Chilled Cucumber Mint Detox Soup

This weekend was a great one, but filled with beer, which has a habit of sitting at the bottom of our stomachs for a while and bloating you. With that being said, I was in need of a lunch today that was light but also refreshing and healthy so that I could get those nutrients that I lost over the weekend. As I was looking around for a recipe that was all of the things I needed, I stumbled upon this greatness that is chilled cucumber mint soup. The best thing was it is a detox soup which is exactly what I needed since I can still feel the beer and grease coming out of my pours (a face mask is on the lineup for tonight with The Bachelorette). Once I looked at the recipe I realized how easy it is to make also. Below I have some pictures from when I made it and the instructions.

Recipe: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Detoxing-Cucumber-Mint-Soup-Recipe-30788336

 I know the pictures don't look the most appetizing, but I promise that this soup will not disappoint you if you love mint and cucumbers like me! This is also very Bikini Bootcamp friendly!

Do It For You

It's the season where there are going to be many people starting diets and cleanses in preparation for bikini season. There is nothing wrong with doing these for the summer, but to do it more effectively, having it be a lifestyle change, and something you are doing for you, is beneficial. With this new bikini bootcamp (previous post talks all about it), I am doing this more as a lifestyle change rather than something to just get in shape for summer and then go back to old ways. This is something that I want to stick from here on out, and to do this for me and no one else. Putting myself first is something that I have never really done in my life, but have started to do that recently. Before you can be with anyone else, you have to love your self and like being around yourself. My biggest motivation is that I had a weight gain a couple of years ago that I was not ok with. Ever since then, I have been a on a mission to lose this excess weight. Finally, I am back to my original weight, but more importantly I am feeling better about myself. With the weight gain I began to feel very self conscious about what I wore and was not proud of my body. It was not that I had put on the weight, but I was not taking care of myself and was having someone else influence what I was putting into my body, which was garbage. Now I am on a mission to maintain and tone my body, and live a healthier life. Your mental and physical health go hand in hand with each other, so it is important to take care of both. The best part of this bootcamp is that it does not completely cut out your favorite foods, but instead encourage to have them in moderation. Doing it this way, allows you to transition easier when the bootcamp is over, if you choose not to make it a permanent thing. Yesterday I was able to have a BBQ tofu sandwich, guilt free, because I know how to limit myself and not over eat. But one thing I do recommend, and Selena Gomez's trainer recommends this too, DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF! Just gage your progress by how you clothes fit and how you feel. One of the hardest things I have found in my life, is putting me first, because I always put others before myself. But with this bikini bootcamp, I am doing this for me and no one else. That is the most important thing to remember is that you need to do it for you and not anyone else. But by doing this bootcamp, it is a great start for everyone to do something for themselves. Update on the bootcamp, it is going great! The recipes have all turned out delicious and are extremely doable. I will write up a post about it and post pictures in the next couple of days! That way you all can see how they turn out! Below is a picture of my delicious lunch I had yesterday at Russell St BBQ! I ordered the smoked tofu sandwich with classic BBQ sauce and cole slaw.

Changing Things Up

Lately I have been thinking of a way to get my life back together, and be ready for summer time. This is the time of year to make changes, before summer time.  Every year I do Lauren Conrad's Bikini Bootcamp, which has proven to be excellent. It is completely doable for everyone, and does not require insane amounts of money to be spent in order to do the bootcamp. What I typically do to make sure I complete these bootcamps is I make a chart and tape it to a wall in my room. That way I am reminded everyday to stay on top of the program, and have motivation to keep going with it. Usually I do this program for a month, but this time I am going to go for the whole summer, to make sure it becomes a lifestyle change, instead of a temporary one. Below is my personal chart of daily meals and workouts that I will be doing. I will also attach the links to the workouts and meal plans I am doing. 

