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My New Kicks!

Wow Wow Wow!! This weekend has been amazing! I have so much to share with you, but I am not going to write about it until I am home. Right now I am typing all of this from the guest bedroom in my mom's sprawling & newly built country mansion. Really. I love her new house. I have had such a surreal weekend that my head is still buzzing from all of the excitement, which is why I will have to write it in a more post-script fashion perhaps tomorrow night? Or maybe later in the week.

My diet has been way different then usual here. My family is definetely country! Ham was served for dinner. Fish, tuna, cheese, milk, cream, corn syrup, light corn syrup, sugar, sugar, sugar in everything!!! Oh and butter, sour cream, yogurts, white flour, hydrogenated oil, table salt. Let's just say I did what I could do!!

Food Log:

2 Glasses of water upon wakening
1 apple
Breakfast scramble: 3 egg whites, 2 cups of spinach, some tomato, roasted red pepper, red pepper and italian seasonings. Served with a scoop of hummus and ryvita oat bran cracker.
1 orange
some hummus and carrots
1 bowl of chocolate wheat bran with 1 banana and honey
1 small boiled potato served over a cup of spinach & topped with: lime juice, fresh tomato, mustard, banana peppers and hot sauce
3/4 cups rolled oats with honey, banana and cinnamon

Lots of Food, but I did exercise.. ok??

Fitness:

Wii says I am underweight and my BMI is around 18... !! So I made sure to get some muscle pumping action in today:

45 minutes of country bike-ride with lots of wind and lots of hills
+ some shopping bag bicep curls while waiting for a changing room (10 each side) haha. Seriously though, Alyssa (my sister) was embarassed.

Which brings me to my next point!! I got some tennis shoes FINALLY! $65 from $100 ON SALE. Anyone familiar with Asics?? I love these.. Mine are in black and gold.. luxurious.

Plus I got some Nike yoga/running/weightraining/dancing/Jillian Micheal Shredding Capris (oh how I love The Biggest Loser!)

I am looking forward to going home tomorrow and making a Vegan Easter Treat Plate, but until then I am going to stick it up and do my best not to faint from lack of delicious nut butter and oat bran. I honestly am feeling withdrawl!

See you all soon. I will share some exciting news and more details about my weekend later! Adios muchachos.

Caulicakes!

I had the best dinner ever tonight! Yesterday I attempted to make Cauli-cakes... an amalgamation of my leftover cauliflower mash (which was stinking up my fridge) and a pancake. What I got was dense, thick, gooey pieces of flaxy bread. I decided to let them sit in the fridge overnight and finish cooking them in the oven.... which led to the delicious dinner I ate tonight!!

How to make caulicakes: makes about 5 caulicakes

Mix one batch of leftover caulimash in with one batch of your favorite recipe. I substituted flax for egg and added too much flax, but that led to the hearty dense caulicake that I now love!

Caulimash:
about 3-4 servings

1/2 head of cauliflower
2 tbs of sesame tahini
1-2 garlic cloves
Sea salt
2-3 TB of nutritional yeast
Splash of braggs
Process in Food Processor

Add other ingredients you enjoy: nuts, herbs, black pepper, mustard...etc.

I made the pancake batter and then stirred in the flax EGG (ground golden flax seed + water) and leftover caulimash. I also added some freshly ground black pepper.

I cooked them like a normal pancake but they didn't seem quite ready so I finished the process in the oven... then again when I was reheating them for my meal.

What I ate today:



Spicy Beans recipe:
2 to 3 servings

1 can of your favorite organic black beans &
Your favorite spices mine include a mixture of: Rice vinegar, black pepper, sea salt, braggs, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, berbere and a lot of cumin!
Stir and enjoy.

* Note: Most of the liquid was gone from the beans before I seasoned them because I added them to my collard green stirfry

Collard Green Stirfy in Black Bean Sauce:
Serves 2 as a side or 1 as a main dish

In a hot skillet (containing a mixture of olive oil and sesame oil) stirfry the following:

First:
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 of a small white onion

Then:
2 Cups of sliced shitakes

Followed by:
Sliced Zucchinis
Chopped collard greens

While cooking add in the liquid from the black beans, rice vinegar, braggs, sea salt & red pepper flakes, this will create a black bean sauce. YUM!

I served my caulicakes topped with the spicy black beans. I served the collard green stirfry on the side. I garnished my plate with all natural salsa freshly sliced tomatoes. Jalapeño tabasco was my condiment of choice for the night. I ate much and I ate well. Delicioso.

