Since I discovered that coconut oil was not only amazing for my body when consumed, I haven’t gone back to my Jergens, CVS eye makeup remover and even face soap (<—I do this method mostly with coconut and castor oil)! There are so many uses for it that it’s hard to even believe.

I always keep a jar in my bathroom for my many beauty uses, but I’ve always wanted to try making my own body butter. A less greasy version of my body oil that stays soft (even though the coconut oil in my bathroom usually gets used after I shower so it softens up).

This was so simple to make, it took ten minutes and it’s only 3 ingredients!

Your skin is your largest organ, so commercial lotions and body butters containing tons of chemicals and shady ingredients are being absorbed just as much if you are ingesting them. If you spend so much time and careful consideration when choosing the freshest, most pure, chemical and pesticide-free foods to put IN your body—why would you want to put that shady stuff ON  your body?

I love castor oil for skincare (great for dark spots, scars and acne to name a few). It’s very thick so it locks in moisture really well. Sometimes when I just use coconut oil I feel that even though it’s so oily, it doesn’t lock the moisture in. I wanted to add some essential oils but they are really expensive for only needing a few drops. The sweet almond oil is just sweet almond and Vitamin E (which is also awesome for skin!), and it only cost $5.99 a bottle. (I found everything at Whole Foods).

This was so easy to make and a little bit of the finished product goes a really long way! You only need about a tablespoon for your whole body!

The process is so simple.

10 minutes in your kitchen aid mixer on the highest setting

and you end up with this creamy, amazing, rich body butter….

It looks good enough to eat!

Feel free to add essential oils to it. I would love to add a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus oil, or even chamomile for the calming elements. I have some tea tree oil around so maybe next time I’ll add a few drops of that!

How easy does this seem?!?!  I am so happy I finally tried it!

Here you go…do it, do it!

I just love how pretty it looks.

Wow, 2 blog posts in a week! I am on a roll here!

What’s your favorite DIY beauty product?

I would love to know!

Talk Soon!

]]> http://www.thefitnessdish.com/?feed=rss2&p=13275 4 http://www.thefitnessdish.com/?p=13257 http://www.thefitnessdish.com/?p=13257#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:10:32 +0000 laury http://www.thefitnessdish.com/?p=13257

Hey there. How have you all been?

Today is Day 22 of the yoga sugar detox and everyone has been doing great in their own way. This hasn’t been easy, but I am so extremely proud of the amazing group we’ve been coaching. I am really feeling bittersweet about this all ending next Tuesday!

(photo source)

Here’s some of the feedback we’ve gotten so far!

“I feel a lot better. I never realized that I felt bloated until I stopped sugar altogether. I lost 7 lbs so far. I sleep deeper and I feel light and airy. I realized that heavy carbs and sugars weigh me down physically, emotionally and literally. I needed to break the cycle and I have. I don’t need bread as much as I thought. Sandwiches wrapped in lettuce are much better anyway!”

“I think the biggest thing for me wasn’t getting rid of the bloating/weighed down feeling. That’s nice, of course, but expected. I think I’m most surprised at how much this change has affected me mentally. Not only am I much more focused at work, but I’m sleeping through the night and don’t wake up feeling like I need to shotgun a pot of coffee to get out the door.”

“I’ve made huge strides in how I eat. I read nutrition labels like I’ve never done before! I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me. I’ve learned so much about how to eat healthier and I am loving it!”

“I am eating so much better (and I thought I ate pretty good before)! I don’t miss sugar in my coffee. I don’t feel bloated. I read labels more carefully and my food shopping is so much easier! I’ve had a glass of wine or two over the past two weeks but I’m proud of myself overall. My taste buds are totally different and I couldn’t be happier!

“I can’t believe I have made it this far. I definitely pay far more attention to what I eat and what ingredients are in things. I am learning so much, reading some very interesting books. I feel physically fine, very good, some days pretty snacky but overall satisfied.I am eating completely differently than I was before and I really don’t miss much, so I am very happy about that.”

“I’ve always eaten healthy and read labels but LOVED sugar. I’ve learned that I can do without my morning sweet wawa cappuccino (my guilty pleasure) and the night time sweet by going for green tea or no-sugar “snack” alternatives. I can’t believe I lived without coconut oil before. I love becoming even more aware and having access to so many great recipes. I too am grateful for this experience. Thank you!!!”

I still find that most of my workouts are on my sweaty yoga mat, but I have been trying to fit some HIIT in 1-2x a week. Today my sister in law and I did the 1,000 rep challenge, and last week I made up this little diddy for myself:

Repeat the following for 3 rounds with no to minimal rest between:

Jump Rope x100
Bosu Push-ups (upside down): x10
Box Jumps (7 risers): x10
Assisted Pull-Ups: x10
Jump Lunges: x10
Forearm Plank: 2 minutes

I’ve been really into cucumber smoothies since the weather has heated up!

This is an approved protein powder that we’ve been using during the detox. It’s 100% organic raw whey, nothing else added. No stevia, no additives, no preservatives. And it tastes yummy! Plain hemp protein is the other one but that one is really hard to take down without a banana, other fruit or some stevia added to it. At least in my opinion.

Round 2 Detox with Sol is set to launch after school starts this fall! In the meantime, I am still taking a couple more private clients for health coaching, 30 day metabolic detox, or online training!

In other news we had a wedding last weekend (which is fun while detoxing let me tell yah) and I used Rent The Runway for the first time. I ordered a Nicole Miller dress and LOVED it! I had such a wonderful experience overall. My favorite part about it is that real women upload their photos and stats making it more realistic when shopping to find a dress flattering for your figure!

