Double the love (for myself)!

When my alarm went off at  6:45 this morning, my body and mind had NO idea why I was waking up!  I quickly realized that I needed to get my butt outta bed to get to class number 36! I ate a banana, drank some coconut water, and tried this electrolyte tab made by Nuun! Apparently, Emergen-C and Gatorade both have sugar in them so you are getting your electrolytes PLUS sugar!

I felt sluggish/tired during my 8am class today! It was a good one, but honestly, I would rather have been in bed, since I knew I was going to noon yoga, and I wanted to conserve my energy! I know that I've said that one of the nice things about taking an 8am class is that your mind is not interfering with your practice.  I felt like my mind was what kept me from a great practice today! I knew that today was going to be jammed packed with yoga, work and getting everything for a special Valentine's evening! I was just proud of myself for getting into the hot room!

I rushed home and showered to quickly make it work! I made a smoothie full of kale, strawberries, blueberries, another banana, almond butter and whey protein!  And I shoved a Lara bar in my mouth while getting ready for my patient!

After that patient, I ran some errands for tonight and then headed into the hot room for a noon class with Gianna! This class was number 37! I can't believe that after 3 more classes, I'll be at class number 40!  My practice today was okay...mostly, I was proud of myself for being disciplined enough to get back in the hot room!  My body was definitely feeling the 5 classes in 48 hours!  My legs and back were cramping up despite having two bananas, coconut water, and a NUUN tablet! Makes me think that my "sweat water" is really beneficial since I could tell I didn't drink it today...ugh!  Gianna did a great job of reminding me to take it easy and to take care of myself when she could tell I was wincing in pain! There is something about knowing the difference between sharp shooting pain versus dull pain! Dull pain is tolerable and you are supposed to learn to breathe through it, but sharp shooting pain pulls me right out of the posture, like a visceral reaction!  I experienced the latter during the floor series today!

I rushed home to shower (again!) and drink another coconut water plus a Gatorade, since I wanted something thirst quenching! I had the leftover mac and cheese from last night, and the pasta still had an amazing texture! Quinoa pasta seems to be a winner in the race for best wheat-less pasta alternative! And it's probably healthier for me than rice pasta!

When I got to work, I just wanted to be in my bed sleeping so it was a tad challenging to find the energy to chase kids around the gym!  I was also still pretty hungry and crampy! My foot/leg even cramped up while I was driving and talk about uncomfortable and dangerous!

Being able to be home in time to make dinner FOR my fiancee was totally worth the rushing around today! I am loving my grill and how it makes a tasty dinner so easy and quick! I grilled steak tips marinated in two different gf sauces, along with some corn on the cob!  Sarah roasted some sweet potato spears and steamed some broccoli! The other day I found these gf cheesy biscuits from Whole Foods that remind me of the Red Lobster biscuits!  I must say that it was such an amazing dinner that would have cost way more at a fancy restaurant, and I would have been limited to what I could have picked!! For dessert, I went by Delish bakery and got chocolate-covered strawberries and gf Strawberry Champagne cupcakes! With a glass of tasty red wine, it was such a great dessert to end the night!! So glad that day 44 of gf was a super tasty and easy one!!!

To leave you with a quick and funny read: 10 reasons to date a Bikram yogi...

Stay in the here and now!

Today was an easy gluten free day, so put day number 43 in the books! And I have finished 35 bikram classes, which equates to 3, 150 sweaty minutes! When it's all said and done, I will have done 5, 400 minutes of amazingness and sweatiness!

For breakfast, I had another one of my Udi's bagels and coffee! Such a typical breakfast and it's all gluten free :-)

I loved my leftovers for lunch today! That wine chicken from last night is so tasty! Next time, we are going to cut it up into pieces so that more of the chicken gets that wine sauce on it :-) It was such a busy day that I realized at 2:30, I had not consumed enough water! Yikes!! Naturally, I started chugging water so that when I walked into the hot room, Mardy wouldn't completely kick my ass!

