Cuckoo for Coconuts

oh, my word, much to discuss!

A lot of stuff to update on today!

First and foremost, I’m starting to develop a general interest in food, again!

You’re probably thinking, what?

Well!

For the past three-four months, I’ve been lovin’ salads. Loving them! Now, before you say something like, ‘have you turned against the greens?’ hear me out!

I still love salads, I have just been getting bored of my salads. Typically speaking, my salads involve grilling of vegetables and meats (which I still plan to do) throwing them on top of some greens (which I still plan to do) and blobbing a dollop of hummus on top and calling it a day! Which – I still plan to do. I mean, come on. It’s hummus!

Regardless, I feel my life needs a little more!

So, I kind of went Cuckoo…

for coconuts. 🙂

In my attempt get my ‘salad recipe making on’ I came up with a really yummy Coconut Balsamic Vinaigrette and two tasty recipes!

The Cuckoo for Coconut Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 2-3

1 tablespoon full-fat Coconut Milk from a can
1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or any oil of your choosing)

1 teaspoon honey (naturally)

1 tablespoon vanilla almond milk/water

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and let set for two or more hours, so all the flavors really start to dance!

From there, you can – if you want to – enjoy my

Cuckoo for Coconut and Peach Salad 

Serves me! Or you.

Ingredients

3oz-4oz of grilled protein source (I used chicken, but feel free to use turkey, salmon, shrimp, etc)

Two handful of Salad Greens

50 grams of mushroom, diced

50 grams of cucumber, diced

50 grams of summer squash, diced

50 grams of peach, diced

1/4-1/2 avocado, diced

1.5-2 tablespoons of my yummy in my tummy Coconut Vinegar .

Preheat your grill and lightly spray it with oil spray.

My meat was grilled by my father, so grill your protein according to what you’re eating with your salad. 🙂

Chop all your vegetables into fours, keeping your mushrooms with your cucumbers and your squash with your peach.
When grill is preheated, place all squash and peach on the grill, leaving it to cook for about five minutes. Keep a watch, so it doesn’t burn on you!

Place salad greens in a bowl and drizzle with a teaspoon of the Coconut Vinegar, then pile on your mushrooms and cucumber (alternatively, you could grill the mushrooms, but I wanted to eat mine… fresh!).

Once you’ve completed that, place all your grilled good on top! Peach… GOOD. Squash… GOOD. MEAT… GOOOOD.

Drizzle with the remainder of the viniagrette and enjoy!

Sorry, Chick(pea)… but you just didn’t make the cut tonight. 😛

Then, today, I had another stroke of genius.

Whilst gobbling down my current cracker obsession (Rosemary and Herb Lentil Crackers), I thought to myself how much I love rosemary. And thus…

Coconut Balsamic Rosemary Roasted Brussel Sprouts

(with just a hint of… vanilla)

Serves 1 to 2 (depending on your belly grumblings)

So, uh, one for me 🙂

3/4 cup (around 80grams) of baby brussel sprouts

1/2 tablespoon of Coconut Viniagrette

1/2 tablespoon of strong vanilla tea (I used two bags to half a cup)

Up to 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice

Dash of Salt and Pepper

Generous dash (or two) of Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut brussels into halves or quarters.

Lay tinfoil on a cookie sheet, in preparation.

In a bowl, whisk together vanilla, vinaigrette and tea.

Place brussel sprouts onto the tin foil, spray lightly with olive oil spray, drizzle with the balsamic coconut mix and season with rosemary.

When oven is preheated, put brussels into the oven for 20 minutes, checking 10 minutes in.

Enjoy with anything you’d like!

I had mine with a turkey salad that showcased avocado, hummus and cucumber!

Talk about tasty. 🙂

yep, this is the life for me

Just a quick note.Over the past few days, I’ve had several people – customers, old friends and so forth, come up to me and tell me that they think I look absolutely amazing. I have made a valiant effort to be kind and welcoming to this, rather than defensive. Some of the individuals have even told me that they’re trying to lose weight, or something a long that line.

Talking to them has reminded me why it is that I want to pursue a life in fitness, mental health and overall wellness. Each moment I spend pushing someone toward their goals, I feel a sense of power and happiness. Nothing would cause me more happiness that to watch as they achieve their dreams, becoming their ideal self.

I do have some work in regard to discussing diet. It can sometimes be hard for me to discuss food (even still) because I truly feel ashamed of who I’ve been. I’m also extremely worried all the time that people will hurt themselves life I have. I plan to work on this as best as I can to better myself for the future.

Talking to these people makes me remember how amazing I think it’ll be to open up my center, to help people!

