My wonderful readers and friends!

I am still here, I just needed a huge break from blogging my dear friends :) I felt a little burnt out on ideas, recipes, etc... I was starting to feel like I wasn't having as much fun blogging as I had in the past, less inspired and motivated. After a nice break I am feeling so much better and I'm actually going to be putting my efforts towards this blog and another! Here is my other blog, which is dedicated to my fitness goals. At the moment I'm trying out Jillian Michael's 90 day Body revolution. I'm on day 6, so feel free to follow me as I work my butt off to try to get into better shape :) Even though I lost 44-50lbs eating clean, whole foods I still have a bit of weight I want to lose to get into a healthy, happy range. I really like structured workouts, where I know I have to set aside 30mins-1 hour to workout a day :)




We went to Saltspring Island recently where we met some wonderful organic farmers, and veggie lovers at the farmer's market. The market had only been open for it's 2nd Saturday and it was packed! For such a small island they really give local markets a run for their money! The talent, the products, the food and entertainers are amazing!!!


See for yourself, thought I'd share a few photos :)

Awesome entertainer! He did a lot of balancing with spinning bowls, at one point I think he had 8 of them going and he was hanging on to each of them. He balanced one on a tip of an umbrella! Very cool entertainer :)

Here are some sprouted peanuts that I bought from a lovely young couple. They also sold mushrooms, sprouts and rice paper sprout wraps. Their products were amazing and decently priced. The peanuts were such a different texture to regular store bought nuts that we are all used too. Moist, soft, yet crunchy with a much milder flavour. We shared this with friends :)

MMMM my lunch and goodies to take home. I had that really yummy rice paper sprout wrap with a fresh squeezed orange dip vinegrette :) My spicy sprouts are also shown in this pic! I gobbled those up when I got home mostly on salads :)

*sighs* Isn't the harbor gorgeous...loved eating lunch there. Live music playing in the background, the sun's warmth on my skin and the ocean...beautiful day!

My belated birthday and staying committed!

Last year for my birthday my family surprised me with "Maggie's Swirly Tart"and how could I not ask for it again! It's beautiful, delicious and for a cake it's pretty darn healthy to eat :)

I think last year's edition was a bit fancier in design, but in terms of flavor both were amazing. After serving it out, I had to take a pic. It turned out to be a really messy shot though, so you get the pretty before pic. All I can say is yum and thank you everyone who celebrated with me!

I turned 29 this year! I can't believe it, I only have one year left till I hit 30! Some of you may know that I want to reach my goal weight by the time I hit 30, which I believe is possible. In total I have lost 48lbs since December and I want to lose another 30lbs by my 30th.

Yesterday I started a new/old fitness challenge, Jillian's 30 day shred. I really love this workout program, it's tough, challenging and short! I have no excuses to not fit it into my day :) I seem to have commitment issues when it comes to workout programs. I have yet to complete a 60 day or 90 day program, but give me a 30 day and I can bust it out. I think this has something to do with being able to envision the finish line easily, knowing that it will end and I will be able to start something fun and new.

It does pay to learn what workouts keep you motivated during your weight loss journey, that way you can focus on staying committed. For example, a lot of people I know have to join a gym and allot a certain time of the day to working out. There are many examples of this, just find what works well for you :)

+Short workout programs (3 weeks-30 days): A lot of programs are set up this way, look up a favorite trainer or favorite exercise and you should find something.

+Long workout programs (60 day to 90 days): I don't know a lot of programs that are this long other than P90X, Insanity and Turbo Jam or Turbo Fire.

+Game console workout programs: There are tons of workout programs and activities on different game consoles. Most are really well done and get you sweating. Plus I always feel like I'm playing a game more than working out. I always do some online research about the workout/game before purchasing.

+Free Internet workouts: YouTube has a ton of exercise videos posted, bodyrock.tv is another great site that posts workout routines for free.

+Gym routines: Join a gym and get into a routine where you stay committed to it for an hour a day. Before work, after work, before the kids go to school, after your partner gets home from work?

