Pursuit of happiness

These past few months have been a huge awakening for me.
I cut refined sugar from my diet (which has made a huge difference!), cut down on my lactose intake as I realized how much it really affects my over all well being, and increased my workout program back to where it used to be!
I have been so incredibly happy. After living on my own awhile, and working full time, I really started to let myself down.. And not go for runs, or go to the gym. Or eat the foods my body needed, only the stuff my body wanted. I gained quite a bit of weight and realized
What am I doing to myself. I’m not even happy being this way, I’m only happy in the moment, and I want MY body back!
So I decided I would take my temple back, and replenish it with nutrients, spoil it with praise when I had done well, and push myself to my limits.
These are a few progress picture over the last few months. All I want is to be happy, and fit. I don’t want to be my old self, where I was working myself to exhaustion and eating very little.. Fighting with calories and starving myself for the days I had one little guilty moment. I want to be the best me I can be!

7 weeks ago

One week ago

Though these may be small steps.. Rome wasnt built in a day. I couldn’t be happier and more proud of myself. 😋❤

The Edge Food Energy- Vancouver Island’s very own nutrition bar.

Oooo Canada! I am happily and proudly Canadian. That’s why when I came across these Nutrition bars at a small grocery store in Coombs.. I knew I had to snatch up a few (after getting to sample a few tasty morsels!) This fabulous trio of flavors were put together in Qualicum, BC- and I am STOKED on a Canadian protein and health bar!!

This one is my favorite- ‘Fortify’ Chocolate almond. Again, I love anything chocolate and nuts. This flavor takes me back to an old time favorite (chocolate covered almonds), but with tons of health benefits to back it up. Its a perfect on the go snack, for when you can’t sit down and eat (I nevvver get to being a hairstylist) and actually fills you up.

Fortify- (Chocolate almond) Said to kick start metabolism, increase availability of amino acids and decrease exercise-induced catabolism of protein. Basically, this bar breaks it down for you pre-workout, and continues to push you through. PERFECT for grab and go eats as well.

Ingredients list: Almond Butter, Raw Agave Nectar, Brown Rice Crisps (Brown Rice Flour, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt, Molasses), Raisins, Spelt Grain, Cocoa Powder, Kamut ® Khorasan Wheat Grain, Whole Oats, Hemp Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Flax Seeds.

Maintain- (Cranberry lime) If you wanna go harder, better, faster, stronger. Fuels your body, easily digestible (hello ancient grains!) and super citrusy.

Ingredients list: Dried Cranberries, Cashew Butter (Dry Roasted Cashews, Sunflower Oil), Spelt Grain, Raw Agave Nectar, Kamut ® Khorasan Wheat Grain, Brown Rice Crisps (Brown Rice Flour, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt, Molasses), Whole Oats, Hemp Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Quinoa, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Lime Juice, Flax Seeds.

Replenish- (Chocolate Coconut) The recovery bar. For after those long intense workouts, or just as a boost if you haven’t been able to snack on anything throughout the day. Has all your essential healthy sugars and fats, yet has a HEFTY 18g of VEGAN protein in it! Can I get a hell yea!? Also, speeds up muscle recovery. And, tastes fab.

Ingredients list: Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder*, Raw Agave Nectar*, Raisins*, Peanut Butter*, Brown Rice Crisps* (Brown Rice Flour, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt, Molasses) Hemp Seeds*, Cocoa Powder*, Quinoa*, Spelt Grain*, Coconut*, Kamut ® Khorasan Wheat Grain*, Virgin Coconut Oil*, Salt of Life. *Organic Ingredients

Besides the delicious product, I love their mission statement

We are engaged in the global adventure of discovering and delivering real food that will energize, heal and delight the soul.

