I’d Like You to Meet the New [Insert your name here] Kimberly!

9 Apr

Once in a while I make a new friend online who changes me in a good way.  One such friend is Tera Warner–although, it’s sort of a one-way friendship.  If you asked Tera about me, she would likely say, “Kimberly who?”  You see, Tera doesn’t realize how much I look forward to her daily e-mails, or how her bubbly personality brightens up my day, or the impact her W.I.S.H program has had on my life.

Tera is also known as the Green Smoothie Queen, but don’t let the name fool you, she is ever so much more than a green-slurping goddess!  She is currently in the midst of her annual WISH Summit (Women’s International Summit for Health.)  This amazing program includes 40 days and nights of wisdom for women in areas such as attitude, wisdom, sensuality, health, beauty, fitness, balance, relationships, and food.  You can visit the WISH Summit website to access and download all of the calls.  They are always free and always amazing!!

wish logo

Tera is a busy girl.  Along with the Wish Summit she runs the Raw Mom Club community, FREE 3-day green smoothie challenges, and her latest masterpiece, The Body Enlightenment program which takes five key areas of life for women (beauty, personal organization, attitude, food, and fitness) and proves without a shadow of a doubt that you cannot get skinny while you feel fat!

To give you a feel for Tera and the work that she does, I’m including the latest email I received from her:

Hey there, Gorgeous!

I’d like you to meet the *other* Kimberly [insert your name here.]

The one who wakes up feeling like a movie star every morning!

She hums positive affirmations to herself every morning before she even gets out of bed.

She lies there and imagines all the amazing things that will happen to her that day before lets her feet hit the floor.

She loves her life!

She loves her relationships!

She starts her day with a tall glass of fresh water and a brisk jog around the block, or a swim, or some dancing about in her living room.

When she finally comes to get ready for the day she looks in the mirror and thinks,

“Gorgeous!!!”
“You, Kimberly, are absolutely spectacular!”

“I just loooove everything about you–from your thighs to your lips to your voluptuous hips!”

“You are a phenomenal phenomenon of beauty and light and love!”

She loves the way she looks.

She loves the way she feels.

She feels connected to life and people around her.

She truly is living the very best life she could imagine for herself and feels like she’s getting younger no matter what the calendar says.

Every day she wakes up with a commitment to love herself and treat herself well with fresh food, deep sleep and fulfilling relationships.

*deeep breath*

That’s some kinda superstar, huh?

On the off chance that you don’t already feel that way, Kimberly, I’d like to reassure you that this is the you’ll meet on the other side of your “Yes!”

“Yes!” to clean water and fresh food.
“Yes!” to good exercise and an even better night’s sleep.
“Yes!” to the people and circumstances that lift you up.
“Yes!” to life and to loving yourself AS YOU ARE!

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Coconut Chocolate Pudding

15 Mar

Mmmm….what could be better than coconut and chocolate?  This smooth creamy combination is so yummy!  If you don’t like a strong coconut flavor, leave out the coconut extract.   Enjoy!

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

3 T. agave nectar (Can substitute real maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of choice.)

Pinch of salt

3 T. cocoa powder

4 T. cornstarch

1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. coconut extract (optional)

Combine cocoa powder and cornstarch in small bowl with a fork.  Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and stir until smooth.  Pour remaining coconut milk into saucepan with agave and salt.  Bring to a simmer then add cocoa powder mixture while stirring constantly.  While stirring, cook on medium-low until thick.  Remove from heat and add vanilla, chocolate chips, and coconut extract.  Put in refrigerator until cool.

Recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen.

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Success is a Mindset

13 Mar

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert Collier

I’ve had a difficult week.  I’m trying so hard to eat right.  I constantly read about nutrition and weight-loss, but it’s possible I’m suffering from information overload.  I’ve talked before about how I struggle with perfectionism, and it’s taking a toll on my psyche.  I’ve been using the Lose It app to track my calorie count, macro-nutrient grams, exercise, and more.  It takes a lot of time and planning, but keeps me accountable to myself — maybe a little too accountable.  I think because of my personality, rather than using it as a helpful tool, I’m taking it to the extreme.