+Local community activities: More than likely your community will have some sort of active program happening. A hiking group, running group, fitness challenge, boxing group. Often you can find these advertised at local gyms, community centers, community track. Just watch prices they can range from free to a few dollars to the hundreds.

+Find a workout buddy: Sometimes it really pays off to recruit a friend into working out with you. That way you can challenge, teach and support each other during workouts. It can have drawbacks though, you should really find someone who is just as committed as you.

+Buy your own equipment: This doesn't have to be expensive either. A few weights, a yoga mat, some boxing gloves, the list goes on...

+Get outside: This can be weather permitting but, start running, biking, hiking, walking the track...the list goes on :)

Those are just a few of the ideas I have been using to keep my workouts interesting and fun. One month I'll commit to a short workout program and if weather permits I'll also run. Another month I'll join a local ladies swim class and walk the track. I hope these examples will help you because they sure have helped me stay motivated :)

On to my funny Popeye find...

We are harvesting a lot of spinach from our garden, which I love! Every morning I'm out their picking my daily smoothie, juice and/or salad base. Anyways, I saw this shirt the other day with a picture of Popeye flexing his muscles that said "I eat spinach, not drugs!" If it had been a girl's tee I would have bought it on the spot and worn it while working out! Too funny!

Maggie's Weight Loss Vlog #1

Here is my very first vlog, it was super fun to make, so feel free to giggle and laugh along with me. The run down of this week's vlog episode:

-An introduction to me
-The purpose of the vlog
-My weight and my weight loss history
-Before and after pictures of my progress thus far
-A brief mention of my workouts
-And of course the "Tip of the day!"

Hopefully this video plays well for everyone, it's uploaded through Youtube so it should work well. Next episode I plan to address what I eat, more detail on workouts, plus some other fun stuff :)

Enjoy!

My vlog idea...

Me! Right before my week 2 Day 5 of the Couch to 5km running program :)

I have been so focused on my health lately that I've been absent in terms of writing in here. I've been thinking about adding some video to this blog. I thought it would be pretty fun to do a few 4 minute videos of my everyday health and weight loss journey. I would love to look back at the videos to see how far I have come, but most importantly I want it to help others in similar situations. I know watching other health and weight loss vlogs I've been able to relate, be inspired and encouraged by their hardwork and changes :)

I'm pretty sure i'm going to try it out, see how it goes..might be fun and it would let me focus on both food, recipes, exercise, health, and weight loss :)

What do you think?

Welcoming Fall...

Last post in August, which means it's September and that means fall is around the corner in my part of the world. I guess I always associated September with the fall season because of school. School means summer is over. The equation September + school = fall season! I don't know about you but I LOVE fall. It has so many wonderful aspects to it. I can't wait the 20 or so days till fall is technically here so I'm making a post today.

To me fall represents a time of change...as spring to most represents a time of re-birth. In fall we see changes from leaves changing color to the weather becoming colder/rainier. I also see warm sweaters to cozy up in and tea to sip on.Then there are the pumpkins to adore...and the gourds in all their shapes and sizes.Who can forget the fall harvest...including cranberries...yum!We are lucky enough to have a Cranberry Farm in our area. I checked it out a couple weeks ago after blueberry picking. They had the most delicious cranberries I have ever tasted! I am going to buy some of there fresh cranberries once they are harvested this September. I am so excited!

Speaking of fall harvests, our garden is starting to grow, grow, grow! And check out the cold frame my hubby built. He designed it this way so that our vegetables could grow taller with the cold frame still on, plus it opens and closes really easily. The only problem we had today was a little bit of rain water pooling on one side. I caught it before anything happened.





My garden has changed incredibly in a matter of a couple weeks. It's amazing how fast these little one's can grow. They have doubled there size since I planted them! In the front of this picture is broccoli, to the left is kale and in the very back is butter and romaine lettuce. I still have to plant my spinach. I need to get on that!