And that they do! These bars make me smile from ear to ear to think they were made on the rock, and proud to boast about them. You can’t yet order from them online, but their working on it. On their website you will be able to find store locations that hold these, and get news updates on whats going on with products, sponsors and more. The only issue I have with these is the agave nectar, as I have heard so many downfalls on it.. Basically, agave is a starchy liquid with high levels of fructose, and a complex carbohydrate.. But, since its burst into the health market, full throttle, I’m guessing most companies will dwindle away from it in time. Its mostly used as a binding agent. All of that aside-

These bars are definitely worth trying. Awesome texture, 3 highly delicious flavors, Canadian, and they work.

xox Caity
www.edgefoodenergy.com/

The morning after : a cheat day.

You know those days. The magical ‘calories don’t count today’, blinded by ice cream, shoving everything into your mouth faster than the speed of light days, after having been oh so good and keeping to your workout regime, getting to your goal weight, or just plain and simple: the day that keeps every human sane.
My cheat day was yesterday ( as you could see with the sushi galore post!) but I also decided ‘Hey. I deserve a little somethin somethin..’

Oh yea. That is a cookies&cream matcha milkshake. Now, I am on the brink of lactose-intolerancy, and decided it would be just fine if I got almond milk in replacement of regular milk, assuming in my cheeky little cheater head ‘Ohhhh it will balance everything out!‘ Wrong. Bloat, cramps, and much more to come. Followed by a few more spoonfuls of ice cream. And then a few more.
BUT- to say the least. I do not feel guilty. Because honestly, I haven’t done something like that in a LONG time.. And it was damn good. Matcha anything is good. And I may not have ‘deserved’ it, but I accomplished something, somehow.

Now, the point of this post.
There are 4 main ‘types‘ of cheat.. Which I’m sure we have all been guilty of all 4 at least once.

1– Satisfied Cheat: eating till that one cheat meal is done. Full, happy, and blissful.

2-Belt loosening Cheat: couldn’t eat another bite. But damn, those last few bites I really probably shouldn’t have tried to stuff in we’re good. No regrets though yolo (Yea I said it. It fits.)

3-Binging Cheat: Eating even though you are FULL, stuffed, and you sub consciously keep going. You want that last piece of pizza. The chip bag isn’t empty, so you keep going.

4-Gorging Cheat: Bingers gone WILD. You can’t stop, and you won’t stop, and you continue till that cheesecake has been annihilated. Then have a bowl full of ice cream, and a spoonful of peanut butter (you get the picture)

Now hey. It happens to us all. And I have been all of those cheats.. And I have had, and struggled with awful binging tendencies. But, it’s hard to say and do sometimes: move on. Don’t beat yourself up for it. Your only keeping yourself SANE.
By all means, yea, if your cheat meals turn into a daily occurrence- slooooowwwww down big rig. Your tummy, and your morals won’t be happy.
But hey, it happens to the best of us. Remember that!!

Points to remember-
After a cheat, drink LOTTTTTS of water. During, after, the next day.. Drink it all. This will help to flush out toxins, keep you full if you think ‘one more’ and settle your tummy. Have some tea if you would rather something warm to ease that bubbly, bloated tummy.
A lot of people say to fast after one of said cheat days.. I disagree to a point. I think fasting only leads to more terrible eating tendencies, which I have also fought with. Eat light the next day, and stay away from hefty carbs, refined sugars, and ANYTHING that will bring on the impulse to binge (say no to those protein pancakes you think you need to get you through your day!)
Get some exercise in! Especially cardio. It will make you feel 100x better, burn off some of that regret (and calories!) and get you back into your routine.

This morning, I woke up bloated.. But drank 2 huge glasses of water, had a bowl of raspberries (sweet little fat burners!), apple, a tablespoon of Greek yogurt on top, and two egg whites with spinach. I am FULL, and happy. I don’t need anymore, and I probably won’t need anything for the rest of my day!
Except my coffee.. No day is a good day before coffee 😳

End rant! So just remember loves, enjoy your cheat meal. Don’t let it take over you. And don’t let YOU get you!

