Well I added wheat and soy to my list of things I don't eat anymore. Turns out I'm allergic - who knew? It's been two weeks now since I cut them out and I'm feeling great! Luckily Seattle has tons of good gluten free options so it's easy to do here. My body is loving me - after a month of no sugar or alcohol and two weeks of no wheat or soy, I've lost 7 pounds! I have just over a week before I go to yoga teacher training so I'm excited that I'll be feeling my best when I get there.
I also found out I was deficient in vitamin B12 which wasn't surprising since a lot of vegans have low B12. What I discovered though is that B12 supplements can be made from two different sources: methylcobalamin or cyanocobalamin. From the research I did online (which of course is always reliable), I found that apparently the cyano- version has a small amount of cyanide. huh??? Um, none for me thanks. I'll take the methyl- version which is more bio-available for your body to use. My naturopath also mentioned that the B12 pills aren't digested well so she recommends taking drops instead. So there you go...more info than you probably need or want, but now you have it :)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
no Labor, all play
Three day weekends are the best! That one extra day makes such a difference to have time both for activities and relaxing. Labor Day weekend is always bitter sweet as summer starts turning into fall, so we made the most of being outside. Friday we went to a BBQ at Marc's classmate's house. Marc is half way through his MBA program at the UW and his small group (of 5 people) is changing for the second half of the program. His group got together to celebrate as they go their separate ways. The best part about Marc being in school is getting student tickets for football and basketball! Saturday was the season opener against EWU and we were right in the middle of the Dawg Pack. It was a crazy game right down to the last few seconds when we barely pulled off the victory! Glad to get the win, but we'll have to do better next week if we want to have a shot against Hawaii.
Sunday and Monday we were up at Camano soaking in the sunshine. After multiple failed attempts over the past few years, we finally caught our first crab in the crab pot! I don't eat crab so I could care less, but Rob, Ka and Marc were pretty excited so I was happy for them. I had my fun at the farmers market and then got adventurous and threw an avocado on the BBQ. I just cut it in half and placed it faced down on the grill. Marc tried to talk me out of it because he thought it would end up melting and making a mess, but it actually turned out good! Even though it was a holiday weekend, there weren't too many boats out on the water. It's so peaceful up there - now I'm thinking about maybe getting a paddle board for next summer. So if anyone needs a birthday or Christmas idea for me...! :)
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sailing the world
Yesterday my brother was in town and we went to see an acrobatic boat
show! A couple from France was in town performing two free shows at the
Elliot Bay Marina over in Magnolia. Since 2004, Franck and Delphine
have been performing acrobatic routines on their sailboat "La Loupiote"
in
different cities and marinas while sailing around the world. Quite an amazing life! They use
the mast, boom, rigging and other parts of their sailboat to perform
aerial acrobatics choreographed to music. It was a fun show to watch and it made me want to go take another trapeze class!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Girl's camping
This past weekend was our annual girl's camping trip - one of my favorite weekends of the summer! We had a small group this year because unfortunately a few people couldn't make it, but we still had a blast with just the four of us! We stayed at Ft. Ebey which is on Whidbey Island. Sonia and Anya drove down from Bellingham, and Yael and I came up from Seattle. The ferry ride to the Island was beautiful
Thanks ladies for another fantastic weekend and I can't wait for our 10 year camping anniversary next summer!!!
However, when I reached the campsite, it was all fogged in and freezing cold. The girls jumped in my car and we set off to chase the sun. We drove into Oak Harbor and found a beach where we spent the afternoon.
When we returned to Ft. Ebey the sun was out so we had fun exploring the old bunkers and walking along the cliffside.
Thanks ladies for another fantastic weekend and I can't wait for our 10 year camping anniversary next summer!!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Whistler
Whistler has been like a second home to me over the last ten years. I love it there! Beautiful in both the summer and winter! This past weekend was only my second time there this summer which is a record low for me. Usually I'm there to mountain bike at least 4 or 5 times but this summer has been too busy...all with fun activities though so I'm definitely not complaining!
On our way there, Marc and I stopped at the Honeybee Centre that is just past the boarder (if you go through the truck crossing). I have driven by it numerous times but never stopped to check it out. It was actually pretty cool! They have all sorts of educational signs about bees and honey, plus a big kids learning/play area. They have a ton of different types of honey that you can sample & buy. We bought a jar of honey and a jar of bee pollen which we use in our breakfast smoothies. Bee pollen is naturally energizing and can help with allergies. Marc has definitely noticed a difference in his allergies since he started using it about 9 months ago.