I love it when I make it to class earlier in the day than expected! Today it was especially lucky, because I ended up taking Mardy's 5:30 class. I always go into her classes know I'm going to be worked hard, but today I didn't have time psych myself out and was able to really enjoy it! I really appreciated the words of encouragement that Mardy gave us today! Before class even started, she said our mantra for the remainder of the challenge should be "Just show up!"  That is exactly what I plan on doing for the next 25 classes! If I can just walk through that door and put down my mat, I have completed the hardest part of the class! It's funny that people say "It's all downhill from here!" because anyone that has actually run down a hill knows that it can be the hardest part of the run!  Running down a hill is such a challenge because it's hard on your joints, so you have to actually figure out the best way to run instead of just digging in!  That's kind of how I feel about the last part of this challenge! Yes it is all "downhill" from here but getting myself into the hot room for the remainder of this challenge will definitely need to be well planned out, and I will need all of the encouragement I can get! After class, I treated myself to an Epsom salt bath! It's amazing how that can soothe the aching in the my muscles!

Sarah made the best mac-n-cheese from "The Best 100 Gluten Free Recipes" (which can be found here: Buy me!! ) She used the quinoa pasta from Ancient Harvest and I must say that it may be my new favorite gf pasta!  To add something healthy to our dinner, we had large salads to pair with it!  Several people asked for the recipe so here it is:

3 cups milk of choice
3 T sweet rice flour
2 T unsalted gf butter
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar or cheese alternative
2 T grated Parmesan cheese or cheese alternative
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (we used cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups hot cooked gf elbow macaroni (Again I used Ancient Harvest!)
1 cup gf bread crumbs
sweet paprika, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2.  Place all but 1/4 cup of milk in a heavy, medium saucepan.  In a small bowl, stir the rice flour with the remaining 1/4 cup milk until it's smooth; whisk into the milk in the saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5-8 minutes.  Add the butter and stir until melted.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheeses, hot pepper sauce (or Cayenne or chili powder, if you are a wuss like me!), mustard, and nutmeg until the cheeses are completely melted. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat the pasta thoroughly.  Transfer the mixture to a greased 2-quart baking dish.
4. Bake 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and a dusting of paprika.  Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are browned, about 15 more minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Serve immediately and with a smile on your face :-)

Next time we are going to add this gf kielbasa that we love to give us some protein for the evening!  And shamefully, I will want to add corn because I love how corn gives it a crunchy texture!  I also think some grilled bbq chicken would be really great with it too!!

Okay I need to get into bed because I have a double in my future tomorrow (as long as my work schedule doesn't change)! 8am and noon yoga here I come!! Can't believe I'll be done with classes 36 and 37 in less than 16 hours from now!  Michelle, just remember, just showing up is the biggest battle!

"Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked." 

- Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Let it go...

42 days of finding out that so many restaurants and fast food joints do NOT have gluten free options, especially when I leave my little bubble of Austin!! Oh, and today I completed class 33 and 34!

I skipped yoga on Friday because Sarah had planned a special date for me! We went to the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater to see a spoof of "The Notebook!" (Master Pancake for you locals--check it out!) It was so funny and I had such a tasty salad! Who knew that I liked jicama?! The Alamo won awesome points because they had everything that was gluten free labeled on their menu! I had one rum and coke and I think that is my limit these days! Oh, and sour patch kids for a treat--luckily my favorite kind of candy is gluten free! Woo hoo!!  Starting to miss local beer though!

I was going to go to yoga on Saturday morning but once we started figuring out our game plan for our huge Saturday adventure, I realized that it was not going to be very doable! Sarah and I ventured up to Frisco, TX, which is past Dallas, and is an almost FOUR HOUR DRIVE! What was I thinking?!  To drive there, watch the US Women's National Soccer team kick some butt, and then drive back FOUR more hours!?  I found Saturday to be a challenging eating day overall, because so many places did not have gluten free options! I ate a hamburger without a bun, and it was very odd cutting up a hamburger! I saw all of those beer vendors walking up and down offering tasty empty calories, but alas I said 'no thanks'! I really wanted some hot cocoa since it was 40 degrees in the outdoor stadium, but silly chocolate has gluten in it! The game was amazing though, and we won in the last 4 minutes of stoppage time! Way to keep us on our feet!

