Then Sean and I decided to go running at the SMC track.  I did this work-out for my Cardio Day: 

Wednesday- 20 min walk to run.  I started with a speed walk for 3 min then sped it up to a light jog for a min then up again to a full on jog for a min, then picked up the pace to a run for a min, then back to a walk. I repeated this 3 times then walked for a cool down for 5 min.  My HR hit an all time high of 209!!!! I couldn’t believe it!!!! I love this feeling of “I can do it!”

You can see more Here. I am pretty stoked on my Heart Rate!  After the run Sean and I hit up a new place (to us) called Mrs Winston’s Green Grocery. 

(pic taken from Quarry Girl)

It is known to be the “Best Salad Bar in LA!” And I must say I was impressed.  Lots of items you don’t find at the uge salad bar.  Like dandelion greens, purple basil, all kinds of sprouts and tofu curry…mmmmmm!  I didn’t end up getting a salad but I did pick up some of my fave Panda Licorice! This is the best Licorice because it has: 

“The unique Real taste of Licorice Premium quality, soft licorice All Natural ingredients. No added colours, No added salt, No artificial flavours, 99 % fat-free, No preservatives, Kosher certified, Suitable for vegan and vegetarian consumption!!! ” With Licorice either you love it, or hate it and I LOVE it!

Well I am off to cook up a dinner of Whole Wheat Pasta with Broccoli and Tomatos….Maybe some Chicken Sausage too. We will see

Love + 209 HR BABY!

Cassandra

I am so excited to say that I have reached a new chapter in my life…. a goal….a time for CHANGE!  Today was my first day of the Body For Life Challenge, created by Bill Phillips.  A 12 week program of fitness and meal planning.  I have done  many “diets” before, and never enjoy the Yo-Yo lifestyle I have find myself bouncing in.  Sadly, I am heavier than I have been in 2 years. The weight that came off was not acheived a healthy way.  Even if I thought I was doing it healthfully, I was surely not.  My body is strong under the excess blubber I have developed.  ( I thinbk:) ) 

So today I begin a real regimen that will jump-start the new me along with a New Year! A me that is accountable and true to myself!

Please stick around for the changes. I will post my before pics later on for more inspiration (now I can not bare to face them at all, let alone put them up on the www for all to see). 

Today was a good day for a good work-out. I was off work and my mind was in need of a “foggy clearing”, just what a hard work -out will do, clear the mind.  Check my Fitness Log page for more details on todays work-out.

Ok ladies…..START YOUR ENGINES……….

Love + 12 more weeks,

Cassandra

So what have I been eating lately??? Well my meals are a bit out of the ordinary, and I am enjoying more sweets than usual. My waistline is not appreciating it, but I say “fudge it”.  I will not succumb to the annual holiday body bashing tradition that I am so used to.  I have always indulged too much over the holiday’s and am finally sick of giving myself a hard time about it.  It only hurts my self-esteem.  So here’s to No Holiday Food Grief! 

I am leaving for Texas on Tuesday night. Sean and I are driving from Los Angeles!!! Apparently the 10 Freeway takes you all the way from our on-ramp by our house to the exit ramp at his Moms. 26 hours on the road…. CRAZY!

I will try to be a better blogger, and post some of my eats soon.

Love + Happy Holidays!

Cassandra

Today I wanted to tell you all a bit about my meal planning adventures.  Let me start by catching up. This past month has been full of food adventures. I have been eating DAIRY, and testing out some other products that I usually do not eat, like pasta.  I am in a bit of a “funk”, if you will, with school almost ending, finals are approaching.  My stress level is at an all time HIGH! I find that when I am stressed, or have any anxiety I turn to FOOD! I guess you could say I am an Emotional Eater.  I am trying to combat this habit and change my ways of eating and feelings about food.  I know that food will not solve my anxiety nor will worrying about it until my head hurts. So the best way to fix my over indulging is to Plan Meals. 

So last week I did just that. I shopped at Whole Foods for exactly what was on the menu for the week and nothing else.  Boy did this help!  Not only do I find that just having a meal in my head already for dinner saves me the anxiety of  the “what to have for dinner?” question, but also helps me stay healthy.

