Happy TwentyEleven!

Hey, friends! We had a great trip home to Texas for Christmas. It was so much fun seeing our awesome families and some of the "bestest" friends a girl could have. TwentyTen was a crazy, but super fun year for me, to say the least. I finished basketball season dancing for the Rockets, made the big decision to move across the country, and a bunch of other stuff in between. Yes, there have been ups and a few downs, but it has been mostly all ups and if there was ever a down it was usually not hard to turn it right back into an up! ;) This next year I am hopeful and excited for what lies ahead. I have so many things I want to do and accomplish and I can't wait to begin! Honestly, it is a slightly scary thing for me to put these things out there for you all to read and critique, but I guess I shouldn't really worry about that now, should I? ;)

Here are some of the things on my list for the next year:

1. Get my Level 1 CrossFit Cert. [and soon after get my gymnastics and nutrition cert., etc.].
2. Get my yoga certification.
3. Begin coaching/teaching again, but this time for crossfit and yoga.
   
4. Compete in more than one Fitness America Competition and hopefully at least one international competition.
   
5. Stay Paleo! [or at least most of the time] ;)
6. Consistently let crossfit kick my butt.
   
7. Go surfing 1-2x a week, hopefully more.
8. Go scuba diving, rock climbing, or hiking at least once a month.
   
9. Keep dancing, taking classes, and growing...and possibly do some more auditions.
   
10. Do a warrior dash/mud run thing.
11. Learn to snowboard.
12. Draw and paint more often.
    
13. Be the best mom, friend, sister, daughter, niece, cousin, grand daughter, person, etc. I can be.

Here is a random list of stuff I just wanna do! :)

1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. Take a road trip to Vegas and/or Napa
   
3. Stop on the side of the road at night and watch the stars
4. Go to a shooting range
5. Take a trip to somewhere I have never been... preferably an island ;)
6. And just continue to stay happy and content with who I am and what I have...and to never stop loving life, pressing on, and giving all my heart in everything I do. I pray I will remember this even when sometimes for a moment life may seem like it just plain sucks... I will remember how blessed I am and will remind myself that everything is temporary and all things shall pass.

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” -James Dean

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.” -Anonymous

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

Happy New Year's Eve!!! :)

Christmas Parties and Airplanes.

The past few days have been super action packed full of packing for our Texas trip, Christmas shopping, Rylee's gymnastics [she took 3 makeups this week for the classes she will be missing plus her regular class...she got her dream for a week- To go to gymnastics everyday!;)], and helping get ready for Rylee's Christmas party at school. Yesterday I dropped Rylee off at school, picked up pictures I had taken of the kids in her class, cut the photos out, made 30 picture frame ornaments for the party, ran to Michael's, picked up more supplies, put a basket together for Rylee's teacher, made goodie bags for 30 kids for Rylee to give out, took Rylee to gymnastics, went to Crossfit, baked more cookies at Rylee's friend's house while both mommies worked on the class yearbook page, went home, washed clothes, packed, and finally went to bed by a little after 2am. Party! ;)

Today was Rylee's big Christmas party at school and it was a success! All the kids and parents had so much fun. As soon as we left school we were en route to the airport. A sweet friend of mine was the brave taxi driver and she did awesome driving us there not once, but twice for that matter in all of about 2 hours...in the rain. We were about half way there when I realized that I had left something super important... probably the most important thing next to Rylee at home sitting nice and cozy on the end of my bed... My money! I'm so awesome. We had a super unexpected and definitely unwanted adventure, but we still made it with time to spare... Woo hoo!

Rylee has been talking about taking this trip since school started. Let's just say, she was way SUPER excited and at the same time was a little concerned about the whole flying thing. Last year I went skydiving for my very first time and fell in love, but it slightly freaked Rylee out thinking she would have to do the same thing. I tried explaining to her that this wouldn't be the kind of plane you jump out of [hopefully;)], but she was having a hard time in her mind figuring out how we would get down... In her head the pilot would just say something like, "Okay, all going to Houston it's your turn to go and out we would go!" After much reassurance her anxiety soon turned to full on excitement and she couldn't wait to take off. I think she thought she was on a roller coaster because when we went to take off she yelled at me to put my hands up! She makes me laugh... a lot. This morning while we were getting ready for school she said that when she grows up she doesn't want to wear make up because she thinks she's already "pretty cute without it"... You have NO idea how much that made me smile, laugh, and feel so proud! I hope she always feels that way about herself and I plan to do my very best to keep it that way! :)

Filthy Fifty Free Fallin' Fajitas.

