Good morning!
HAPPY MARCH 1st!!! Spring is almost here!
I was up late last night (2am) and up very early this morning! I got less than 6 hours of sleep…I hate when that happens. For some reason, I could not sleep for the life of me. I was up at least 3 times last night. So strange how the body works at times!
The Travel Bug:
Last night our friend Jesse came over and we just caught up all night. He just got back from a 2 month backpacking trip to Africa and Europe and he told us some crazy crazy stories from the trip. I mean crazy stories. Some of which I can’t repeat, lol. I just love hearing about other’s trips away, don’t you?
I must admit it REALLY gave me the travel bug again. :) I can only look at our honeymoon pictures for so long until I just want to go somewhere!
Lately, I have been getting all of these emails from Princess Cruise lines with 2 for 1 cruise offers and it is so tempting! Other resorts are all seriously cutting back on their prices too. This next year is definitely the time to travel!
I have been thinking about surprising Eric with a trip this year- either for his birthday or our 1st wedding anniversary (both in August), although the trip itself wouldn’t have to be in August necessarily.
Does anyone know some great deals going on travel wise? I have no idea where I would want to go, but the possibilities are endless.
Quick Blog Time Saver:
I find a good trick for me, is to jot down my ideas for each post (or even posts later that day or week) when they come to mind:
Those were my notes for this morning’s post! Sorry, did I ruin the surprise? :) It helps me keep track of various contests going on, shoutouts I need to do, and the like!
Crap Free Week In Review:
Sorry about the video difficulties last night! I don’t know what is going on with You Tube, but I have been having major issues with uploading. I have read that others have too. I wonder what is going on? I wasn’t even trying to upload music or anything that is restricted.
To recap the benefits from eliminating sugar from my diet, here is what I found:
- Less sugar cravings overall
- Learned how to satisfy my sweet tooth with natural foods
- Less bloating, my jeans fit good again
- Improved well-being
- Increased energy
- Glowing skin, hair, and nails
- A big part of the craving is a MENTAL craving! You can beat your mind.
I am now on day 8 of Crap Free Week and still going strong!! Please leave a comment or email me if you are doing a CFW challenge: [email protected].
Green Monster:
I opted for my fruit + veggie smoothie for breakfast today. I was anxious to try out my first experience with unsweetened Soy yogurt!
The contents:
- 2 Tbsp Organic Solgurt, unsweetened
- 1 small ripe banana (Ripe bananas are KEY to smoothies!)
- 2 ice cubes
- 1 cup Almond Breeze in Original
- 6 cups of organic kale (Yes, 6 cups- look!!)
I licked the spoon of the Solgurt– and I must say it was BITTER tasting- almost like sour cream! Although I shouldn’t be too surprised since I did buy the unsweetened flavour. What I do like about it is that it has 25% of your daily calcium needs in just 3/4 of a cup!
I don’t think I would use this in a smoothie again, but I will definitely be using this as a topping for wraps, soups, sweet potatoes, etc.
This smoothie was good– although a bit bitter from the 6 cups of kale!
31-Day Yoga Challenge:
The wonderful Tina from Carrots ‘n Cake is holding a fabulous 31-Day yoga challenge to motivate herself and everyone else to instill yoga into their regular routines.
I am going to try this challenge! I am not going to be doing yoga every single day, but I am going to shoot for 4 times per week. I won’t set a time limit because I don’t think that is what yoga is about. I will just do what feels good. :)
Who else is going to try this challenge? Let me know! :)
On today’s list:
- Glo Bakery Business (create invoices, Develop Excel tracking sheet for receipts/log etc, scan Incorporation application to Brother in Law, log all receipts, etc.)
- Meet up with Steve, Joanna, Dave, Ewa, and Gabriela for The National Home Show!
- Blog!
- Yoga
Have a GREAT March 1st everyone! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for the amazing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred workout DVD!
Also check out the fabulous Diana giving away 10 delicious health bars!
Who Said This Quote?
“I still love my Pilates and yoga, and have cut back on fatty foods a bit. My time in India and Paris really just helped me lose a little bit of weight but there’s nothing drastic going on!”
“I just wish the press wouldn’t harbor on it as I think it’s very unhealthy for young girls to read about and pay attention to.”
“To my female fans: Just be happy and secure with yourself and don’t let other people’s perceptions of you dictate the way you live your life.”
We just got back from a week on the Caribbean Princess! We sailed out of San Juan, PR & visited Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, Tortola & St. Thomas. Gorgeous islands/beaches <3 If you are into cruising the Caribbean I would definitely recommend this ship/itinerary :)
Wow congrats on a fab CFW! I knew you could do it, Angela! ANd I’m taking part in the yoga challenge too, I think it’s a great idea!
Just wanted to say a huge congrats on 8 days of being sugar free! Have never commented before (but love your blog) and wanted to encourage you in your path to cutting sugar, since that was def. something I struggled with! In the end I went 6 weeks without any sugar. In the first 2 weeks or so, I also did a lot of substitutions, (i.e. using honey/ maple syrup/ agave instead of sugar, adding lots of raisins/ dates to food etc), but towards the end I used less of those too! Not everyone needs to be that strict, but any “sweet” (even if from natural source like honey) foods made me crave more sugary tasting foods!