This photo of me and the girls came out terrible with the lighting but I wanted to show you my girlfriend’s dress (in the red) who also rented the runway; I LOVED hers as well!

The shoes were MY wedding shoes, and the ones I wore in my friends wedding a few years ago. I adore these and wear them any chance I get!

Michael was in the wedding, it was one of our very dear friends got married, the whole day was beautiful, the venue was beautiful, and we all had a fantastic time. Especially with the photo booth..

which we took full advantage of given the stack of pictures on my dining table right now. Oops.

Talk soon!

Have you ever rented the runway? Did  you like your experience?

What smoothie/juice combos are you into right now? I am trying to get as many ideas as possible for my detoxers (no fruit please!)

-Laury

Well, we are on week two of our 30 Day yoga sugar detox! It’s going amazing. We have a private forum set up on facebook and all the ladies participating are so interesting and so supportive of one another. We share meals, tips, everyone can ask as many questions as they want (because the 50 page e-book/package we developed is info overload for some, that’s why the forums are clutch!)   —it’s so fun live posting from Whole Foods seeing the photos of people’s shopping carts. It’s been so helpful the way we have things set up and we couldn’t be happier. Caitlin and I beam every time someone posts in there and shares all of the new healthy habits they are making in their lives! They’re changing the way they shop, no longer fearing fats, and even though we are still getting (habitual) cravings, for the most part everyone’s pretty satisfied at meals and full! So far—success! Michael was saying to me the other day how I must be in my glory with this program—he knows I LIVE for this stuff, He’s right.

Going into the detox I wasn’t really eating much sugar per say. There were a few events, all in a row like Michael’s birthday, Ella’s birthday, our anniversary where I was just eating dessert after dessert and stopping for ice cream a few times in between. Not something I was stressing over because it’s not my “normal”–and because I’d  like to think it’s normal to have months like this. Another thing I wanted to get away from was using stevia. The stevia I use is really not that healthy. If you’re not growing it, or at least buying the dried leaves and making it yourself then it’s still kind of shady. Plus, it was ruining my taste buds—after finally lowering my sweet taste, I was replacing it with stevia-tongue. Not good.

This past weekend was probably the hardest point..and going into this week. Once everyone gets over that hump I think it will be smooth sailing!

Here are couple of interesting things you should know about sugar:

1. Sugar was a rarity for our early ancestors, they had to work hard to get it. When they did come across it they would eat it in abundance, it was stored as fat to help survive feast or famine type circumstances.

2. We were born to have a sweet tooth. It’s the only way young humans could protect themselves against poisonous foods. However, we evolved to have these foods available to us, in very unnatural, processed forms. Take the sweet tooth we were “born with” and add the addictive nature of food processing around us, place those sugars in EVERYTHING we’re eating, and you have species addicted to something that’s now killing us—no longer protecting us.

Here are a couple of my habits during the detox:

Every morning I start  my day with a room temperature glass of lemon water with cayenne as I prepare my fresh green juice. Although I have been sticking to strictly green veggie juices (celery, cucumber, romaine, chard, parsley, lemon and ginger is my winning combo) Friday I had a beet to use so I added half a one. Beets, although high in sugar,  are very detoxifying. I  also love the gorgeous color.

Lunches are often canned salmon or tuna with avocado, veggies (and maybe some grass-fed pasture bacon—yes, I said bacon.). Or I will have some leftover veggies and a protein, usually fish.

Dinner is more of the same. Protein, veggies. I try not to snack much but I always have hardboiled eggs or some full-fat Greek yogurt to tied me over.

Caitlin and I are sharing many of our favorite recipes from the web. Of course it has been fun pulling some of my old favorites from this site. It’s funny though seeing what a sweets person I am since the majority of my recipes on here are “healthy” dessert!

I thought it was time for a new “detox friendly” recipe.

Cauliflower rice is nothing new. I have my favorite way to prepare it up—a way that even my picky husband (and skeptical in-laws) have enjoyed!

Well, tonight I made another version that knocked my socks off.

Making the “rice” is simple. If you’re new to this all you need is a mini (or regular) food processor. Or a large grater (but that’s more work).

The marinade was so delicious for the chicken. Spicy enough for me—while to rice evened out the hot party in my mouth.

If you’re a vegetarian you could probably use plain, organic tempeh and marinate it in the home made dressing.

The coconut milk added a creaminess to the rice that was out of this world.

and the coconut flakes was the perfect addition when blended all up together.

It’s funny because as a kid I absolutely despised coconut. Now I can’t get enough of it. Those fancy grade unsweetened large coconut flakes have been my go-to when I get that taste in my mouth after a meal—you know—when you feel you just “need” something sweet.

One of our detoxers has gotten really into cauliflower rice after Caitlin suggested it as a meal. The client add some coconut flakes to one of her dishes which was what gave me inspiration for this meal!

The spicy (at least for me) chicken on top of this creamy, delicious rice was a winning combo. So healthy.

Did you know that white rice has a glycemic index of 89!?!? While cauliflower has a GI of 15! A  food’s glycemic index ranking a number that shows the degree of how much it will raise your blood sugar if you eat it. The higher the GI, the worse it’s effect on your blood insulin levels!

This was incredible.

You won’t be disappointed!

Michael….AGAIN gave me the two thumbs up on this and he is a known coconut hater—or so he says.

