{Wordless Wednesday}

Ok... so this post may not be so {Wordless Wednesday} after all... 

For the past two years I've been trying to get my body back. When I was pregnant I gained 72 pounds. Yes, I just said that out loud, 72 pounds. I don't think I ever told anyone just how much I had gained... I guess I carried and hid it well to the outside eye. 

On my journey of finding myself over the past couple of years, I've also been on a journey to fall in love with my body. Friends who are close to me know that I am overly critical of myself and a little bit too hard on myself at times. Ok, pretty much all of the time. For me, it isn't about the size I wear, or how much I weigh {I don't weigh myself unless I have to} it's about what I see when I look in the mirror, how I feel and being comfortable in the clothes that are in my closet. 

I am proud to say that I do love my body. Yes, I complain to myself or my husband about my stomach, or my booty but in life there is always room for improvement. Just because I still want to work on certain areas doesn't mean I can't love my body. Even when I had gained 72 pounds carrying my second son, I still loved my body. {pictured}

Where-ever you are in your life, you must love yourself first. You must wake up with a positive outlook and know that you are the best possible version of yourself that you can be. Knowing this, deep inside will open up doors and potential that you didn't know existed. So try it, make sure you always, always, always Love Your Body first and just see what happens. You will be amazed. 

Stay Healthy,

Rene

Teething, What Works for You?

My youngest son is 28 months old, yes I had to count that on my fingers because normally I just say "two". 

Exactly two years ago he and I traveled home to see my family in Northern California and his stubborn little self decided it was time to cut his first teeth at just 4 months old. While I was excited that he was "cutting his first tooth" it also made for a very stressful, un-fun trip. Ever since then, we've been teething. Drooling, meltdowns, mood-swings, cranky pants, you name it. I feel like his perfect little teeth are taking forever to come in but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just this morning I spotted his first of four two-year molars through the gums. Finally! He's been saying his teeth hurt and has had swollen gums for months! It has been a long two years, but I've come to realize and accept that this is part of life and EVERY ONE goes through it {some kiddos and parents just handle it a little better}.

My son hasn't been the easiest teether at all. Aside from what works for us and soothing our cranky baby, I have also learned a lot about myself and patience along the way. It's helped me understand that life is about growth, constantly. I've also learned what works and what doesn't in our house as far as teething goes so I thought I'd share in case you too are in need of something to soothe that poor baby's gums!

What hasn't worked... 

Tylenol, Ibuprofen, frozen bananas or any other cold fruit or ice in a mesh feeder, and distraction. When his teeth are bothering him there is NO distracting him...

What HAS worked...

• Frozen washcloth to chew on always helped, especially when he was a baby. I'd get half of it wet, throw it in the freezer for at least thirty minutes and give it to him to gnaw away! He loved it and it always seemed to calm him down a bit.
• Chilled teething toys were, and still are, a huge hit. Even now, he will ask for his little Sophie teething ring from the freezer and when she's thawed out, he'll ask for a different one.
• A spoon. Yes, I said a spoon! When he was younger, I would plop him in his high chair and give him his little metal baby spoon that has the soft tip and he would chew on that for a good while. He still loves to chew on a spoon now!
• Baby Orajel Naturals on occasion. We mostly only used this at night when he was screaming in horrible pain, I think when he was getting those painful canine teeth. After I'd rub a little on his gums he'd always calm down, so I knew it was working. I used this one because I felt safe since it is free of benzocaine, alcohol, and dyes.
• Staying calm and realizing that this is all part of growth and there isn't anything I or my husband can do about it. Staying positive and patient while he screams in pain is beneficial for us and for him.

What are some things that you have used to help soothe your teething baby or toddler? What worked and what didn't? I'm still looking for suggestions on how to get through these last molars that are taking their sweet time to come in!

***Originally posted on East Valley Moms Blog as a contributor post***

Giving a Gold Star

Yes, I will admit, I am one of those.

I didn't really realize until reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin that I am a person who is achievement based. I know that I have a very strong type-A personality and I know that I am a perfectionist but I didn't know that on top of that I needed to have a pat on the back for work well done.

After a lot of the self reflection I have been doing lately, I decided to start GIVING gold stars instead of  wanting them. I have found that when I am always wanting them I feel empty and discouraged. Just giving gold stars, or even compliments to complete strangers has filled my cup and helped me release that feeling of needing them myself. It has taken my focus off of waiting for them and replaced it with a new focus of helping others get their gold stars.