[Click to enlarge... I love this list.]

"When you have a passion for what you do, happiness embraces you. You will find joy everyday, no matter what comes your way."

So, this morning I almost died. Yep. The Filthy Fifty is slightly brutal, especially when one is getting back into the swing of things. I actually had planned on going to yoga this morning, but I seriously was not in the mood. I wanted to go kick my @*% at Crossfit instead. So I did and man, it felt amazing in a painfully, but euphoric sort of way, of course. Let's break it down:

Filthy Fifty
50 Box jumps
50 Jumping pull ups
50 Kettle bell swings
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press
50 Back extensions
50 [20 lb] Wall ball shots [I used a 12 lb ball]
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders
For time.

Let's just say... I finished alive. Praise God. I also signed up today to go skydiving for my 2nd time!!! This morning when I walked in to workout I noticed on the whiteboard a little list where they're trying to get a group together to go in late January. I was, let's just say, more than excited... I seriously cannot wait! Woo Hoo! I also managed to stay paleo today, except for a Dos Equis I had at El Ranchito tonight for a friend's birthday. I also had some super yummy grilled shrimp fajitas and veggies [without the tortillas].

[Pardon my French, but I really like that quote.]

[I like that one, too.]

On another note, when we got home from dinner Rylee and I had a "talk". It was actually me doing most of the talking, but you get the idea. Let me explain... On our walk back home Rylee was not making very good choices... yelling down the sidewalk, talking with an attitude, and she even screamed once as well. I was not too happy with the decisions she was choosing to make, especially since we live in a pretty nice and quiet neighborhood where a lot of people leave their windows open at night. I let her know that as soon as we got home we would be having a "talk" and so that is just what we did. When I was finished she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I'm so glad we had this talk... If we hadn't then I would just keep doing things I'm not supposed to and never get better. You're such a sweet mommy." And then she gave me a hug. Oh my goodness... Any ounce of frustration or anger I had just a few minutes before was instantly gone. What a precious sweetheart! How can she be so precious and then turn into such a stinker?! I guess we all have our moments, huh... ;) Gosh, I just love that little girl.

I hope everyone had a super happy Tuesday! :)

The Icing on the Cookie.

[Rylee before gymnastics today]

[Rylee doing "pull ups" as part of their conditioning at the end of practice]

Hey, y'all! I am so happy to announce that I am back and fully recovered from our super fun girls weekend! I took a break from paleo on Sunday and enjoyed some cheeseburgers [lunch and dinner], but I quickly got myself back to paleo today with exception of a gingerbread Christmas cookie Rylee made tonight.

We did a little mommy/daughter Christmas cookie baking/decorating party tonight with one of Rylee's sweet friends and her mommy. We had so much fun! Icing was definitely not spared... Nor the sprinkles. The girls did a fabulous job decorating them and eating them, too! We watched Frosty the Snowman while they enjoyed their frosting... I mean, cookies. I bought pre-made gingerbread dough [wheat-free/gluten-free] from Mother's and they were amazingly super delicious!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!
I will leave you with a super simple recipe for one my favorite things to eat... Eggs!
Enjoy! :)

Dinner Omelet
1 cup of chopped fresh spinach
4 chopped green onions
1 clove of fresh chopped garlic
1/2 cup of portabella mushrooms
3 eggs
1/4 cup V-8 juice

Saute chopped vegetables in hot olive oil. Beat eggs, V-8 juice and seasonings in bowl. Pour eggs over sauteed vegetables and cook until firm. Flip omelet and cook other side until firm.

Day TwentyEight: San Diego Bound!

So, today would be the official last day to my paleo adventure, but I have decided to keep it around a little while longer. It is, however, day one of our girls' road trip to San Diego and I'm super excited!

Enjoy your weekend, friends! :)

I will leave y'all with a little recipe I found on http://paleofood.com/fishbak.htm.

Enjoy!