Speaking of curbing my sweet tooth…homemade cashew hemp (no sweeteners added, loads of cinnamon) or herbal teas.

In other news in my life teaching yoga has been amazing. I can’t even express how much I love it. I am teaching 5 classes a week in addition to my personal training clients and nutrition clients, (and detox workshop which is pretty much like being on call 24/7).

A friend of mine from teacher training is moving in July. I am so sad to see her go, but also happy for her! She asked me to go to a Baptise Immersion weekend with her before she moves and after talking to Michael about it we decided that it would be a GO! I am super excited for the experience. I only imagine that it will further me in my mental practice and benefit my teaching! I have never been away from Ella overnight, so that part will be hard. Very, very hard. Michael has been away from us a few times, but never me away from them. I am trying to think about the positives of the trip more than that though. It will be an interesting experience for everyone!

I hope to talk again real soon! I truly miss blogging as much as I used to. I miss interacting with readers and other bloggers! Right now I have so many other great things going on that my little corner of the internet has had to take a back seat!

Later!

-L

When working with new clients I always took a gentle approach when changing their eating and exercise habits. People get very panicky when you want to take away their comfort food/drinks. It is also a scary thing knowing that you’re going to have to sweat a lot more and feel uncomfortable when starting a new exercise program.

I have spoken numerous times on this blog/my facebook page and on twitter about the harmful effects of sugar. It’s essentially the link to most health problems for mankind. Sugar speeds up the aging process in the body. Chronic high blood sugar (which more of us have than we know!) affects your skin, your teeth, your digestive system (which becomes overgrown with yeast and bad bacteria), adrenal fatigue, liver problems, and weak bones. Sugar messes with your hormones. It leads to cravings, nutrient deficiencies and binge cycles.

(^home made dairy-free  blizzard)

Do I eat sugar? In short, yes. If you read any of my recent posts you would see that is true. Whenever I eat it I find out quickly why I try to avoid it—headaches, irritability, stomach pain. But, sometimes, sometimes it’s worth it. At least I try to think that food in moderation, when you make it yourself,—or are somewhere where it’s truly “worth it” is good for the soul.

I question that rationale sometimes, but it’s just life. After this past weekend though, I do feel like I am starting all over again. That doesn’t often happen but sometimes I find that I go overboard because sugar wins in the battle of me vs sugar.

We have parties, we go out to eat, and we enjoy those foods in moderation. It’s when you’re eating hidden sugars and foods that raise insulin all day that you get into trouble.

Am I a sugar addict?—In short, yes. Recovered(ing). I have always felt that I fight this battle of sugar and food issues. When I was trying to eat mostly plant-based I was replacing all of these things I didn’t even ever really eat with raw vegan desserts made with agave nectar, which I later found out was pretty much as bad as high fructose corn syrup, being that it’s 90% fructose, and highly processed. It’s also often label it as raw – which is why it’s so popular amongst raw vegans–however the true rawness of it depends on how it was treated. Many brands are heated during processing.

So…how do you stop?

Changing a habit takes time, energy, patience, and a positive attitude going in. Having more “yes” moments as opposed to “no I can’t” moments. It also takes making healthier choices your “habit.” Think about when you first learned to drive a car. You had to think about everything you did! Now, when you get into your car to go somewhere do  you even think about where the key goes or which one is the gas and which is the brake? Probably not. When changing eating habits, eventually, it will become seconds nature!

I have always considered myself pretty health conscious. But, like I mentioned above I was the worst kind of sugar addict—one who was in complete denial. I was eating loads and loads of “natural sugar” every day, and it was doing a number on me. I was getting headaches all of the time, I was irritable, my skin wasn’t clear. It was a mess!

It got better though.

After a few attempts to “detox” I finally found what worked.

(starting the day with some room temp lemon eater is GREAT for your digestion and for a nice natural boost!)

Despite what people think—and me being one of them—cutting yourself off from a food that you’re “addicted” to and that’s making you feel lousy is better than taking “baby steps” according to new research. I would never have agreed with that until I found it working for me. I always tread carefully on that ground because it can become obsessive, but I found a way to make it work without becoming obsessive about it. It may be much easier to say “I am not going to eat that dessert” (for the period of time you’re trying to get your sugar under control), then to say “I am only going to have one cookie”—because that one cookie leads to a battle of willpower to not go back to have more. That doesn’t mean you have to do it that way though, “Banning” foods on the other hand will send some people over the edge, that’s human psychology. You need to find what works for you—and with the right tools, you can do that! For me, once I cut out “sugar” for a period of time and “reset” my system, I was able to go back to it, take a few bites, and leave it without going into a sugar binge for the next couple of days. Starving the sugar dragon worked for me.

With all of that said, is there anything wrong with having 2-3 cookies every now and then? No way. It’s when you’re trying to get your overall sugar/processed carb cravings and health issues (how it makes  you feel) under control.

It takes 22-66 days to change a habit. It take patience. There’s no one size fits all approach. You need to be positive.

The sugar detox Caitlin and I are doing starts next week. I have been working every free moment I have on our e-book/outline for the participants. This is WAY undervalued, and I think the next time we do this (probably in the fall) it will not be this low in price. If you feel that you want to make a change, you want to start feeling better, you want to get control of your sugar and carb cravings—then join us! I promise it will be worth it! We already have an AMAZING community of those signed up. There are a lot of interesting conversations going, lots of questions, and lots of growing that each and every one of us plan to do!

Hope to “see you” there!

