Happy June 1st!
Lately, my meals have been all about the H20. It’s easy to get dehydrated without knowing it, but I have to be especially mindful of my water intake now that I’m taking the hot yoga classes, sweating out water I didn’t even know was there. One way that I sneak in a little extra water is having a cucumber with my lunches. Cucumbers are mostly water and they are just so versatile. Throw them into a salad, scoop them into yummy dips, pump up a smoothie, or top a sandwich.
This cucumber mint salad is something I’ve been enjoying lately. It is refreshing, light, with a hint of minty goodness. It goes along perfectly as a side to my favourite avocado and veggie sandwiches.
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Refreshing Cucumber Salad with Creamy Mint Dressing
Inspired by Savvy vegetarian and Clean Start.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 English cucumbers (or type of your choice), chopped
- 1/4 cup packed mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2-3 tsp chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (Stir can well before measuring out)
- 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder, for slight thickening (optional)
Directions:
1. Chop the cucumbers, red onion, 1/4 cup packed fresh mint, and dill. Place into large bowl and combine.
2. In a food processor, make the dressing by processing the rest of the ingredients (coconut milk, mint, olive oil, lime juice, agave, salt, optional arrowroot powder). Process until mostly smooth (tiny mint speckles will remain).
3. Pour the dressing onto the cucumber salad and mix well. Chill for an hour or two or serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.
Note: Salad does not keep well overnight in the fridge (it gets a bit watery), so I suggest eating it the same day.
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The dressing is great with just a touch of sweetness added in. The agave goes along nicely with the mint and a pinch of salt helps bring out the flavour even more. You can have fun playing around with the dressing…there isn’t an exact way to make this salad and that’s why I love it!
…and….hydrate!
My set up:
I know, it’s like finding out Santa Claus doesn’t exist right? ;)
Back on Track Month Recap
At the beginning of May, I wrote a post about being in a major slump. In early Spring, I was side-lined with a Sciatic injury for over a month. Shortly after that, I was sick for 2-3 weeks. This, combined with crappy weather, had me feeling really out of balance in all areas in my life. I felt out of shape, my cravings were all over the place, and I just felt like I lost my zest for life.
On May 1st, I decided to make some small changes that would add up over time. Not only was my birthday approaching, but I knew that I wanted to get things back on track for the upcoming Summer season.
So, I devised a plan!
I first had to identify the slumps in my life and then create solutions for each:
|
SLUMP |
SOLUTION |
| 1) Sickness | Stick with healthy flu fighting habits. |
| 2) Sciatic Nerve Injury | My sciatic nerve isn’t sore anymore (yay) and I want to continue stretching and yoga as a preventative measure. |
| 3) Exercise | I was unable to exercise during much of April (except for the elliptical a bit during the sciatic injury) and I’m feeling out of shape. My solution is to create a few exercise goals that I will be able to stick to in May. More on this below. |
| 4) Eating | For me, it is extra difficult to eat healthy when I’m not working out. When I am working out, I find it much easier to eat healthy. They go hand in hand. My eating in April has been all over the map. I lost my appetite and taste buds during my flu so I have had no desire to eat vegetables like I usually do. This also left me craving super sweet foods. In May I need to get my eating back on track. |
Then, I broke the slumps down into achievable goals for May.
Exercise Goals For May & How I did:
Exercise Goals: Strength – Stretch – Cardio – Rest every week.
- Strength: 1 Body Pump class per week
- Stretch: 1 yoga class per week (I’m going to try hot yoga soon), plus stretching after workouts
- Cardio like running, hiking, elliptical 5-6 days a week for ~30-60 minutes each.
- 1 Rest day a week, or as needed
How did I do?
- Strength —> Body Pump: I didn’t achieve this goal! I did just 2 Body Pump classes in May.
- Stretch –> Hot yoga was definitely the surprise of May! Little did I know that it would not only be a great stretch, but also a killer strength class. My muscles have gotten so much stronger since I started hot yoga and I prefer it over Body Pump.
- Cardio –> I achieved this goal, focusing on elliptical, walking, and low-mileage running 6 days a week.
- Rest: I took 1 rest day a week.
