What a weekend! It was filled with family, farmers’ markets, Spring cleaning, lots of food and zero exercise! Hey, sometimes you’ve gotta go with the flow :) 

Saturday morning I picked up some fresh beets and kale from the Winter Park Farmers’ Market. I’m still debating what to do with my 10 beets. I included the kale into my veggie-filled lunch in the form of kale chips!

To make the chips: wash kale, dry, break into pieces and spread on a pre-greased baking sheet. Spray oil on kale and sprinkle with pepper and garlic salt. Bake at 400* until crispy. (Maybe 15 or 20 minutes?) Delicious! I had my chips with sweet potato fries, roasted carrots and a Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger.

I also loaded up on fruit this weekend. There’s nothing like frozen mango!

This weekend also included lots of banana bread muffins. I think these and Snobby Joes are the only reasons I bought Veganomicon! I top mine with Smart Balance.

Right around the time I got my Canon XSi, David bought the Canon 7D. Since then all he wants to do is play with our cameras. Last night we visited the park I discovered on a long run to get a few shots.

While David was in Photography World I talked to a fisherman on the dock. He educated me on the types of fish, when the best time to catch them is and the different ways to catch them.

He was so nice, but I was so grossed out watching him pierce this alive, beautiful fish and then toss it in a bucket to be his dinner. Eeek!

Because no post would be complete without a puppy pic, here;s one of Dixie laying on top of Sabrina. Poor baby!

What is your favorite thing to buy from a farmers’ market?

I hate when I miss a day of blogging… it means I have to pick and choose which photos to share with you! The pretty things usually win!

Yesterday I made some banana pancakes for breakfast for David and me. I had a leftover mix that I had given out for gifts and thought it was time to use it. Instead of two eggs I used two flax eggs and instead of regular milk I used soy milk. I also added a banana :)

The result was delicious!

With lunch I was excited to finally make my own yucca fries with this oddly-looking yucca!

I followed this great tutorial that made the whole process easy. They were incredible. Seriously, I hope these become a staple in my diet. Mmmmm :) The yucca fries are starchier and heavier-tasting than what you'd expect from potato fries. Mine got crispy. I used basic oil, garlic salt and pepper... a combo that was finger-licking good!

Another highlight was this pumpkin smoothie I had after my long run this morning inspired by Caitlin. Delicious! I used canned pumpkin, soy milk, ice, brown rice protein powder, cinnamon, vanilla, ground flax and a banana in mine.

…served with frozen mango and an apple!

This morning I completed 15 miles for my long run. I’m running the Gasparilla marathon at the end of the month so I’m climbing mileage with my long runs quickly to prepare.

My legs were tired from yesterday’s bike ride and swim but I pushed on. I need to prepare for these long runs better… sleep, eat enough the night before, bring plenty of water, etc.

I’m off to think of something fun and healthy for dinner tonight. Maybe homemade pizza?!

What’s your favorite dinner on a rainy night?

According to my camera all I’ve been eating is naner-PB-oatmeal.

I’ve been a bad blogger, leaving my camera home all the time! But tonight I must blog so I walked around the house to shoot a few more photos for this post :)

Pretty Sabrina. She’s been living with us for more than a month now and she’s doing really well. I love how much fun she’s having with the other animals. Notice she has no collar. My little brute Dixie always takes Sabrina’s collars and bandanas off. Dixie apparently thinks she’s the only one who gets to wear anything around the house.

The beverage shelf in our fridge. Notice mine are on the left and David’s on the right. I’m definitely addicted to the High Country brand of kombucha. It doesn’t taste like vinegar!!!

Brining Home the Bacon

I’ve posted these two photos as hints for what my new job is. If you guesses lululemon you were correct!!!

  This Tuesday I will be starting with Orlando’s lululemon athletica as an Educator. I couldn’t be more thrilled! Not only do I get to wear black stretchy pants to work to discuss all the ways to sweat with customers, but I’ll be representing a company I LOVE.

I wear lululemon all the time. Honestly, it’s hard not to. Not only are their clothes cute and flattering, but they perform well and stay dry. I’ve worn lululemon for both of my marathons and finished dry and comfy.

The team at my store is amazing. I can’t wait to join them Tuesday.

I’m also doing some freelance marketing work for an awesome green company. Aaaand there’s something big in the works. I will be planning something that will impact Orlando in a very healthy way. I’ll share more as soon as the papers are finalized!

I can’t believe things are working out so well. When I lost my job two weeks ago I worried I’d have to fall into a 9-to-5 desk job I wouldn’t enjoy.

Then I made the decision to just run toward what I want with full force. I reached out to everything that interested me. I didn’t sit and sulk about my situation. I made an active decision to make good things happen. And now they are. I’m so blessed!

If you could do anything for work, what would it be? What do you do now?

I tried my first Bikram yoga class this morning. Bikram yoga is a series of 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises performed in a room heated to 105* with 40% humidity, lasting approximately 90 minutes.

  Here are my thoughts, 100% candid.

- First thought, WIERD! The breathing exercise at the beginning lasted for a few minutes and made me feel super silly.

- Cleansing. The heat cleaned me out so much. I felt clean from the inside out and refreshed.

- Suffocating. At times I really had trouble breathing with all that heat.

- Contradicting. During power yoga sessions at my studio we’re always told to never compromise or hurt our back. This teacher literally told us we want our backs to hurt.

- Distracting. This studio was plain and the bright fluorescent lights shining down on me didn’t help me relax and get into the practice.

- Stretchy. The heat loosened my muscles so I was super flexible. It felt great to bend farther than I had ever before.

- Boring. I’m not sure if I could do the same practice each session.

- Intense. The heat combined with the poses definitely challenged me.

- Amazing. For the rest of the day I felt renewed and fresh. I noticed my skin was glowing too!

I think my thoughts are biased since I wasn’t a fan of this particular studio and teacher. I didn’t get a good feel from them, you know? Bikram might not be an addiction for me, but I’d definitely like to try more classes at other studios.

After yoga I joined the YMCA! I’ve realized I have to join a gym for access to a heated indoor pool. I’m excited to be able to swim more often! Today I swam 1,000 meters and biked 10 miles. I love exercise :)

My photos of today’s food are so repetitive- and for the good stuff I forgot my camera! David and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for pizza and Jeremiah’ s Italian Ice for dessert. Divine! Anyway, I did take a photo of my lunch: kale chips, sweet potato fries and one cup of garbanzo beans tossed with teryaki sauce and baked. Yummy!

Have you practiced Bikram? What are your thoughts on it?