Do this.
Hearing this phrase, command, suggestion can be, well, triggering. Please don’t run. This is just too good to miss.

My girlfriend, and mentor, Jessica Adams, was recently awarded “Kaia Queen, Fall 2013.” She is a marvel. An inspiration. A success and to be watched. Eyes right, troopers.
Jessica started exercising and eating healthy about ?three months ago. She stopped all alcohol, although she wasn’t a lush before :). To support her, her boyfriend joined in. They are now healthy, strong, and between then both, there are thirty seven pounds displaced elsewhere.
I have been in Kaia since a year ago now. I am no Jessica. I am a stubborn bit. I have gotten stronger and healthier and I love that my body is my own again. I am still in the unhealthy weight category though and thirty pounds higher than my high school weight – back in the day when river trips were a stage and self-esteem was more about that. Back when. So much distance between now and then. Sigh.
I looked at Jessica the other day and said, “Who am I to argue with that. I am going to ‘do this.'” Why argue with what works, I figure.

Jessica, sweetheart that she is, responded with a beautiful composition you might enjoy as well.

Jessica, courageous as ever, released her writing and name for us.
Way to go Jessica! We celebrate you!

Written:
On Oct 28, 2013, at 9:10 PM,
By, Jessica Adams

I haven’t forgotten my promise to send you recipes and tell you what I’m eating! 🙂

For breakfast I am going to make a green drink every day and add a serving of hemp protein. I have two faves: peanut butter chocolate banana and berry apple.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 cup almond milk
1 tbs peanut butter
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups loose baby spinach
1 serving hemp protein
water to thin it out
ice to make it more icy if that’s how you like it

Berry Apple
1 apple
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 cup almond milk
2 cups loose baby spinach
1 serving hemp protein
water
ice

For lunch I am making a big salad and adding some legumes or grains to it. For example:
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of one lemon
salt & pepper
sliced green onion
1 cup garbanzo beans (or any legume)
3 celery stalks thinly sliced
1 tomato chopped
2 cups organic kale blend

I just play around with the ingredients depending on my mood. Tabbouleh would prob be really good to eat as long as it is more heavy on the veggies rather than the grains. Maybe have it on top of a bed of greens and squeeze extra lemon juice on it.

For dinners I am filling my plate with vegetables: steamed broccoli, cooked squash, greens (cooked or raw), beets, yams, roasted brussels sprouts…anything that sounds good. Then I am adding some legume, or tofu, or fish, or grain. For grains I usually eat quinoa.

I made some felafel patties ahead of time that are very tasty.

Felafel Patties
1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder, onion powder, coriander
1/2 cup hot water
juice of half a lemon

mix all the dry ingredients
add the hot water and lemon
let sit 10 min
then shape into small patties and fry in small amount of olive oil or coconut oil

Lentil soup is another thing I like to make ahead for dinners:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lentil-vegetable-soup-recipe/index.html

Spaghetti squash with black bean guacamole:
http://ohsheglows.com/2013/09/18/tex-mex-spaghetti-squash-with-black-bean-guacamole/

Any recipe from oh she glows is golden. I love her food! I think you would too 🙂

For snacks I am focusing on veggies rather than fruit. I pack a whole cucumber and bell pepper for snack at work.

On days when my neighbor isn’t gone in the morning (I peek out the window to check) I don’t like to run the blender because I am afraid it will disturb her. So I will probably cook myself a couple over-medium eggs and enjoy those with sauteed tomato and a couple corn tortillas.

Coffee in the morning. No creamers! Almond milk only. Green tea the rest of the day if I want it.

I don’t keep anything in my house that I will binge on. Such as: tortilla chips, nutella, any kind of sweetdelicioussaltysnack thing. Sometimes I even have to ban avocados and nut butters. I’ve taken down a jar of sunflower seed butter in two days before…ugh. I throw food away if I know it will tempt me. Actually…I have to sabotage the food first (dousing it in dish soap is one of my go-to techniques) so I won’t try to rescue it from the trash! Oh the shame! LOL. I do not keep gifts of candy or baked goods. I give them away before I even get home. I also only cook rice and noodles in single servings because I will binge on those too.

I’m training for the Avocado Half Marathon in Fallbrook that will be in February. So, I am running 5 days a week in addition to Kaia. Just easy pre-training runs so far; 3-5 miles.

I hope this is helpful 🙂 It is helpful for me to put it in writing so now I have to follow through! Oh…speaking of, I track all my food on myfitnesspal.com. My user name is yessicasue if you want to add me as a friend on there!

Ok Sana…let’s be strong and committed! One great day at a time. We can do it 🙂

Hugggggs,

Jessica

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