We stopped in Plano to get some coffee and food.  The outdoor mall we found looked upscale, so we figured we could find something, but after walking into three different food places, I was getting highly frustrated! But thankfully, we came across this place called Mama Pita and they had EVERYTHING labeled that was gluten free, vegetarian and vegan! It was some of the best  "quick/casual" food I've had in a while!  Who knew Mediterranean food was so gluten free friendly! And I was so excited that my favorite drink at Starbucks is gf! For those of you who don't know, avoid anything at Starbucks with chocolate chips in them because they are not gluten free! The cinnamon dulce syrup is good to go, though!

That purple stuff is Beet hummus! Delicious! Who knew!!

Today was a long but great day hanging out at the studio! I woke up this morning and I enjoyed some of my tasty gf cereal with a banana in it!  I also chugged my sweat water and an Emergen-C before I headed into the hot room!  My practice was good! I needed to get into that hot room after driving for 8 hours and sitting in the freezing cold for 2 and half hours! My body was aching and unfortunately my left calf was rock hard! It has been bothering me all day today :-/ I took it easy and did not push myself in those postures that caused me pain!  Between classes, I chugged a coconut water, sweat water, and ate a Lara Bar to give me some energy (but not too much stuff in my stomach)! Sarah joined me for the second class! It was so great to have her right behind me, especially since it was a hot class! Today was the first time I had Sally has an instructor and she was such an encouraging teacher! After each posture, she would say "Let it go..." which I took to mean that she wanted everyone to really take in what they gained from the last posture and focus on what they could gain in between postures.  Also, I think she wanted us to focus on the importance of trying your best every posture and not let your last posture affect your next one! After yoga, Sarah and I went to Juice Land to get some smoothies! Based on several suggestions from different people, I took a shot of wheatgrass! Did you know it is equivalent to 2.5 lbs of green vegetables?!? If only we could convince kids to take one of these every day! My smoothie was called "Wundershowzen" and it had spinach, banana, peanut butter, hemp protein, blueberries and rice milk! YUMMY!!! Overall, it was a really great yoga day! My left calf was the only negative thing about today! Sarah has promised me to a massage tonight :-)  Best pre-Valentine's day gift ever!

Sarah made an amazing dinner tonight! Who knew that chicken with red wine, brown sugar, and paprika would make a delightful meal!! We also had some asparagus, risotto, and cauliflower mash! That cauliflower will definitely be a side dish that we make frequently!

For dessert, we had these tasty strawberry pops! They are gluten free and made here in Austin!  So tasty and relatively good for you! Can't wait to try their other flavors!

"Most important, precious, expensive word = concentration."

- Bikram Choudhury

Happy Hour of Sweating!

I've been eating gluten free for 39 days! And today was my 32nd class of dripping sweat from every part of my body! It's been a couple days since I have posted because I have been busy with work and being social!  Super busy, but good busy.

Last night I went to Uchiko after yoga and met up with my friend Angela to have one of the best food experiences I've had! I am typically not a raw fish kind of gal, nor am I very adventurous when it comes to raw fish, BUT being at such a nice restaurant where Paul Qui is the executive chef brought out the braver side of me! I have at least 13 pictures, but I'm going to try not to make all of you jealous with all of the tasty food, so I'll limit myself to just a few!