Let me know if you have any questions, you don’t want to miss out on this awesome, unique program!

In other news….

Tomorrow is Michael and my FIVE year anniversary! I just can’t believe it’s been 5 years! We have dinner reservations Friday night at a place with the best view in the city. Stoked!

Talk Soon!

XO

-L

It happened.

I blinked and she turned two. My little sweetheart. Our little Weezy girl.

The one who hates when her hands get dirty and loves to cuddle more than anyone I’ve ever met.

The one who’s smile lights up a room and who’s dance moves make everyone get up and start shakin’.

{she wasn’t as smiley on her birthday this year. All she wanted was her mommy}

We decided to do a small party this year with JUST immediate family (which still ended up being 18 people!)

We BBQed and got together in the clubhouse at my condo–this is my yoga room, which I transformed into a Minnie wonderland for the Weez.

She finally opened up at the end, but I think it was overwhelming for her–especially since we were all getting over being sick

The highlight of the day:

Obviously, this is not a health food—but I say it’s MUCH better when you make it yourself! You can hand-pick the best quality ingredients, avoid GMO’s and choose organic when necessary!

And the best part to top it off…..

E had her birthday party in “school” on Friday. I made healthy, allergy-friendly cupcakes for her classmates! Much to my surprise all of the kids loved them, from what I heard! I whipped up a delicious frosting for the top, since I was unsure of how buckwheat banana sunbutter muffins would go over. The cool thing, however, is how they encourage parents to bring in healthy alternatives for cakes and cookies.

So here’s how I made it healthy, yet still fun for the kids!

You can see here again how she figured out not to use her fingers—she hates getting her hands dirty. Just like her daddy.

Add “frosting” right before serving.

I send these brownies in for the teachers and I think they appreciated the chocolate

Now….time for a SUGAR DETOX!

Aaaand to prove I am still a fitness blog—here’s how I started that process after all the cupcake eating this weekend:

I actually went for a run in the most PERFECT weather on Sunday:

Along with some yoga sweat and handstand time

Special shouts to Ari who’s Minnie birthday blows anyone else’s away. I wish I had the time and talent to pull it off like you did, girl! Thanks for the inspiration!

And to Princess Emma Couture for the BEAUTIFUL hand made dress for Ella! Thank you for speeding up my order and shipping it lightning fast! It was worth every penny!

I wish I could post more photos for you all but my software is being really weird and it’s like 1,000 times more work to edit the photos and upload them. I need help! Plus, E was on my lap for 90% of her party so I didn’t get a chance to take all of the photos that I wanted to of the smaller details.It’s all good though. The day was about her all in all!

Keep your eyes peeled because I plan to post again this week—and actually about fitness/nutrition.

Talk Soon!

-L

Last week Ella started all of her big girl activities. Ballet, swimming and “school!” Gymnastics started Saturday but Weezy came down with a fever Friday night, probably from all the germs she’s not used to being exposed to. Operation strengthen her immune system was in full effect this week. And I mean that not how I load her up with probiotics, which I still add to her milk, but simply by exposing her to the germs. She was still pretty cranky Sunday but overall she feels better, her fever broke, and we are ready to tackle another week! She did GREAT at “school”—not many tears and when I went to get her she didn’t want to leave! She just wanted to show me all of the toys she plays with and all the things she was doing. It was so sweet and made me feel really great. They were awesome about sending me photos of her in action and updates on her progress. Good stuff.

As you guys know I have been big on hemp milk for Ella. We stopped buying store-bought milks because of the carrageenan, and E didn’t really love plain home made hemp as much as the boxed stuff. I started making cashew-hemp, which has been a huge hit! However, her “school” is nut-free so I had to think of another alternative. Well, I don’t think there could be a healthier combo than coconut-hemp milk, do you?

I may even like this better than the cashew! It’s a close draw for sure! I think this is better all of the benefits of coconut and hemp packed into one glass!

You don’t have to soak this very long, you could probbaly not soak it at all but I found it was creamier when I soaked it. It never hurts!

The only drawback is you do have to strain it through a nut milk bag or cheese cloth unlike cashew-hemp or either of them alone.

Quite delicious though.

Of course Weezy prefers her with a little carob powder added to it

I think I am in need of this upcoming sugar detox just as much as everyone signing up! I’ve been getting more cravings, and also having a little more fun than usual. But I am okay with it. I just need to hit the “reset” button again because I was feeling great for a while and my sweet tooth was in hibernation. I loved how that felt and I know/have lived/studied/taught clients what needs to be done. What I need to do is written out in my 17 page (so far) outline of my detox with all the tricks!

We went to the local dairy farm this weekend for ice cream. Twice. And on Saturday I was just craving something chocolate. I whipped these up in a pinch! I swear, the best recipes come from cravings and what’s available in my kitchen. I know I say that all of the time but it’s true!

Now that I have my dehydrator I am scouring for the recipes in all my raw food cook books that I was never able to make before! I already had some veggies in there and was feeling impatient to dehydrate, but these didn’t even need to be!

Talk Later!

-L

What a weekend!

Last Wednesday was Michael’s birthday, so on Friday we went out to dinner with his family. It was a nice time, I drank two glasses of red wine (which is like the equivalent of like 10 for Michael—I’m a light weight) then ate ice cream and was wondering why I was green the next morning before training my client and teaching yoga. Yikes. I recovered quickly though and no clients suffered the ill effects of my hangover.

This was not the end of my wine drinking or my sweets eating because….!

We had a sleepover in Hershey! “The sweetest place on earth.”