Here are some examples of meals I planned:

Monday- Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (TJ’s) topped with home-made tomato sauce, low-fat  mozzarella, broccoli, and red pepper flakes.

Wednesday- Root bake with beets, parsnips, fennel and onion. Salad with Romaine, red onion, black beans, avocado, tomato, cucumber, red bell peppers, with Annie’s Goddess dressing.

Friday- BBQ Tofu, yam fries, and steamed corn on the cobb.

You get the idea! I had a great time finding recipes to make the Sunday night before and loved going shopping with a list! Dinners are always better when I have a meal planned.  Sean and I get to really enjoy each others company at the table, eating at the same time and eating the same thing! We turn off the TV and TALK! I loved last week. This week was a bit difficult for me plan, no excuses…I just didn’t get to it. 

I now know I prefer to plan my meals during the hectic Holidays.  Or  anytime I am under Stress!!!!

Love + Happy Meal Planning,

Cassandra

With the Swine flu buzz, and the stress with school, lately I have been jam-packed and hanging on to sanity by a thread!  I have been struggling to get my school work and house work and work work all done and still have time to see my b/f (and we live together), my family and friends or blog and even to SLEEP!  The “Nervous Nelly’s” run in my family.  We are all challenged when it comes to not worrying too much over something.  So I know I need to pay close attention to my anxiety levels in times of stress.  So what’s my new plan of attack you ask?

Step 1:

Make sure to get plenty of sleep, 8 hours a night!

Step 2:

Drink 1 or more Green Smoothies or Juices a day.  I find this really great for my nervous snacking habits.  Because when I get stressed… I eat.  It also makes a wonderfully easy breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can also make a great drink to sip while I study.  I call them the study munchies.  And they always catch up with my waistline! This is a good alternative to eating my whole kitchen while reading my text books:)

Step 3:

Get some exercise everyday!  I always justify not working out on days I work at the restaurant.  There I am on my feet all day; serving tables and cleaning.  But in my heart I know that this is not significant exercise.  So I will add a bit of yoga, a walk or a trip to the gym. Daily exercise is really important!

Step 4:

Drink more water! I need to take this one seriously!! In Los Angeles (especially this time of year) is gets really dry.  This affects my allergies and skin.  I get the crusty boogies in my nose and get mini nose bleeds, and my hands are so dry they crack! So plenty of detoxifying water is on the agenda as well!!

Keep reading to see how the progress goes on my diet to de-stress!

Love + relaxing!

Cassandra

• Currently: 84°F Fair 91°F | 64°F is a joke! I mean it is FALL darn it!

So here I am in my skivies (oo la-la) writing a post so I don’t have to turn on the A/C in October!  I am also all sweaty from my lil’ afternoon yoga sesh.  You can find it here I am pretty sure I have seen this Video in the blogosphere before.  I only did 15 min, just to stretch and move, but I sure did break a sweat!

So let me fill ya’ll in on the last couple days:)

As you all know I went to see BOB DYLAN on Tuesday and I have been playing catch up from that night of pure bliss.  Before the concert Sean and I went to M Cafe for dinner!  I have blogged about this place in the past at The Plate Decorator.  It is one of my all time favorite restaurants!!!

The glorious M Cafe deli

I love the atmosphere; clean, warm, friendly, and full of yummy healthy eats!

How great is that?

I was hungry but I always over order here because I never can decide on what to get, the menu is huge, and it changes with the season.

Yes this is heaven...

This was the best on the menu if you ask me! Mashed chunky Kobucha squash with raisins and quinoa!!!!! It was so creamy and wonderful must try to create this at home.

cute and delish

We both had some sushi.  I had the Shiitake-Avocado Roll: sweet soy-glazed shiitake, avocado, cucumber & toasted sesame.  Sean had the Spicy Tuna Roll: chopped tuna, seven-spiced soy mayo, cucumber & avocado.  I love the variety of dishes they serve.

