...on the road again...

...I just can't wait to get on the road again!! :) Lame, I know, but it's a song that my family ALWAYS sang whenever we would get in the car to start a road trip!!

I am writing this post from the car as we are heading down (or up and over, rather) to Jacksonville for the weekend. Seeing as how we have a good two hours left in this little “roadie”, I might be a little long-winded today.

I apologize for being so absent this week. There are lots of things that I could blame, but the truth is I was having a somewhat down-and-out week and just really didn’t feel like “talking” to anybody. I am pretty sure that each and every one of y’all have been there and therefore completely understand where I am coming from.

Where do I begin: so much has happened in the last 5 days. I will start from the beginning…..

Monday NO-NO!! My days at work are all pretty much the same where awesomeness is concerned. What can I say, I am truly “living the dream” when it comes to careers. I cannot complain (and if you ever hear me saying anything negative about what I do, I hereby give you permission to give me a swift kick in the a**). However, this particular evening, I was given great tickets to the Tampa vs. Detroit baseball game and since DZ is a former Tiger himself, we decided it would be fun to go and watch some cute boys swing some bats. (Okay, so I added “cute”…what can I say, I’m a sucker for those uniforms!!). Turned out the starting pitcher, Matt Garza, through a no-hitter. The FIRST in Rays history. Ridonculous!!

Tuesday/Wednesday Two more glorious work days. Aside from kickin’ some major tail when it comes to working (I believe both days I had at least 9 hours…whew!), nothing super fabulous seemed to occur. Sometimes “boring” is nice!

Thursday “Welcome to the dark side”. I was victorious in taking with me two girlfriends to Grassroots, my most favorite little raw/vegan café. We had a spectacular lunch and I feel proud of both of them for trusting me and stepping (or eating) outside the box. It was a huge success and I believe that one of them even went back for dinner. You’re welcome for my referrals, Grassroots!!

Friday One word: OHMYGOSHIAMSOHAPPYITSFRIDAY!!! Okay, so that’s about 19 million words, but since its Friday, I can totally get away with cramming them all together in sheer excitement!! Anything goes on a Friday! Right?????

Now that we’re all caught up with activities that have taken place this week, lets move on to the juicy goodness….FOOD! I have been fairly proud of my pickings the last few days and am sadly realizing with each passing day that dairy and I just don’t get along. Tear. Goodbye cottage cheese…..I will miss our time together. It definitely leaves me with a bloated feeling and worse than that, I actually get a knot (I swear it feels like it’s the size of a basketball) at the top of my stomach anytime I consume dairy. Sniff Sniff.

I would like to end this post with a proposition. I am almost exactly (give or take a few days) three months away from my 10-year high school reunion. Yowsa!! This excites and terrifies me at the same time. I had the most amazing high school experience that any girl could ask for and I am giddy thinking about reuniting with some peeps that I haven’t seen in ages. Terrifying b/c you set all these expectations for yourself that you would to accomplish by the time that the ripe age of 28 comes around. Hehe. I really want to challenge myself, and anyone else whom would like to join me in this escapade, to not only eat super clean, but also work on some inner confidence that I feel I might lack. I want to be able to walk into the room and smile knowing that I look and feel better than I did 10 years ago. I am going to work on the “specifics” and get back to you. I’m a “planner”, so I will have it all written out for anyone who might want to follow along with me. I would LOVE some company.

Adios mis amigos!!
…and remember: CARPE DIEM!
xoxo

ps. My goal for the weekend is to take pictures.....AND LOTS OF 'EM for your viewing pleasure!

Ikea OVERLOAD!!

Ikea should come with a warning sign....either that or it should give every person (of age) who walks through their doors a Zantax. The last time I visited this superstore I was in college and must've been feeding off the energy of the several girflriends that I went with OR I was still slightly inebriated from the night before and therfore didn't really care where I was as long as I had a greesy piece of pizza in hand (which ironically, Ikea sells) to soak up whatever was still in the tums.

....I digress.

I got a "wild hair" yesterday afternoon and decided that I wanted to re-organize our pantry NOW! Ikea was our first choice. I had never been to the one here in Tampa (it opened up last May) but had heard that in the area of organization, THIS was the place to go. So off we went....happily entering the doors like two little kids. For those who are unfamiliar with the layout and proceedings of an IKEA, here is the jist.

-You first walk through their "showroom" with a little brochure looking thing and a pencil that is about an inch long in hand.