Afterwards I cut my hair. Enjoy the pictures of me:

El tiempo para Motivation!

Barbie.. LET ME SLEEP!

This morning I woke up early. Too early! My cat Barbara was meowing because she wanted to lay in bed with me and I was crabby, because she was waking me up and I didn't want her in the bedroom... She walks on me and drinks out of my mason jar.. ick.

I finally got up around 8 AM finished studying for my Spanish exam and grabbed half a Lara Bar for my walk to class.

The test went... ok. Actually I forgot a lot of important things. There is no explanation. Of course I could have studied harder or done more reviewing earlier in the week, but I did study and I felt prepared. I didn't sleep well and I had a lot weighing on my brain so that could have played a role too. I felt really sad after class and I decided that maybe it would be best if I just went home and relaxed before my lunch date with my two besties Roche and Tin Tin. Haha I never use that word. I started walking home and then thought: "WAIT a second Nicole. This is definetely only going to make you worse!!! This doesn't make sense at all!" I turned around and walked straight to the gym where I had one of the best workouts ever. My breath flowed with my movements, I felt the strength of the other students in the gym and I pushed hard even when I wasn't on my ALL OUT minute during my intervals. I even worked through my stress regarding the exam as I exercised, reminding myself that what is done is done and I can only work harder for future success.

It felt great! I showered afterward and went to Hard Times to meet my gals. Where I had the guilt free pleasure of Migas: Una mezcla of eggs, corn tortilla, veggies galore, spinach and salsa...yum. I didn't eat all of the corn tortilla...not a huge fan, but I ate up the rest. It was a great protein brunch! I followed that up with a lot of water and I just finished eating my dessert... a vegan brownie! Yum.

One of my favorite dessert bowls. Almond flavored oat bran blended and topped with banana ice cream and dark chocolate chips. Vegan of course!! (and grain sweetened)

Desserts vs. Oat Bran Dessert Bowls

I try not to eat too many sugar/white flour desserts, but once in awhile I feel that it is a nice treat that compliments my hard work! I sometimes feel that I treat myself too well though, I often eat dessert bowls of oat bran (for instance my chocolate oat bran of last night...wow!) but, these dessert bowls are sweetened with all natural ingredients.. my favorites including bananas, dates, and yacon syrup...second favorites include raisins, honey and agave.. while my least favorite is stevia. They are also whole grain (obviously) and filled with protein goodness. The oat bran is high in protein and I generally add some protein as well: hemp protein powder, nut butter, peanut butter, whole nuts, nut milks and sometimes coconut! It is also really easy to add in a lot of vitamins and minerals. I sometimes add berry green powder, sea algae, GREENS (this one is frequent) and fruits. For instance my strawberry shortcake oat bran I had post workout yesterday. AND yes I did have two bowls of oat bran yesterday!

I try to find other options to the white sugar/white flour desserts, but as I said earlier RESTRICTION hurts more than helps. Restriction led me to being underweight, unhappy and caused my hair to fall out! Yes. It is true! My body was not getting what it needed so it decided to quit giving nutrition to its least important parts (ie. my hair!) I miss my hair... it used to be so thick and full, but my new diet rich in protein, iron and B12 has allowed for a luscious regrowth and I look and feel better than ever! I have even added eggs back into my diet at least until my body works itself back to a balanced state. I will never deny my body of what it needs ever again. Even if that means that I need to sneak in some greens as a bedtime snack haha.

So my point is STAY MOTIVATED and do not RESTRICT! Listen to yourself and remember why you are staying healthy and taking care of yourself. It only makes you feel better and you want to nurture your body and your mind!!

A few Quick Tips:

1) If you really don't feel like working out remind yourself that you will only feel better if you follow through. The only exception is because of over exhaustion or injury. period. If you are stressed you will usually work out even harder!

2) Do not restrict your diet. Just be mindful and NURTURE your body. Sometimes that means eating more fats and proteins other times that means eating a lot of fruits and greens. Don't listen to other people listen to what your body is telling me. I wish I would have done that before my hair started shedding due to a B12 deficiency!



3) Know that you are going to eat unhealthy once in awhile and enjoy those moments. I thoroughly enjoyed my vegan brownie, but moreso because I kicked ass in the gym this morning.

4) Don't limit yourself to workout just one time a day, but also don't force yourself to workout everyday. Again listen to your body. I needed an extra stretch so last night I did some yoga, even though I had already gotten a hardcore workout in that morning. Other days when I had originally planned on working out I decide to stay in and get extra sleep, catch up on errands or take a mental and physical break. When you develop a good relationship with your mind and body you will begin to understand when you should go further in one direction or the other.

