Spring has Sprung!

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Your horoscope for March 19, 2012

You should be feeling especially confident today, meg. You have been working especially hard lately, and the recognition you have received goes a long way to reinforce your feelings of self-worth. Your life goals suddenly seem more attainable and you pursue them with renewed vigor. Your confidence is grounded in reality. You will surely succeed

WOW! Life has been just non-stop since my return from my Florida vacation; so crazy busy that I have barely had a breath to myself, and obviously not a moment to sit down and really write out my thoughts in this here blog!  My apologies for being absent. 

Well, the biggest news is that I am super excited to have finally started my Culinary Nutrition Course with Meg Telpner!  I am 3 classes and 2.5 assignments in, and totally vibing on it thus far!  Meg is a superb teacher, entertaining speaker, and obviously an outstanding talent in the kitchen.  I so look forward to my Monday and Wednesday night meals at her loft-style cooking academy, and also having the chance to hang out for a few hours with a group of vibrantly sweet and health conscious individuals just like me.  The in-class time is invaluable to say the least, but I do think that I am going to learn vastly more than I ever expected through the well thought out homework plan that Meghan has devised.  Over the course of the next 12 weeks, we will be phasing through 2 writing projects/week, each one building on the last. We will look at everything from our own food "philosophy", to where the professional nutrition market is headed, cover all the cooking basics, and eventually will design full meal plans including all our own recipes.  The "at-home" commitment is also extensive, with much required cooking, reading and documentary screening to complete, BUT it's so all good; for once in my life, my "schoolwork" is FUN-work!

 

After just the first week of "schooling" I was already fully inspired.  I did a huge re-vamp of my grocery list, and made a few big shops at Whole Foods and my local health food shop to stock up on a few of the staples needed for my new creative cuisine.  I have tossed out my usual rice cake and nut butter breakie, in favour of a new "green smoothie" AM routine.  Armed with my shiny new high powered blender (one day I hope to be able to afford a precious Vitamix!), I have been mixing up yummy protein shakes each day to bring to work and power me through my long morning in studio.  I have tried quite a few combinations, and this morning was one of my faves, by far.  Packed with protein and savoury sweetness, this is what I included:

- 2 Tbsp Nut Butter

- 1 medium apple

- 1 cup kale

- 1.5 Tbsp. Chia

- 1 scoop chocolate vegan protein powder

- ¾ C. almond milk

- 1 scoop greens powder

- 3 dried dates

- Water to thin

Another way to get bliss from a blender? 

- 1 scoop SunWarrior raw vegan chocolate protein powder

- 1 scoop GreenSuperfood

- 1 capsule Maca root
- 1/2 avocado (silky smoothness!)

- 1 Tbsp. goji berries

- 1/2 C. frozen fruit of your choice

- Handful kale, spinach or other leafy green

- Almond milk to liquefy

...cuteness pause...

Chef David Rocco hits the Global Morning Shaw's Bloor street studios....so dreamy.

Between my course, work schedule, and keeping life interesting and fulfilling with friends and fun-having, gym time has been at a minimum. In order to keep feeling strong and powerful, I know I need to keep up with my training, and if I plan to run a 10K this Spring, I need to keep on my feet too!  A couple of weeks ago I implemented a new regime, and am now up at 3:30am for a run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.  I am still loving my BootyCamp DVD set (there are so many vids to choose from that I haven't gotten even slightly bored yet!) and this past weekend I also invested a tad of money in some more home-gym gear and am now also adding in a few simple dumbbell routines in the comfort of my own living room as well. 

Oh - and in 2 days, I am finally off to audition to be a part of the next BootyCamp DVD - stay tuned for more on that; even if I don't get selected, I am sure the process will be fun, and yet another notch on my belt of building more and more self confidence!

Well, as my horoscope for this past Monday predicts (see top of post), I think things are really finally starting to fall in to place.  I have a couple of other neat-o things in the works, but I am going to keep those under wraps until I have more details to divulge.  For now, I am feeling confident, positive and determined, and believe that the universe is backing me in my plans for change.  I am not sure how much of this "high" I am feeling is simply from my new green smoothie habit, or how much is simply a result of life really flowing....but either way, I am stoked.  I am feeling a shift, and it feels good.

Oh!  I almost forgot - Happy 1st day of Spring everyone!!