-Any room that you could possibly fathom is demonstrated and decorated. If you see something that you like or wish to purchase, you whip out your Barbie pencil and write the quantity, make #, color, size, bin #, aisle #, birthdate, social security #, etc. (okay, so the last two are false, but with all the information that you have to write down it seems a little excessive!).

-After the five years that it takes you to "shop" the showrooms, you go down to the warehouse where they have all the products.

-You are then responsible for going through yet ANOTHER 10 football fields-worth of crap that you picked out upstairs.

-Proceed to HELL....oops, I mean, checkout. This is where all idiots of the world unite! How is it that we have come so far in technology, however people STILL cannot seem to figure out how to scan their own items in "self-checkout" lanes. COME ONE PEOPLE!!

Anywho, to say the least, I left there glazed over and with heart palpatations. Too much. In the midst of a meltdown, luckily I had DZ to somewhat steer me in the direction of baskets and organizational jars for the pantry.

Here's what some of the finished product looks like!

I love how clean it looks! The cute little white trash can

is where I keep all the puppy stuff. It's perfect. And the two little white baskets have all of our herbs alphabetically (aren't you proud, Mom Z??). I LOVE organizing....it makes me happy! :)

We went to church this morning. What a great way to start the day. We haven't been in a little bit so it was nice to get our booties back in the pews. There was a guest speaker today and althoug he was good, he wasn't our Greg. Either way, I always leave there inspired and ready for the week to come.....

Tropical Storm Bonnie has been toying with our emotions this week and although nothing major has hit us, she's still making it so that going to the beach is out of the question. Boo on you, Bonnie!!

Dinner was D-E-L-I-S-H! I had a tofu wrap that included: avocado, Annie's Goddess Dressing, my sun-dried (or dehydrator-dried) tomatoes, edamame, spinach, tofu all in an Ezekial wrap. Mmmmm. Alongside I had a mexican "rice". It was a new recipe that came from my Raw cookbook. It was acorn squash that I pulsed into small pieces and mixed with avocado, cilantro, tomatoe and onion. Surprisingly delisious as well! DZ had leftover pizza. haha. To each his own!!

Mexican "Rice"

My Ezekial-Tofu Wrap

Off to hang with the hubs. Happy Sunday to all. Be back on tomorrow! Carpe Diem!! xo

Things that make you go "hmmm"....

1. What inspires you?

2. When do you feel your happiest and healthiest?

Saturday....*sigh*

*enter "hallelujah" music*

Saturday is upon us! I am finished with work and now have a day and a half of NOTHING pressing to do! Love!

Yesterday was lovely. It was nice and gloomy outside because of Bonnie (the tropical storm) and Ziggy was at Camp Bow Wow which meant that home was nice and QUIET!! DZ and I had our "date night" last night including a jaunt through Barnes & Noble (I'm secretly having an affair with this place...shhhh!). I wanted to get a new cookbook that I had been eyeing, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, and a chick-flick book, Firefly Lane, that came highly recommended to me by one of my fav clients (shoutout to Paula! whoop whoop!!). :) I love, love, love Barnes & Noble. Or any bookstore for that matter. There's something about the smell when you first walk through the doors that literally gives me an endorphine rush. I could spend hours in there. Just walking through the aisles, reading different titles and watching what other people are drawn to really mesmorizes me. Dork, I know! Of course, we cannot really go anywhere without having a few giggles amongst ourselves.

DZ thought that I might need to pick up these books and take some notes:

Really?!?

Although, I thought that this was much more my style!! Prettier cover. :)

We decided that we were both in the mood for "Mexican" so we went to this restaurant that has the best guacamole in the world. Literally, I wish that I could get it pumped into my veins....THAT good. Since it was still early, we thought we might go home and watch a movie, but since we're both pretty old at heart, we crashed by 10pm. Who are we kidding?!? We're old married folk....we don't stay up late anymore. haha.

I worked this morning and am now hanging out with DZ at his work. Our plan of attack for today is to go to the gym together -- always an adventure. Take the boys for a walk and then rent a movie. Any suggestions?

I'm hoping to get another post in today, but no promises! Haven't really been focused on food too much today, although I am hoping to try a recipe or two tonight from my new cookbook. I'll definitely take pics of the disasters that are sure to come. :)

Happy weekend, everyone!

Carpe Diem!!

Bad Ziggys

While I was cooking dinner this evening, I was so proud of my boys for being so well-behaved and quietly lying in the living room keeping to themselves. Or so I thought............