5) Stick to a plan. Pick a plan any plan and do it. Do it regularly and put all of your effort into it. You won't see results always right away, but you will eventually. Believe me! AND you will be happy!!

Yesterday's Food Log:

Strawberry Shortcake Oat Bran
Lara Bar: Cashew Cookie
1 1/2 Spring Rolls w/ Peanut sauce (2- but I didn't eat most of the noodle filling/rice paper wrapper for them)
Papaya carrot vinagrette salad
A taste of failed cauli-cakes (maybe I will describe what these were...maybe)
Apple


1 tbs peanut butter dipped in choc chips


Chocolate Oat Bran Bowl

Today's Fitness Log:

I promise to write down poundage next time! I am going to bring a log with to the gym...

10 minutes upright bike warm up level 4/5
Ab/hamstring Machine 3x12
Leg Press 3 x 12
Calf Machine 3 x 12
Lunges 3 x 12 Each Side
Squats 3 x 12 (bar + 10 #)
20 minutes hard intervals on the elliptical switching between 5/10 incline and arms/no arms backwards/forwards at 10 resistance. 5 minutes total of warm-up/cool-down at 5 resistance.

More fun for the day is ahead... Class, studying and more studying. I think I will start my research for my final papers. Maybe I will do more yoga, my foot/ankle on my left side is killing me and makine me limp!! Obviously I will study some Spanish tonight as well.....

A full night of sleep!

Sunday night's dark chocolate oat bran à la mode

In this past year I have really concerned myself with what makes me feel healthy, happy and most like the Nicole during her best times. One of the things that keeps me at my best is a good night of sleep.... and that is what I got last night!

Working out helps me so that I need less sleep, but if I don't get the minimum that I do need, I tend to be crabby, tired, less focused and less willing to put in maximum effort in the gym.

I didn't do anything crazy yesterday, but I will still tired at about 10:30 which is why my dreamland trip started at about 11:30 pm.

Yesterday was a fun day. I woke up ate half a Lara Cashew cookie bar and went to Spanish followed by a trip to the gym where I worked on my back.

Fitness Log:

10 minute warm up on bike

V Sit Pull Backs 3 x 8
Dead lifts: 3 x 12 @ 15 # (a little easy, someone ran off with the 20s)
Lower Back Machine 3 x 8
Lat Pull Down to Chest 3 x 12 @ 50 #

20 minutes on elliptical 15 minutes of 2 min HARD 3 min moderate

Good Workout!




I went home and made FRESH PEANUT BUTTER. I thought it wasn't possible, but I think it was Heather of Heather Eats Almond Butter that proved it could be done in a food processor. I knew I could make it in my vitamix, but that is real work to clean out. So yesterday for breakfast I had a protein bowl of oat bran topped with peanut butter, carob chips and frozen raspberries.


Then I worked on homework, sipped on water and met my sweet friend Roche for tea at Esroy. I didn't even order tea, but I packed an orange for my next class.

My next class was French film and it got a little boring. I could feel my blood sugar getting low so I snacked on an orange in the middle of class. My prof made fun of me, saying that I was starting my break early avec mon orange...



So I was pretty hungry after all that and so I came home and made cauliflower mash, a swiss chard salad and the last 3 strips of my tempeh bacon (the package is only "good" for a few days in the fridge).


I ate it all up, did more homework, tried to get a virus off of my comptuer and later had a snack bowl of more oat bran but with banana ice cream, chocolate chips and almond butter!!

Great day. Today will be good too. I am doing an ab workout and then either swimming or going on the elliptical. We will see how I feel in the next ten minutes.

I am pretty pumped about working out these days, I am still seeing the results. My abs are getting solid and I am feeling strong! I hope I can resolve any past injuries with my new strength.

Hopefully I will write more later, but I can't promise anything, because I have my examen cuatro in Spanish tomorrow morning. I will be seeing you all soon though....

Ciao!

Nicole & Jonny go Rock Climbing!

Yes. Even though I am cheap, I spent $19 to go rock climbing today and I loved it!

I hope he had fun! I think he did.

Today was so amazing!! I woke up at a normal time for Sunday 10:45-ish (I worked LATE). Did some water drinking and e-mail checking and then made fermented oats and roasted plantain.
The plantain was good and I got full from the oats so I didn't finish it....