Okay, so maybe more than a few!  If you ever get the chance, go eat at Uchiko and maybe you'll get lucky to see Paul making delicious meals! Or better yet, you'll get Angela to make some of these amazing treats for you! Loved that sushi rice, but hated the thai chilies!  ALSO, huge plus for Uchiko, Angela told them I was gluten free and they prepared every dish so that it was GF :-)

I bought some gluten free bagels and Gorilla Munch Peanut Butter cereal so those have been my two breakfast options this week! The bagels are from Udi's and they are okay...not as good as a real bagel, but they give me some variety for breakfast! The cereal is similar to Kix, but with a peanut butter taste, and it's so amazing with almond milk and a banana! I am looking forward to that as my breakfast tomorrow!

I came home to one of the most delicious home-cooked meals that a girl could ask for! We bought a large cauliflower from the farmer's market last weekend, and Sarah suggested making cauliflower mash! For those of you who love mashed potatoes and are open-minded, try these! We blended up the cooked cauliflower in the Vitamix with some garlic, low fat cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and chicken bullion!  Oh my goodness, I would eat these over mashed potatoes any day! The Vitamix blended them into the texture of mashed potatoes and they were so much lighter than potatoes!  Sarah made this pork tenderloin dish with apples and it was so moist and flavorful! I am looking forward to adding these two recipes into our regular rotation!

It's been such a busy week that I can't even think of where to begin!  I aggravated my left leg AGAIN--chasing after a kid at work on Wednesday. That made yoga a blast all week. One of the physical therapists that I work with is trained in craniosacral therapy, and she sweetly worked out some stuff on my left leg. If you ever meet some one trained in this, have them put their hands on you! My leg felt so much better today during class! I am thankful for Nora P. telling me to take it easy because I feel like so often, we try to push ourselves, and it's nice to hear the verbal reminder!  Today's class was led by Gianna and probably 15 minutes into the class, some "visitor" said that it was cold so Gianna quickly fixed that! It ended up being a hot class but a good one! It's so interesting to see the transformations that occur daily when you do this yoga so much! It's also amazing how it makes your perspective change. When I first started this challenge, every class felt like it lasted for hours, and now I'm always surprised by how quickly it flies by. Tonight's class was one of the sweatiest but also one of the greatest! I'm very thankful for a shower after class, though, because they help rinse away that "Bikram yoga" smell!

"Sweat cleanses from the inside.

It comes from places a shower will never reach."   

- Dr. George Sheehan

OHHHH We're Halfway There!!

Well at least I am halfway there! Today marks my halfway marker in my 60 day challenge! And layered onto that, I've hit 36 days of eating gluten free!

Sarah bought me this asparagus fern 30 days ago to signify my journey through this challenge.  It's interesting because during the first week or two, some of the needles started turning brown and falling off.  Sarah was nervous that it would not end up being a good symbol of my journey, but we moved it and now it is flourishing! The really long branch was not there before we bought it.  I like to think that the needles "falling off" signified my left calf injury, but then the long branch growing so rapidly is all of the amazing change I have noticed! We did measurements yesterday and I am still noticing those inches decrease! Overall, I have lost about 2 1/2 inches in almost every area! Woo hoo :-) It sure does feel good to have to tighten that belt just one more notch!  I am sleeping a lot better and I even noticed that the bags under my eyes have almost disappeared! Lastly, my allergies *fingers crossed* have not been intense they typically are!

I saw today as completing a half marathon for someone who is training for a full marathon.  Completing 30 classes out of 60 is a pretty big deal, at least for me! So often, Bikram studios do 30 day challenges and if I was at a different studio, I would be done by now! But alas, I am halfway done!  Today was filled with so many great people and supporters in that hot room! I put my mat right next to the podium so I could enjoy Lisa's great energy!

She led us through a fantastic class and made me smile numerous times even when I was dripping in sweating and trying to slow that breath down!  Radio was literally two inches from me and it was great to cheers her during our "official" water party time and between the standing and floor series!  I am glad that I have these people to grow and learn with! It makes walking into that studio day in and day out enjoyable!  Amanda, one of the ladies that helps Pure run smoothly, shared some of her plantain chips after yoga---she must have read my blog because she mentioned that they were gluten free! Made me smile to know that she knew that about me when we just smile in passing almost every day! Only negative thing about my practice today was a tightness I felt in my left calf when I attempted to push myself in standing bow :-/  I just want that leg to get better! Today's triangle was probably my best so far, and I did not have that "run the eff out the door NOW!" feeling! It's amazing that when you really understand a posture and all of the minute details (which are really IMPORTANT factors), it's so much easier to do the pose!