And you know what they say—when in Rome.

For Ella’s second birthday we decided to try and find a show to take her to. She LOVES Disney right now. Mickey is like Beiber and Minnie is like Taylor to a two year old.

Thanks to my sister in law we had a comped room at the Radisson in Camp Hill. We did not check into our hotel until later that night though.

First, we made a stop at Chocolate World.

We had a reservation at Harvest as per Melissa’s recommendation, so we had a little time to take a quick tour of the Hershey factory with Ella. I haven’t been to Hershey park since I was 10 and I barely remember the experience. I had to put my ill feelings of GMO’s aside and enjoy the trip! And the chocolate!

First stop: The free tour:

A well rested Weezy (nap in the car ride down-clutch!)  was getting so excited in line for the ride.

The ride took about 20 minutes. After they were handing out those mini chocolates like what you get on Halloween. I found out later that everyone in Hershey handed these things out. Everywhere.

The Hershey hotel was next. It is a very pretty hotel. Our reservation was at 6 so we had some time to kill before hand.

Ella got a kick out of the giant goldfish

She kept “smelling” the flowers. I think she gets smelling them and blowing raspberries on them mixed up though

Such a goof.

The restaurant was in a separate building behind the hotel.

There was an ice rink in front of it with a skate shop! I had to call my hockey playing family to tell them. It was some kind of fake ice—something when E gets older would be fun to bring her to if we ever decided to stay here!

We were surrounded by farm land here. On the way down I was telling Michael that we should just buy some land in Lancaster, a goat, some chickens for eggs and grow a vegetable garden. He told me the story about how he worked on a farm one summer home from college, for 3 hours. Total. It was a pretty funny story, but the moral of it was that he is just not cut out for that kind of work. I told him it was a shame I was getting used to the idea of him working outside all sweat with those gardening gloves and ripped jeans.

Anyway, I am ALL about farm to table. I wish there were more places in our area like this!

There was only one thing Weezy cared about.

Extra pickles.

The menu was not cheap, so to keep the bill down we all got burgers:

and salads:

I opted for no bun on my burger because it was not a worthy bun. I did have some bread because this cinnamon-butter stuff tasted like French toast. To-die-for:

We finished up at the restaurant and head out to our hotel. We stayed at The Radisson in Camp Hill.

We were surprised to find all kinds of goodies waiting for us in the room:

(all items, excluding the cow, donated to my sis and her bf)

and there were..cookies!

There is some significance between us and cookies in hotels. Years ago, when Michael and I were dating or just engaged we would go hang out at the DoubleTree bar and pretend we were staying there JUST to get the cookies at the front desk. These are the best cookies on the planet.

So now, when we go away, Mike always says :”I wonder if they give you cookies?’” Last summer in Baltimore he called the hotel we were staying at (already) and asked told them that he was interested in staying there but wanted to know if they gave their guests cookies. Then, when we were looking into hotels for Hershey (before we knew my SIL could get us a room) he called this service and said “Um, yes, I am interested in ____ hotels for a trip in couple of weeks but I would like to know first if any of them offer cookies.” The women on the other end was like: “Let me get this straight, you are interested in stating at X, Y, Z hotels but want to know if they offer cookies?”

I had tears down my face I was laughing so hard. You had to be there.

I brought some snacks to counter all the sweet treats for us:

And our room was well equipped with a ton of bottled water. They gave  us like 4 more bottles (not pictured)—I love when hotels don’t cheap out on the waters (hence, charging $15. for a bottle in the mini bar!)

Anyway I wished that we knew that because we took home this unbelievable peanut butter pie from the restaurant:

We figured, if you’re in Hershey, THIS was the place to get some ridiculous dessert.

Weez got in her PJ’s and the three of us went to the hotel lobby/lounge to enjoy some pie and some beverages.

Ella was too into the iPad, and after all the mini chocolates she had and some cookie (and the fact that it was late) she didn’t even notice the pie. Normally, I would have no issue housing that thing, Michael too—but surprisingly we were both okay with taking a few bites and leaving it! We also only ate a half of one of those delicious cookies between the 3 of us. WHO are we??!!!??? We were so full from dinner, and that cake was like the richest, sweetest thing you can only take a couple of bites before you get sick.

So good though!!

We went back to the room and chilled out in our sleep number beds. Michael was getting a kick out of lowering his number so that he and Ella would sink all the way down like if it were a water bed.

The next morning I was up super early, the kids were sleeping, I went to the lobby for coffee and some reading/work.

I need to go away more often because I had so many great ideas, and got a TON of work done for my 30 day sugar detox class and program!

I went back to check on them around 9, still sleeping! So I head over to have breakfast solo. I ordered eggs and roobios tea.

Shortly after they woke up. I gave Weez her breakfast and we started to pack and get ready for the big show!!!!

Pre pig tails:

Our seats were ridiculous, and the show was amazing. The best, sweetest moment of my life however was experiencing Ella seeing Minne and Mickey for the first time in person! I can’t even describe it but I had tears in my eyes and the emotion was unbelievable.

You  only need to watch the first 30 seconds or so to get the point. One of my sweetest moments as a parent thus far.

During the show she kept hugging and kissing myself and Michael as to say “thank you thank you!” She’s the sweetest ever.

And of course, here she is, munching on Brad’s raw chips:

If that wasn’t;t cute enough, she started ballet this week

check this out. I was able to join today, my MIL will be taking her regularly.

I just die.