You never know what someone else may be feeling, what they are thinking and you can't ever judge a book by it's cover. Giving someone a compliment or even just saying "hello" to a stranger could really be the highlight of their day and be that gold star they might be waiting for.

Do it. Make a change and give a gold star. You never know... giving one or two may actually be just what your day needed too.

Stay Healthy,
Rene

{Wordless Wednesday}

This day is a journey, this very moment an adventure. 

~Rebecca Pavlenko

Loving Yourself, Realization, and Taking Responsibility

**This is somewhat of a rant, vent, blur of words...don't judge**

My goals for the month of September shifted. Dramatically. The more I started reading again and running {which is another topic} I started to self reflect more. I went back to my counselor a couple of weeks ago after not seeing her for almost a year and a half. During that hour talking with her, I came to a lot of realizations, without even knowing it. 

Self reflection is important, almost as important as meditation. Who we are and who we see ourselves as is what keeps us going, gets us through happy moments and sad. The more I dove into myself, I was finding that I've gotten a little lost over the past two years, since tiny human was born. I've been taking time for myself, but was I loving myself? Am I able to get up in the morning, as happy as I may be and say, "I love who I am and who I am growing to be"? 

No, I could not. 

I realized that at some point I had gotten wrapped up in materialistic things again and wasn't focusing on the more important virtues. Yes, I eat healthy and I exercise but I also splurge and sometimes over-exercise {which really does NO good whatsoever}. I was worried about what we had planned for the upcoming weekend, what my hair looked like and if my outfit was cute enough. 

I realized that I don't know people as well as I thought I did. 

I realized that I am surrounded by a lot of negative people who don't love themselves enough to live a healthy lifestyle. They are so wrapped up in cosmetic and materialistic properties that their health isn't even a priority. With this realization, I have learned that I don't really want to be surrounded by people who don't treat their health as a priority. I want to be around people who are going to be dancing with me when I'm eighty years old, and traveling to Maui when we're 85. 

I realized I have a huge love for kale {random} and that making it a daily discipline to eat it at least once a day isn't that hard. 

Each day in September I am loving myself more and more. I am feeling free and happy and more in love with my husband than ever. I like to blame the fact that I am taking responsibility for my actions, thoughts, priorities and am moving forward instead of standing still. Despite my small hip injury {i hate that word} I am still getting exercise. I am changing my diet and I have new daily practices. I'm hoping that once I get everything more organized I can start blogging about it in a better fashion. 

I am remembering every day that health is wealth and you can't be healthy until you start with loving yourself and taking the responsibility that only YOU are capable of. 

Stay Healthy, 

Rene

Must have iPhone Apps for Moms

By now, I’m sure you all know that I think very highly of my iPhone. Last week I shared some Cool iPhone Apps For Kids that I absolutely love and approve of my kids playing with on occasion. While our kids are important and all, what about us? We need a break too sometimes, or something to help us stay organized, edit photos, track health and fitness, and once in a while, some mindless entertainment. There are thousands of apps available for free and to purchase, and these are at the top of my list on my phone.

Instagram & A Beautiful Mess, Free/ $0.99 

I love taking photos with my iPhone, and fellow contributor Erin would agree that Taking Great Photos with your Smartphone is the way to go. I always use the camera app that comes standard on my phone, since it takes really great photos but my favorite app for sharing them is definitely Instagram. You can customize photos, and now videos, with several different filter effects and share them with your friends and family right from the app, post to Facebook, Twitter or even email the finished product. If you wanted to get even more creative, you could use another favorite of mine, A Beautiful Mess to decorate the photos with text or doodles before uploading to Instagram.  Don’t forget you can follow EVMB on Instagram-just look for us under eastvalleymomsblog!

Cozi Family Organizer, Free

Have you ever made plans with your friends only to find out your husband has also made plans with his friends on the same day? This was a frequent problem in my house until I found Cozi Family Organizer. A calendar, shopping and to-do lists are just a few of the great features this app has to offer. Each family member can download the app and since it is shared everyone uses the same log in. You can add or edit appointments and grocery lists and everyone in the family can see it! I still love to have my calendar hanging on the wall, but this is a sure way that I know my husband will see my appointments and weekend plans. Now, if it’s not entered in the app? It’s not happening!

