A Running Start!

Welcome to my health and fitness blog! I'm a relatively new runner, but a food fanatic! Join the journey as I push my body harder and fuel it with beautiful, yummy and nourishing dishes. After all muscles are made in the kitchen and you can't have one without the other.

I'm dedicating this blog to FOOD and FITNESS.... soooo that's what tha posts will be on--- I do have another life but I'm leaving it off this blog. Thanks for understanding!

I already have two races under my belt and I am hooked. My first was a local 5K and my second just this last weekend -- The Krispy Kreme Challenge! A 5 mile race which I got pretty good time on thanks to some fit friends who pushed me across the finish line. We came in the last 700s to early 800s out of 7,700 runners. I'm looking into what I want to do next... news coming soon!

Okay, so onto today. This was my breakfast this morning... So refreshing and a great way to kick start the day!

I've been making smoothies for so long recipes seem to have gone out the window. I have a morning routine, but we were out my favorite raw protein drink so I got to be creative. It's always fun to switch things up a bit!

Here's what went into this delicious shake:

• 6-8oz water
• 2-3 tablespoons Irish moss (so good for you!)
• teaspoon raw cacao powder 
• scoop of organic raw protein powder 
• 6-8 drops chocolate stevia (yummy! I have a BIG sweet tooth)
• 1/3 cup frozen berry medley
• sprinkle of chia seeds
• and, TONS of ice-- thick and creamy is the my favorite!

A shot of the Irish moss... It a great way to give your smoothie substance (acts as a thickener) if you're trying to cut back on the calories and want to use water instead of milk.

And... the final product!

But, in case your wondering... There was great temptation this morning! I have three sisters who are simply amazing in the kitchen. You say "hungry" and they whip up incredible dishes like this one!

Although these wonderful pancakes are made with whole wheat flour and they're the "best of the better" I still decided to forgo. This is a weekend treat for me-- NOT something I need to let myself have during the week. Once I start making exceptions it's hard for me to stop!

For physical exercise, I did:

• 15 min stretching (ooh, this felt so good!) 
• 20 minute FIRM workout, sculpt
• 10 min upper body free-weight lifting (3, 8 & 12 lb weights)

Working out makes me feel so good, invigorates me and helps with life perspective. I feel that if I can do hard things in my workouts it helps me face the challenges everyday life presents. 

Some sweet friends from church grew these gorgeous root vegetables in their garden! So this morning I got in the kitchen and made a delicious pot of mashed turnips for my family. Since this was fresh on hand, I had a serving for lunch; Coupled this with a large serving of sweet, purple grapes and I was happy! Healthy and low-calories to boot. My style.

Mashed turnips recipe: I lightly salted a pot of water with Himalayan salt and set it to bowl. Chopped up 8-10 large turnips and added to the boiling pot. You'll need to cook the turnips for 15-20 min or until soft. Drain water. Add butter, cream cheese, pepper and parsley to taste, and if extra moisture is needed you can add AlmondMilk (I probably used about a cup). This makes for an awesome dish folks!

Dinner was incredible. I wish I had a picture of the outside of this restaurant to give the feel, but it's a really nice one here in Fayetteville-- one of my favorites! It was a family get-together celebration for my aunt's birthday. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and the wonderful fellowship!!! The salad bar came with my entree and I loaded it with boiled eggs and olives, two of my favorites!

The main meal in and of itself was enough to feed me for two meals, and it was only once it was half eaten did I remember to take a picture... so here you are! That's real life, right?

Thank you for reading! And, welcome to the first of many posts!