may one day be very flat while the next day has me up a huge hill teaching me to slow my pace and enjoy the scenery. All in all it's been a great ride so far and I cannot wait till tomorrow.