LIVESTRONG.com-A Calorie Tracker, $2.99

Looking to shed weight? Track what you are eating or track your daily exercise? I have downloaded several health and fitness apps over the past few years and while My Fitness Pal used to be my favorite, LIVESTRONG.com – Calorie Tracker has taken over the #1 spot on my iPhone. I love the ease of being able to track my water intake each day and keep my food journal up-to-date right on my phone. It’s always fun to get little daily reminders to help keep me on track too. While I usually don’t like to spend money on apps, keeping a food and water journal is important to me so spending the $2.99 to get this app didn’t bother me.

Lift, Free

My most recent app find is this amazing little personal trainer called Lift. Several of us use sticker charts for our kids to keep them doing their chores and developing habits, right? So, how about a sticker chart for your iPhone? For YOU to maintain consistency and help keep accountability for activities you might often ignore. You can add habits like brushing your teeth or set reminders to stop and enjoy life for a few minutes. I have been using this app for a couple of weeks and I’ve already noticed more of a consistency with things such as flossing my teeth and reading more. I like having to “check-in” and jot down a little note each time I complete a goal I’ve set and it’s always fun getting “props” from other users when you have marked something off for the day.

Those are the top five apps on my list. Of course I love the Notes app that comes standard on the phone, Facebook, Nike+ Running to track my runs and set challenges with friends,Pandora, and of course ESPN Fantasy Football to watch the scoreboard each week to see how I’m doing in the East Valley Moms Blog Fantasy Football League. What are YOURfavorite apps to stay organized and take a break from mommyhood?

***Originally Posted on East Valley Moms Blog as a contributor post***

{Wordless Wednesday}

{Wordless Wednesday}

Ok... so I know I am not supposed to "say" anything on Wordless Wednesday but I just have to on this first post... 

This will be Week 1, sometimes I'll post one photo, sometimes more. No caption, no words, no description, you get the point. I'd love to hear YOUR captions for my Wordless Wednesday posts though! Please leave them in the comments!! 

Ahhh, A-Rod, We Meet Again

As I posted earlier {via my blog post on East Valley Moms Blog} I mentioned that it's that time... Time for Fantasy Football! This will be my fourth year playing and I think I am MOST excited about this year. I am participating in two leagues, one with other moms from EVMB and the other along side my husband and some of our friends.

I have done fairly well in past years, always getting either first or second place. Last year, I was quite proud of my first place ranking and owe all of my thanks to Mr. Aaron Rodgers. {Yes! I drafted him AGAIN!}

Don't get my excitement for drafting him confused with being a Greenbay fan, because that I am NOT. No way, definitely NOT. 

Our EVMB league used an auto-draft because of our busy mom lives. We couldn't all coordinate a day to sit down and do a draft, let alone the fact that a few moms have no idea ANYTHING about football.  I am pretty pleased with my draft, with the exception of my TE, Rob Gronkowski. GREAT player, yes and ordinarily I'd be quite happy with him as my TE pick, but since he's injured and will be out for a little while longer while healing (from back and forearm surgery) I am a bit bummed. 

The rest of my team is as follows:

QB: Aaron Rodgers, GB

RB: Stevan Ridley, NE

RB: Frank Gore, SF

RB/WR: Cecil Shorts, Jac WR

WR: Wes Welker, Den

WR: Eric Decker, Den

TE: Jared Cook, StL

Flex: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cin RB

D/ST: Seahawks

K: Blair Walsh, Min

On my bench: 

Rob Gronkowski, NE TE

Daryl Richardson, StL RB

Mike Williams, TB WR

Joe Flacco, Bal QB

Rams D/ST

Dan Bailey, Dal K

Golden Tate, Sea WR

Fred Jackson, Buf RB

Not a bad team if you ask me... They are all strong players and what has helped me in the past is consistency and starting my studs; such as A-Rod. Last year I considered benching him after his HORRIBLE first few weeks and am glad I didn't as he ended up getting me quite a bit of points! Since my team of choice is the San Francisco 49ers, I am SO happy that I drafted Frank Gore!! Now I can actually cheer for a fantasy player while I'm cheering for my team. Was hoping to get their Defense but the Seahawks are great too. 

My tips to myself for this year's league: 

1} Start my studs, always even when I doubt them.

