Amidst the chaos that is unfolding here today (my mother is moving INTO our house while we're in Vancouver and we are moving OUT of our place tomorrow), I needed some serenity so I have turned to my blog! I would be out running but Noah is napping and Dan is helping my mom move so this is my at-home-therapy (my workout dvds are all packed away too)!
Summer has always been a season where my body has craved lighter fare and I have eaten amazing local produce! This year is no exception but with a little exception! I have been eating divine local and organic produce, picking fresh berries and vegetables with Noah and having so much fun in the sun with my family. But we have also spent a month traveling and visiting family in Winnipeg, gone to Tofino and Vancouver and are planning a big move! So there has been lots of change and unusual stresses.
Two weeks ago I began to feel extremely overwhelmed and stressed and it was an awful feeling. I couldn't pin-point it exactly but I was definitely not feeling my usual, perky, positive, outgoing self! It's the worst feeling really when you live and breathe a healthy way of life and then still have downs that can be quite draining! I have a tendency to get overwhelmed because I am full of big ambitions and big dreams and I am HUMAN! What can I say?!! When I stress a little, I end up stressing a lot! My poor husband! While running, I realized that even though I was eating a vegan lifestyle and exercising regularly, my body was missing something that it needed. I eat pretty clean but I had not been eating as clean as usual and I was visiting Starbucks way too much! I had a great talk with my hubby and then we both just took a step back and started from scratch!!! Sometimes that's what you need to do!
I started steaming greens for breakfast (I had been in the habit of eating fresh berries with granola), and just eating more homemade and 'convenient'...just because you are vegan doesn't mean you always make the healthiest and best food choices!!!
Within just one day of tightening up my diet, I immediately felt like ME again! I suddenly had more energy and felt much more positive and happy :)
I just thought that I would share with you the power breakfast that made me feel on top of the world and one that I have turned too numerous times! I always cook a big batch of quinoa since everyone in my family loves eating it! So I already had some in the fridge which I re-heated. I then took some local zucchini, broccoli, green beans and kale and steamed it all up! While those were steaming, I dry-toasted some sunflower seeds with a couple of drops of shoyu sauce. I sprinkled the toasted sunflower seeds over my greens and quinoa and voila! Sunflower seeds can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week once toasted!!!
For lunch I used my food processor to shred some carrots, beets and zucchini and then I put a wrap together with the above ingredients, quinoa, lentil hummus, toasted sunflower seeds, cucumber and tofu! It was amazing! Even if you take a few steps away from your clean-eating, all it takes is one step back and you fall in love again and realize that it's just the best way to live!!!
I still have been enjoying fresh picked berries but just realized that I don't need to add granola all the time! When something comes from a box, it has been processed and isn't necessarily the healthiest form for your body! I LOVE granola so much (specifically Nature's Path - Hemp Plus Granola), but I am excited to try and make my own and also to step back and not have it ALL the time!!!
I recently had my blood taken and found that my iron levels are low once again so I have decided that once we are settled into Vancouver tomorrow, I am going to eat strictly as a 'superhero' (as Alicia Silverstone describes this particular lifestyle), for one month and I will blog about any changes that I've noticed and also see how my iron levels are at the end of that month!!! I eat very clean but I also treat myself with maple sugar (in cookies for example), granola, and Starbucks but I am going to eliminate all processed goods and sugar just to see how affected my body was by this 'drug' aka sugar!!!
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