Hockey and Pizza

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Andrea

After most of the week focusing on leftovers and quick meals, it was nice to spend some time in the kitchen and create something new.

Again I turned to the familiar and comforting for this week’s pizza. I don’t know about you but when I am hyper focused on something and then it’s over, I need down time.

I can’t move from one project to the next, my brain and attention needs a break.

Yesterday was my break and it was a fantastic break day. It was cold, rainy, and gloomy all day long. Perfect for staying inside and catching up on things around the house.

One of the things that I could focus on for long stretches yesterday was that we were going to have pizza. Well, let me be more specific. I was looking forward to sitting on the couch, eating pizza, and watching hockey. Following that up with a glass of wine.

I kept things simple for yesterday’s pie.

The Blender

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Andrea

I just realized that I have not talked about THE Blender. If you remember my previous blender debacle, then you recall that I made the jump and purchased THE Blender.

This was a huge deal folks.

It took its sweet time getting to me and at first I was a little frustrated but when I read that Vitamix actually hand makes the blenders once they are ordered, I calmed down a bit. There’s no store room (Unless you hit up their outlet) that has blenders waiting to be shipped. All blenders are created once an order has been placed.

Interesting tid-bit, no?

I think it took about a week but THE Blender has arrived and has been in use pretty much daily.

I decided to go all in and purchase both the dry and the liquid blades.

First test run was making a smoothie and I was sold after that. Completely smooth and fluffy smoothie. It’s powerful and I have yet to even need to use it at high speed. It breaks everything down nicely and I know that I wouldn’t be able to go back to another blender after this.

Discharged

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Andrea

Last Monday I dragged my feet to PT. Because of my hip struggles, I’ve been going to PT since July.

I was tired of PT.

I was going to walk in and discuss my release because I was pretty much over it. I didn’t even get that far because the therapist said, “At this point, I’m pretty sure we can cut you loose. You can start increasing the miles on you’re own.”

HOORAY!!!

My appointment was all of five minutes long and I was out the door. The receptionist checking me out started singing to me.

“She’s been DC’d! She’s been released!”

Yes, she’s a bit odd but I didn’t care. Because, I’d been DC’d! I’d been released!

I am up to 3 miles now and about to bump that up a little more. I got several runs in last week at 3 miles and they were great. My endurance is starting to come back which makes me so thankful!

October Challenge

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Andrea

A new month can signal new beginnings. It can be the start of change. It’s a fresh slate and you can do with it whatever you choose.

The Fit Approach gang has decided to each take on a personal challenge for the month of October. Each one of us is doing something that is personal with the hope that we’ll notice a change in our life.

October is about creating new habits and getting rid of the old ones that aren’t doing us any good.

This couldn’t have come at a better time for me because there’s one thing that I’ve wanted to start doing and this will give me the push I need.

I want to get up earlier in the mornings.

Sounds easy enough and my nature is that I’m a morning person anyway.

I don’t mean that I’m one of those annoying cheerful people in the mornings who greet you with a wave and a very loud, “Good Morning!!!”. In fact I would rather you not speak to me until I’ve had some coffee and a shower.

Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Andrea

The weather has been cold, rainy, and dreary these past several weeks. Normally our fall isn’t quite like this and it has me a little bit down in the dumps.

Fall in Columbus tends to be sunny, bright, and full of colors. There’s the smell of the leaves changing and a crispness to the air. In the mornings and in the evenings you can catch a slight scent of someone burning wood in their fireplace or perhaps in their backyard fire pit.

On Friday evenings we can hear the high school football game from our backyard.

Fall is by far my very favorite time of year, hands down, which is why I’m a little bummed that so far our fall seems to be a bit on the damp side.

However we’ve still been having pretty cool weather and with all the rain it’s the perfect time for soup!

I could eat soup everyday for the rest of my life and be a very happy lady.

Pure Food and Wine

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Andrea

While in NY, the ladies and I dined out Saturday evening at Pure Food and Wine. This was our big night out and Laura (NY resident) made our reservations two weeks in advance.

Pure Food is a raw restaurant, which means all their stuff is not cooked. Everything is veggie based and the menu also states that they are GF and vegan.

From their website (the “about” section):

June of 2004 is when we first opened our doors in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. Back then, not so many people knew the term “raw food” as a style of cuisine. Pure Food and Wine’s raw vegan menu is entirely plant based and does not use any processed ingredients. Nothing is heated above approximately 118 degrees in order to preserve vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Everyone always imagines a menu of just salads, but it’s much more than that.

They also list that they do not use tofu, tempeh, or seitan at all at the restaurant which I find refreshing.

Rest and Recover

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Andrea

Until today, it had been over a week since I ran. Or had any thoughts about running.

Or even wanted to run.

My time in NY was amazing but exhausting. Both physically and emotionally. We walked so much and with such purpose (there’s not strolling in the city) that by Sunday evening my legs were Done.

My hamstrings started aching along with my right ankle and the right side of my foot.

I didn’t mind, to be honest. When traveling, I would much rather walk all over than take transportation. There’s comes a point though when you need to slow down and take a break.

We were going nonstop all day long. Up at 6am, going all day long, in bed by 1am. Rinse, repeat.

For me, that was tough since I’m such a sleeper and need some down time to get grounded.

When I got home on Monday afternoon, I was t-i-r-e-d.

I left sunny New York to come home to a cold rainy Columbus. It pretty much stayed that way the entire week.

Girls Weekend

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Andrea

Last weekend I took a trip over to New York City to see some of my best girls. The health coaching school I’m attending had a weekend conference in the city featuring loads of speakers. The event was free for students and alumni.

I was able to get a direct flight out and stay with one of the ladies. Food and travel were really my only out of pocket expenses and well, I can’t pass that up.

Nor can I pass up a weekend in the city with 6 other lovely ladies.

When I started school I was feeling very alone and lost. It’s an online program which is perfect for me but I was looking for a little more interaction and connection with other students.

I struggled for a while as I tried to reach out to others and use the online forum to connect with other students. Nothing was working.

I was getting very frustrated.

Chocolate For Breakfast

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Andrea

When it comes to eating healthy and eating real food, I admit that I love smashing all the “rules” that are forced upon us from out of no where.

One of my favorite rules to break is the:

You can’t eat chocolate for breakfast.

Who started this nonsense? More importantly, why in the world do we listen to it?

Chocolate is a perfectly acceptable breakfast ingredient. It’s a nice little treat and a lovely little surprise to start our day.

It makes ordinary things a lot more special. And a lot more yummy!

While I admit that chocolate isn’t something I want everyday for breakfast, I certainly don’t think it should only be regulated to desserts or as an after dinner treat.

Chocolate can be used in a variety of ways and should be embraced a lot more openly!

We can have chocolate any time we want!

Some ways that we like chocolate:

Chocolate Coconut Oats

Food Can Heal: Lauren’s Story

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Andrea

Today’s post on how foods can heal is from Lauren who blogs over at Say What You Need To Say. Lauren posts about her daily meals and exercises along with discussing life and sharing all that it has to offer with her readers. She provides inspirational advice along with great motivation to eat well and live life to the fullest.

I’ve always had an adventurous spirit. It came without surprise that growing up, my exploratory personality ventured into my food choices. I remember specifically being the only 4 year old who would beg her parents every day to take her to Wendy’s, not for the chicken nuggets and fries, but for the salad bar.

I continued to develop a passion for food and cooking as I got older. I began to appreciate the aspects of cuisine and wanted to learn more about it. I fell in love with the kitchen and began designing and creating my own recipes on a daily basis.