Last week I was faced with a Friday date at the Roosevelt Pool. On Wednesday.

(source)

I panicked. I’m not ready to be in a swim suit! I need time to prepare! I never got around to that juice cleanse!

You see, I’m not a fan of my belly. It is kind of soft and mushy and really the only part of me that I really don’t like.

You know the thing. The, if I could just have a flat belly/toned arms/tight booty/skinny thighs/perfect hair/etc. my life would finally be complete, feeling.

But if I ever had gorgeous abs and a flat belly (doubtful, I love food too much) would I finally be happy with my body or would there always be just one more thing?

I’m heading to Mexico this month for a family trip and I plan on living in bikini’s the entire time.

With or without the perfect belly.  (But I’m hoping it is more perfect than not).

Thoughts? 

Hey Friends!

My last daily eats post was from the Rose Bowl game – thankfully this post has more vegetables, less cheese and no wine! My body thanks me.

Morning Liquids: Coffee and coconut creamer + water

Breakfast: I wasn’t very hungry because of a large dinner the night before so I kept it light with a smoothie. In the processor: spinach + frozen pineapple and strawberries + almond milk + greek yogurt. This is my favorite combination as of late!

Clearly we need a blender – any recommendations that aren’t the Vita Mix?

Workout: I got to Lunch Crunch class a little early, so I ran around the block (1 mile). In class we did all sorts of squats, lunges, jumps, dips, etc. and finished with sprints. (I’m horribly slow and finished last on the sprints).

Snack: Eaten while running errands. (think Thin Dark Chocolate bar)

Lunch: Was kind of random – I started with some carrots and celery + hummus while I put everything else together.

Big salad + sweet potato + sprouted tortilla + 1 avocado mashed with fresh basil.

Snack: Apple + raw almond butter while I worked the afternoon away.

Dinner: I snacked on some tortilla chips + salsa while finishing up dinner, which was delicious. Salmon cakes and lemon garlic aoili + steamed broccoli and cauliflower. (Plus another salmon cake).

I finished up the evening with some dried mango + small bowl of cereal.

I need some new evening snacks – what are you currently loving? 

Have a wonderful Thursday and weekend! 

Brian Williams. I can’t miss the 6:30pm nightly news. Or Brian.  (source)

Lunch Crunch Workouts. Our newest workout fave – it is super intense and leaves me feeling amazing!

Ginger Chews. I have a new obsession. Such a perfect after-meal treat.

Family. Enough said. Love ‘em and can’t wait to see them again soon!

Yoga. Despite the recent negative NYT article, yoga has changed my life and I literally can’t live without it. (picture source)

Huge Salads. The perfect lunch – healthy and satisfying!

Skype Dates with Friends. It makes being away from them so much easier!

Address Stamp. I ordered it from etsy and love it!

Happy Hours. Why is it so much more fun than going out later?!

Los Angeles. We <3 our new city!! (picture source)

What’s the one thing you can’t live without right now? 

Yesterday the Wisconsin Badgers played in the Rose Bowl game. It was a sad loss, but we had so much fun! And now I’m even more ready for a detox than I was – it has been a straight week of eating and drinking and my body is definitely ready for a break and lots of vegetables.

I started the day with a green juice – blend of vegetables + apple. It was a great way to start the morning with some nutrients.

We headed to Pasadena to tailgate with my cousins and set out a whole spread of food: veggies, cheese and crackers, chips, drinks and grilled sausages, burgers and veggie dogs.

I sipped on mimosas made with a coconut water + juice blend,

snacked on fresh veggies + yogurt dip,

and then some brie + proscuitto.

Any tailgate that has brie and proscuitto is a good one in my opinion.

Before going into the game, I had a sausage and more veggies. (Oh, and more champagne!)

The walk to the stadium was my workout for the day – it was actually a long, very hot walk but eventually we found our tickets and made it into the stadium.

Once inside, we cheered our hearts out, had some awful white zin and enjoyed the views.

Wisconsin ended up losing, but the game was exciting and I’m so glad we were there! On the way home we had another sausage in the car and promptly sat on the couch slamming water once we got home. What a day!

Do you keep up normal eating habits for an event like tailgating or go all out? 

