Jump then fall..whole foods here I come!

Yesterday I almost died.

And by that I mean I suffered from a certain amount of pain that should only occur if one is dying, because there really is no other good reason to writhe in agony as I did.

This is getting out of hand, really.


If you'll take just a sec to reminisce with me upon days of old, you will find THIS will give you a glimpse into my life. Unfortunately, not much has improved since that time.


Surgery: Waste of a lot of $$ that would've been better spent at H&M.


Since then..giving my life savings, current paycheck, and our retirement fund to doctors who seem to be guessing at this point is no longer in the plan.


So after much deliberation I've decided to embark on something new.


Improve my health by going on a Whole Foods Diet.


I am a little frightened. If I was going to lie about this process I would just tell you it's totally awesome and I love it and I'm so pumped.


My goal is to be able to say those things in about 3 weeks..that's when apparently your body starts feeling really good and it's adjusted to the absence of foods that you (think you) love.


After watching Forks Over Knives last year on Netflix, I've contemplated off and on if a whole foods diet was not only something I should do, but also if it was something I actually could do.


Who has that much self discipline?!


But then I see things like this

 

Pink Slime.

Not sure what it is? Watch this:

You should have some sort of container next to you, because you will probably want to throw up. I actually had to FORCE myself to watch this.



Even Ellen has something to say about it..

The actual point of a Whole Foods diet is just a healthier way of living and eating. Oh and you know exactly what's in your food.  And you have increased energy, feel better, and on and on the list goes.



My problem I think lies in the detoxing. Because that always sucks. I've done it from sugar before and the first few weeks were miserable. Just plain miserable.



But after a few weeks you begin to see those foods you "love" for what they really are. Unhealthy, refined, and truthfully the thought of eating processed foods is unappealing to say the least.

The BEST part is that I felt so good. SO so good. 



Unfortunately, bad habits creep in and slowly here and there you find yourself eating those foods that you eliminated from your diet and before you know it you're back to where you started.


A lot of my health issues come from my body producing too much acid. The Whole Foods diet is a plant based diet which is naturally alkaline producing and known to balance out the ph levels in your body along with give you more energy and better sleep among other things.


What I feel like now:

a.) severe heart and chest burn daily and sometimes hourly
b.) trouble sleeping
c.) daily headaches
d.) nausea (no I'm not pregnant)

e.) low energy and sluggishness
f.) sick to my stomach after eating
g.) strong food cravings
h.) late night hunger
i.) trouble breathing and swallowing
*It's rare when I actually feel good..sometimes I struggle with most of this list on a daily basis all at the same time.
j.) sugar is my drug of choice

I obviously don't want to feel this way anymore. I'm confident that by changing my eating habits drastically I will feel better, look better, and help others do it too.

Everyday I will be posting my progress and meals! I expect this first week to be pretty rough, but I feel as though this is inspired and I think the only way to do it is to take it one day at a time.

Want to do it with me?! Email me at abrisun@live.com
 

So Long, Sweet Summer

I'm getting old.

In fact I may be a complete embarrassment to 29 year olds everywhere.

You know you've stepped into the next part of your life..the older-I think I'm wiser-I should probably stop shopping at Forever 21-part of your life when you catch yourself saying this phrase:

"Kids these days..."while shaking your head in disgust after talking to your grandma about someone you know that's younger than you that's making the kind of choices that you just don't understand.

And I said that.  To. my. GRANDMA.

What in the...

Also.

The other day a friend starting talking about a situation that I, for the life of me, couldn't remember ever hearing about even though they swore they had mentioned it many times before.

Alzheimers. I'm sure of it.

My closet is no better. The signs of aging are everywhere. Loafers.  Collared blouses. High waisted pants. I completely skipped the "mom jeans" phase and went straight for grandma.  No offense to all the grandma's out there though..I love you so much I'm morphing into you.

I'm lucky to have really amazing grandma's. One makes the best homemade chili and bread and the other takes me to movies complete with popcorn and candy.  Can't beat that.

Alas another summer has come and gone. The very last one in my twenties. And like any person who apparently lives in the future, I've been just waiting for cool weather to come along so I can welcome my favorite season in with a delicious bowl of hot soup and fresh bread while watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

This time of year reminds me of when I was young. New pencils. New books. Walking to school both ways. In snow. Barefoot.