If you ever feel like you’re losing sight of what you truly want, find a way to remind yourself ‘why’, okay? Then it’ll all become clear again. 🙂

Keep a close eye.

Tomorrow, I have a Cuckoo for Coconuts Core and Hip Workout to Share!

It’s bananas!

Or coconuts! 🙂

Stay sweet,

Caitlyn

Babies and Baggies.

what i want this wednesday

First I’d like to apologize for not writing yesterday – after saying I was going to commit more. But, I had a few errands to run, then I had to work, then my cousin came up to hang out! So, it was a pretty busy day, leaving little time to sit down and write. But, I will assure you that next week will have one amazing Tuesday post.

After carefully thinking about how I want to organize these posts, I decided to go ahead and start off with one meaningful ‘want’ and one not-so meaningful ‘want’.  Why? Because I think a balance is extremely important in life! 🙂

My Meaningful Want: Spend more time with Children and Babies

I love kids; I love babies. I’m sure I’ve made this quite clear. I see them, I giggle. I made silly noises to them whenever possible. I just love children. I also love babies. They’re little soft cheeks and rollie-pollie arms; their laughs and smiles. I truly believe that being in the company of a baby can make anyone’s day a bit brighter. Unfortunately, I am horrid at holding them.

I never really thought about it until most recently. I’ve always been exceptionally good with children and infants, but typically speaking I am so when they’re in the arms of another individual.  The moment you put that little being in my arms, I tense. I don’t know why! I will never understand it.

Last night – as I said – my cousin and her boyfriend came over. She is just moving back from being away from home for several years, to rethink her career choices. Considering she had not been home in a long time, we decided to invite another old friend to the house. This old friend is the mother of a beautiful baby girl – who won’t let me whole her!

True, the entire situation had a humorous element to it, but deep down, I couldn’t help but think…

“Why don’t you like me, little girl?”

Before I had the chance to get depressed, my family informed me that it is just because I haven’t been around kids so closely in a very long time. Which couldn’t be more true. So, it was in that moment that I decided that I need to find a way to spend more time with little ones. I am not sure how I plan to do this, yet, but I will make it happen.

One of my greatest fears is that I will be a horrible mother – which, isn’t shocking at all considering my personality. I tend to expect the worst of myself, while anticipating the best of others. I watch my mother – who, I think is the best mother there is – and fear that I will never live up to that. It’s silly, but I cannot help it.  So the moment the baby began to cry, I feared my insecurity was being proven true.  I know now that it isn’t. First of all, it isn’t my child and when I do have one, I am sure she will love me very much because I am her mother and children are naturally connected to their mothers. It’s biology (I think…). And second of all, I’m still very young and have plenty of time to develop my own maternal personality. No rush!

Possible Ways of Surrounding Myself More

Well, I can only think of ONE right now.

I’ve considered applying to the IWK as a volunteer. I am thinking if not during the school year, I will definitely be committing to this next summer! I mean, really, why not? It’ll look amazing on a resume and I’ll get to spend more time with little children, which I really need to do.

I’d like to just take a moment to say that I am quite proud of myself, however. In the moments that the baby wouldn’t let me hold her and everyone laughed, I immediately got internally defensive. But, I stopped myself from overreacting too much because that is something I know I need to work on.

My No-So Meaningful Want

A Burberry Bag…

Typically speaking I find designer names kind of ridiculous. But there is something about the style of a Burberry bag that has always appealed to me. It’s timeless, elegant and classic.

I mean, yes, it’s just a bag. But it’s so pretty 🙂

Dates, S’mores and Changes!

changes to the blog 

This weekend Mama, Baba and I headed to the country! Now, if you know me at all, you would know that I absolutely love everything to do with the country. The still air, the calm, the simplicity and the kind-hearts which you are inevitably bound to encounter. Every time I leave the city – or, more accurately, the suburbs – I find myself subject to an array of emotions.

This week it was all about growth, or better yet, acceptance, of myself. This trip (the destination is called ‘Five Islands’, which is where my Grandfather is from) is an annual trip made by the entire family. Every year around this time, we all collect together at my cousin, Ellen’s, home and enjoy good food and laughs. Last year was a difficult one for me. Let’s be honest, last year was difficult for me all around, however putting myself in a family setting proved to be even more difficult.

For starters, it would have been a year since everyone had last seen me (when I was merely a vegetarian). In those 365 days, my eating disorder truly came it a head, so upon my arrival I had not only lost weight, but lost a lot of the life in my eyes. My entire family knew something was up, but they were unsure what it was. I ate alone in a lot of circumstances. It was just overall a hard experience.

This year, I found myself dealing with similar issues, again (most unfortunately), but also discovered areas where I’ve grown… or accepted who I have become.