(notice how I keep trying to hide from the camera, I wasn’t running away from E I promise)

also. School . swimming and gymnastics up next!

Sorry to be toddler overload today but I am a proud bragging parent. I have a couple new recipes in the works!

Talk soon!

-L

Hello Friends!

It’s been a little while, huh?

I am writing you while I blow off my chores. I just cleaned my kitchen, but my bathroom is in need of some love and there’s an overwhelming pile of laundry that needs tending to. Sometimes I wonder why I am not one of those people who enjoy doing these things. Like my mother in law. She will be the first to tell you how much she loves cleaning. I actually used to not mind it as much, but now, post child, I feel it is just too time consuming. I’d rather blog with the free couple of hours I have on a Thursday afternoon. And work on this exciting new project (that I’m here to tell you about)!

I taught 7  8 (apparently I can’t count) yoga classes last week! That in addition to my home PT clients. I taught 6 at Sol (subbing a lot), and 2 at my condo. I loved every second of it. It has quickly become such a passion of mine. Giving the gift of yoga to others, as corny as that may sound, is not corny at all. It’s just, amazing. I am so grateful for my new job teaching and to everyone that helped make it happen!

Now, I can share another passion with my fellow yogis and all of you!

Another teacher/nutritionist and I are launching a Sugar Detox Workshop at Sol on May 11th! The best part about this is you do NOT have to attend the workshop to get in on the 30 Day challenge.

Many are very defensive about their diets. Especially when it comes to sugar. Despite knowing the terrible health effects, people just won’t quit. I truly believe that has to do with the addictive nature sugar has, not that they “won’t” or can’t”. They just need the right tools and the right starting point. I am not talking about treating yourself now and then, because we all have to face reality that it’s not always possible, and who wants to? I know, I know some of you are saying “me!” (looking at  -you know who you are )but you are definitely in the minority. Even I enjoy going out to dinner with my family and having an amazing dessert or some ice cream. Or Hope’s cookie. Yum. And yes, I’m a pro and making these things myself with much better ingredients, but, for me, it’s part of life to go out and not worry about what you’re eating all of the time.That can get quite exhausting. What I am talking about it our overall diets and how sugar adds up! How we are cutting out the wrong foods while keeping in the foods that are making us crave sugar more and more with this endless, dangerous cycle. How it’s not only harming our physical health and wellness but our mental health as well. In more ways than one.

The goal that Caitlin and I have with this is not to think of it as deprivation and something you “can’t” do. We want you to think of this as self-love and self-care. You will feel better, have more energy, and nourish your body properly so you don’t grab for the quick, sugary foods. Heck, many of us have no idea how much sugar we’re consuming because it is hidden EVERYWHERE!!!

Just know that you can absolutely change your taste buds, you can absolutely cut back on sugar and processed foods, and you can absolutely do this! You just need the right tools and support.

I already have a 3 page outline of how to tackle this (and ideas and notes keep going into my book at all hours of the day and night!). I’ve been working on it for a while now and I think It’s going to be great! You guys know that I NEVER shill out anything on here to you. I just have been working harder on this (for longer than I even know it was official) than any other project I’ve talked about on here. I am so excited and think that this is going to help so many people! We have such an amazing community here and I have been adopted into the amazing yoga community—so as one—we can all do incredible things!!

Sugar addiction is well, an addiction. Many medical experts believe that it is as, if not more addictive than cocaine! Which is extremely scary. Especially because it’s all around us. Our children are eating it. We can’t get through the day without it. Studies show that Americans on average are eating over 150 grams of sugar per day! That’s SIX times more than what is recommended by the American Heart Association.

Some of what we will go over:

• How to cut back
• Changing your taste buds
• What foods to add in and what foods may trigger cravings
• Gut health
• Hormones
• Self love!
• Find out WHY we are actually programmed as humans to crave sweets!
• Why sugar is poison when it’s eaten the way we eat it today
• Why sugar is making you sick and you may not even know it
• Tips to succeed long term
• recipes, shopping tips, meal ideas and more!
• Unlimited support!

If you can make the actual workshop we’re doing a detox flow and a meditation at the end which should be amazing! If you are doing this virtually, we will be setting up a private facebook group where we will share the outline and information from the workshop, and we can all support each other, share recipes, ideas, and ask any questions you may have!

Best part? It’s ONLY $25. To me that’s a HUGE bargain. Don’t drink Starbucks for 4 days and you can do it!We wanted it to be affordable because we know so many people need it, and want everyone to have access to a program like this!

Go here to sign up!

If you have trouble with the link, you just need to go to Sol’s website, click on any class like you are signing up. That will take you to the mindbody website and on the upper right hand side there are tabs for the workshops. Look for the second 30 Day Detox for $25. If you want any more info or have questions hit me up! I am SO SO SO excited for this it’s going to be amazing!!!

If you needed any more motivation to take the step to quit sugar:

Infograph Created by: www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com

In other news, Ella is officially signed up for “school.” We went today to meet the teachers and after she got over her initial hesitation she was having a great time! Two little boys were competing for her attention in handing her a book it was sooo cute!! Lord help ME next week! Yikes!

Okay, off to clean the bathroom. Blech.

Reading:

Man vs. Sugar

Is Sugar Toxic?

Talk soon!!!!

-Laury

Wow. I can not believe my little Weezy will be TWO in a month!!! Michael and I decided that we will just have immediate family over for her birthday, and that he and I will take her to Disney on Ice! We got really great seats and we’re SO stoked for the show! Hopefully she lasts at least through intermission.