I may be well on my way to Golden Girl status, but I shall hold my head high with hopes that being "young at heart" hits you at 30. Until then..I'll be watching I Love Lucy reruns.

Enjoy my most fav recipe for Fall...It's easy and will make you feel all warm and cozy just like a hug from your grandma.

 An Adapted version..(because it's the best this way)

Creamy Corn Chowder
Recipe by Our Best Bites
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk (skim or 1% work just fine and lighten it up considerably)
2 regular-sized chicken bouillon cubes, 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp. chicken base
1/2 lb. bacon
1 small sweet onion, minced
2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced ham
1 can corn, drained or about 1 1/2 C frozen fresh corn
1 can creamed corn
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t. onion powder
1 can green chiles


Fry bacon until crisp. In the meantime, melt butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball. Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps. Add milk and chicken base or bouillon and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (but don’t boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through. Salt to taste. The reason why I don’t have an exact measurement is that while the soup REALLY needs salt, bacon also really differs in its saltiness, so it can be super easy to make this soup way too salty. Start with about 1/4 tsp., give it a few minutes, and then add more if you need it.

Serve with cornbread or french bread!


Need a good recipe for rolls? These are the BEST!

how i spent my summer vacation

It's no secret that me and good luck don't really go together.

We're not bff''s.  It's not a peanut butter and jelly, ross and rachel, biggest loser and ice cream sorta thing.

It's alright. Long ago, in a far away land (although I still live there...) I was bitten by a black widow spider, diagnosed with an incurable disease (I'm not dying), and somehow managed to completely delete the entire hard drive on my uncle's computer by pressing a button that in my opinion shouldn't exist in the first place.  It only leads to heartache, I assure you.

But sometimes on a rare occasion something brilliant happens.  And it cancels out all that unluckiness in one fell swoop. 

It is grand. It is momentous. And it happened to me last weekend. Or as K.P would say.."last friday night.."

That's right it's these gals I'm talking about. 

The epitome of awesome.

We've been through it all. From the time that one guy read us his journal explaining how he had soiled not one, but TWO pairs of underwear to the day Melody was so mad she threw cupcakes into 60mph winds and I was forced to give her a look of shame and bewilderment.

Whoopie cushions. Frostbite. Chinese buffet. Hot cinnamon. You name it. It's been done.

 

This is Celia.  Who I lovingly refer to as my favorite Aussie that I wish lived in the same country as me so we could eat Tim Tam Slams and cereal and listen to Jack Johnson every day. Or at the very least, every other day.

 

Melody. How can I ever repay you for introducing me to Miranda?

Alas, I cannot. This I know is true.

 

If you don't know who Miranda is by now...you need better friends. Your welcome.

Anyway.

Celia decided it was time to have a little holiday in America so she hopped on a plane to see some of her favorite peeps.

And a weekend of greatness was had!

I think at one point our husbands suggested that we were worse than a group of teenage boys. You know you're onto something good when words like that are thrown around.

Food for the masses. Ahem. I mean the three of us.

We even found motivation to exercise! Just kidding..we didn't do any of that.

 

It's a blacktop blur people. But I'm pretty sure it ruled. Yeah.

Even Ellie had the time of her life.

Summer = Made.

 

Firework

Good news!

I am alive.

So alive.

In fact I'm better than ever.  Sorry I haven't been around much..but absence makes the heart grow fonder, eh?

It's been a rough summer.

But I just want to take a sec to say "thanks" to the people in my life that have made it difficult.

Sincerely.

Because I've really learned a lot from each of you.

Thanks for reminding me how important it is to follow my heart and my ambitions. Your attitude about those things hurt for a bit. 

Just a teensy, tiny, little bit.

Your opinions on those things has actually made me realize how important those things are to me.  And I think it's better to be true to myself then try to fit in your mold.

Because I have my own mold.  And you may not like it. But I am happy.

And isn't that the end goal in life? To be happy?

I'm not at the end, but I like where I'm going.

Also, what is happiness good for if we can't help others be happy too?

Either we go through life pretending to be someone we're not, or we embrace who we are (the good and the bad) and we love others for doing the same.

So instead of being sad about some painful rejections, I'm happy to say that I am more motivated then ever to just be myself.