Sarah made a tasty and healthy dinner for us tonight! There is something about knowing how healthy and fresh your food is that it gives you even more pleasure!  I could also eat an entire bunch of broccoli when it's steamed with lemon pepper seasoning!  I treated myself to a gin-less G&T and it was so refreshing!

I am excited about completing these next 30 classes with a smily happy and sweaty face!  See you at the finish line :-) I will be accepting strong adult beverages sans gluten!

Easy like sunday morning...

Day 35 of gf eating! and my 29th class :-) which means tomorrow is CLASS NUMBER 30!!!

Last night I was not sure if I wanted to go to yoga (just due to pure exhaustion) but I woke up BEFORE my alarm clock, so I crawled out of bed and into my yoga clothes! I ate half a peanut butter cookie Lara bar and chugged down my "sweat water" and an Emergen-C.  I have found that those three things make a great combination before a morning class! It only took me 29 classes to figure it out :-)  When I made it into the hot room, I really just wanted to go back to sleep so I laid down to enjoy the heat until class began.  I was still counting all of the reasons I didn't want to be there but since I finally caught up with my two doubles in one week, I didn't want to do a double unless I needed to!  As I opened my eyes to start the class, it was like Bikram had sent me a yogi angel--Radio was putting her mat down right next to me!  She gave me the strength and energy I needed to get through those 90 minutes!  Thankfully Tyler left me alone today and I was able to give it just some of my energy, not all 110% that I typically try to give! I did all 26 postures, I stayed in the room, I sweated and I put class number 29 into my report card! The instructors always say that sometimes, you go into that hot room and all you can do is just lay there, but at least you are there! I thought about trying to just lay there the entire 90 minutes, but I couldn't bring myself to do it!  Cest la vie!

We were supposed to go to brunch with a friend but unfortunately the scheduling didn't work out so Sarah and I enjoyed brunch at Magnolia Cafe solo, and did some wedding planning!  I had an omelette with avocado, cheese, turkey and black beans! Tasty but I think later my stomach did not appreciate all that cheese :-(  I also enjoyed some coffee, hoping it would give me the energy I needed to get through my busy Sunday, but I don't think it did its job. Oh well!

I feel like I never stopped going today and I just wanted to nap! I am thankful for Sarah helping me get through this busy day and making the best Red Beans and Rice while I was at work study! We used some sausage from the Farmer's Market and it was such a great addition to an already delicious meal! I also enjoyed another snake bite with another Green's gf beer! It was the Amber Ale this time--the one from yesterday was a tad sweeter! Apparently this beer is made in Belgium, so it's no wonder it's better than the other gluten free beers!

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, 

but in rising every time we fall."

- Confucius

I am excited about rising to the half way marker tomorrow! Hopefully my yogi angel will be on the mat right next to me! One of my favorite teachers, Lisa, kicking my ass for 90 minutes! Bring it, #30!

Double success!

34 days of healthy eating, and I crossed off classes 27 and 28 from my list of things to do!

My alarm went off at 6:45 this morning,  WHICH IS WAY TOO EARLY FOR A SATURDAY! (in case you were wondering!), and I struggled to open my eyes! I feel like I operated with one eye for the first hour I was awake!  I very slowly gathered up my "sweat water," my Emergen-C, and Banana Bread Lara Bar and changed into my favorite outfit these days...spandex shorts and a dri-fit tank top...and out the door I went.