Sista sista

Having a sister is truly one of the best blessings I have been given.. It’s like having a best friend your stuck with forever, a personal shopper, a second closet, someone to tell you your eyebrows look like crap, a snuggle buddy, a diary, and an arch nemesis all in one.. But enough with the sappy stuff.
Seriously, sometimes you just need a good girls night! And what better way to spend girls night, then with a happy cheat meal and chick talk!?

Miso, vegetable sunomono, oshinko roll and inari!! YUM! Little rice filled tofu pouches make my veggie belly happy.

Who else loves sushi, girls nights and sister love!?

Clean Reeces Pieces cup

I don’t know HOW many of you actually use coconut oil.. But seriously, this stuff is heaven sent.
Not only is it a fabulous food staple; can be used in replacement for just about any oil, when heated up and mixed with cacao it turns into a liquid chocolate shell! Seriously, pour it onto some ice cream and watch the magic happen.
It’s also:
–Is an natural skin lotion (perfect for all sorts of dry spots!)
–Removes eye makeup
–Supposedly helps to remove stretch marks
–To help reduce burning while in the sun.
–Removes frizz in hair, as well as adds tons of moisture.
–Can be used as an intensive night time facial moisturizer
–Is an all natural lip chap!
–Can help to ease psoriasis ad eczema
–An energy booster! You can just literally eat a spoon full of this stuff.
– A safe personal lubricant 🙊
AND SOOO MUCH MORE!

But on to the point of my post..
One of my absolute favorite.. Yet guilty as can be pleasures- are Reeces Pieces peanut butter cups. Seriously. Those damn things.. Their like little cups of pure evil.
In ONE PB cup, there is 4.5g of saturated fat, 24g of carbohydrates, 5g of protein (Whoo! Wait.. I’m just trying to make myself feel better) and- is a mere.. 105 calories.
But.. Putting aside calories, which honestly, I have had to battle with for YEARS- and finally come to the conclusion as long as they are good calories- just eat it . These things are bad to the bone.. Deliciously, and totally awful for your body. But, I am completely obsessed with peanut butter anything. Especially chocolate and peanut butter.. Or actually just about all nut butters.
So I decided, how can I make a HEALTHIFIED version of my arch nemesis?
Then I remembered a few months back, I had read that coconut oil while melted down and mixed with chocolate would re solidify when cool, to create a ‘magic chocolate shell’ (you have to try it, it’s amazing.)
So I got to creating! These babies are so simple, you will have a decadent little treat in no time. This recipe even yields TWO treats! So you can share 😏 (yea right)

1 heaping tbsp Nuvitas cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
A small drop of stevia
2 tsp almond butter ( 1 teaspoon for each cup!)
A pinch of pink salt

First, melt your coconut oil in the microwave. It only needs about 20-30 seconds! Whisk in your cacao powder, making sure there are no clumps what so ever. Then you can add your salt and stevia to the mixture!
I used silicone baking cups to mold these, and all you need to do is pour a bit into the bottom of each mold, then the teaspoon of whatever nut butter you choose, and full the rest up with your coconut-cacao oil mix!!
Set in freezer for at LEAST one hour.

And set up against Reeces Pieces cups.. These are punched full of antioxidants, good omegas, iron, magnesium, calcium, and protein! I honestly don’t know the exact amount in each, or calories for that matter (siiincee I don’t count anymore! Just eat good food till I’m full.)
But I do know.. I feel a lot better about eating one or two of these than I do about eating a Reeces, after reading the ingredients list.

Enjoy, and imagine the possibilities ☺ (hellooo Caitys reeces almond milkshakes, chopped up on frozen yogurt, or baked into peanut butter black bean brownies!!!)

The beginning

Okay!! People have been bugging me for months and months now to create a blog..
Here it is! My name is Caity. 😘
So this is where you will hear me whine, complain, bitch, rant, post pictures of just about EVERYTHING- as well as view my recipes, beauty secrets, food related posts, my pursuit to happiness.. And just about anything and everything!
So welcome I guess, to tattoos&tea time! The start of, I’m hoping, something fabulous.