2} Keep track of BYES week after week. 

3} Check my line-up throughout the week, watching for injuries and suspensions 

4} Don't judge the season by the first few games

5} Talk smack to my fellow leaguers 

This will be an exciting season, and I can't wait to root for my 49ers again!! 

Who are YOU rooting for? 

Impromptu Visit from the Parental Units

This last weekend marked yet another milestone. My first son's fourteenth birthday. I gave birth to him when I was just nineteen years old, living in Hawaii and still a newlywed (of a little over a year).

He's now taller than me, wears a size ten shoe and his voice is getting deeper and deeper by the week. I can't believe he's in high-school now and in just a few short years, he'll be driving. Scary! (that means I'm REALLY getting old).

Between a busy busy weekend and a last minute planned visit from my parents, I haven't been to the gym in four days. Yes, I said four days and it's killing me! Life is happening and it's not the end of the world, but still... the gym is my sanity; or anti-depressant if you want to call it that.

It was so wonderful having my parents here, I miss them so much and wish we could live closer to them. I love their company, conversations and evening walks with my momma. They only stayed a couple of days, and I'm hoping that they will be back soon to visit again! Today marks their 30th anniversary! What better way to spend it than twelve hours in the car together driving home!

30th Anniversary Kiss 

My little swim monkey, loves the pool!! 

Doing Tricks! 

I love my momma!! (Nevermind that it was 109 degrees outside...)

Sun, Sand & Waves

Vacation.

We needed it.

So we went. 

To Newport Beach, CA. 

We swam and laid by the pool. 

Travis saw the ocean for the first time... 

...and loved it. 

I enjoyed my beach time, and my beach hair. 

And Travis napped, very little. 

I did cartwheels in the sand... 

And stood with my feet in the sand. 

We jumped for joy... 

And did some yoga... 

Made lots of good memories with family and friends. 

I never thought I'd ever move back to California.... but someday, I just might. I loved the area and will definitely be returning in the near future. 

We had so much fun hanging out at the pool, drinking Margaritas at Fred's in Huntington and being silly on the beach. 

It was by far the best family vacation we have been on yet! 

Mood Booster Workout

It is so easy to forget to take care of your body. Whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain weight or just stay active it's easy to fall off course and lose momentum.

Here is a quick workout that I like to do if my day is too busy to get to the gym or to a bootcamp class. It elevates my heart rate, helps burn a few calories and boosts my mood. Anytime I engage in any physical activity, I feel better. 

When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins and these endorphins trigger positive feelings in your body. Why wouldn't you want that? 

So, if you are feeling down, depressed, low energy, try this quick little workout to boost your mood!! It doesn't take very long, and it always works for me! 

Items Needed: 

Self!

Positive Attitude 

A little bit of space for burpees (yes, I said burpees)

Workout:

20 pushups (Try to do them from your toes, as many as you can, then go to your knees if you need to.

          Gradually you will be able to do more from your toes, I promise! It's all about progress!)

20 sit-ups (Actual sit-ups, not crunches!!)  

5 Burpees**

20 Squats

REPEAT! (You can repeat for as little as 15 minutes or as long as 40, however much time you have!)

**Burpees~ if you are not familiar with how to do a burpee, it's just a few simple steps! 

1) From standing position, drop down to a squat position and place hands on the ground in front of you

2) Kick your feet back, leaving you in a plank/pushup position 

3)*optional* pushup at this point

4) Return your feet to squat position 

5) Jump up from the squat position, hands reaching high, jump as high as you can

Motivation is what gets you started...

     Habit is what keeps you going. 

~Jim Ryun 

     

Challenges

Today was challenging, to say the least.

It started like most days do lately. Husband rolls out of bed to get ready for work and toddler starts yelling, "mama! mama!" from his room.

I roll over and the clock says 5:45.

The sun is up and I can hear the dog stirring in the family room in his crate. I roll out of bed and grumble and groan. Stretch my stiff, getting old body, get dressed and head to the "awake" side of the house.

Each day starts the same. But each day doesn't always go the same. Today pretty much fell apart. I let my emotions get the best of me more than once. Does it mean it's the end of the world? No way. Will I get a good nights sleep tonight and wake up refreshed tomorrow? Absolutely.