I’ve decided to back off for a while.  I still plan on using all the knowledge I’ve gained and apply it to my food choices, I’m just not going to meticulously keep track of it.  I don’t know how this is going to affect my weight loss, but I feel like it’s something I have to try.

After all, I’m not creating a diet, I’m creating a lifestyle.  The word “diet” implies something temporary, but I know the changes I’m implementing are going to be lifelong changes.  I don’t know about you, but I want to start living my life TODAY!  As I was thinking about this, I realized that every time I make a choice to love my body by feeding it nutritious foods, I am already a success.

I still have 100 pounds to lose, but I’m not going to wait until I reach that goal to be successful.  Each little choice I make is a small success.  Every time I pick myself up after I fall, I can brush myself off and know that one little mistake doesn’t undo weeks of good choices. I have enough knowledge to be sure that good things are happening inside my body even if there isn’t much evidence on the outside yet.

I’m trying to remember that this whole journey is a transition from who I was to who I want to be, but in the meantime, I am determined to love myself exactly where I am.  I know there will be a bunch of small steps, changes, and new habits along the way.  Some days are super easy and some days I fall flat on my face and feel like I’m much closer to the person I was than the one I want to be.   I just have to remember that each good choice I make gets me one step closer to the person I know that I truly am.

Success truly is a mindset.  Acknowledge each step along the path, live your life today, and never forget that you are intrinsically special just because you’re you!

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Brussels Sprouts to Die For

28 Feb

I don’t know why so many people hate brussels sprouts, they are one of my favorite veggies!  If you don’t think you like them, try this recipe.  Seriously–it includes bacon and apple cider vinegar which glazes all the yumminess!

The recipe is originally from Tastebook, courtesy of Matt Wood.

Photo Courtesy of Serious Eats

Ingredients

  •  3 C brussels sprouts
  •  1/2 C chopped onion
  •  1/4 C chopped pecans
  •  2 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
  •  1 Tbsp olive oil
  •  2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions

Cut the stem ends off of the brussels sprouts, then quarter them lengthwise. In a large skillet, sauté the brussels sprouts, onion, and bacon in the olive oil. Cook until the bacon is done and the onion soft, around 10 minutes. Add the pecans and the apple cider vinegar, and sauté for around two minutes more; the vinegar should have formed a glaze. Serve warm.

Yummy! Yummy!  Let me know what you think.

 

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Grain-free Sesame Seed Crackers

21 Feb

I have a couple friends who have recently lost weight–a lot of it (Go Tristi and Autumn!)  Among their arsenal of tools, they have both eliminated grains from their diets.   

I’m not sure yet how I feel about completely eliminating grains, but I’m certainly willing to reduce them and see if there is an improvement in my weight loss and how I feel.

This recipe is my first attempt at making grain-free crackers.  And, amazingly, they turned out quite well!  They include nothing but seeds and crackers.  And best of all, they are sturdy enough for dipping without falling apart.  This recipe is a variation from one I found at Mark’s Daily Apple, which, by the way is a very cool website about the Paleo Diet.

They are yummy with chicken salad made with cooked chicken breast, plain greek yogurt, a little mustard, some dill or other spices, and whatever veggies you have on hand.  I used celery and green onions.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 cup raw sesame seeds

About 1/4 cup water

Optional:  1 Tablespoon of any other seeds you want to add such as chia, hemp, flax, etc.  (I used all 3 of these in the cracker pictured.)

Optional:  Salt, pepper, herbs, or spices of your choice

Directions:

In a food processor, blend the sunflower seeds for 2-3 minutes for the seeds to break down into a flour-like consistency, although it will be coarser and heavier.  Add the sesame seeds and any other seeds you wish to add.  Pulse a couple times, then slowly add water until a thick paste forms that can be rolled out.  Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the paste as thin as you can.  (Mine filled a large cookie sheet.)  Remove the upper piece of parchment paper.  Lightly score the batter into squares with a sharp knife.  Sprinkle with salt/pepper, herbs, and spices if you like.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes.  The outside edges will brown first, so watch carefully.  Allow the crackers to cool, then break apart on the scored lines.

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