The Tale of the Date and the S’more

Every year we have a campfire (which, has never been my favorite part because 1) it is really late and I like to get into bed at a reasonable hour and 2) it pretty much consists of drinking and eating s’mores. For me, I am more of a camp fire song kind of girl! I don’t mind the presence of roasting and I love watching fire (it calms me), but I’ve never been really good in the company of people under the influence. I mean, power to them!

Anyhow, I digress! Last year during the campfire, I denied myself a S’more. I made a promise to myself that night that in a year’s time I would eat a S’more and not worry about it. On the drive there I remembered this promise. I remembered saying, ‘I’m going to eat a S’more and not cry about it’.

You’re probably wondering if I ate the S’more, aren’t you?

I didn’t.

Now, before you get discouraged in thinking that this is just my having not progressed any, I’ll inform you that it is quite the contrary. While I reflected on my promise it occurred to me that I no longer desired the ever-so-temping S’more. At all. In fact, the idea of it kind of bored me. Cool, Graham Crackers… marsh mellows (which have always kind of alluded me… what is a Marsh mellow?)… okay and chocolate… alright, I will give the campfire treat this. Chocolate is pretty amazing. Regardless, of how wonderful chocolate is, I’d much rather in another form. Then I was all discouraged because I felt like if I didn’t eat a S’more I would in some way let myself down.

Then I spotted a date square! After supper, there it was… looking at me. All date-like and square-y, it sat. I meandered about the dessert table. Not contemplating whether or not to eat it! In fact, I had full intentions of splitting one with Baba the whole time. No, no. This was what was going through my head:

‘Alright, date squares are good and unhealthy’; they’re a treat, if you will. Much similar to a S’more. By eating this date square – which I so badly want to try- I will be technically eating something I would have previously denied myself, right? With the mindset, one can suggest that by eating this date square, I will be symbolically eating a S’more and therefore will not have let myself down, couldn’t one?’

One did. One most certainly did.

And one little date square was then enjoyed by Baba and I.

What is the point of all this? I guess what I am saying is that I have progressed, yes! But not only that I’ve changed! I am not the same girl I was before. Now, instead of being unhealthy and frail, I’m passionate about being healthy and strong!

I also ran! I did a 30-35 minute jog at five in the morning before everyone got up. Last year, I was tensed and – essentially – forced my cousin and myself to do a yoga session. It was just not natural. This year, I set my interval timer to a 7 minute warm up, followed by 20 rounds of 20seconds by 20seconds. I sprinted the first 20 and jogged/walked the following. After that, I did changed the interval to 40/20, which was kind of my ‘cool down’/’run back home’. I would walk 40 seconds (briskly), sprint for 20, jog for 40, sprint for 20, walk for 40 and so on. It continued for about ten minute. It was perfect. I had never done that before. I was so very proud of my accomplishment!

In the way back, my ‘run’ kind of turned into a FootLoose-esque dance with fist pumps. Don’t even deny that you wish you saw that.

changes to the blog 

The blog is going to be updated!

Why?

Because way too often I sit here thinking: ‘I don’t know what to write’.

So I plan to take the guesswork out of it, completely!

Each day of the week is going to subject to a certain theme. Simple Sundays and Friday Fives will remain, but the other day will pick up their very own topics.

Monday will be Motivational Monday. On Monday’s I will discuss anything that makes me motivated, how to get motivated, something that inspired me. If it’ll warm up some hearts, I’ll be written about on Monday.

Tuesday will be ‘My Take Tuesday’, where I will give a review on an opinion on something. It could be anything, a fitness trend, a diet, a movie, an article… anything! Each week I will pick a topic and form a decent opinion.

Wednesday will be all about Wishes and Wants! This will be about serious goals of mine that I would like to accomplish (or, things I have accomplished), fun ‘bucket list’ desires and materialist wishes. Like, today… I really want a Lavender Jade ring. 😦

Thursdays will by Thursday Things. Which, mostly will just be a day to write about anything I want! A hodgepodge of little bits I’ve collected over the week!

Fridays will stay the same!

Sweat and Stretch it Saturday will be fitness related posts. I will (try) to commit to making a workout for this day and posting it. 🙂 I will also share my weekly workouts and all that jazz!

Sunday will also stay the same.

These topics are not restrictive! If I decide on day that I want to add something else to the post, I will. Also, if I miss a day, I’ll just try to ensure to not miss that day the following week. I’m not sure how long this will continue, but for now I think it’ll help my creative juice to get flowing again!

I hope this seems like a good plan!

Staysweet,

Caitlyn.