30 Minute Dill-Baked Salmon

4 salmon fillets (each 6 ounces)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
4 lemon slices
3 chopped shallots
1 chopped garlic clove
2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh spinach
2 cups lightly packed basil
1/4 cup broth or stock

Place salmon fillets on baking pan. Sprinkle half over fish with lemon juice and chopped fresh dill. Top with lemon slices. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Sauté shallots and chopped garlic clove in olive oil for 6 minutes. Add [two 10-ounce packages] fresh spinach and basil; cook 8 minutes. Add remaining salt mixture and broth or stock. Boil 4 minutes. Serve salmon on greens. [Adapted from Family Circle Nov. 98]

LifeAsRx. [Apparel for the Fitness Counter Culture]

OH MY GOSH!

About a year ago I did a photo shoot at Atmoic CrossFit in Stafford, Texas for a super awesome fitness apparel company called, LifeAsRx, based out of San Diego, California. Since then I have been asked to work some more with their company. Above is the picture they chose and has been used in their advertising at events, crossfit competitions, on the web, etc. and will soon be included in their upcoming calendar. Earlier today I had the opportunity to drive down to CrossFit Counter Culture where LifeAsRx offices out of in Encinitas [outside of San Diego] to pick out some of their super cool attire. I fell in love... again. I loved everything so much I think I almost took their entire stock of women's fitness apparel home with me! Seriously, every single shirt I picked up I didn't want to put down. Every shirt is so incredibly soft and you can instantly tell that they are high quality shirts that will last long after they're put through the wash or a wod. The colors are crazy cool and the graphics and sayings are awesomely hilarious, so cute, and kick@$$ at the same time, while staying true to crossfit, of course. The LifeAsRx staff is a bunch of really great people who, not only do CrossFit, but also coach, own, and/or run their own affiliate[s], as well... They literally eat, sleep, and wear crossfit. I'm a super big fan of LifeAsRx and no, they are not paying me to write this. I'm just so excited with their product that I had to share with y'all!
Here is the link to LifeAsRx's website:

http://www.lifeasrx.com/
Make sure you check them out!!!
They have men's, women's, kid's, and accessories, too!
Christmas is just around the corner, ya know... ;)

Here are some pics I pulled from the LifeAsRx website of some of the shirts I got to take home with me today... Enjoy!







The End!

Day TwentySeven: The Verdict on Paleo.

The sunset the other night on my way to crossfit. :)

For all of you who have not been following along for the past 27 days, I have been giving the "Paleolithic" way of eating a chance. For all of you who have been following along... Yes, I still technically have one day left of my paleo commitment. I mentioned on Day One, when I first heard about it at crossfit a year and a half ago I definitely had my reservations, doubts, etc., but as I have been transitioning myself over to eating Paleolithic I have really been enjoying the results. I have noticed my body and joints are not as achy as they once were, I have a ton of energy, I am not craving sweets at all, my skin is healthier, and as much as I was not doing this to "lose weight" an old pair of jeans of mine that I have had for about 8 years I put on last night and they fit better than the last time I wore them almost a year ago! So that was slightly exciting, but besides the point... I have noticed that not just my sweet cravings have diminished, but so have cravings for foods that are not "paleo". My body is beginning to crave "paleo" foods! Yay! I did, however, make a small exception to the paleo rule and have allowed myself a few complex carbs such as, sweet potatoes and on some occasions I have allowed myself some cheese. Both were in very small quantities and it was definitely on the occasion. I, of course, was NOT an angel and did eat some sweets, enjoyed some adult beverages, and had an occasional meal with starchy carbs, but this whole "paleo" thing for me is a process/transition/and it's the Holidays! ;) I think it's okay to sometimes veer off the path [it's gonna happen! or you will hate your life...please don't hate your life ;) ] just as long as you get back on the path as quick as possible. Below is a link to what "paleo" is and it also talks about variations of the paleo diet on including some complex carbs [sweet potatoes], etc. I, however, never thought I'd say this, but have enjoyed taking dairy out of my daily diet. I have virtually not had any stomach issues, etc. the entire time with exception of when I have allowed myself some cheese... which totally makes me not want to eat it at all! I really am amazed and I am super pumped to be building my strength back up and getting back into my crossfit routine once again. Yay! I thought at the end of this whole experiment I would just go back to my regular "healthy" eating, but I think I'm gonna keep paleo around a little while longer.

