low fat Tag

25 Jul

Posted at 14:52h in In the kitchen by
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Almost the end of July, and we are in the dog days of summer. The last few weeks, we've had temperatures in the upper 90's and low 100's, which isn't bad, but then add the monsoon humidity on top of that, and its just gross. I think mother nature does that to remind us that dry heat is different - not better, but just different. As soon as the humidity broke, we hit highs in the 115-118's - ooommppphhh. It's hot. Even the over night lows are 90. Its never not hot, just various degrees of hell. Hahaha 

16 May

Posted at 14:39h in In the kitchen by
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HAPPY WEDNESDAY!! These are my long teaching days, and I am finding I love them! I teach cycle and yoga (back to back) with a little break before I head to another location to finish the day teaching yin. The more classes I teach, the happier I seem to be. And as weird as it may sound, (knock on wood) my back hasn't been bothering me at all. Since the last back surgery, I have experienced some degree of pain daily. Usually it's just achey and tight when I first get up in the morning, and I would start moving around, it was loosen up and not bother me so much. It just occurred to me a week or so ago that my back hasn't even been bothering in the morning. Weird, until I saw an article recently

27 Sep

Posted at 14:36h in In the kitchen by
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I am a cold weather girl: the boots, the sweaters, the layers, the warm-you-up-from-the-inside food, all of it (or should I say FALL of it?!? LOL) Here in Arizona, fall is slow to show up and it's over so quickly, I try to savor the moments. Our overnight low temps are finally dropping into the 60's, and day time highs are just under 100, so I guess fall is close!

31 May

Posted at 17:47h in In the kitchen by
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The week after a long weekend is always the hardest to get through. It's a shorter week, but most of us still need to fit in the same amount of stuff. Makes for a super busy week. My to-do list this week included buying a new pair of running shoes! Last week, I made my first attempt to run since back surgery #2, kept it slow and all went well! No back pain! YAY! I thought I ran at a slow pace before I hurt myself, well, now I am even slower. It's more of a slow jog. Maybe a fast walk... Another milestone in the bank!

19 May

Posted at 16:54h in In the kitchen by
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Memorial Day is fast approaching, and that normally means it's officially summer! Of course, technically, summer doesn't start until June 21st on the calendar, but thats just semantics to me. We've had a pretty mild spring in Arizona (knocks on wood) this year, and have only seen a few 100 degree days so far and Memorial Day weekend is looking to remain less than 100 degrees!! I'm looking forward to being able to hang out outside and get some work done in the garage before the temperature rise!! I know it's coming. In light of Memorial Day being the traditional day we kick off the barbecue season in climates that experience seasons other than spring and summer, I wanted to share one of my favorite summer recipes - Berry Cherry Spicy Barbecue Chicken. This sauce is sweet, wth a hint of spice and smokiness that just yells summer. I highly recommend serving it along side cole slaw with a vinegar-based dressing and maybe some grilled corn on the cob! YUM!

10 May

Posted at 17:18h in In the kitchen by
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I've almost completed the yoga teacher training and I have to say, while several people I know said that teacher training was life changing, I was skeptical. But they were so right!! I've already been teaching Yin at a fitness center close to me, and I have to say, studying the mental, philosophy side of yoga is definitely life altering; not to mention, as someone with high functioning anxiety, the pranayama and meditation exercises have really been useful in controlling my anxiety. Learning to have control the breath is really a key to controlling your response to stress. As time goes on, I'll be sharing some techniques here, so check back! I also recently finished the book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F&$k" and I highly recommend it.

03 May

Posted at 18:04h in In the kitchen by
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I consider myself to be someone who is in pretty good health, above average even, as it relates to how healthy I am. I usually feel good, I am able to live a fairly active lifestyle, and I am able to do most of the things I want to do. Most of the time. Then one of my chronic conditions flare up: my allergies that lead to sinus infections, the ever continuing back saga, chronic migraines, IBS... and sometimes they all flare up at the same time and make me feel like I am not as healthy as I believe I am. If I am totally honest, they make me feel like I am the exact opposite of healthy; sickly, inferior, and weak.

28 Apr

Posted at 19:23h in In the kitchen by
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Living in Arizona, I feel like allergy season is every season that it is not "the surface of the sun" hot. And for whatever reason (probably the massive amounts of rain we got this "winter") my allergies are so bad right now. Sinus, eyes, throat and even a horrible cough, is making me curse these "cooler" temperatures and wistfully awaiting the arrival of 100 degree days. They will be here soon enough.

05 Apr

Posted at 17:30h in In the kitchen by
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When I know I won't be home until later in the day, and I can anticipate that making dinner will not be one of the things I am going to want to do when I get home, I try and meal plan something using my slow cooker or dutch oven. This way I can just get home and not worry too much that dinner is going to be pizza. And since my back is recuperating again, I've been trying some new fitness classes. Monday I tried a "Muscle" group class (at Mountainside Fitness) taught by Dana. It didn't start until 6, which meant I wouldn't be home until 7:30. For what  it's worth, two days later and my calves are still mad at me! If you are reluctant to strength train on the weight floor like me, I really recommend group fitness classes like this. Dana was great, and offered several modifications.

15 Mar

Posted at 17:22h in In the kitchen by
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I recently sat in on a talk about flexible macro counting by the Lululemon Scottsdale Quarter ambassador, Kacey Luvi ; avid cross fitter, busy mom and fellow blogger (if you are interested in macro counting click on her name above and she gives a pretty good explanation and how to on her blog). She reminded me of the need to be consuming enough calories to fuel your body. As a woman, I believe our society rewards us for eating "like birds" and as we integrate that habit into our daily lives, the desire to cut calories in order to lose weight becomes second nature to us. Personally, I can find myself falling into the same trap often. Kacey talks about "reverse dieting" on her blog as well.