This is part of a strap that belongs to my reformer ("Pilates machine"). Apparently Ziggy is going through his Terrible Two's and has been getting into EVERYTHING. Be it my reformer, laundry, flip flops (one of mine is still missing!!) or even a bar of raspberry scented soap, he continues to challenge authority! Kids will be kids, I guess!

...onto the juicy goodness of my Thursday. Food!! I'm starting to get a little better at taking pictures of my meals, but my breakfast this morning was oatmeal that was eaten in the car on my way to work. Safety first....don't think I would've been able to talk myself out of a ticket on that one had I been pulled over (which those who know me, know that I would most certainly been pulled over! haha).

Lunch was eaten at this kick a** little vegan/raw cafe. I'm not at that confidence level just yet where taking pics of my grub in a public venue is cool.....bare with me, I'll get there! However, the Sabrina's Favorite Sandwich and House Salad that I had was bangin'. I crave their food and eat there about three times a week. It's gotten so bad that when I walk through the doors, they give me a wave and write down my order....no words needed!!

I did get to go to the gym. Didn't run as planned, but did a great 45-minute workout on the elliptical. I had already done TRX with one of my clients this morning and didn't realize how fatigued my quads were until I got on the treadmill. Yup, no running for Katie!

Dinner was something I whipped up in a jiffy, but came out pretty descent. Pasta salad with angel hair noodles, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, broccoli and scallions. That's some beanie goodness if you ask me. :) I skipped out on the pasta for my serving and added some Annie's Goddess Dressing, dried edamame and Nutritional Yeast. Yum-O!!

Dessert is half of a "Rawnola" bar that I get at that same little cafe where lunch was served. It's got coconut in it, which isn't my fav but it's raw and only 2 grams of sugar (natural sugar I might add) so it feeds my sweet tooth perfectly!

Now it's time to relax with my DZ and answer some emails. I hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday. Carpe Diem!! xo

TGIAF!

Thank Gosh It's ALMOST Friday!!

For some reason, this week has been ridonculously long!! I'm not sure if it's because Mallory is out for the week and so I have been covering a bit for her or because it's 500 degrees outside and this heat just makes every minute drag by, but I cannot tell you how excited I am to have the weekend upon us.

I apologize for the lack of postage yesterday -- was in a "bum" mood and frankly, just didn't have anything too nice to say . And you know what mom always said, "If you can't say anything nice....."

On an interesting note, I used my dehydrator for the first time yesterday. Made Sun-Dried Tomatoes (or would they be Dehydrator-Dried Tomatoes?!?). They had to set for about 8 hours and I didn't think that through when I put them in so come 2:30am this morning, I had to get up, come downstairs and take my tomatoes out of the dehydrator and put them in an air-tight container so they wouldn't go bad. I was pretty impressed, though....
Before:


After:

Not too bad, eh?

On to some other news....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BUBBA!! I was able to talk to him this morning and he sounded SO good!! I miss him like crazy so every chance that I get to hear his voice is special. He was telling me that the highlight of his day was when he went to Chili's and a bunch of Korean waiters sang their version of the birthday song to him. It sounded a little something like this (enter Brithday-song music),

"Birthday, Birthday, Birthday.....

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday.....

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday...

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!!!!"

(along w/ the clapping of hands and the banging of a tamborine!!). teeheehee!! LOVE!

My plan for the rest of the day is to go to the gym and attempt to get a good run in....I need it bad!! It just makes me feel soo much better when I've sweat! And to be quite honesty, I have two mischevious pups on my hands right now that are driving me nutso!

I will be back on tonight....going to log what I've eaten. It's been a yummy day of foodie if I must say so. Can't wait to share!!

Carpe Diem!

A Total Blank!

Forgive me, folks, for today is going to be a brief post. I woke up at 4am to get my day started and b/c one of our instructors is out of town, and I am therefore taking some of her clients for the week, I just walked through the door at about 6:30pm. Phew....long day!!

Started out with one of my fav shakes!! Added a half of a banana to it this am. Deeelish...although I think I went a tad crazy with the ice cubes so it wasn't as smooth as I would've liked. We'll try it again tomorrow.

LEFTOVER LUNCH!! mmmm.....quinoa with sauteed veggies and some Annie's Goddess Dressing drizzled over it. If you have never tried this dressing, I beg you to go buy some PRONTO!