I had a lot of self talk today, mostly negative. I didn't get to work out, it's Thursday and I can't go to bootcamp on Thursdays so of course I didn't make the time to work out at home. My mood goes downhill fast, I'm snapping at the dog, toddler and myself.  I realize what is happening but on days when the dog pees in the house (on the carpet for the first time in 4 months), toddler doesn't nap and I eat a handful of chocolate covered blueberries, I have a hard time remaining positive.

And now, as I sit here and reflect on my day, I realize how blessed I am.

I have two beautiful sons who call me Mom and a loving, patient husband who stands beside me through everything. I have a beautiful home, I am lucky enough to be a stay-at-home-mom and I am physically able to walk, run, bend, stretch, and use both of my hands. So what if my dog had an accident in the house? He's a dog. So, my toddler didn't take a nap "as scheduled", big deal, tomorrow is a new day. I ate crappy? Meh, no one can be perfect and that stomach ache I have will go away.

Challenging. That is exactly what today was and I learned so much about my emotional limits and I also learned that it's ok to have a bad day once in a while. I can't wait to wake up and be blessed with another beautiful day tomorrow.

Take the good with the bad, we all have days in which we feel defeated. Take a step back, a deep breath of fresh air and laugh at all things challenging.

ABC Juice

The last few days were somewhat of a blurrrr...

I had plans to run the 4.2 Annual Pat's Run on Saturday morning with my husband but those plans changed after I spent most of the day Friday in the Emergency Room. {insert mad gruntle}

I don't like doctors, I don't like going TO the doctor and I always try to diagnose myself instead of relying on medicine. I exercise, I eat pretty healthy and usually don't get sick.

I was feeling "off" on Thursday night, low-grade fever, chills, and dizziness. Went to bed hoping I'd feel better in the morning, especially since I had my six month dermatologist checkup. That went well, she made notes on a few more of moles, took measurements and will recheck them again in another six months. She did find one on my back that she removed for a biopsy and I received the happy results this morning that it was precancerous but she removed it all. Happy Dance!!! I was getting really scared that it might be my melanoma showing it's dirty devil face again.

My husband was home for the day since I wasn't feeling well and to help with Travis while I went to my appointment. After we ate lunch I laid down on the couch because I was feeling nauseus and crampy. I started having excruciating pains in the right side of my stomach and they weren't going away. After about an hour I asked him to take me to the ER.

They were concerned it may have been my appendix or my ovaries so they ordered a ct scan so they could see all of my organs with one sweep.

After a long day (6.5hours) in the ER and treatment room, an IV of fluids and a paramedic student failing to give me a proper IV they sent me home...

My appendix appears to be fine, however they saw several cysts on my ovaries and moderate inflammation of my distal ileum, (small intestine). Sigh. It could be either and they left me with instructions to follow up with a GI Specialist because the inflammation most likely shows that I have Inflammatory Bowel Disease or something like Crohn's Disease. While I am thankful it was not my appendix, I am frustrated that I now have other questions unanswered. I don't want to go to more doctors, I don't want to have tests run, BUT the pain in my stomach was horrendous and something just doesn't feel right.

I know that when I eat 100% clean, I feel great. It's when I slip up and eat processed food and or lean meat that I end up with a bloated stomach or stomach pains. So is this something I can treat on my own? Do I really need to go see more doctors? The stomach pain lasted all weekend and was mostly a dull ache. Today, I feel fine.

On a food note, I wanted to share the new juice that I tried yesterday!! I had bought beets at the store the other day with hopes of juicing them. I have never had beets that weren't in a can {yuck} so had no idea what to do with a fresh beet. I trimmed the top, peeled the skin like a carrot and ran it through my juicer, along with 1 green apple and 1 cucumber.

It was AMAZING!!!

So, now that I have had it two days in a row, I am already addicted. It's veggielike, sweet and goes down so smoothly! It might even make great popsicles! This afternoon I may try pairing it with something else, such as a grapefruit or substitute 1/2 of the cucumber for some celery. We'll call it ABC juice: Apple, Beet, Cucumber. 

ABC Juice:

1 Green Apple 

1 Beet

1 Large Cucumber 

Put all fruits and vegetables through juicer and enjoy! 

For The Love of Bread

In an effort to eat "healthier" over the past couple of years, I have cut several items from my diet.