I also just signed her up for ballet, gymnastics and swimming classes! And she will be starting school twice a week. Mommy is going to need a valium or the natural equivalent when that happens. I know it is what will be best for her, she needs the social interaction and the structure. It’s just going to be really hard leaving her with strangers and seeing her hyperventilate, because that WILL happen! The good thing is that her school is open to me bringing 100% of her food in, so I don’t have to worry about that aspect. It’s everything else I will have to worry about until she adjusts to the new schedule!

Anyway, speaking of her food—here are some things Weez has been munching on lately…

Thanks, Brittany for hosting Munchkin Meals!!!

Breakfast is a rotation of either muffins or waffles(<–made with blueberries or choc chips) with some plain full-fat Greek yogurt and chia seeds on the side (add our own organic blueberries):

Sometimes she just wants a banana and sunbutter or apple and sunbutter. I will usually sprinkle some chia and/or hemp seeds if that’s the case.

She’s also REALLY been into carob milk lately. I stopped buying her milk from the store because of the carrageenan, so I make it all now. One day I added some carob powder, now she goes in the drawer, gets the carob, then grabs the milk and asks me to make her some. I created a monster. Ha. It’s okay though because carob is pretty healthy and does not have the stimulating effects that chocolate has so I have no problem giving her a cup or two of that a day!

Lunch we do wild planet tuna or salmon salad with mashed avocado or leftovers from the night before. Sometimes we have sunbutter apple sandwiches (use apple as bread fill with seeds/nuts/driedfruit), cheese, etc. Many days she eats more like two snacks because lunch always runs in line with her nap so it just depends on the day and how hungry/tired she is!

PS—pickles and olives are two of her favorite things ever!

She still snacks on kale crackers (now I have a home made recipe!)

or apple chips:

And of course there are treats! I LOVE baking and making home made, delicious baked goods with NO GMO ingredients…however…there is something about going out for ice cream every now and then that is special. I am right now practicing the balance between Ella eating good, nutritious food that is going to be healthy for her body, give her a strong immune system and grow up to be a healthy adult—AND at the same time show her the true meaning of moderation so that she has a healthy relationship with food. I believe there are always better options when it comes to GMO candy and such. I would rather her eat high quality, GOOD tasting chocolate or home made dessert than a bag of artificially colored jelly beans or M&M’s for instance. It’s my plan to educate her, but have that healthy balance so it doesn’t go to an extreme.

I would prefer that I am the one that shares treats with her so that she sees that I will enjoy them in moderation. Much rather than relatives or others giving her junk food and I having to say no all of the time. That right there can create a big issue and huge battles at meal times and it’s luckily  a place we haven’t had to go.

(Michael said to me yesterday that I need to do something with her hair before school haha. I actually FINALLY got all the sides up in tight pigtails, but that doesn’t mean it won’t fall out and get messy after a couple hours)

Ella is still a great eater, I see a little pickiness coming out now and then but I don’t make a big deal over it. Sometimes she doesn’t want to eat her breakfast, and other days she makes Michael heat up 2-3 more muffins from the freezer. I know she won’t starve herself, she always makes up for it either later that day or the next day! I do not believe in giving her option B, C, D if she doesn’t want  ‘A’—what’s provided for her. That is creating another big issue and feeding into a formula for a picky eater. We have been lucky that she will eat what we eat for the most part—and if she doesn’t I always have to remind myself to not react, and just roll with it. If she wants dessert but barely ate dinner one night, fine. As long as that doesn’t happen every night. We don’t have dessert daily so I don’t see it being an issue.

(Dinner on the go for E—salmon baked in a foil pouch with kerrygold butter, borsari seasoning and a side of roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus):

My biggest thing right now is that I am working every single week night now, and I am not there to share dinner time with her. So I have to trust that others will continue to roll with and respect my beliefs and values in this department. Give her what I sent her with and not what they feel like giving her. It has been working for us so far, and I have been lucky to have family that respects and follows my instructions which is great! I love my job and am grateful to have the clients and classes, but at the same time I love sharing meals with me family—but it’s a sacrifice and I do my best to prepare ahead so that they’re not stuck eating  out every night! I spend my break in the middle of the day, or just get everything ready when I get home after she’s taken care of at night. Even if it means I am in my kitchen until 11pm, it’s worth it to me. There is no other option in my mind!

Side note: while many of you may think I come across as “extreme” on here, I am not as bad as you think. I have a few values and standards on how I shop and vote with my dollars, but I still “get it” and will enjoy food good for the soul now and then. The voting with my dollars thing goes deeper than just healthy too. I have a huge issue with Big Food and how farmers & animals are treated and I do the best that I can with the knowledge I have to make the best choices for my family. We are by NO MEANS perfect because we do eat out but I do my best to bring things into my home that will do good for not only our bodies but for a greater cause. I just hope to spread the word and educate others as much as I can so that every family makes even a little change to send a message to these corporations that are corrupting our food supply. Our children’s futures depend on it!

There you have it! See you next month when Ella is TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Laury

Hey Everyone!

It’s Sunday, and the first MORNING I am actually not working so I thought I would take this opportunity to say hey! My family is still asleep and I can’t tell you the last time I actually sat and said “what should I do with myself??” Fun! It’s been a while since I’ve done a “here’s what I’m up to” post, so here you go:

Let’s start with an adorable photo of Ella. Yesterday my complex had an Easter Egg Hunt. I teach yoga here on Sundays usually, but we switched my schedule because of the holiday so class was 9:30 before the hunt. I had to get Ella dressed after class, which my SIL took (Mike watched my nephew and E), after getting the kids ready we walked over at about 11:15-11:20. The egg hunt started at 11, this was my first one with a kid.