After 6 weeks I definitely feel like i have it under more control! I truly feel that now i have better self control around sugar and go less “crazy” around it.
Keep up the good work!! Just wanted to say a little something to encourage you :)
GREAT job on CFW!!! I’m working up to a whole week…
Love that green smoothie! Can’t believe it’s MARCH!!!
Oh how I would also love a vacation!!! Great job on CFW!! I think I might try this soon!!!! I have to go enter your contest now. Have you entered mine?
I’m glad you’re going to do the challenge!!!
I’m joining in for the Yoga challenge! I’m glad you are :)
CFW sounds like it was so beneficial for you. Good for you girlie!
A trip would be A-mazing!!!
Congrats on cfw and still going strong.
Oh and I believe Micha Barton was the one who said that quote! : )
I’m going to do the yoga challenge, too! And I think I’ll embark on my own CFW this week! We’ll see…(:
Hi Angela,
My friend and I just completed our version of a CFW; however, we chose to eat completely vegan and gluten-free. We both thought it was going to be rough, but it was way easier than we thought! In fact, we have both decided to continue with it, with exceptions. (She’s adding gluten back into her diet, and I’m adding greek yogurt.) Annnddd…we are ALSO embarking on the 31-days of yoga!! Great minds think alike, right? ; )
Hi Angela! Happy March to you as well (in like a lion out like a lamb, right?)
I want to recommend Travel Zoo for finding great travel and vacation deals. You sign up, and each week they e-mail you the best 20 deals across the internet. I had some friends book a trip to Ireland through TZ….5 days, all inclusive (airfare AND hotel with breakfast) for less than $500/piece.
http://top20.travelzoo.com/sign_up.aspx?source=gormbrtt91&bidid=2686046&gclid=CJf18e6ogpkCFQMnGgodAEYSng
Now you’ve got the cruise bug in my head, too!
I love unsweetened soy yogurt–big bowls of it topped with fruit and nuts and it brings out the natural sweetness :)
Congrats on the crap free week. What a good idea. It’s so mental, isn’t it? I gave up sweets at work, and it feels good to resist.
A cruise right now would be amazing! Now I want to go on another one!
Just wanted to let you know, your green monsters inspired me, and for the past week, I have been drinking kale smoothies in the morning. I was really hesitant, but they seriously are awesome.
You’re beyond inspiring, Angela – good luck!!
I love your Green Monsters!
I am not making a commitment to do yoga everyday, just to do it more because I think it is a great idea!
I am doing a 21 day purification with my wellness doc. It is CFW like but even more restrictive. I have decided to make this change to be as healthy as I can be!
I always get the travel bug when I hear about other people’s adventures. Or when I think back to my own adventures. I just had a big trip to Ecuador & The Galapagos this past June, and it was amazing. I wish I had the funds to travel like that more often!
I still am in awe that you went a whole week without sugar! :-) I’m starting my CFW today, actually. Mainly I’m trying to go without caffeine, processed foods, bars and desserts. I’m scared, lol. But hopefully I can pull through! I like what you said about cravings being MENTAL. I’m going to remind myself of that tonight when I crave some dessert!
I added you to my blog roll, too – hope that’s okay!
Congrats on the crap free week! You are an inspiration!
Wow, it depends on what type of travel you want to do right now. We are planning a trip to Panama right now, which is still fairly inexpensive for a destination. I will blog about it after our trip. Other places I have loved are Chile, British Virgin Islands, Austria/Germany, Slovenia, and France. I haven’t yet been to Asia, but really want to go. So many great places to see!
i always have the travel bug, but have never really traveled!
great recap of CFW!
I’m doing the yoga challenge, too :)
Congrats on your CFW success! I don’t think I could survive…you have great self-control. I’m giving up all processed meats such as turkey, roast beef, ham, etc…
Congrats on the CFW success and I am in the yoga challenge too!
ooog i bet that trip was AMAZING!!!!!! hmm… check out travelzoo. you can sign up for these emails that send you the top 20 deals once a week!
Hi Angela! Congrats on CFW! Way to go! I finally broke down today and made a green monster… except… it turned out brown..??? I don’t know, maybe I used too many frozen mixed berries. But I have to tell you – it was FANTASTIC!!!! I will definitely be making more! Thank you for the great idea! Have a great week!
I decided back in November to try and just stay away from sugar as much as possible – and it’s best one of the best things I have ever done. And I am so up to do a bit of traveling too – just don’t know where yet.
I believe Mischa Barton is the one behind your quote this time, no?
As for travel deals, I work in the travel industry and I like travelzoo.com for discounts in a variety of areas (hotel/air/shows/etc). You can sign up to receive a weekly update. Much of it hinges on you being able to do things last minute, but if you check often enough, it might work out in your favor! Expedia is fairly reliable as well. Happy trip planning. :)
HEY! i’m doing crap free week too … i already did a week but i felt so great that i just decided to keep going. i do eat honey though, and naturally occurring sugars (and the kind of sugar in crackers and stuff where it’s not a ton).