Simple Sunday Survey

a simple saturday

out and a bout

Since yesterday was so beautiful, Baba and I took advantage of our day off to enjoy some lovely summertime weather. Originally the plan was to go to the Discovery Center and have a seriously awesome time with bubbles and other weird concoctions, but with the state of the weather, there was no use wasting it indoors.

So, instead, we walked the waterfront. It was absolutely beautiful a walk! It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon. Perfect, really.

Our first stop was this quaint, little Antique shop that I didn’t know existed. A little hole in the wall. I was so excited to have found it. Inside housed records, old nick-nacks, jewelry; you name it, and you’d find it there. Due to my recent interested in starting a seashell and ocean related collection, I contemplated purchasing a shell (yes, there was ample shell-age) but opted against it. The way I see it, my shell collection should begin with beautiful shells collected from the ocean, itself.

After was meandered about there – deciding to return – we decided to head to the Waterfront (hello, no brainer!) and head to the Market. This is where I found this!

This was a little more than a ‘hint’ of honey, if you know what I am sayin’!

After our stroll around the market, we decided to head out to eat. The walk back was so nice. Everyone was out and enjoying life. Smiling. Baba was in a good mood. It was bliss! Yes, I said it, ya jerk. Bliss!

Being that I am a total spaz, Baba was definitely the navigator of the afternoon. I could have easily had my eyes closed the entire time and I still managed to get from point a to point a without fail. Dinner was held at none other than my favorite place to eat: The Wooden Monkey.

This is my all-time favorite place to eat. I don’t know if it is the design, the food, the atmosphere or the workers. I think it is just everything. First of all, the waiters actually take the time to discover your personal needs as a consumer. They understand that in this day of age, people come with many different dietary restrictions (both Baba and I do: I maintain a generally low starch diet, while his stomach is unable to handle certain foods properly).  The staff is kind, warm-hearted and often humorous (one of the waiters did this neat flip-y thing with our glasses, that I just need to learn… to YouTube, with me!)

The food, in my opinion, is absolutely delightful. If going, I recommend one of the salads, their trio of dips (including a really interesting hummus – unlike any I’ve ever tasted) or their coconut quinoa pilaf. Absolutely amazing!

Baba ordered the BBQ chicken pizza sans onion and red pepper! He absolutely loved it – as he always seems to. He had polished the plate clean, which is not at all surprising to me. Only two nights prior, he single-handed-ly ate a sixteen inch pizza. I don’t know where he puts it!

I, on the other hand, enjoyed their Sweet Apple Salad avec 3 oz of free-range chicken and a whole grain mustard sauce. I loved it! The carrots and apple (which, I think, was granny smith) were done julienne and were  extremely tasty when eating together. It was sweet, crunchy and absolutely delish!

If you are ever in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I’d highly suggest you stop by and enjoy some grub!

a simple survey

An alphabetical list of simple things I love

A: Almond butter. Just simple almonds. Nothing makes me happier.
B: Babies. I absolutely love anything baby related. Sometimes, you’ll find me disappearing into the children section at my work place – or any store – to look at the baby stuff.

My cousins, Megan’s, son Jackson. HOW CUTE, RIGHT?

C: Coffee. I will attest to being a caffeine addict. Waking up to coffee every morning is the best feeling… ever.
D: Doodles. I am a avid doodler. Sometimes, there are lady bugs… with top hats. They’re fancy.
E: Elephant statues. I love elephants. One of my favorite animals.
F: Flowers. I honestly think that all problems can be solved when you are in the company of flowers.

G: Giving gifts. I love seeing the look on someone’s face when I give them something they’ve always really wanted. It’s so sweet.
H: High fives. I think they’re just as romantic as other physical forms of endearment. Plus, they’re positively reinforcing.
I: I love yous. Three itty bitty words. I say it a lot. I’ll just be sitting
J: Jumping Jacks. Gets the job done, am I right?
K: Kisses (fore head ones are the best)
L: Love. That’s all.
M: Mothers. I love Mothers. I mostly just love my Mother.

N: Necklaces – or jewelry – that holds significant meaning to you.

O: Omars. They’re simply wonderful.

(If you are not aware, this is Omar the Duck from one of my favorite Christmas movies)

You know, this one’s pretty okay, too…
P: Post-It Notes. I love writing notes to people on Post-Its. Ask Mama or Baba. They’ll tell you. 🙂
Q: Quiet time. I love the calm and still feeling of people being quiet and relaxed. AKA: I am pro-nap time.
R: Rain. When you’re inside and comfy/cozy. Best feeling ever. 🙂
S: Seashells. I love anything ocean related. To me, the ocean forces you to dream and aspire. When I look at the ocean, I feel anything is possible.
T:  Tea. I think it is my favorite drink of… ever.

