When I first became a vegetarian, I was 10 years old. I was raised in a family of meat eaters (my sister has since become a vegetarian and my mom is mostly one), but I knew from early on that eating animals wasn't for me. I can remember so clearly sitting at my parents' kitchen table for dinner, poking at a pork chop looking at the veiny colors, picturing the pig running around at a farm, and not feeling right about eating him. I was probably 7 at the time. Once I went meat-free, I never went back. But I do remember feeling almost embarrassed if I was at a friends' house or a BBQ and had to tell people that I wouldn't be eating a hamburger. I think I mostly didn't want to draw attention to the fact that I was different, or be a pain in the ass to have over for dinner for that ... [Read More]
vegetarian diet
A Day in the Life: Workouts, Health Coaching, & Running Out of Groceries
Hey, hey! I haven't done a day in the life type of post in awhile, so today I'm sharing what one day last week looked like for me. I'm also joining in on Arman's What I Ate Wednesday party! The reality TV lover in me always finds this type of blog post interesting, but if it's not your cup of tea, tune back in on Friday or check out my pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe from earlier this week. Since I work from home and do a few different things for a living, my schedule can vary a lot. The day before this, I worked for 9 hours straight, then took a class at a fitness studio in the evening. The day after this, I went grocery shopping in the middle of the day, then was working at 9 pm... so the point is, I like to change it up and my schedule all depends on what work I'm ... [Read More]
WIAW + Heading South of the Border!
Happy Hump Day! We've made it through half of the work week, woohoo! I'm a bit antsy this week in anticipation of the holiday weekend. Why? Because I'm heading to Mexico for vacation! (source) This summer my hubby is turning 30, so I planned a surprise trip to celebrate the occasion. I had to tell him about it a few weeks ago, since he had to take days off of work. I decided to make a Mexican themed dinner - black bean enchiladas - and put some cute clues around hinting that we're taking a trip south of the border. It was fun and I enjoyed planning out a trip that A was clueless about. :) Now I'm just excited and very much looking forward to lots of relaxation + fun in the sun with A in Cabo San Lucas! Stay tuned for blog trip recaps, and follow me on Instagram to check out some ... [Read More]
The Best 20 Minutes Ever
This afternoon when I took Harley to a nearby park to get some of her energy out, a photo shoot ensued: She played fetch... Made a new friend... Rolled around like a maniac.. Quenched her thirst... Relaxed... And in typical Harley fashion, put on a sad face when she realized it was time to go... I'm fairly confident I'm not the only person who does this (and if I am... guess I'm just a nutty dog owner), but every time I take Harley for a walk or on an outing, I picture the things she'd be saying if she could talk: "This is AWESOME!" and "Best day EVER!" frequently pop into my head, because my dog gets crazy excited every. damn. time. Her enthusiasm really makes me laugh. Today was no different, and after her 20 minutes of afternoon playtime, as she kept looking ... [Read More]