Sean's fave

He loves this Hummus & Falafel Wrap: roasted garlic hummus, mixed grain falafel, carrots, radish, cucumber, red onion, sprouts, lettuce, tahini-soy yogurt dressing in a whole wheat lavash.  It comes with your choice of one side, I forced suggested he get the Kale with Spicy Peanut Sauce. Mmmmmm…… I usually get sides and then a salad or sushi and can NEVER finish it all.  So we took what was left in a to go box for after the concert drunk munchies snacks.  Oh yea and we split this, but I ended up just having a few small sips of my half and Sean gladly finished the rest. 

very tasty though

What is with boys and beer???

The concert was AMAZING! I had a Jim Beam and Ginger Ale cocktail or two for squids and giggles, but all in good fun!

The next couple of days were jam-packed with school and work Story of my life….. But here are some of the eats I chowed down on:

Anderson's Vegetarian Pea Soup with homemade Veggie Pulp Flax Crackers

This is one of my fave soups.  I love Pea soup, Lentil soup, Veggie Chili anything warm and filled with creamy veggies (or beans).  My digestive  ”>sytem as of late has been saying NO to beans so I am steering clear for a little while- ya know lots of umm gas…embarassing to live with the one you love and be consumed by flatulence!  The crackers I adapted from Kristin’s recipe this is a really easy and fun recipe to play with.  I don’t have a Dehydrator or a heat lamp like Heabs, but I do have an oven that goes down to 170 degrees, so I make it work!  They take about 4 hours so just watch them, not the best for my gas bill but oh well:)

Green Smoothie

Here we have: Peachy Green Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1 grapefruit peeled
• 1 peach pitted
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• 4 dino kale leaves
• hand full of spinach
• hand full of ice
• 1 T maca
• 1 T mesquite
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 T Udo’s Oil 3,6,9 Blend
• little water to get things moving in my CRAPY blender:)

ready to slurp

Yummy! I always DOWN my smoothies and wish there was MORE to drink! I try to “chew” each sip, but they just taste SOOO GOOD! I really love this combo…you may think cilantro in a smoothie? But I urge you to try it! It is sooo refreshing and like a tropical storm in your mouth. I try not to add too much fruit, my skin doesn’t like the sugar, so cilantro really helps to add another dimension without the sugar. 

 I have also tried:

• Basil
• Mint
• Parsley

But I find cilantro to be my fave, most flavor for the amount of herb needed. 

Oat bran and Kamut flakes with Almond Breeze topped with Hemp seeds and Cocao Nibs

Raw Asparagus Tempeh Avocado Sandwich on Sprouted Ezekiel Bread

Teriyaki Tofu Salad with some added Veggies

 I got this salad from my restaurant and added a few more veggies to the lot.  Here is baby mixed greens, kale, asparagus, tomato, avocado, spinach, and a wonderful homemade Dill Pickle!!!! You can find the recipe here at Meghans blog. This was a crazy easy and FUN way to make your own pickles all natural and no sugar. Bonus.  They are absolutly delish, garlicky and super crunchy!!

oat bran in a jar

 This wonderful invention really hit my radar! I love the idea of not wasting any ANY nut butter, plus it is fun to eat out of. I brought this with my to school and had b-fast in the parking lot on a rainy day.  So sad the rain has gone.

 So enjoy the pics, I know I enjoyed eating everything! Have a lovely weekend! Mine is full of Birthday celebrations, my b-day isn’t until Monday but we are celebrating ALL weekend! Be back with the details soon:)

Love + good eats, Cassandra

This is a quick post to tell you about The Health Nut, Emily’s Mix My Granola Giveaway!!! The lovely people of Mix My Granola have generously offered a $10 gift certificate to one lucky reader.You can find the info here.

Have a lovely day, tonight is Bob Dylan for me so I will catch up later!

Love + granola, Cassandra

Farmers Market eats

On Sunday my BF, Sean, and I decided to venture to the Mar Vista Farmers Market.  It is usually too crowded for us to go on Sunday afternoon, but we were craving some fresh fruit. I have been trying to not eat too much fruit lately.