Here is a picture of the bear bee-keeper outside the store. I was actually about 15 yards away from a real bear when we were up in Whistler...but I turned and ran away before I could take a picture, so you'll have to settle for this one.
We had perfect weather on Saturday. We spent time lounging by the pool and then we went to Rainbow Park by Alta Lake. False advertising...didn't see any rainbows...but it was a beautiful park!
Here we are with Marc's family in front of the Olympic Rings in Whistler Village.
Sunday I met up with my friend, Aaron, and his friend, Tim, to go mountain biking. Tim is from Michigan and it was his first time at Whistler so we were excited to show him a good time! Which we did...until he took a fairly brutal crash which ended his day earlier than expected.
Here's the before picture when we were all smiles and hugs
"Just a flesh wound"
And then there were two...back up at the top of the mountain with Aaron. harder to recognize us with all our gear on:
The funniest part of the day was when Aaron pointed out this sticker on my front shock. Ha ha, oops! I've been riding downhill on this bike since 2003!
A fantastic weekend overall! Always hard to leave Whistler...I won't have another chance to go this summer but hopefully we will take a ski trip over the winter.
On our way there, Marc and I stopped at the Honeybee Centre that is just past the boarder (if you go through the truck crossing). I have driven by it numerous times but never stopped to check it out. It was actually pretty cool! They have all sorts of educational signs about bees and honey, plus a big kids learning/play area. They have a ton of different types of honey that you can sample & buy. We bought a jar of honey and a jar of bee pollen which we use in our breakfast smoothies. Bee pollen is naturally energizing and can help with allergies. Marc has definitely noticed a difference in his allergies since he started using it about 9 months ago.
Here is a picture of the bear bee-keeper outside the store. I was actually about 15 yards away from a real bear when we were up in Whistler...but I turned and ran away before I could take a picture, so you'll have to settle for this one.
We had perfect weather on Saturday. We spent time lounging by the pool and then we went to Rainbow Park by Alta Lake. False advertising...didn't see any rainbows...but it was a beautiful park!
Here we are with Marc's family in front of the Olympic Rings in Whistler Village.
Sunday I met up with my friend, Aaron, and his friend, Tim, to go mountain biking. Tim is from Michigan and it was his first time at Whistler so we were excited to show him a good time! Which we did...until he took a fairly brutal crash which ended his day earlier than expected.
Here's the before picture when we were all smiles and hugs
"Just a flesh wound"
And then there were two...back up at the top of the mountain with Aaron. harder to recognize us with all our gear on:
The funniest part of the day was when Aaron pointed out this sticker on my front shock. Ha ha, oops! I've been riding downhill on this bike since 2003!
A fantastic weekend overall! Always hard to leave Whistler...I won't have another chance to go this summer but hopefully we will take a ski trip over the winter.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Sans Sugar
36 days until I leave for Bali!!! In preparation for the training, they ask all of us participants to cut the junk out of our diets ahead of time so that we won't go through withdrawals when we get there. Here is everything on the list: meat, dairy, caffeine, processed foods, alcohol, and refined sugar. Lucky for me, half the list doesn't apply so I really only have three things to cut: processed foods, alcohol, and refined sugar. I decided to do it in stages rather than all at once, so two weeks ago I had my last cocktail, last week I had my last chips and fries, and this week I'm dropping sugar.
Today is day 3 and I'm feeling pretty good! Knowing that it was coming, I overloaded on sugar this weekend which was both good and bad. It somewhat helped because I was burnt out on sweets so they didn't sound good the last couple days, but it was rough because I then had to detox all that excess sugar out of my system. I definitely had a couple head aches on Monday and Tuesday but today I'm feeling much better and have my energy back. You might wonder what is left to eat - basically lots of veggies, fruit, nuts & seeds. Summer has the best produce so I'll have plenty to enjoy! It's pretty easy at work & home, but this weekend I'll be up in Whistler so that will be a bigger challenge. We'll see how it goes...
I love Whistler - it's like my second home! Here's a picture from the last time I was there in June and went zip lining - so much fun!!!
Today is day 3 and I'm feeling pretty good! Knowing that it was coming, I overloaded on sugar this weekend which was both good and bad. It somewhat helped because I was burnt out on sweets so they didn't sound good the last couple days, but it was rough because I then had to detox all that excess sugar out of my system. I definitely had a couple head aches on Monday and Tuesday but today I'm feeling much better and have my energy back. You might wonder what is left to eat - basically lots of veggies, fruit, nuts & seeds. Summer has the best produce so I'll have plenty to enjoy! It's pretty easy at work & home, but this weekend I'll be up in Whistler so that will be a bigger challenge. We'll see how it goes...