Um, yea, it ended at 11:05. Fail. But one of my friends who takes my class ran into us on our way there and her sweet kids took some of their eggs with toys and threw them around the grass for Ella and my nephew to hunt! How nice was that!??

I never got to tell you about Ella’s obsession with toy eggs, have I?

Long story short, Weez is now glued to the ipad whenever she can get it. She knows how to work it better than we do. We downloaded all these educational apps, which she will do, but her favorite thing is youtube. She has all of these videos, NO idea HOW she found them, but the channels are now saved on the side and she knows which ones to go to. Her favorite? “Fluffy Jet Productions” –surprise kinder eggs. Seriously. No idea WHERE she found this, but she watches this Australian guy with funky music open surprise kinder eggs with toys in them for as long as we will let her. That’s why this Easter is extra special.

So funny story. She was opening the eggs that my clients kids gave her and one had a chocolate foil wrapped egg in it. My SIL was like “that’s candy do you want her to have it” and I was like, “just wait, she probably wants to open it in the foil like the kinder egg guy.” So, she finally gets all of the foil off and hands it to me like “mommy open this” so I tried telling her no toys were inside. I handed it to her, I bit it in half, she looked and threw it like “ugh, this is junk.” TOO funny! She has chocolate and stuff sometimes, but it was funny how she didn’t think that was food, which it really isn’t. I would rather her have much higher quality (NO GMO) treats, and apparently she would too Because believe you me, she does get treats! I bake something a couple times a month, and we go out for ice cream or something now and then. I just would rather her not eat artificially colored things, GMO’s and store-bought candy and cakes, etc. It’s so jacked up with fake additives that it’s not even worth it. Yuck.

The same thing happened when she saw a cookie with M&M’s on Passover. She was eyeing them (after eating strawberries and some of the cake I made, not to mention a pound of brisket and 3 pounds of roasted veggies ), so I asked her if she wanted one of the cookies on the plate and to pick which one, (my SIL got them from a local bakery), she picked the M&M but not because she wanted to eat it. She thought the M&M’s were toys. She was picking them off trying to play with them. Ella would rather have her mommy’s home made cookies and treats! She does loves her “chocolate”  though. She now will only drink home made carob hemp milk…except before bed, she goes in the fridge, gets out the mason jar and wants a little in a glass with a straw after her bath. Too precious.

Let’s back it up…..

Thursday I was ombred:

I LOVE it. When I first got home, my roots looked a little too red for me, I missed my dark hair, BUT after I washed it it looked perfect. My colorist, who I’ve known since she was little (I used to do HER hair and makeup for her school dances and proms, etc), is amazing. She did SUCH a great ombre on me! No streaky skunk stripes (I wear my hair up 90% of the time) so that was important. Today I will see if my sis can get a better photo of it in the back to show!

Friday, the studio I work for opened their second space, right down the hall from the first space:

We offered free classes all day (I taught the 9:30 and took the 12:15) and Ang made these adorable goody bags filled with healthy home-made trail mix, some natural baked goods from a local baker, gift certificates to the salon below us and Sol magnets. So adorable!

The little stick people were hand drawn on! I was dying over how cute these bags were!

(^after my class from left, Ang {owner}, me and my friend Kristin, another awesome instructor at SOL)

By the way, I‘ve been asked a few times for my most recent playlist so here it is! Based on this, if  you have any song recommendations give me a shout!

Okay, I have some things to do before Easter dinner tonight! Mike and I made an AMAZING Brisket. I bought a local organic brisket, ONLY $6.99 a pound! We started it on the stove in broth then slow roasted it overnight for like 10 hours on Friday. It’s SO tender. We’ve been letting it rest in the fridge, we were afraid it would fall apart if we sliced it and let it sit in the gravy it’s so tender.

I have to go skim the fat off of gravy and make some potatoes.

We’re ending processed-free March right with a yummy home cooked meal! Our yummy local brisket.  My mom made home made piorogi’s with local organic farmer’s cheese (and King Arthur flour). I am SO excited, I have not had a piorogi in YEARS! Nona is making her famous meatballs and ravioli. And of course there will be ham, which I will not eat. Oh, and I made cheesecake! The one on my facebook page, it’s pretty low in sugar and the crust is made of pecans (which I toasted this time) so it’s grain-free too! Although I will not be grain-free today. Piorogi’s and all. Did you guys know I was half polish too? Yup. I grew up on those piorogi’s, sauerkraut and manicotti —best of of the Italian and Polish worlds

Happy Easter!

Will you be having a processed-free holiday? What’s your favorite part about Easter/Passover dinners? It’s interesting. Many of my clients freak out over Passover with cutting out wheat– but I always say it’s the perfect opportunity to eat less processed foods, just eat more REAL food. Many go crazy with the matzo to replace the bread but you really shouldn’t have to . Matzo and eggs, matzo and cream cheese, etc etc. Matzo is very binding and it’s really not the healthiest thing to eat at every meal. Just eat eggs and load it up with veggies. Make a cereal of ground flax and hemp seeds. Eat more real things (veggies, fruit, protein), less packaged things. In retrospect all of the stuff  you throw out are processed breads, cereal, bars, etc. One of my clients told me that this was the easiest Passover yet since she went mostly processed-free!

-Laury