 I had some skin problems last time I went ALL RAW for about 2 weeks.  My acne was way outta control.  I always have a blemish or two, but on all raw my skin hated me!!! I blamed it on the toxins releasing through my skin, and the sugar in the fruit.  I was eating A LOT of fruit.  As soon as I stopped eating the fruit my skin started to clear up back to normal. 

 Now I don’t know about you, but I think EVERYONE deserves CLEAR skin!!!  

 A little skin history about me:

I went on Accutane at 13 years old.  Now, back then I had really really bad skin.  I had, and still sometimes do, what they call; Cystic Acne.  Which is very deep and very large under the skin type blemishes.  I also had “backne” and “chestne”, this means I broke out on my back, shoulders and chest… ewwwww!!!  That was the main reason I went on the prescription drug.  I was embarrassed to wear tank tops or short sleeves.  You could see the lil’ zits down my shoulders and arms, it was horrible.  It was hard enough being a teenager going through the greasy hair, mood swings and hormones, but to have backne on top of it all?  So my mom agreed to put me on the “wonder pill”.  My sister had the same skin problems and went on it a few years before me and saw AMAZING results.  

Of course, I have heard some terrible things about this drug and if I were to go back in time, I am not sure I would be so eager to take it.  But, at the time I all I wanted was clear skin.  Let me tell you, the side effects were pretty brutal.  Dry skin, chapped lips, dry itchy eyes, red skin….etc. But after a year of taking the pill my skin was CLEAR! 

Little did I know that it was only temporary.  A year later the acne came back, not as bad, and not on my back, thank god.  But I was very sad to see any blemish after a year of torture. 

Fast forward to my 20′s.  I still break out.  I find my diet is KEY to the amount of break outs I have.  I have naturally big pores, and combination skin, sometimes dry and sometimes oily.  Stress is a huge factor aswell.   Oh ya, Aunt Flow always washes in some red spots on my face too:) 

But can’t a girl dream of not having to wear cover up???? I went on a Detox 2 years ago. My Aunt wrote a book called The Ultimate Detox Diet.  Her name was Teri Kerr M.A, R.D, L.D she ran the vitamin and supplement company Pioneer.  She passed away in 2006, but views on healthy eating and her wonderfully free spirit lives on in me still.  The point being, on her Ultimate Detox diet my skin had never been clearer!!!! It was perfection, if I do say so myself.

Halloween '07

Yes, I was happy with my skin as Snow White on Halloween!  Not only was my skin clear but my weight was just right too!  So why did it get bad again???Why did I stop the diet?? I stopped the detox because it caused me to restrict my eating a bit too much.  When I started to eat more normally, that is when the zits started to pop back up.  I can not detox for life, ya know?

Now I break out if:

• I eat too much sugar
• I am really stressed
• I don’t get enough sleep
• I don’t drink enough water
• I don’t wash my face
• I breath…. J/K

It feels like I am always balancing my diet to secure my skin, and then I still get  a blemish!! Any tips for clear skin?  I feel like I have tried everything known to man!

 I have used:

• Proactiv Solution
• Over the counter creams
• prescription creams
• Accutane
• MSM
• Garlic
• Clay masks
• Tea Tree
• Facials
• Scrubs, Acids and toners!

I am desperate to have the glowing skin of a Raw Foodist.  Anyone know when that detox stage eventually passes in a Raw food diet?  Silly question I know the answer; everyone is different.   But I could not take the amount of stress the acne puts on me, it hurts, it’s ugly, I have lower self-esteem…etc. 

I am not sure what is next for me and my skin, only time will tell.  Meanwhile I am trying not to eat a lot of sugar, even natural sugar. But if I do, the only way to go is fresh from the Farmers Market.

***

More on “raw food adventures”… I drug brought Sean with me to a raw restaurant this Sunday. 

the menu

We went to Juliano’s Planet Raw.  It was crazy good! Juliano is a master chef of raw food gourmet cuisine. Sadly, Sean is allergic to almonds ( I know right??? SO  sad to be him!)  and most nuts, besides Peanuts.  I would DIE if I were him, no Almond Butter, no cashews or walnuts????  But he was a bad good sport and came with.  We had a very hard time trying to find anything on the menu not containing nuts.  I never noticed that EVERYTHING (practically) in a raw gourmet dish has a nut base.