Below is the initial Bikini Bootcamp plan:

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2015/06/get-fit-the-2015-laurenconrad-com-summer-beach-ready-bikini-boot-camp-plan/

Here are some of the meal plans that I am using bits and pieces of:

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2013/04/good-eats-3-busy-girl-breakfasts-overnight-oats-green-smoothie-allison-norton-2013/

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2014/01/good-eats-energy-breakfasts/

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2015/05/healthy-habits-why-you-should-try-a-fructose-free-smoothie/

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2013/04/good-eats-3-busy-girl-lunches-ilana-saul-april-2013/

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2013/04/good-eats-3-busy-girl-dinners-quick-easy-recipes-healthy-ilana-saul-2013/

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2013/08/good-eats-3-perfect-brown-bag-lunches/

Here are the workouts I am combing and using throughout the bootcamp:

https://www.toneitup.com/workouts/new-workout-beach-bod/

https://www.toneitup.com/workouts/new-workout-total-body-tone-up/

https://www.toneitup.com/workouts/best-of-the-tiu-challenge-mash-up-workout/

I will be checking in every couple of days to see how everyone that is trying this is doing, and let you all know how I am doing with it!

Became An Absentee

It has been a hot minute since I have posted for you all on here, and so sorry for the absence! But I am back at it and so excited to start blogging again because I really do enjoy it. It's just a matter of making time in my busy schedule to post a few times a week. Things to update you all on since I posted last, I have finished my vegan month and it was VERY successful! I lost the last amount of weight I needed to lose, and now I am all about maintaining and finding a balance. When I went vegan I realized that it is really not hard for me to cut out the bad things in my diet or eat lesser amounts of them. Also, finding things that were healthy substitutes for those unhealthy foods, was key in finding this balance. The gym has also stayed my best friend, but I have also been doing more activities outside and will continue them as the weather gets nicer here in Oregon. Another update is two of my best friends and I got matching tattoos a couple of weeks ago! We have been best friends for years, and all thought it was appropriate to mark our bodies to show the world how close we are. I had been wanting a new tattoo anyways, and could not think of something better than getting one with them. We wanted something that was small but meaningful to the three of us. This past month has also been the month of me making sure to make time for my friends, and realize that they are so important to me. So making time to see them all, is a priority of mine now. Good thing I have a very organized planner to make sure I can plan out everything! Another update is I have started to do a girls night once a month with my friends, and the first one was such a success! The best thing I did to prepare for it was to create a menu that was easy and friendly for everyone, as well as buying some Charles Shaw from Trader Joes. Considering Trader Joes is one of my favorite places in the world, this was the best place to stock up on goodies for our night in. I had decided that each girls night would have a theme as far as food and drinks go. This first one was Italian themed, so that meant pasta, marinara sauce, kalamata olive bread, spring salad with balsamic dressing and our array of wines. Getting different kinds of wine helps, especially when everyone has a different preference of wine. For the next girls night the theme is Mexican, which will include tacos and of course, margaritas. This past month I bought Lauren Conrad's Celebrate book, since she is my idol, and have been reading it non stop getting party ideas. So be on the look out for the next girls night post!

I have also posted pictures from my latest trip to Pips Doughnuts! 

  

New Kind Of Easter

Easter is a holiday that has tons of candy and sweets associated with it. That being said, I have a huge sweet tooth and knew being vegan this Easter would be difficult. But where there is a will, there is a way.

Once I found a recipe for vegan funfetti cupcakes, I knew I had to drop everything and make them. What I knew would be difficult and interesting would be the binder for the cupcakes. Since there are no eggs in them, I looked at many different binders that could be used to substitute the eggs. In the recipe that I ended up using, it called for non-dairy milk mixed with apple cider vinegar, which then curdles and creates the binder. This completely shocked me. Not only did the batter taste like regular cupcakes (I do lick the spoon), but the cupcakes tasted like them too! 