All in all, May was a fantastic month for getting my exercise back on track. I’m so thankful I put my fears aside and tried hot yoga because now I can’t see myself without it.
Eating Goals For May & How I did:
- Eat more veggies: wash & chop up a bunch every Sunday and keep in containers in fridge as a time saver.
- Green Monsters few times a week
- Juicing most mornings
- Structure Meals and limit snacking: Good sized breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, light dinner & treat.
- Cook! I’ve been going through a major cooking slump (basically not wanting to cook at all), but I want to get back to cooking more dinners and having more structured meals.
- Meal Planning: Along the same line of cooking more dinners, I need to plan out meals that I can cook each week. I hope to do this on the weekend before grocery shopping for the week.
How did I do?
- More veggies: When I went to the grocery store, I was mindful to fill the cart up with mostly veggies and fruit. Having so much produce in the fridge forced me to use it up before it went bad, so I definitely increased my consumption.
- Green Monsters: I’ve been enjoying a few Green Monsters a week and so glad to have them in my diet consistently again.
- Juicing: I was juicing every morning for the first two weeks in May and then I fell off the bandwagon ever since. I’m very hot and cold with juicing. Sometimes I love it and other times the thought of cleaning the machine just makes me run from it!
- Structured meals and limit snacking: I did not achieve this goal! I’m such a snacker and often do not take enough time for proper sit-down meals when I’m busy. I need to continue to work on this in June.
- Cook: In May, I still struggled with cooking slumps on and off, but I think I have finally gotten my groove back. Making large meals with leftovers has been a great time-saver for quick lunches and leftovers.
- Meal planning: I wouldn’t say I have been good for meal planning or that I even enjoy it, but I do try to plan my meals 1-2 days in advance now. I will never be a weekly meal planner though! It’s just not in my personality.
While I didn’t achieve all my eating goals for May, I still consider it to be a success. My eating feels back on track and much more balanced. My cravings for sweets have gone down a bit too.
In just 1 month, I feel like a lot has changed. My energy has increased and I just feel happier all around.
I’ve realized that slumps aren’t always a bad thing; they tell us that something is out of balance and we need to change. While this can be uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking, approaching it with small, achievable goals can help. If I hadn’t gone through my slump, I probably never would have fallen in love with yoga and rekindled my relationship with myself. While I consider exercise and eating goals to be important, my biggest gain from this month has been an unplanned one- improving inner peace and self-love.
Coming up, I’ll tell you what my goals are for June. In the meantime, let me know if you have any goals for this month!
What do you hope to achieve in June?
I love your reflections on the slump. Sometimes we need those rejuvenating reboots…It reminds me of all those movies that have makeover montage scenes….if there’s a scene like that–(think “Clueless” makeover of Tye, or, of course, “Pretty Woman”)–I’m pretty much guaranteed to love the movie. I think it’s because I connect to that feeling of having a “new start.” love it!
Quick question about your workouts. I have a LOT of trouble taking a “rest day.” My daily morning exercise is for me what coffee is for most people. I feel terrible if I don’t start my day with sweat and endorphins! How important is a rest day, and how do you deal with that “not-worked-out” feeling?
The amoutn of rest you need really depends on the type of exercise you are doing and also your body’s needs. :) It will be different for everyone. I know many people (myself included) who enjoy light walking on some rest days when I feel like I want to be active.
So good to see you achieving goals. . . and discovering new joys.
Goals for June
Exercise: I had a baby on 4/27, and have gradually been easing back into exercise. I’m back to 45-60 minutes of weights and moderate cardio (walking). My main goal for June is to start intervals (running/walking) so that I can begin running regularly again in July. My overall goal is to get my abs back — hard to believe that 1 year ago at this time I practically had a 6-pack.
Nutrition: In line with that is eating regularly. For the first time in my life, I am so busy with baby, that I don’t think I’m eating enough to build muscle (losing weight too fast, too!). My goal is to eat 5 small meals a day to keep up energy and build muscle, so I am working to make ahead 2-3 easy dinner dishes on the weekends, as well as stock up on easy to eat foods for breakfast and lunch.