U: Umbrellas! They’re right cutesy.
V: Vintage paintings and antiques. I love old things. They have stories. I want to know them.
W: Weddings and anything wedding related! I love love, guys.
X:  Xmas time! I love Christmas time. The baking, the music, the warmth, the family time. Ah, bliss! Also, watching The Ugly Duckling’s Christmas Wish, Annabelle Wish and The Tangerine Bear while it is snowing.
Y: Yogurt (greek). Addiction (yes).

Z:  Zooey Luigi Mearns. My pooch. I love her.

Yes, Zooey LUIGI. Like the Mario character. 🙂

today’s work out

So, this morning, I had a stroke of genius!

This was a lot of fun! Try it out 🙂

Stay sweet.

What I Ate, Widdle your Middle and Wednesday

what I Ate wednesday

Meal One: Egg white banana whipped oats topped with Love Grown Granola, Banana slices, blueberries and Almond butter.

Whip it Good Oats

Bring water to a boil.
Add 1/3 cup of oatmeal and 1/2 T of chia;
Reduce to a low heat and add 50g (about 1/2 – though I used about 1/4 of the banana in the oats and used the rest on the top of them) a thinly sliced banana;
Whip!

When well whipped, add 1/4 cup of egg whites;
Whip!

Add stevia, cinnamon and so forth to taste, then transfer into a bowl and add toppings!
The toppings, 1/4 banana, 1/4 cup blueberries and a handful of Love Grow Oats. Oh, and 1/2T of Almond butter, of course.

Following my breakfast (or, about an hour or so later), I completed – yet another – yoga hybrid work out. Thanks to Courtney@SweetToothSweetLife I’ve really gotten into hybrid work outs! I love the benefits of yoga, but my HIITs are something I don’t want to stop. I love them way too much.

Widdle my Middle Work Out

What You’ll Need:
Yoga mat, water, interval timer

Warm up: 1 minute jog + 1 minute AMRAP Sun Salutations

Set your Interval Timer to six rounds of four minute intervals (30 seconds high; 10 seconds low), with 2 minute breaks in between each set – these breaks will not be used for rest, so take breaks as needed.

You will be repeating this series, two times through.
Each series is comprised of two yoga-inspired toning moves: One which targets abs, the other targets your obliques.

Series One: Downward Dog Series
Move one: Begin in downward dog position and using your abs, pull your body forward into a plank. Pull your left leg into your elbow, then return to plank and pull right leg in. Continue this AMRAP for 1 minute.
Move two: Preform the same movements, only pull the leg to the opposite elbow. Left to right; right to left. 1 min AMRAP

Preform your 4 minute HIIT. 30 seconds high, 10 low. Any cardio you’d like.

Series Two; Boat Pose Series
Move one: Begin in Boat Pose (your but rested on the ground, you body creating a V-shape. Legs extended off the ground). Slowly lower until feet and head are about 1-inch off the ground, then return to boat position. AMRAP 1 min.
Move two: Remain in boat pose, but instead of lowering, hold your hands over your chest (feet held in air) and twist, letting your elbows touch the ground behind you (russian twist). 1 min AMRAP

Perform your 4 minute HIIT.

Series Three: Side Plank Series

Move One: In side plank (on left), lift your right leg and preform a side crunch with your right arm. AMRAP 30 sec.
Move Two: Hold chataranga. AMRAP 30 second
Repeat on opposite side.

Preform your 4 minute HIIT.

Done! (Again, repeat once more for a really sweaty work out!)

Immediately after that, I enjoyed a yogurt mess including a serving of Puffins, blueberries and another 1/2T almond butter. This went un-pictured, as I was really hungry.

Later, for lunch, I enjoyed this bad boy:

It was a turkey salad, with roasted squash, 1/2 and apple, mushrooms, cucumber and a little hummus. After that I wasn’t fully satisfied, so I enjoyed a Simply Bar (I love these).

At around four – still at work – I grabbed a Oskri Bar (I love that this company states that their products are Halal. Supportin’ my boy!)

By the time I got home, I was ready for a Salmon and Sprout Salad! I threw in some asparagus, mushrooms, greens and hummus.

I ended the night with my a-typical bowl of fruit, AB and greek yogurt, tea and called it a night.

That is all!

Stay Sweet,
Caitlyn

Learning, listening and loving

Good morning beauts!

daily eats

Last night, I made a really… really yummy salad!

Sweet Honey Chicken Salad

Included:
3oz grilled chicken
1/2 cup roasted brussels
1/2 cup roasted butternut squash
Honey Hummus (3T hummus whipped with 1/2 tsp honey)
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1T dried cranberries
Two handfuls of greens
~50g of mushrooms, grilled
1-2 tsp balsamic

Absolutely delish!