Change is really hard for lots of people including myself. I'm not a huge fan although I don't mind small changes here and there. It's when a bunch of things change all at once that can make it hard to deal with. Maybe that is why squash, gourds and pumpkins are all at their peak that time of the year. Comfort food, hello :)

This September will be a bit of a change for our family, because my guy is going back to school. Just to finish up a few classes and then he graduates with his degree. He hasn't been in school for a few years now, so this will be a huge adjustment for him. As for myself and my little one it will be an adjustment too, meaning we won't see him as much and also having to give him quiet time to do homework. I think this change will be good for us. My guy will be able to complete something he has been wanting to for a long time and we can move forward in our lives together.

Now go enjoy the last 20 days of summer and ask yourself what changes are happening in your life this Fall season?

Food for Thought

Food is fundamental part of our life and for most of us food is about pleasure, happiness, comfort, excitement, fun and fundamentally speaking survival. Food is also involved in our friendships, love and social interactions. I’ve been thinking recently about the food I eat and my state of happiness. I say state of happiness because I believe it is on a continuum or metaphorically speaking a roller coaster. I have ups and downs to my happiness and sometimes the ride stops all together and I get on the sad train. For me the sad train is also known as the SAD (Standard American Diet) train. I have definitely seen a correlation to my happiness when I’m eating high amounts of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits and grain. My body feels healthy; my digestion is routine and painless. My state of mind is happy, my moods are enhanced and I feel good about being in my body. I can go for a long time without feelings of sadness, frustration, self-loathing or doubt. It’s usually when something effects my environment in a certain way that I find myself feeling upset. When I find myself eating foods that are processed within the day I am feeling tired, sluggish, and soon enough unhappy. Unhappy with how my body feels, unhappy with the pain in my joints and organs, and unhappy that I feel miserable.
From theses experiences, I believe the foods I eat give me short term or long term happiness. Short term happiness is usually from foods that release sugar in to the blood stream quickly meaning candy, fast food, foods laced with preservatives, soda, bottled juices, etc... Long term happiness comes from eating foods that are grown from the earth and sun meaning vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc...I’ve realized that I need to consume the best quality foods to have the best quality days. Since our bodies are in a continual state of repair as we age, we need the best possible energy to aid this process. The food we eat and the environment we live in are both essential in giving our bodies energy. Since I’m the owner and caretaker of my body I am going to without a doubt try to provide myself with foods that aid in replenishing and repairing my body.

Do certain foods make you happy? Have you seen a difference in the way your body and mind feel when you eat certain foods?

Here are some funny food quotes I’d thought I’d share:

High-tech tomatoes. Mysterious milk. Supersquash. Are we supposed to eat this stuff? Or is it going to eat us? ~Annita Manning

Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people. ~Elizabeth Berry

Plant a radish, get a radish, never any doubt. That's why I love vegetables, you know what they're about! ~Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

Motivation and Inspiration!

(Me and my lil guy on his 3rd birthday, June 12th 2010)

What happened to the month of May? It seemed to be the shortest month so far this year in terms of me keeping busy. One of our very best friends came to visit for a couple weeks in May, which was so much fun. We wish he lived closer, so we could go on many more adventures together! I just looked at the calendar and now we are half way through June?!

Unfortunately, being to busy and having too much fun led to me becoming sick. I ended up with strep throat, which I seem to be extremely susceptible to catching. I'm still not 100%, but I feel inspired and motivated today. After being sick for so long you begin to forget what it is like to feel healthy and happy. Today I started to making a mental list of everyday things that inspire and motivate me. These things make me feel good to be alive and healthy!

Here are a few...

~Catching up on the raw community blogs I follow.
~Taking a walk in the summer sun! Love that vitamin D :)
~Giving my lil guy hugs and kisses.
~Making a raw food dish, whether it be a new recipe or a ole' reliable one!
~The feeling of accomplishment after cleaning the house. This may sound pathetic, but really how often have you felt a small twinge of happiness after the dishes were put away, laundry was done or your room was cleaned?! I just like celebrating that it's done and I can move on to other things!
~Talking on the phone with a good friend.

If at any point today you are feeling overwhelmed, nervous, angry, sad or just wanting to give up, then make a mental list of everyday things you can count on to bring you to your happy place. Oh yeah, and then go do them!

Stay happy and healthy!
~Maggie