When I was pregnant with Travis (23 months old) I stopped drinking cow milk and went to strictly almond milk. It was a bit of a transition and an acquired taste, but now I can't live without it. I can't say that I have cut dairy out of my diet because cow milk really is the only thing I've been able to say "no" to 100% of the time.

Cheese, yogurt, ice cream and some of those snacks that come in boxes or a bag (that contain dairy) are the ones I am having a hard time with. And cookies, don't forget cookies. It IS getting easier though. What really opened my eyes was when I had given birth to Travis and he had an extremely sensitive tummy, gastritis and severe food protein allergies. I had to do a total elimination diet (which you can read about HERE or HERE) and really learned how many of the processed foods have dairy, soy, wheat, eggs and are manufactured near in factories with nuts! I was amazed! It truly is what started to open my eyes.

As of now, I have gone from eating yogurt and cheese daily to eating a yogurt *maybe* once a week and stealing pieces of cheese squares from Travis' lunch or dinner plate. It has been hard, and I miss my smoked gouda cheese on crackers with apple slices!

My efforts to change my diet don't solely surround weight. I do feel blessed in the body I was given and I thank my excellent genes that I haven't ever had to battle with weight issues that so many women my age do. I have a fast metabolism and always have. Has it slowed down? Yes, but it is still fast.

I am changing the way I eat because I am trying to get the crap out of my refrigerator and pantry. I don't want my children growing up on crappy sugary cereals (that we all love, including me) and I want them to eat real, natural, not made in factories food. I can't call myself a vegetarian, yet, nor can I call myself a vegan. I just have goals to eliminate certain foods, one at a time. None of this cold turkey crap in my house. (Yes, I am an addict and I AM addicted to ice cream)

Each week I am trying to make a few subtle changes.

This week, instead of purchasing Dryers Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream at the grocery store I replaced it with SoDelicious Almond Milk Mocha Almond Fudge ice cream and I am making every effort to not eat bread. No PB&J's, toast or bread and butter. I had the ice cream last night and it was just as good as "cow-milk" ice cream so that was an easy no brainer.

Today, after my workout at bootcamp, I was craving protein but did not want my usual chocolate or vanilla protein shake. Instead, I was craving (yes, craving) eggs. Egg salad to be exact, so I grabbed two hard boiled eggs, mashed them up and drizzled yellow mustard on top to mix it in. I used both egg whites, but only the yolk from one of them.

It was tasty. Since I am making every effort to cut out bread, I went to my hydroponics garden out back and picked some fresh butter-crunch lettuce leaves to substitute as bread. Who would have thought that egg salad lettuce wraps would be so good!? They were delicious and so easy to make. I added a few stalks of celery to my lunch to give me the crunch that I crave and I had the perfect healthy bread-free lunch I was hoping for. 

Easy Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps:

2 eggs (hardboiled, 2 whites, 1 yolk)

Yellow mustard, to taste

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Any leafy greens that can be used to sandwich the salad 

Post Yoga Quinoa Salad

Friday is yoga day. I love yoga day because I get to stretch and hydrate my muscles. They are fatigued from cardio and circuit training all week. Usually, after a workout I come home and have a protein shake to curb my dinosaur like hunger that hits. On Yoga days, I like to cook more of my "normal" lunch foods. It's always a good day to make a quinoa (pronounced KEEN - WA) salad so that I have leftovers ready to be eating throughout the weekend. I made 1 C of quinoa as my base. It's so easy to make and a heck of a lot quicker than making brown rice or something like nasty Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!

All of the ingredients that I put into my Post-Yoga Quinoa were items that I already had on stock and I  had just picked some fresh kale from my garden this morning, perfect! Other items were a tomato, an avocado, 1/4 of a red onion, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper and some cilantro to give it a little more flavor. 

I chopped everything up while my quinoa was cooking. Once it was nice and fluffy to my expectations I mixed everything together, seasoned with a small amount of salt & pepper, juice from one lemon and topped with freshly chopped cilantro. 

YUM!!

It was the perfect lunch to follow an amazing yoga flow class! I feel amazing and am ready for the weekend!

1 C Quinoa (cooked w/ 1 1/2 C Water)

1 Tomato

1 Avocado

1/4 of Red Onion

1 Lemon

Handful of Kale

Handful of Cilantro

Salt & Pepper to taste

**I'll post how I cook my quinoa in a different post!**