Definitely had some snackage throughout the day....almond butter (I am a slave to this!), Raw Food bar and some veggies with hummus.

Din with DZ....just a salad with a glass of almond milk! Dessert was a heaping plate of "Ochocinco...The Ultimate Catch". Total trash, but we cannot help ourselves. We have bets on which girl is going to make it. Pretty sure that we lose a brain cell or two with each passing minute of this show, but it's mindless entertainment and when you are as busy as we tend to be on a daily basis, some "mind garbage" is the perfect ending to the day!!

....still working on the posting-of-the-pics-thing. Promise to make a better effort the next couple of days. The rest of the week shouldn't be as busy.

Hoping everyone has a fantastic night and remember....CARPE DIEM!!

xo,
Katie
ps. My dehydrator came in the mail this week so I am uber excited to get my hands on it.....I'll keep you posted on the fun mishaps that are sure to take place throughout my experimentation. If anyone has any recipes, ideas, suggestions, please send them my may. I am all ears!!

One day closer to the weekend...

Knowing that we are one day closer to the weekend is something worth celebrating. Not that I am wishing my life away, but I adore my weekends: no particular obligations, hanging with DZ, and of course....the beach!! When we moved to The Sunshine State over five years ago (cannot believe it's been that long!), we vowed that we would NOT take living so close to the ocean/beach for granted. And we have stayed true to our word!!

Had a great run today -- 4 miles on an incline. Whew! Pushed myself hard. Was shweaty and exhausted when I walked out of the gym. I am in love with that feeling.

Went back to work this afternoon for back to back to back to back to back clients (haha). Dinner was deeeeeeeeeelish. I quickly threw together some sauteed veggies with Annie's Goddess Dressing and some quinoa. Mmmm. Quinoa is a blank canvas and goes with just about anything. Try it...I dare you not to like it! ;) ...and dessert. Oh how I love sweets. I had a tbsp of almond butter with a cold glass of almond milk. Perfection!! (ps. I am going to start taking pics of my food on a daily basis. I think its fun and might give you some ideas that you could incorporate in your life!)

I was just speaking with my mom tonight about how we both seem to struggle with our lack of self-control where sweets are concerned. I really feel as though it is an addiction and must be treated as one. I have fought and fought to find the balance of having sweets in "moderation". Not something that I am particulary strong at. I am an all-or-nothing type of gal...it's how I live every aspect of my life.

Question for today: What is something that you struggle with on a daily basis? How do you find the strength to get through your "addiction"?

Carpe Diem!
Katie

An (organic) apple a day....

4 am came VERY early this morning....pretty sure I hit snooze once or twice until Ziggy decided that it was time to put our feet on the floor and get a move on.

Nothin' beats a cold, crisp Pink Lady apple for bfast. That along with a Raw Organic "Chocolately Chocolate Chip" bar and I'm set. Anything that has the world "chocolate" in it twice is alright by me!! :) Now off to the gym to get my run in for the day.....

I heart Sundays!

What a glorious way to cap off a great weekend. After sleeping 10+ hours last night (tired, much??) DZ and I went down to our fav spot, Lido Beach, hit up Whole Foods (literally, my heart skips a beat when I walk through the doors) and came home to hang with our pups. I am so looking forward to spending this week really getting down and dirty with my blog. What's to come: recipes (or at least what I throw together in my mad-scientist-kind-of-way), workouts (Pilates and otherwise) and information that will hopefully be helpful to those out there reading along. Please let me know if there is anything on your mind or what you'd like to see from this blog. I am aiming to update throughout each day so feel free to shoot any questions and/or comments my direction. I'd LOVE to hear from you!

A few things that you MUST know about me:

1. I am a NUT about nutrition/working out. It is truly my passion to life a healthy life. I am ever-evolving in my eating habits (refuse to use the word "diet"), workouts (although Pilates is my rock) and inner peace!
2. My husband, DZ, is my biggest fan. He loves me, crazy and all!
3. We have two great danes, Tucker and Ziggy. They rock our world!!
4. Living in The Sunshine State has shown me how much of a water-baby I truly am. Getting to see the ocean every single day is a gift and one that I do not take for granted!!
5. My favorite saying: CARPE DIEM!!

This is my first post, so please bear with me. I am a newbie and am learning as I go. I hope to post pics (LOVE taking food pics, so will be doing that as well). I recently purchased a dehydrator and am super excited about the shenanigans that are going to take place with that.

Happy Sunday...Carpe Diem!

Katie