Then I found out that I am going to be moving in with one of my best friends this summer!! Her roommate is going to visit her family in Korea so in order to keep her room for next year, she is going to sublease a beautiful room to me for less than half the price. It is a great apartment building, great location and there is a gym on the main floor...now I have no excuses! The only thing that sucks is that I am going to have to move out of this apartment before I go to France and move into that apartment right when I get back! It will be hectic. I have to sell, donate or put most of my things into storage, because the apartment is already furnished. So expect a lot of cleansing, detoxifying Spring time posts from me!!

So after all of that I decided Jon and I were going to go Rock Climbing. I chose Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul as our destination. Before we left I finished my Spanish omelet from yesterday with a salad. I threw on some comfortable clothes and packed a lara bar in case I felt woozy.

I am going to do this more often. Great arm workout!

Jon, my boyfriend climbing!


Yep. That's me on a Saturday afternoon.

We had such a great time! We were there for almost 3 hours. We climbed a lot of walls, some which we mounted and others which we couldn't. Our hands were getting sweaty and we didn't want to buy chalk. We also worked out in the gym there. I did some biking and some pullups (2!!) I really need to work on them. I also got complimented on my arms, so that was nice!! Rock climbing was so fun. It was a short mental trip and it required strength and stretching. It pumped up my muscles but also lengthened them and it really made me sweat! I recommend this workout to anyone. I almost like it better than yoga and swimming...almost!

Afterward, we were really tired so we went home and made a stirfry with wheat noodles. I didn't take a picture because we ate it so fast. It was one of those clean-out-your-fresh-produce stir frys so it's not a big deal, but it was delicious!

Now I am full, but kind of craving my delicious fruit! My stomach is full though, so I will wait and have it as a snack later. Maybe so tea is in order?

As for now, I have homework to do. Montaigne, Spanish and French Cinema. I also owe Jon a massage... haha. So I better get to work. What a fun day though. Jon and I are thinking of going rock climbing more often. It was his first time. I have done it a lot when I was in elementary school, but it has been awhile.

Yesterday's Food Log:

1 Lara Bar: Apple Pie
1/2 Hard Times Black Bean omelet w/salsa and a small corn tortilla.

Side Salad with mustard dressing and alfalfa sprouts
1 marble cupcake from Hard Times
1 iceberg lettuce salad with jalapeños, veggies and salsa at work

Yes. My hard work is paying off!

Today's Tip:

Leave a couple days a week open in your workout schedule. It is recommended to take two days off from exercise every week, especially if you are doing a strength/weight training program. If you are forced to do a few shorter workouts, then you have 2 days where you can catch up. If not you can take these two days to allow your muscles a real break OR if you want to remain active you have two free days for fun activities. I use one of my free days for a Friday Ashtanga yoga class. The other day I usually rest (SUNDAY), but sometimes (for instance today) I feel restless and try something new: pole dancing, a new workout DVD or rock climbing!

Shrugging my Shoulders...

Tempeh Bacon and split pea soup bowl. So good that I overate!! See recipe below!

Hello everyone. Today I feel great! I went to bed sort of late after work and woke up this morning with a great need for exercise!!

I cut a Lara Apple Pie Bar in half and ate 1/2 before my workout. I threw the other half in the fridge..

Then I walked my 30 minutes to the gym. At the gym I did the following:
Fitness Log

10 minutes warm up level 5 moderate on Upright Bike
3 x 8 (each side) 15 # forward arm extension
3 x 8 (each side) 15 # side arm extension
3 x 12 elevated bench situps
3 x 30 elevated bench "russians"
3 x 8 15 # shoulder press
3x12 15 # shoulder shrugs
some random stretching movements

20 minutes interval training on elliptical (5 intervals) I worked it!!

I listened to the Arcade Fire while working out, but I need new tunes!

On the way home I called my lovely friend Tina and then surprised her while walking into the bagel shop she was studying in while still on the phone. I chatted with her while rehydrating my muscles with some water. I just got home and finished my now chewy and cold lara bar... delicious!

Now i am hungry and need to shower... I am thinking about going out for brunch?? I work at 5 and still have homework and errands to do.

Other than that... yesterday I had the best lunch ever!!

I stir-fried: garlic and onions in sesame/olive oil. Then threw in some cauliflower, grated carrot, zucchini and swiss chard and added brown rice vinegar, Braggs and red pepper flakes. (you could substitute soy sauce for Braggs).

Then I made some instant split pea soup that I bought from the Bulk section of my co-op. I topped the soup with my stirfry and some freshly baked tempeh bacon!!! I didn't make it, but I heated some up for my lunch. I also added some sprouts and it was the BEST LUNCH EVER!! See pic above.... I am in love.

Talk to you later !!