Below is the link for the cupcakes and pictures of how they look before and after they are cooked. Just a note, I used the tiny round sprinkles instead of the stick kind.  Also I will be posting more recipes this week!

http://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-vegan-funfetti-cupcakes/#_a5y_p=2337245

The Secret to the Garden

    Today is day 3 of being vegan and I have to say, I am feeling better than ever.  That being said, I still miss cheese quite a bit and can't wait to have it again.  Going to the gym is better because I have more energy, I am wanting to get out more, and just overall in a better mood.  On Saturday I went to New Seasons to just get a few staples of things I would miss.  Below is a picture of everything I picked up.  Since I knew I am going to miss cheese, I bought two different kinds, one shredded cheddar by Vegan Gourmet, and the other is an almond jalapeño jack style cheese by The Original Almond.  Knowing yogurt would be a good snack option and for breakfast, I bought SO Delicious Greek style coconut milk yogurt in three different flavors.  Ice cream is the best thing to have at night because it just satisfies me, so I got Almond Dream mint chocolate chip ice cream, which is definitely one that I do not feel bad about eating. Lastly for this shopping trip, I bought Veganaise and Tofurky deli sliced meat, for sandwiches and the Veganaise will also be used for an eggless egg salad mix (recipe will be posted in a different post).  Another thing I have majorly limited is drinking alcohol, which I only drink once a week and have a maximum of two drinks.  This will help me not have any toxins in my body and not put on the weight or regress me with toning.

     Will all of this new energy, I am now able to really kick my workouts up a notch.  I have almost doubled everything that I do, and still have energy once I am done working out.  When I go to the gym, which is 6 out or 7 days a week, I do cycling for about 20-25 minutes, and then do an entire routine to work out specific parts of my body, as well doing full body workouts.  Below I will post links to different workout options to try that I recommend.

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/21-Day-Butt-Challenge-37204809#photo-37620425

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2014/02/tone-it-up-love-your-body-with-kettle-bells/

ANY TONE IT UP WORKOUT! (I love them and their workout routines)

     A great alternative to working out in the gym, is working out outside.  This morning one of my best friends and I went on a hike through Forest Park to the Rose Garden, then went to lunch.  Since we were feeling so great after our hike, lunch was going to be something that would keep this energy up.  I had been hearing and seeing posts about Garden Bar, and since its not too far from our hike, we decided to give it a try.  Boy oh boy, I already love me a good salad, but this one is heaven.  It is a very simple format, where you can order a salad that they have come up with already on the menu, or make up your own.  Since I am all about the creativity of cooking, I wanted to try making my own up.  First was the picking the lettuce which I chose the garden mix because I didn't want to limit myself to one kind of lettuce.  Next you are able to put 6 topping on it, mine being; avocado, carrots, tarragon corn, cucumber, pepperoncinis, roasted mushrooms, and pepitas.  Last but not least at all, is the dressing, which they ask you if you want it put on light, medium or heavy.  I cannot even tell you how many times I have been somewhere and ordered a salad, then it's either soaked in dressing or there is barely any one there.  So I opted for medium dressing on mine, and chose the green goddess dressing.  This dressing is a new obsession of mine and I am dying to get my hands on the recipe for it.  Eating out is something that could end up being difficult, even in a city that is very vegan friendly.  But it is something that is easy to do once you find substitutes and find go to places that can accommodate to those new dietary restrictions.

    In a few days I will post some recipes for you all to try and can promise you will not miss any animal products when eating it!

May The Odds Be Ever In My Favor

I have been trying to get back into shape for some time now. It's been kind of a yo-yo process, but now I am ready to get serious about it. Going to the gym almost everyday for at least an hour, has been a great way to kick start this. Also limiting myself to having alcohol only twice a week, and only having one or two drinks, has helped quite a bit. But to finally get to where I want to be so then all I have to do is maintain, I have decided to go vegan for a month. 

What most of you don't know is that I have a vegetarian for about 10 years now. So you might think that going vegan would be easy. Well you are wrong. I love cheese and ice cream, so those are the two harder things not to have. Almost a year ago, I went vegan for a month and loved it, and I also felt amazing during it. 

Most of you have heard of the Beyoncé 21 day vegan cleanse, which is basically what I do. Except I make almost all of my meals instead of ordering it and paying an obscene amount of money. 

Along the way, I will be giving updates of how it's going and recipes that I recommend to you all. I can't wait to start this all on Sunday!