Generally: I am working to keep focus on how my clothes fit and over-all progress. It is hard to see some of the changes in my body, and it takes effort not to say critical things to myself when I see my stretched abs. I’m committing to actually *smiling* when I see my reflection in the mirror. I find that my mood tends to follow what my body does, so I hope this will help change my negative frame of mind toward this body part.
I love that your biggest gain for May was improving inner peace and self-love! That is truly beautiful! Have a great day :)
I’m crazy about cukes too…I think if I had to live off of one vegetable I would pick cucumbers! Thanks for the recipe!
Cucumbers are so refreshing and hydrating during the warm months. I just love eating veggies when it’s nice out!
I love cucumbers and I am so excited to grow some in my new garden :)
Okay, I can’t take it anymore! I must make this when I get back!
O, and BTW I am leaving for Guatemala in 13 hours, so I won’t be commenting on your blog for a good 10 days. Sorry to leave you, but I will have a massive post when I get back :)
I love your set up for a photoshoot more than the photos themselves. It reminded me a summer lunch in a suburban cottage for some reason.
My goal for June is to stick to running and eat more fresh vegetables. Oh… and to snack less and get hungry for proper meals.
Such a gorgeous photo set up!
This looks so refreshing! Perfect on a hot summers day!
This looks perfect for hot summer days! I have so much mint growing I need something to do with it… Other than mojitos ;)
I need to get back into hot yoga too! You are very motivated! And that salad looks so refreshing right now!
AHH you just ruined the magic of your beautiful photos by revealing the “behind the scenes”! haha just kidding!!! That cucumber mint salad is a terrific idea, sounds so refreshing now that it’s getting SO hot outside :)
I like to keep it real with my photography! lol
I love that you achieved something not even on your list of goals. I guess that happens when we make a conscious effort towards self improvement. I’m glad you are feeling better and out of slump land! My goals in June are to start running more to prepare for half marathon training! ahh!
“Improving inner peace and self-love” – I truly believe that yoga is the segway to finding this. Over the past 5 months, I have made a huge shift in my self image and self-love through yoga teacher training. I am much more confident and willing to share myself with others. People in my life have recognized this shift in my way of being and I feel like they actually are getting the real me and I am so much happier!
Whoa, I can definitely relate to your slump! I recently went on vacation and when I got back, I realized that I had let myself get too routine with my eating and workouts, and I needed to change things up asap (and LOOSEN up!). Since then I’ve explored new recipes, given myself more slack in choosing exercise that feels right for me that day, and made it a point to check in with myself often and eat according to my hunger (no matter what time of day!). I felt a million times better in a matter of days, my energy is back up and my mood has shifted in a most desirable way. I’m back in my groove. :)
Speaking of new recipes, I wanted to let you know that I now make your 15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta for everyone I know, because it is just so good. I’m actually making it for a friend tonight! I did the Vegetable and Edamame version last night with great success. I picked up stuff to try some of your VOO recipes today, and my boyfriend is so impressed with your recipes that when I asked him what he was up to this afternoon via text message, he told me that he was searching online for vegan recipes to try. (!!!) You have inspired us to expand our cooking adventures and our love of healthy eating, so for that I THANK YOU. Your blog is one of my absolute favorites for healthy living, and I really appreciate your honesty and openness.
xo
what a beautiful salad! And I love that placemat!
Looks like you did a great job with your goals! Congrats on all the progress!
Love this! I have two clients/friends who can very much benefit from this post. One has been very sick for a month – getting back to health and doing all she was before is a priority. The second client – I’m recommending she dig through your recipe archives! She’s coming off a 21-day guided cleanse and the next part is to transition into making healthy meals on her own. Thanks for the great recipes and great advice on getting back to health. Good luck to you and your intentions for June!
inner peace and self love are always the best outcome :)
My goal for June is to drink less. I don’t thinking drinking socially is a big deal, but if I go out for happy hour one night, have champagne at brunch one day, have a few beers on the lake on the weekend, it definitely adds up. I think I can accomplish this by savoring my drinks and really enjoying what I have in front of me rather than just slurping it down. This is my approach to ensuring that I’m eating mindfully, so I trust that it will also work well for drinking mindfully :)