What a crazy week! We flew from LA to Minneapolis, then headed to Wisconsin, back to Minneapolis for a flight back to LA – all in time for the Rose Bowl Game today. (Taster is a HUGE Badger fan so we HAD to go!)

We had a wonderful time with our families, celebrating a friends wedding and even saw a little snow! Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

snow

bride

fire

baby love

 blushing by anna

wedding/NYE

Happy New Year Friends!! (And Go Bucky!)

]]> http://anutritionisteats.com/weekend-3/feed/ 4 http://anutritionisteats.com/weekend-2/ http://anutritionisteats.com/weekend-2/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:00:35 +0000 Emily http://anutritionisteats.com/?p=9214

Merry Christmas friends! 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and that you took some of my advice on enjoying the holidays! I know I did!

The weekend started off with a date night, Christmas Eve was spent with LA family and Christmas day we took off for Minneapolis for my family christmas!

 date night at salt’s cure

red hawk – cowgirl creamery

presents

new camera lens – such a wonderful surprise!

squash + eggs

red velvet cheesecake cookies

xmas eve

airport

wine in plastic with family.

]]> http://anutritionisteats.com/weekend-2/feed/ 7 http://anutritionisteats.com/enjoying-the-holidays/ http://anutritionisteats.com/enjoying-the-holidays/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:00:38 +0000 Emily http://anutritionisteats.com/?p=9118

Last year I was in the midst of a “healthy holidays” series and I came to an important realization.

The holidays are meant to be enjoyed, without stressing out about how many calories are in that cup of egg nog and worrying about being perfectly healthy the whole time. I’m going to eat cheese and drink wine with abandon!

Here is what you should do in the next week!

Always fill a stocking. (Your own counts!)

Eat cookies. (keyword: homemade)

Do something active with your family. (I’m hoping for a hike in 80 degree weather before flying to Minnesota later that day!)

Enjoy a large, family meal that focuses as much on the laughter and the company as it does the food.

Kiss under mistletoe.

(source)

Start a tradition.

Listen to all the holiday music you can.

Donate something. Time, money, etc. (Donate to Medical Missions in Haiti here)

Wear some fun holiday makeup!

Take a day off from the computer/twitter/facebook/etc. (We can all use it.)

(source)

Be Thankful for what you have.

Think of those who aren’t as lucky.

Enjoy the holiday season! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever you are celebrating!

lunch crunch workout

greens for lunch

shopping at the grove

happy hour at the farmers market (under heat lamp)

wrapping presents

christmas cookies (Thanks Amy)

thai delivery

hot power Fusion yoga class

green & glowing smoothie from whole foods

And lots of work thrown in between. How was your weekend?

Two days ago, I broke the glass pot to our coffee machine.

For the second time.

The Taster thinks I’m too rough with it, but I just think the glass is too fragile! Instead of panicking – we have an espresso maker anyway – I deemed it the perfect time to take a little break from coffee. I had a teeny headache yesterday, but green tea was a great replacement for my morning coffee ritual.

I’m a huge fan of Choice Moroccan Mint Green Tea, but Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Coconut Chai Green Tea is my new favorite. It’s a blend of green tea, cardamon, ginger, clove and tropical coconut that fills your mug with a delicious aroma and feels like a treat in every sip!

Like:

• incredible flavor!
• organic and certified fair trade
• is a “sweeter” tea – good for afternoon sweet cravings
• contains medicinal spices (ginger aids digestion and cinnamon heightens contentment)
• you can buy in bulk or refills or tea bags for the canister off the website

Wish:

• $6.99 seems a bit steep, but if you do the math, it comes out to $.32 a tea bag which I can handle

This time of year, there is probably something we can all use a little more of.

And it isn’t cookies.

Sorry. Always the bearer of bad nutrition news….

Our Thanksgiving celebration included a number of amazing dishes (think scallop chowder and shiitake stuffing) but also had TWO kale dishes! I came armed with creamed kale and there was a delicious kale & sweet potato salad with an asian dressing. I loved it and I’m happy to report that MORE than half of my plate was filled with veggies that night. What can I say, Nutritionists tend to be high-acheivers.

Turns out it is pretty easy to make which means it can and should be on your plate soon!

You can switch up the kind of kale, depending on preference and use sweet potato, squash or whatever you have on-hand. You could also use a pre-made dressing like Annie’s Shiitake Sesame if you are short on time.