I’ve become a salad making wizard. Don’t even get me started on all that. It is almost sad – my salad making process. I think about it almost too much. What are new salad ideas? I’ve been eyeballing this book for a long time:

learning to love and learning to listen

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a huge issue with admitting love. Love for someone, love for something… the list can go on. Then one day it occurred to me that love is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it is quite the contrary

Love for your Loved Ones

During my years as a student, the thought of being a wife, mother… girlfriend, was – to me – a complete joke. I didn’t require that closeness to someone; I didn’t require that connection. No. I was a lone wolf, and that was that.

Then one day something happened. I started telling the people I loved them how much I loved them for no reason. And, furthermore, I loved how it felt. Now, I am always telling people I love them. Oh, it’s sad, but true.

A silent room is the perfect setting for an ‘I love you’.

Love for your Self

Yesterday both my boyfriend and my mother – yet again – amazed me.

In the upcoming weeks, I have not one… not two… not three, but four 7:30 shifts. I’ve always had this irrational fear in regard to working out after a 7:30 shift. I think it might have something to do with the fact that in the past – while Ed was in my life more actively – after a 7:30 shift, I would force myself to workout, while being void of any actual energy. So, now, a girl with a mostly healthy relationship with all things fitness related, I still fear not being able to preform my work outs at the best of my ability.

As previously stated, I’ve made a commitment to myself: no work out should exceed 40 minutes and the typical work out should be around 30-35 minutes, warm up and cool down included. Finding the ToneItUp girls and ZuzkaLight has made this very easy for me. They’ve both proven that you in no way need to slave for 60 minutes everyday at a high intensity.

But – as usual – I am getting off topic.

This essentially meant that I would have to commit to rather a) doing the work outs after work, or b) getting up earlier and doing them beforehand. I chose option ‘b’ because with option ‘a’ arose, yet another, issue: I never wanted to seem like I was choosing working out over anyone.

Given my spotted history with fitness, it would be easy for anyone who knows me to assume that working out every single day was just another example of an unhealthy connection. But, I promise you, it is not. Working out has become my brace – in so many ways – regarding my recovery. Through exercise I’ve discovered so much about my body and myself. Now, it is something I don’t feel I need to do everything, but rather something I really want to do. If I can fit it in, I am going to – and I’m committed enough to find time to squeeze it in.

So, where is this going?

Well, I voiced my concerns to my Mama and Omar. Naturally, they came back with the best response possible. It went something like this:

Caitlyn, we support you no matter what you do; and we love that you love what you love. Never think that you’re choosing it over us, because we never think that you are. We know it is something you love to do, which is great.

Again this issue arose today when I asked them if it was okay for me to blog while in their company. They gave me that, ‘Caitlyn, you’re being a goose’ look and I nodded and got to typing.

I think there is a small part of me that is always embarrassed of myself. Of my interest in fitness, or food, or writing, even! Because of this, I am constantly on-guard, expecting to be made fun of. What I need to realize is, is I am my own person. I am me; no one else. Caitlyn! This is something to not be ashamed of, but to celebrate. Yeah, okay. I’m weird. I probably talk too much – and my eyes kind of do this thing where they open up to weird, making it look like I’ve gone nuts, but I’m me. The only me I’ll ever be. And you’re you.

I think this is starting to get dangerously close to unintentional Beatles plagiarism.

So, you be you and I’ll be me. After all, that’s the very best that we can be.

OK. Now, I am channeling my man Sues! I’m all over the place.

sweet moments from my weekend

I discovered that I have the sweetest – and sexiest – boyfriend alive. For no reason he bought me these flowers! I love him. 🙂 Way too much. I’m going to keep you, okay, Bababear?

My really cute best friend, love, cutie with a booty, galpal Kathryn came home and let me kiss her cheek. And buy her a tea. I’m such a gentleman. 🙂

BABY BANANA (say that like you’re singing the Baby Beluga song and it is much better)

I found a book I really wanted a bit ago. I think I really want to commit to making more recipes from it. I love Ellie Kreiger. 🙂

That is all.

Stay sweet.

Caitlyn

Straight from the Heart and Residual Habits

Good morning everyone! I hope you had a lovely sleep 🙂 Or, a good day.

sweet spots

Yesterday was a lovely day, I’ll tell you.

My best friend, Hannah and I decided we should go out for lunch. So, we did. It didn’t take too much discussion for us to figure out where we wanted to go. Heart Wood Cafe.

She had never been; I’d been several times. During my vegan days, this was my absolute favorite place to eat! Known for their healthy and organic baked goods, the Heart Wood Cafe is always a pleasant place to enjoy a good bite!