It's such a liberating thing.

And I feel the need to say that it's time we all stop worrying about everyone else. I know it's hard to just love who we really are, because we're afraid of the critics and those that would hurt us.

But I believe God wants us to be happy.  We are unique and different because of Him. That's how we were made and that's how we're supposed to be.  Isn't it awesome?!

The truth is life is different for all of us. So trying to fit into someone elses idea of who we should be can never actually work. Our struggles, our strengths, are individual and personal.

Some of us don't get married.

Some do and it doesn't work out.

Some of us don't realize our dreams until later in life.

Everyone is at a different place on the path.

Stop dreaming someone elses dream. Find your own dream. Don't fear your critics. They just can't see what you see. 

Embrace who you are. Be happy with what you see when you look in the mirror. Challenge others to do the same.

And I think we will all be a little happier.

how we spend our days..

We are ready for summer.

This week has been non-stop.  I walked in the door last night from school and fell asleep approximately 3 minutes later.

But it's the weekend! We have plans..big plans.  Movie, pizza, swimming, snuggling..ahh.

We spent the first part of this week enjoying the sun, a campfire, and the loveliness that is the beginning of summer.

The Men.

What's camping without snacks? Elle was loving the mallows.

We played games and chased Elle around until she was banned to her Dora chair so we could eat.

Tired eyes quickly turned into "why is everyone eating MY marshmallows??"

My personal favorite. This reminds me of a picture from the book "Little Women"...

why I love petiteBox!

I received this gem on my doorstep a few weeks ago from the lovely company petiteBox!

Have you heard of petiteBox yet?

If you're a new mama, a soon to be mama, or you know someone who is, this is pretty much the coolest gift you could give yourself or someone else.

Created for new mom's who appreciate the finer things in life, petiteBox sends out a box every month with new high-end, natural products for both mama and her babe to test at home.  They work with mama's who are in their 4th month of pregnancy until their baby's first birthday.

petiteBox delivers a different box every month that coordinates with the stage of pregnancy or the age of the little babe. I LOVE this idea. 

Inside the box I found so many things to love. When you're a new or expecting mama you want the nicest things for your little one and because petiteBox is so awesome, they throw in some great stuff for you too.

Elle loves that monkey.  She carries him around everywhere and snuggles with him, because he is soo soft.

The Lotus Infinite Love Mist smells divine and what woman doesn't want high quality stretch mark butter? Riddle me that!

I don't know about you, but my brain partially stopped functioning when I had Elle. I can't remember things, I feel like it's always going in a million different directions.  Being a mom is hard! So I love that this little box arrives at my home to help me keep on top of things I should probably have on hand for myself and my babe.

They even send out these helpful how-to's that include how to pick out a diaper bag and what to expect at the age and stage my baby or pregnancy is at.  Loooove.

Until recently, PetiteBox has only been available outside the U.S.  Lucky for us (those that live in the United States) they just launched in NYC so now we can have the very best for our little ones delivered right to our door!

I've been working with this company for a few months now and honestly, they are fabulous.  I've been really impressed with them and I think great customer service is always the best indicator for an awesome company. 

Go here to learn more about petiteBox.

So if you're stumped about what to get a new mama for a gift or if you want to pamper yourself a little bit, because you've got a little one, head over to their website and become a petiteBox member!

thrifting and other lovely finds

I don't know what thrift stores are like where you are, but in Utah they are kind of a big deal.

No this photo wasn't taken on Black Friday.

It was in fact a Wednesday.  Just a regular old middle of the week day.  Nothing special.

So it makes sense that when I stopped by for a quick trip I was shocked to find people lined up outside waiting for the store to open.

Was some sort of announcement made that included needing jeans from 1992 or used tupperware in a hurry?

Yeah I didn't think so.

Battling the mobs of people proved to be worth my time as I was quite successful in my venture.

Yes yes I had some lovely finds this week.  But it didn''t stop with thrifting.

These boots are my personal favorite. I wear them with everything. I even slept in them.  But not on purpose.

I discovered the best salsa recipe too.  You should try it.  Be sure to add Avocado..that takes it from awesome to bombdiggity. Trust me on this.  Find the recipe here!

And finally..Thanks Wendy's for this inspirational reminder.  I guess not all fast food places are shady.

Have a great weekend!