Afton was teaching the 8am and I was SO surprised by how packed the room was! It was also full of familiar friendly faces :-) I was glad to have Radio practicing just a few mats behind me!  It's really great when the people around you share their energy and their space with you! The lady next to me was super nice and scooted over her mat so I could be in the front! So grateful for that!  Afton led us through another great practice! She spoke a lot about having a "mental rolodex" and placing all of the little adjustments we put in there because there are so many corrections for every posture, and for every muscle! It's amazing how just pushing your hip this way or tightening your hand grip that way can change the posture so much!  There are so many things to think about, so I feel like I am learning things I haven't "heard" before or I've forgotten about!  Sometimes I think we, as humans, choose not to "hear" the things that make "life" harder, but really in the end will make something better or stronger!  So I am trying to listen better and apply things that I hear, even if it makes the posture hurt like hell!

After class ended, I quickly gulped down a coconut water--I am not really a fan of the ones by Naked Juice! Not nearly as refreshing as Coconut Juice! I also ate half a banana and had some of my salt water stuff.  I changed into another set of my "costume" and it was extremely hard to pull those spandex up over sweaty legs! Sarah came to join me for my double!  Lisa taught the 10am class and I asked her to take it easy on me, as this polar bear had already completed it's 60 mile swim once today, and the thought of doing it again sounded like a challenge!  Lisa was very kind to me and really helped me with two postures! At the start of the class, it was like I shot out of cannon and was ready to go! My body was like "Oh we just did this posture! Piece of cheesecake!"  But as the floor series came along, that savasana  seemed much more like nap time then recharge time! I felt like all of my energy had seeped out onto my mat and towel!  BUT I completed the rest of the postures! I told myself it was all mind over body now...just push through because at this point I had already completed 2 hours of yoga! No need to back out now!  So along I went, counting myself through the postures and telling myself I only needed to give my energy to X amount of postures and then there was a farmer's market with treats waiting for me! Woo Hoo! I survived! Minimal cramping was experienced and I did not feel that sick hungry feeling!  I had a Gatorade to help replenish some of those electrolytes that I lost in the sweat chamber! And after a quick shower, we were off to the farmer's market!

There is one stand at the downtown farmer's market that has the nicest people that work there, and they sell the best coffee and chai!  It was a nice change to start off my journey at the market with coffee, since lately I have been avoiding it, as I'm typically on my way to yoga!  We bought some fresh kale, sausage and the largest head of cauliflower that I have ever seen!  I treated myself to some gluten free Pad See Ew by this great company called Thai Fresh.  They make almost every dish gluten free and they try to make everything sustainable and local! Even better :-) For any of you local readers, they typically have a Groupon now for $7 for $10 and they also do cooking classes!  The meal was such a comfort food after busting my ass for 180 minutes! I will definitely be going back there soon ;-)

I felt like I was hungry for a majority of the day, but I guess that's what happens when you workout and don't each much in the morning.  I ate some more of my gf pizza to hold me over until we went over to Katherine and Rob's house for a home cooked gf meal! This meal puts my food to shame! I splurged and brought with us some gluten free beer and cider to make snake bites, because typically gluten free beer is not that fantastic but is much more enjoyable when masked by cider!  However, we tried this newer beer, I think, called Green's and it was so stinking good that I would drink it sans cider next time!

We started off with a yummy salad topped with homemade dressing and candied pecans! For the main meal, she made this brisket with peach bourbon glaze and placed it over creamy cheesy polenta! Holy smokes, I think I am going to dream about this dish!  The side dish was also delicious! It was pan seared brussels sprouts with apples, bacon, and other goodness!  I wanted to lick the plate but I don't think that would have made a good impression ;-)

Sarah and I tried our hand at some gluten free baking tonight.  We made an apple crisp from the gf cookbook LeAn sent us (100 best gluten free dishes)! And I can see why this recipe is in there.  It was relatively simple once we bought all of these weird sounding flours! I think everyone enjoyed it since there was none to bring home :-( :-)

I would have to say that today was an absolute success!  I am contemplating skipping yoga tomorrow, especially now that I know I can handle a double, because my schedule is so busy that the thought of waking up early again just makes me sad!