My favorite additive of their menu is their offering of the “Wild Card Salad”, which basically is just a hodgepodge of in-season foods! This is what I get every single time I do. All you need to do is inform them of any dietary restrictions (i.e; I don’t eat tofu) and they’ll ensure that it doesn’t show up on your plate! Alternatively, you can also inform them of certain foods that you would absolutely love to have upon your dish (Kind of like how I told that waiter that I’m a huge fan of a certain green fruit, fully of fatty goodness).

My friend got the Tomato and Avocado (also a fan of a ol’ ‘cado) Sandwhich:

And, as mentioned, I ordered my tried and true Wild Card Salad:

Unfortunately, my salad of today was not my absolute favorite. The best part was definitely the avocado. It wasn’t their fault, though! I had a really tough work out that morning and needed a little more fuel midday. Mostly it was just a bed of greens, some carrots and sprouts. Along with a few cubes of tofu and the requested ‘cado (anybody else think that they could easily eat a whole one in a day?).

All in all it was an awesome outing! Good food, great company and full tummies!

I know she’s beautiful, but unfortunately for you, she’s my best girl. 🙂

sweet eats

Tonight I made a salad that was so good.

Included was a: salmon patty, shelled edamame, roasted asparagus, grilled broccoli and snap peas, greens, with a peanut ginger hummus I mixed up. Delish!

Thinky Thoughts

In most ways, I like to consider myself relatively – for lack of a better term – ‘healed’ from the aforementioned Ed, but often certain behaviors rear their heads for no apparent reason. The one I noticed most recently was at Heart Wood.

I have this unusual issue with holding a conversation while I eat. And, furthermore, I feel uncomfortable eating in front of people. So, basically, if someone is talking to me and I want to eat, I feel I can’t until they stop and begin to eat. It’s silly; I know. I hate that this still happens. I just (for some odd reason) have a difficult time with it. I’ve developed a certain relationship with the whole digestive process and do it kind of intuitively. I suppose the thing I need to remember is that eating isn’t such a big deal to other people. It’s just something they do. You know, ‘oh, I’ll grab a bag of chips’ or ‘I’ll just bring an apple for if I get hungry’. My friend even laughed at how prepared my lunch was for the workday. For me, this is totally normal. I have six meals a day, each meal needs certain nutrients and that’s that. I love living like this, but not everyone really understands it.

Regardless, there are moments in our life – for those of us recovering from such issues – that we will discover residual behaviors such as this one. I think what we need to remember is that a) not everyone has the same relationship with food, b) there is nothing wrong with finishing your plate first or eating while other people talk and lastly c) the only person who matters when it comes to food is you and your body.

So, if you’re hungry, eat. Don’t worry about the people around you so much! And furthermore, remember to accept who you are. If you have a similar relationship to food as I do, embrace the aspects that are positive and understand that some of them are not.

This was mostly just a ramble, I’ll be honest. I am not sure how eloquently this came out, or how well it was written, but I just wanted to say something from the heart

Stay sweet,

Caitlyn

My Very First ‘What I Ate Wednesday’!

First and foremost, I shall thank Jenn of Peas and Crayons for coming up with such an outstanding idea! I’ve been following WIAW for many months now and am VERY excited to partake in my very first one. 🙂

meal one

Banana Whipped Oatmeal topped with 1/3 of a Halo Bar, mixed berries and sun butter.

meal two

This is a recycled picture – but I did have a protein pancake (I’m addicted to the protein pancake immediately after a work out. Especially right now, because it’s so cold where I happen to be!)

meal three

Lunch consisted of a Quinoa salad with fresh cucumber, strawberries, mushrooms and greens. Topped with hummus (with a hint of honey :P).
Afterward I enjoyed an unpictured apple.

meal four

This was a quick snack, half of a Simply bar and half of an Oskri Bar. There is no photo as this was eating on-the-go at work! I had the Cinnamon Simply Bar and Almond Cranberry Oskri. They’re both good. I love them.

meal five

My dinner was really good! Roasted turkey breast, roasted eggplant (love), grilled mushroom and zucchini, avocado, hummus and balsamic! So tasty! 🙂

meal six/dessert

I imagine Greek Yogurt, almond butter and cacao nibs will make an appearance. 🙂

Oh, yes.

There was also a lot of tea!

Like, a lot of tea!

So, that pretty much sums it up!

So many yummies. 🙂

Mama Bears goes [un]Nuts and Pancake Perfection

Many months ago, tragedy struck this household…

MamaBear discovered a negative reaction to, you guessed it, peanuts – both in nut and butter form.

sweet treats

That creamy, sweet and nutty indulgence was one that she would never be able to enjoy again. Now, I know what you might be thinking: ‘so?’ Well, allow me to inform you of MamaBear’s deep obession with all things peanut butter related. To quote, ‘peanut butter was a staple…a staple in my diet. I miss it so so so much!’