I have had quite a few requests and so for all of you that are interested I will be posting different paleo and non-paleo, but healthy recipes each day along with my regular blog posts on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Happy Friday, y'all! :)

http://www.paleodiet.com/definition.htm

Day TwentySix: Garlic & Onions.

[Memorial Day Weekend 2010- Toledo Bend Lake, Texas]

Yesterday, I must say, I had such a BLAST at crossfit! We did a workout that incorporated 3 rounds of 10 forward rolls, pull ups, ring dips, 3 20 yard handstand walks, and 20 one-legged squats. When I saw what it was I got super excited to get to go "play" gymnastics!! Sometimes you just gotta walk on your hands and roll on the floor! :) After leaving my playground, I mean crossfit, Rylee and I went over to my friend, Ashlee's for a little dinner party get-together with some friends. After our amazing [made from scratch] Bolognese dinner we sat around and played Mad Gab and Scattergories. So much fun! As we were just hanging out and chatting it up a friend and I got onto the topic of home remedies for colds, etc. and how we both hate taking medicine for anything and that's when the topic of garlic came up and how great it is in fighting off colds, etc. I know a lot of people are afraid to eat it because of the whole "breath" situation, but maybe after you read the next paragraph you might soften your heart a little toward the amazing super food.

Let's see, so far today I have had 2 handfuls of almonds, 2 oranges, coconut water, 3 bottles of water, and scrambled egg whites mixed with onion, garlic, and avocado. It is seriously amazing how good garlic and onion are for us...and coconut water, too! Just make sure you brush your teeth or freshen your breath after eating them, of course. First, garlic alone has long been considered a "wonder drug". It is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, a powerful antibiotic, and inhibits the oxidation of fatty acids. Likewise, onions contain antimicrobial properties and they are super effective against many types of harmful bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella, and E. coli. Both onions and garlic can help lower blood lipids, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. Onions are also a rich source of flavonoids, which are substances known to protect against cardiovascular disease. Coconut water also contains a high dose of antibacterial properties which helps to fight infection and disease. It is also identical to human blood plasma and has been used in emergency blood transfusions as an alternative. Coconuts came in very handy during WWII when they actually siphoned out coconut water directly from the coconut to perform blood transfusions! Food really does amaze me by what it can do for us, healthfully speaking, and I have only shared just a tiny bit of what garlic, onions, and coconut water can do for us! Can you believe there's more?!

Are you in the Christmas spirit and want to bake and decorate cookies with your family, but would like a healthier alternative without sacrificing on the tastiness? Here is a great gluten free/wheat free sugar cookie recipe... Enjoy!

Ingredients:
•1 1/2 cups superfine brown rice flour
•2/3 cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch
•1/3 cup tapioca starch
•1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
•1/2 teaspoon guar gum
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon cream of tartar
•1 cup cold, cubed butter (2 sticks)
•1 egg
•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•Gluten Free Cookie Sprinkle Decorations (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone baking pads or lighty butter.
1.Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and use a large whisk to thorougly blend.
2.For a finer flour, sift the dry ingredients.
3.Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Place the cover on the processor and pulse about 3 times.
4.Add the cubed, cold butter and pulse about 10 times. The mixture will be crumbly.
5.Add the egg and pulse about 5 times. The mixture will look crumbly but should form a ball when squeezed together.
6.If the mixture is too dry to form a ball, add 1 tablesoon milk and pulse about 5 times.
7.Scrape the dough onto a large sheet of waxed paper and squeeze the dough into a ball.
8.Use hands to shape the ball into a long cylinder, about 2 inches in diameter.
9.Wrap the sheet of waxed paper around the cookie dough "log" and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or freeze the dough to use later.
10.When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove from refrigerator or freezer.
11.Roll out dough and use cookie cutters.
12..Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown around the edges.

Yield- 48 cookies

Day TwentyFive: My New Love.

Okay, a few months I fell in love and wrote a blog about my new favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's, but I may have found a new love last night. Yes, I think Mother's Market just may have stolen my heart. Don't get me wrong, of course, Trader Joe's will always have a special place in my heart. Mother's Market, however, has pretty much everything you could possibly think of and, in my opinion, the entire overall selection is so much healthier than Trader Joe's. I still think Trader Joe's has Mother's beat on price, but Mother's selection can't be beat! They even have whole fresh young coconuts [the ones you chop open with a machete!] and about 10 different other coconut water brands as well. I was in Heaven. I know you're dying to know what was on the list... So here it is!

