Fave OPI

My absolute fave red by OPI: 'A Qui bit of Red' :)

Pink?

I usually prefer pink nail polish to stay on the toes but I think I might be changing my mind.. I got this color several years ago when the MAC Hello Kitty Collection came out (by far my favorite collection from MAC). I think it turned out nice :)

Become Flexitarian? I think I will.

I’ve always been pretty health conscious. Growing up I always loved the food/diet/nutrition part of health class and even studied it in college. I even considered becoming a Nutritionist (obviously I am not but hey it’s never too late).

In 2007 I read a book with by the lovely name of “Skinny Bitch” and it shed a whole new light for me on nutrition and the way American food is prepared. After reading I stopped eating meat and other animal products (ie milk, cheese, yogurt) completely. So…overnight I became a Vegan. Now, that only lasted about a week because it was extremely difficult to do this so quickly. So, I decided to just cut out meat (except for fish and egg whites) instead of meat and dairy. This type of diet/lifestyle is called Flexitarianism. I’m not sure that’s a real word but that’s what people call it. Haha. I did this for about 2 years and then slowly started eating chicken and turkey simply because it was convenient…my Husband eats meat and it was really difficult always preparing two different meals for the two of us as well as picking out restaurants to go to. However, I still haven’t eaten any other type of meat (aside from fish/seafood) in almost 5 years.

That was in 2009 that I started eating poultry but now…I’m starting to want to cut it out again. I know it won’t always be easy since I’m not just cooking for myself BUT Matt has been changing his eating habits a lot lately and I’m so proud of him so I think I’m going to slowly go back to being Flexitarian. Actually, I haven’t eaten chicken in almost a month so I don’t think that part will be hard at all but I do eat turkey frequently so we’ll see how it goes! 

I just find it so disturbing how meat is prepared for human consumption…the factory farms that are crawling with bacteria and the way the animals are kept in stressful environments and then slaughtered so inhumanely. It just really bothers me. If you think about it, it really does make sense - These animals are kept in cages/crates that are way too small for them and they have no way to roam free and live a healthy life so therefore the animals are under enormous amounts of stress. Because of this they produce stress hormones and then those hormones are passed on to the humans consuming them. Not to mention they’re treated with antibiotics, they’re genetically altered, then mechanically separated by a machine once they’re dead (eww). Today it is drastically different from the “old days” when local farmers did their own slaughtering (still a yucky thing to think about but at least back then it was safer for human consumption, no hormones, fecal matter or ammonia in your food). 

That being said, I think I see more sushi in my future ;). Also, here’s the link for the book I mentioned if anyone is interested in reading it:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/skinny-bitch-rory-freedman/1101133983?ean=9780762424931&itm=2&usri=skinny+bitch

It’s graphic but worth reading. If you can make it through Chapter 6, you’ll make it to the end. Cheers to good health and happiness!

~Renee

Autumn in the Northwest

These are some pictures I took over the weekend in Portland and also in Vancouver, WA. The road right outside our Condo is lined with bright yellow trees and it makes me so happy when I see it. I've always loved how pretty Fall is and it magnificent here in the Pacific Northwest! Even though I'm homesick almost every day and I miss my family terribly I can't help but feel incredibly blessed with the opportunity God has given us to be able to live here....especially since it's only temporary, ha ha! I am able to take a year off from work and Matt and is getting some really great training with his job and will be a certified 'Lean Expert' when we return home. I am so proud!

This post about the autumn scenery turned into me counting my blessings...but it's that scenery that reminded me how very blessed we are. In the words of Madea - Halleluyer, thank ya Jesus ;)

Flowers from my Matt

Matt bought me these flowers last week and I loved them so much. Lilies are my fave...they were gorgeous the day I got them but they are even more so now! All the lilies have bloomed and I just get so happy every time I walk by them...I wish there was some sort of magic spray I could spray all over them so would stay alive forever, ha ha <3

New nails

I love the 'one-nail-a-different-color' look! I've become obsessed with the ABC Family show 'Pretty Little Liars' and the characters always have the cutest colors on their nails so I got inspired. I asked Matt if he liked my manicure and he said "Sure." He's a guy - he just doesn't get it :)

Wanna know what I ate today? ;)

Just a little virtual food diary for the day. I tried keeping a food journal before...it really helps you stay on track with healthy eating because you tend to hold yourself accountable for what you eat throughout the day if you have to go back and look at it in writing at the end of the day. However, I'm always misplacing my notebook and pen so I just thought this was easier - take a picture and keep it in a blog! Obviously I'm not going to post a public blog of my meals everyday (that would be dumb) but every once in a while or when I try a new recipe, why not? :)

Breakfast:

Plain greek yogurt (Fage brand) mixed with organic honey, ground flaxseed, walnuts, and pomegranate seed. Then I topped it with a few organic raw pumpkin seeds.

Lunch:

Whole wheat wrap with hummus, ground flaxseed, turkey, romaine lettuce and avocado. Grapes and pumpkin seeds.

Dinner:

Tacos! My favorite :) I made them just like you normally would but with 99% lean ground turkey, and used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Also, in place of taco shells I used lettuce to wrap them. Then I have organic blue corn and sesame seed chips and mashed avocado. I was really surprised Matt liked the "lettuce wrap taco"!

That was today's food. I didn't have any snacks today which is not typical for me. I was going to eat a mango but I just wasn't that hungry today. Oh, I did stop at the candy store at the mall and get some chocolate though...couldn't resist ;)

Happy Tuesday night!