2.2

Want to make a filling and delicious meal but not sure if you'll have time tonight.  Well here's your perfect recipe.  Dinner tonight shall be:


Quinoa Veggie Chili


1 Green Pepper chopped
1 Orange Pepper chopped
1/4 c. Diced onion
2 chopped stalks of celery
2 c. corn
2 diced tomatoes
1 c. kidney beans
1 c. black beans
3 c. All natural or homemade tomato sauce
1/2 c. Quinoa**
2 gloves garlic (pressed/chopped finely)
1 tsp. chili seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp. cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp. onion powder (or to taste)
Pinch of salt.

Put all ingredients in slow-cooker & stir. Cook on Low heat for 6 hours. Yummmmm.

** What the heck is quinoa (pronounce KEEN-wah). First of all, thanks, Mom, for introducing it to me. Quinoa has 9 essential amino acids, absolutely loaded with protein! It boosts antioxidant levels and is high in magnesium which is great for your cardiovascular health.  It looks like a grain, tastes a bit like brown rice/oatmeal, and is a wonderful replacement for rice in meals such as this.  Now you have a great way to add protein to your dinners!

Also, I challenge you not to buy your normal canned goods for this recipe (corn, kidney & black beans). Many of them are loaded with salt. If you choose to do so (which we have to resort to at times since beans must be prepped before being used in a recipe), buy no sodium or low sodium items. If you get low-sodium, do not add the pinch of salt at the end of this recipe.

For those of you working on a new diet or challenging yourself with the vegetarian or raw lifestyle, here's your mantra....Always do better than what you were doing before.  This will keep you for kicking yourself when you slip up.  If, at the end of the day, you still ate better than what you were doing before you changed your eating style, then you're on the right track! Big bowl of pasta for dinner? Cut the amount of pasta in half and add a salad & glass of water before you eat. Something is better than nothing.  Always do better than what you were doing before. We're not all perfect, but the little changes each day will give you the motivation to push yourself further.

Black coffee before my run.
Breakfast: Strawberries, banana, and a cup of tea.
Lunch: Big Salad!
Dinner: Quinoa Veggie Chili!

Ran a mile and a half and did lots of weight lifting.

Do you have any yummy & healthy recipes to share with everyone else? Post it below and I'll add it to our recipe page! I definitely want to build up a nice list of meals we can all try out!

Challenge 2, Day 1 (2.1)

As I stepped onto the scale this morning I was a little disappointed that I had gained 3 pounds since I had last checked over a week ago.  Quite frankly, I deserve it for how non-active I've been. But this is why we're doing another challenge: to get back into a more strict routine with working out and planning meals.  I haven't strayed from eating Raw but I've just lost time to work out and skipping meals has been easier than to plan them when you work 5 days in a row of double shifts.

Here's the great news. Next Saturday is my last day at my one job (I work 2 & own my business). I'm overwhelmed, I can't focus on the things important to me at home like planning yummy dinners, working out, working on my hobbies, starting up my business (which hasn't been done in 2 months), and most importantly, spending time with Mike. We literally almost never see each other.  And I also lose sleep due to all the hours and lack of days off I have.  You'd be amazed, working a 13 hour day tires you, but when you're home, you're brain won't stop running which makes sleeping much more difficult. My theory is, if I'm not sleeping well, all the working out and healthy meals I'm eating doesn't matter. So, one job down, and now I'm left with one part time job that I LOVE and time left to build my business into what I want it to be. I can't wait.

Weighed in this morning & wrote down fat percentage.  Ate a banana for breakfast, a salad wrap & orange for lunch, and some vegetable sushi for dinner. I didn't drink as much water as I would have like due to leaving my Nalgene at home.  No workout as I had this evening off, and it's the first time Mike & I got to spend more than 20 minutes together in over a week. Will be going for a run tomorrow morning and doing some other exercises in the afternoon.