Tortilla Soup

I started with the soup du jour, and it was FABULOUS! Spicy and WARM! The base was cashew so Sean couldn’t try it. It had a very creamy texture and it was thick and yummy with avocado pieces and cilantro floating in it!  Best “raw” soup I have ever had!  ( I haven’t had any others hehe).   

Cali Roll

For my main dish (fyi: I never have a starter and then a main dish, but there was sooo much I wanted to try) I had the Cali Roll, named I assume after the California Roll.  I really loved this dish! I am a HUGE sushi fan, so this was right up my ally!  It tasted exactly like sushi, but with a different crunchier texture.  So so good, made with a seed cheese, and filled with veggies and on the side was shredded cabbage with a honey mustard dressing….mmmm….

Isn't that plate gorge!

I was going to share, but I ate them all!!!

Avo Sandwich

This was Sean’s, and it was quite a delicious dish.  It had nuts, hidden in the “mayo”, so Sean couldn’t eat it, too bad.  I ate it later as a snack! It was Flax crackers with cashew mayo, avocado, greens, pickled sesame broccoli and some of the cabbage with honey mustard.  I just love the plating here, so colorful and appetizing!

While we were there, Juliano came out to say hi to his friends eating at the table behind us.  If I were a more established blogger I would have asked to take a pic with him, alas I am a Newbie! ( and not that brave).  But he seemed really nice, crazy hairdo, but that is besides the case.  Our waitress was sweet, she looked 12 and had a voice of a 30 yr old.  The atmosphere was cozy, smelled of patchouli and we could see the kitchen from our seats.  The patio is pleasant, kinda right there on the street though, corner of Broadway and 6th. 

 I would go back for sure, but prob not with Sean.  Too hard for him to eat there without having his throat close up!!!

Off to study Marketing, I have a BIG test on Wednesday and I won’t have time to study tomorrow.  I am going to see…. DRUMROLL…..

********BOB DYLAN in concert tomorrow!!!!!********

So I may not get a chance to post tomorrow, but I will be back with the scoop later:)

Love + Raw food, Cassandra

get out the cutting board and a BIG knife

slice off the tip

cut away husk to reveal the 3 lines

carefully find a soft spot with your knife and hack in

slice round in a circle

 

pop the top open

mmmm, look at all the water!

grab a jar and a funnel

nice amount for like 1/2 the price

scrape out the flesh with a spoon

 

the fleshy goodness

lovely jar of coconut (flesh)

I buy my Young Coconuts anywhere I see them under $2.00 each.  They are not usually organic that way, but my budget does not allow me to always buy organic.  Hiss, boo I know.  I can usually find the young variety on sale this time of year, not sure why because they are a year round fruit, at places like Ralph’s, Albertsons and sometimes WF has a sale! I have heard that Asian markets have them too, but at mine they are not a great deal cheaper.  I love Love LOVE coconut water! So refreshing, and so good for you. I use the flesh to make a pudding or just eat it right then and there.  This particular c-nut had very slippery thin flesh.  Sometimes you really hit the jack pot and get one with thick and almost crunchy flesh.  Thats how I like it!  Coconuts are one of the highest sources of electrolytes known to man.  So grab your knife and get a hakin’!!! You will thank me later:)

Love + coconuts, Cassandra

How is your weekend so far? I have lot’s of eats to show ya’ll from mine!!  Best of all I got my camera back Friday I had my Japanese class, so much fun.  I am half Japanese and half…well…white.  I really like getting in touch with my heritage. Before class I decided to try something different for breakfast.

 

yummy tea to warm my tummy

Usually I have coffee in the morning, but I am sticking to cutting back on my caffeine intake, so if I don’t ABSOLUTLY NEED coffee, I will opt for tea instead.  This tea was not even caffeinated!!! I love this brand and the flavor of the Good Hope Vanilla is to DIE for! 