• Coconut water [I actually bought a brand I haven't tried, Amy&Brian's All Natural Coconut Juice. They were 6 for 6 bucks... Sold! I got four others to try and compare... ONE, VitaCoco, Zico, and Naked]
• Raw almonds
• Organic dark chocolate covered coconut
• WineTime bars [dark chocolate, dates, and almonds...and with as much resveratrol as 50 glasses of red wine, 7 extra "super fruits"- cranberry, noni, pomegranate, goji berry, acai, mangosteen, and blueberry, 7 grams of fiber per bar, no trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup, no art. sweeteners, colors, or preservatives, no choletserol, no dairy, and no gluten]
• Walnut/date rolls
• Fuji apples
• Kiwis
• Almond&Coconut bar
• Satsuma tangerines
• Oranges
• The rest of the stuff I bought for Rylee and her school lunches and breakfast:
• Organic berry juice
• Organic apple sauce
• Organic [gluten-free] kidz cereal
• ClifKids bars & Clif Kids twisted fruit
• Annie's all natural bunny graham crackers
• Flourless sprouted 7-grain bread
• And stuff to make all natural, gluten free, wheat free Christmas cookies :) We made them last night when we got home after dinner. They are so yummy and I didn't have to use any wheat flour, even when using the rolling pin! Here are some pictures of our Christmas cookie fun!

I obviously didn't get any meat this time. No, I am not a fruitarian, nor do I wish to be one, but my freezer and fridge are stocked full of fish, shrimp, turkey, chicken, veggies, eggs, and milk at the moment. ;) I was just doing a little restocking.

I will leave y'all with a super simple paleo dinner recipe:

Soft 'n juicy chicken

- boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- herbs (any combination of paprika, curry, ginger, kurkuma, garlic, etc)
-olive oil

- something to cook in

First figure out how many chicken breasts you can fit in your oven and your oven-dish. Then find a frying pan that will hold the same amount. Cover every inch of the meat with herbs. Heat up the frying pan and add your olive oil. Lay your chicken breasts in long enough for them to develop a nice brown herby skin. Transfer them from the frying pan to your oven-dish and cover it with aluminium foil (that's what keeps it so soft 'n juicy). Leave them in the oven for 30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

*Eat them for dinner with some veggies on the side, put them in a big lunch salad the next day or eat a piece cold for a snack.

Enjoy! :)

Day TwentyThree and TwentyFour: Rainbows, Massages, and Santa.

I rarely have a day that I would actually classify as a "bad" day [unless we're talking paleo or lack there of], but yesterday morning was not very nice to me. I have since forgiven it so we're good. Here's how it all went down: I woke up, got Rylee ready for school, and after she went to school I was looking forward to doing some yoga [as my body was still in maior pain from crossfit on Friday...and probably a little from my dance party that night, too]. Yeah, so.... Yoga never happened. I walk out the door... forget the car was parked another street over in front of a friend's house... so I walk around for about 5 minutes in a slightly frantic pace until I realize that it was right where it was left ;)... I drive down to the gym [granted it's only about a 5 minute walk]... walk in and find out the class I was trying to go to was at a different time... which I had already missed. Let's just say, I was not too happy, but life goes on... especially when massages are involved! Later that morning I ended up getting to go get a massage at a little place down on Main Street in HB. Gosh, it was amazing. I woke up this morning and can finally walk normally! ;) Yay! I plan to go do some yoga later today and go back to crossfit tomorrow.

After Rylee got out of school yesterday she was in for a big surprise. She got to go talk to Santa! And this was no imposter. I'm pretty sure he was the real Santa. Gosh, I love this age... Everything is so magical! When it was her turn all she told him she wanted was a princess umbrella. I sure hope I can find one somewhere! ;) After we saw Santa we headed back to go watch the game with some friends at Aloha Grill. Monday Night Football comes on at 5:30 here! Crazy. I did not, however, stay paleo. We all just ordered a bunch of calamari and fish tacos. I had 2 calamari tacos and a Rainbow... So yummy, but so not paleo! Oh, well... Today is a new day and I plan to keep it paleo.

Merry Christmas, y'all!