I love Whistler - it's like my second home! Here's a picture from the last time I was there in June and went zip lining - so much fun!!!
Monday, August 15, 2011
bikes and brides
Another fun summer weekend came to an end too quickly. On Saturday, Ashley and I went for a bike ride. I was super excited to go out because I got a new (technically used, but new to me) road bike this spring and have hardly been around this summer to ride. I rode over to Fremont to meet Ashley and then we jumped on the Burke Gilman and went to Matthews Beach. Neither of us had been there before so we enjoyed laying on the grass in the sunshine along the water before heading back to Fremont. Then we had lunch at Homegrown which is a little sandwich shop on Fremont Ave. that is all about being green/sustainable. I usually can't have sandwiches because I can't eat regular bread, but I was surprised to find they had gluten free bread from Wheatless in Seattle. I had the hummus & roasted red pepper sandwich and it was delicious - definitely recommended! I know a lot of gluten-free stuff just isn't as good as the real thing, but Ashley tried it and said she even liked it better than hers!
Saturday night Jenny came over for one last slumber party before she moves to Salt Lake City. I'm going to miss her but I'm excited to have an excuse for a ski trip this winter :) We went to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant on Eastlake called Little Water Cantina. Another place in Seattle that promotes local and organic ingredients - gotta love it! They have a huge outdoor deck that overlooks Lake Union. It was a beautiful view and the servers were very friendly - we stayed for quite a while just hanging out in the sun and didn't feel rushed at all to get out of there. The food was good but overpriced in my opinion - next time I'll make sure to go during happy hour.
Sunday was all about the brides - first up was a bridal brunch for my friend Amber. We went to Hunger which was also in Fremont. It was my first time there and it's a perfect spot for a large group. They had a side room that had a huge table so all 12 of us could sit together. Plus, there was a connecting room that was more lounge style with benches along the walls where we could sit and open presents and play games. They didn't even charge extra to reserve the space - so nice! The food was good but my only complaint is that the portions felt a little small - it was strange to eat at a restaurant called Hunger and leave still feeling hungry, ha ha. However, it was tasty and we had great service so I would go back again.
Then I got a surprise phone call from my cousin, April, who lives in New Jersey and got married last weekend. She went on a honeymoon cruise with her new husband, Ryan, up to Alaska and the boat had just arrived in Seattle. They had a few hours to kill before their flight, so Marc and I picked them up and played tour guide for the evening. They had already seen the classic Seattle stuff like Pike Market & the Space Needle, so we decided to take them off the beaten path. We went over into Fremont (again really?) to see the troll, wandered through Gas Works Park, walked around the UW campus, drove through the Aboretum over to Madison Park, and then had dinner at Cactus. We hadn't seen April in 5 or 6 years and it was our first time meeting Ryan so it was a perfect way to end the weekend.
Saturday night Jenny came over for one last slumber party before she moves to Salt Lake City. I'm going to miss her but I'm excited to have an excuse for a ski trip this winter :) We went to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant on Eastlake called Little Water Cantina. Another place in Seattle that promotes local and organic ingredients - gotta love it! They have a huge outdoor deck that overlooks Lake Union. It was a beautiful view and the servers were very friendly - we stayed for quite a while just hanging out in the sun and didn't feel rushed at all to get out of there. The food was good but overpriced in my opinion - next time I'll make sure to go during happy hour.
Sunday was all about the brides - first up was a bridal brunch for my friend Amber. We went to Hunger which was also in Fremont. It was my first time there and it's a perfect spot for a large group. They had a side room that had a huge table so all 12 of us could sit together. Plus, there was a connecting room that was more lounge style with benches along the walls where we could sit and open presents and play games. They didn't even charge extra to reserve the space - so nice! The food was good but my only complaint is that the portions felt a little small - it was strange to eat at a restaurant called Hunger and leave still feeling hungry, ha ha. However, it was tasty and we had great service so I would go back again.
Then I got a surprise phone call from my cousin, April, who lives in New Jersey and got married last weekend. She went on a honeymoon cruise with her new husband, Ryan, up to Alaska and the boat had just arrived in Seattle. They had a few hours to kill before their flight, so Marc and I picked them up and played tour guide for the evening. They had already seen the classic Seattle stuff like Pike Market & the Space Needle, so we decided to take them off the beaten path. We went over into Fremont (again really?) to see the troll, wandered through Gas Works Park, walked around the UW campus, drove through the Aboretum over to Madison Park, and then had dinner at Cactus. We hadn't seen April in 5 or 6 years and it was our first time meeting Ryan so it was a perfect way to end the weekend.
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