The morning mix-ins

 

After it hit the Bullet

I have been trying all sorts of NEW GRAINS for breakfast.  I am curious to see which ones hold be the best, taste the best, chew the best and mostly DIGEST the best (to me of course, everyone is different).  Friday I made Whole Gain Amaranth!!! I have been cooking my oats and other morning grains the same way as Meghan from Making Love in the Kitchen, you can find the recipe here.  Basically you soak the grain, I do it overnight, then drain, rinse and cook them on the stove top like rice.  So far I have tried:

• Whole Grain Amaranth
• Whole Wheat Quinoa
• Millet
• Steel Cut Oats
• Oat Groats
• Rolled Oats
• Oat Bran-my all time fave
• Whole Rye Berries
• Bulgar Wheat

I LOVE them all!  I really like the Millet and the Bulgar Wheat, totally different textures than the oats. Millet has a sweet corn flavor to me which reminds me of eating Cornbread with honey!!! The Bulgar Wheat is nice and fluffy!! I will be making these all again for more comparison.  After all a REAL scientific experiment is tested time and time again to get the same results! Hehe…

Let’s get to know Amaranth!

Amaranth has been around for 8,000 years and was a staple food of the Aztecs.  It came to the US in the 1970′s.  Today the grain is found in health food stores and can be used to extract Amaranth oil.

Nutrition Facts for 1/4 cup: 

• 180 cal
• 3 g fat
• 1 g sugar
• 7 g protein
• 7 g fiber

In the pot

I simmered my grains with 1 T of Coconut Oil so it wouldn’t stick. 

Ready to eat!

Spoon out grain into bowl on top of ground mix-ins.  Top with 1 banana and some Raw Cocoa Nibs!!! So good! The Amaranth has a bit of a crunchy texture, even though I cooked it for 25 min… like Rice Crispies! All the while, the oil and water turn it kind of gooey, very tasty.  I think I splashed a bit of Almond Breeze in the pot before I spooned it out and served it…to myself

Lunch on days I have class is usually eaten in my car.  Confession: I like listening to KPFK and munching on my packed lunch right there in the parking lot. 

Ezekiel sprouted bread with humus + 1/2 an Avo and raw broccoli and carrots

I usually do not have a dessert after lunch, but I had some very tempting Medjool Dates in the fridge. I packed 2 like this little gem with Almond Butter:

Natures Candy

After lunch I headed to one of my FAV stores, The Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy, I LOVE this place.  I remember going there as a kid with my mama to get remedies.  I haven’t been there in some time and it smells exactly the same! And look what I got!

Free tote and samples!

It was their stores anniversary and I guess I spent enough moolah to get the gift with purchase! Heres the loot:

Smoothie add-ins

I went to the Co-Op (best health food store, far surpasses WF) to get myself a B-Day gift!!! My birthday is not until the 19th but I really wanted it!

Yeah! What better to compliment David Wolfe but some Kombuchaaa.

This book is amazing so far!! All the great information about Goji, Cocoa, and much more! After shopping, my wallet empty and feet tired…I went home to try the new goodies and made myself a green smoothie.  I love adding as much GREEN to my smoothies.  I usually can not taste the green if  I add enough!  I love the basic with spinach, banana and Almond Breeze.  But I feel I can handle the more powerful greens now, so I am “upping” them all the time.  Perfect fuel for work!

Ooohh la la

The Superfood Trilogy

All in the pool

Best For You Green Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 2 cups spinach
• handful of Ice
• 1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 T UDO’s Oil 3,6,9 blend
• 1 T Dr. Schulze’s Super Food Plus
• ½ T Maca powder
• ½ T Mesquite powder
• ½-1 T raw cocoa powder
• Pinch or 2 of stevia

Blend all ingredients except the maca, mesquite and cocoa, on high until smooth. Then add powders and blend on low until mixed in. Enjoy all the vitamins and minerals in this cool, filling and sweet smoothie

ready to drink!

 Catch up with Saturdays eats and adventures a bit later!

Love + greens, Cassandra