Well, something clearly needed to be done about that.

So, I did what any rational foodie would do.

Almond butter.

No dice.

Cashew butter!

Ain’t happening.

Sunflower seed butter is clearly the –

Nope. Not interested.

Then, I found it.

Then, I found what she wanted.

WOWbutter is gluten, dairy, peanut and tree nut free. All of which, is admirable. The aim of this specific butter is to provide peanut butter-y spread that is 100% safe for schools. In MamaBear’s opinion, this guy definitely delivers. I actually think the word ‘wow’ came out her mouth upon sucking back on a spoonful. Which, being the pun loving gal I am, pleased me to no end.

In regard to the nutrition, this little guy proves to be pretty clean, it does:

“Non GMO Toasted Soy, Soy Oil, Granulated Cane Sugar, Monoglyceride (from vegetable oil, prevents oil separation) and Sea Salt.”

I can read all the words, know what they mean and can count them on ONE hand.

So, this is Caitlyn approved!

However, I’ll happily stick to my all-natural almond butter, thank you! 🙂

today’s work out

Today the plan was to tackle every ‘s’ of fitness: strength, speed and stretch. So, I completely a 16 minute HIIT routine, a 10 minute AMRAP routine (compliments of ZuzkaLight and my Long and Lean Routine from the ToneItUp Beach Babe DVD. At the end I felt amazing! And – you know – sweaty!

sweet treats

Along with being addicted to the TIU work outs, I also love the TIU protein pancake, which I’ve yet to perfect…

My Protein Pancake
1 scoop protein powder of choice
1/4 cup of egg whites
3 tbsp Fat Free Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients into a bowl and wisk;
Heat a pan over medium heat and spray lightly with an olive oil cooking spray;
Pour mixed ingredients into bowl and cook until showing side starts to bubble;
Attempt to gracefully flip;
Fail at any sort of grace;
Let other side cook for approx the same amount of time;
Get something that looks like this…

Allow mild depression to ensue for a few moments, then decide that the show isn’t over…

Cover pancake with your choice of toppings, smile and mow!

My toppings included three strawberries, almond butter and additional Greek Yogurt. 🙂

Stay sweet,
Caitlyn

Salmon, Sprouts and a Sweet Tooth!

What is my favorite thing about Sundays? The calm.

I find that no matter who you are, or what you’re doing, Sunday’s bring upon a state of ease. Perhaps that whole ‘day of rest’ concept has just been instilled into me. Regardless, I absolutely love the feeling Sunday’s bring. You know what? I think it might be the residual affect of the flowers I bought yesterday!

daily eats

Tonight I had my all-time favorite dinner of ever! Yes, indeed. I’ve become pretty pro at making this beast!

recipe

I call it my
Salmon and Sprout Salad!
Ingredients
One salmon patty or 4 oz of salmon meat, grilled or pan seared
1-2 handfuls of salad greens (I like anything spring mix-y)
~75g white mushrooms, sliced and diced
~50g of zucchini, cut into one inch slices
~100g of brussel sprouts, halved (I have a sprout-related addiction…)
A dollop (1-2 tbsp) hummus
2 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Lemon juice (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. First, on medium heat – lightly sprayed with olive oil spray – pan sear salmon patty or fillet for about four minutes, on each side (or, until cooked)
2. Remove salmon from heat and set aside, while you prepare your vegetables. Preheat your grill and chop vegetables as stated above.
3. Drizzle vegetables lightly with Olive Oil and season with pepper and balsamic vinegar. When grill is ready, apply all vegetables to grill, close and flip once or twice.
4. Place a few handfuls of greens into a bowl, and add the grilled veggies.
5. Top with salmon and a dollop of hummus, sprinkle with some pepper and mow down!

I pretty much make a variation of this salad beast three times a week. I don’t know why, but I absolutely love it. To be frank, I could just go to town on hummus and sprouts. If you put a bowl full of that stuff in front of me, it’d be over.

That’s it?

Pfft. Hardly.

I naturally had to return to my kitchen, for something extra special sweet!

confession

Every night I want – no – I need to have a sweet treat after dinner. This usually winds up being a mixture of fruit (usually berries or peaches), nuts or nut butter, a few spoonfuls of greek yogurt and a tsp of cacao nibs (which, happen to be the current love of my life).

I honestly don’t think I can live life without these things! Absolutely delish!

Have you ever tried cacao nibs? Did you like them?