A lesson (and well kept secret!) on Chia Seeds

Lets talk about Chia seeds! These tiny energy packed specs are one of the best kept secrets! They have so many healthy benefits and NO taste so they are easy to use in everything!

Chia seeds are great for detoxing your body, when exposed to water, they become a gel. This gel helps pick up nasty toxins from your body and these are then eliminated in your waste. What a great NATURAL way to get rid of unwanted poisonous toxins! Detoxing is a great way to get rid of past toxins you have put in your body, but you also have to make sure that they get out and don't stay stuck in there recycling back into your system. See below one of my favorite detox books!

Also because chia seeds form this "magic gel" it helps your body to stay full longer and don't us weight conscious people just LOVE that! They also have protein in them too! If you add 2 tablespoons to your water it is 6 grams of protein. PROTEIN WATER! who would of thought! And protein means energy! This is my favorite way to get my daily dose of chia seeds. I put them in my water bottle, that way I can always shake it up if they settle to the bottom. They really don't have a taste, you do feel the texture though. It's kinda cool to drink, you can feel the tiny beads in your mouth as your drinking and know you're doing something great for you that takes no time and is very cost friendly :)

Chia seeds are available at any health food store, make sure to get organic to stay away from unwanted pesticides! This bag cost me around $10 but at 2 tablespoons a day, it will last forever!!

To find out more about my new favorite "magic gel" click the link!http://www.mychiaseeds.com/articles/Top10ChiaBenefits.html

Favorite Detox Book: I fell in love with this book after discovering it at a lady's house I babysit for. What a great find! Natalia is so great about explaining why you need to change the way you eat and the benefits of it. It is a very easy to follow book and she is big about slow, gradual changes. Don't be fooled by the word RAW, she still lets you eat a little animal protein if you want. (something I can't give up) She also has great recipes in the back and you can find it on amazon for pretty cheap!

A picture story: People I love

These are my gorgeous triplet sisters and I. As you can see we do not look that much a like and our personalities are complete opposite! This was taken at a friends wedding we attended.

These are my crazy siblings! haha we always have fun together! This was taken at my parent's house after family dinner, it was once a nightly thing but now we're lucky to get together once a month!

  

This is my best friend, Lilian. These pictures were taken when we spent a "night on the town" The first one pretty much sums up our relationship! haha

This is my love, Matt. He's my superman.

Two things I find very sexy: my man and his guitar and red wine :)

Kale Chips and Sore Muscles

Ok! Post #2. So far, so good.

I wanted to share a yummy recipe I made recently, kale chips. What a healthy alternative to potato chips and you still get the crunch texture we all know and love. I wanted something to go along with the veggie burgers I have been eating and this is a perfect side dish!

First things first, I picked up some fresh organic kale from the healthy home market. It comes in very big leaves attached to a stem. Make sure you wash the kale very well before making the chips. I have a vegetable wash (also from the healthy home market) that I love. For being organic, the kale was actually pretty cheap! $2.99 for a whole bushel of it. This made about two pans of kale chips for me.

The Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a cookie sheet with tinfoil.
Wash your kale and pull of the stem.
Tear into pieces. (Make sure they are fairly large pieces because they shrink in the oven)
Lay them on the cookie sheet and pour a light coat of olive oil on them. (not too wet, just shiny)
Sprinkle with Sea Salt
Use whatever spices you like, I also used garlic pepper. You can use cheese too!
Put in the oven for 10 min, the edges of the chips will be slightly browned and the center of the chip should be crispy.
Let cool and enjoy!

PS: I am still experimenting on how to store these, I think an open bowl is best. I noticed when I put the lid on, the kale chips got kinda soggy.

Sore Muscles: So recently I decided I need to start working out! I have never done any kind of real professional exercise my entire life! I get a discount through the hospital I work at for a personal trainer. Every Monday and Wednesday we meet from 4 to 5pm with the trainer and about 4-5 other people. This past Monday was my first workout. I walked in totally intimidated to meet my trainer. When I saw him, the intimidation only got worse, he was a man about my height that looked like a real life hercules. This is gonna be painful was my first thought. Scott is very friendly and highly motivating though, something I need to get my flabby butt to move! We started the workout outside and of course I was wearing all black. 30 full minutes of cardio and lunges with weights later... I was a walking dead person. We then moved inside to do 30 minutes of core strengthening exercises more leg work. I left sore but with such a feeling of high, proud I got through the first day. When I got home I was pretty much useless for the rest of the night and then came the next morning. OWWWWW!! When I woke up lying in bed, I could only move my neck and I hobbled around throughout the day. Today, if it's possible, I am even more sore! I had to take ibuprofen just to fall asleep! And I have to go back today..... that makes me kinda want to vomit. All jokes aside though, the constant pain is a reminder that I am doing the right thing for my body and I can NOT wait to see the results of all this pain! I am thankful I have a trained professional to help teach me or I would be one lost puppy. Sooooo here is to today, hopefully I'll survive my 2nd workout ;)

Just Me.

Ive started and restarted this post 5 times now. So here we go, plain and simple. Ive started to start a blog for a few reasons. I find it highly therapeutic to write things down, it helps reflect who I am and can protect my sanity. Second, I love reading blogs so why not create one myself? Third, it can help me remember all the stages I go through. So a little about me:

Strong lover, horrible fighter. Compassionate. A bit dramatic at times. Giver. Emergency Medicine. Vulnerable. Faith based. Procrastinator. Southern born and raised. Red wine drinker. Horribly self conscious. Brown eyed. Sensual. Chill bump seeker. Loud and giggly. Too stubborn. Hopeless romantic. Unafraid of tears. Passion cravings. Night owl. Adrenaline Junkie. Daydreamer. Incredibly independent. Making a difference. Already too grown up. Acoustic sounds. Heart melting conversations.

Who knows if anyone will every read my posts but that doesn't matter, it's for me. In fact, I don't know what the heck I'm doing.  I am not that great of a writer and forget about the use of proper grammar or even spelling. These pages are for me to spill my emotions, thoughts, ideas and passions on. A public journal. Woah that's kinda scary. Ive noticed through out life that there are many different stages of growth, so maybe this is one of mine. 

Things I'll write about: recently Ive become incredibly health conscious due to some stomach issues I have had. My curiosity with food and its power to heal is inevitably growing. I have been experimenting with raw food, vegan and just plain clean eating. I am not an expert and most of my recipes come from online and other peoples blogs or videos. I will say that I feel a lot better and the loss of 15lbs doesn't hurt ;). I am also a first semester nursing student and while the stress of it is overwhelming, I love it. I am also very strong in my faith, Jesus Christ is my everything and sometimes I want to shout it from the mountain tops. As far as family, I am a triplet with two gorgeous sisters and I also have a handsome and witty younger brother. My love life, my incredibly supportive boyfriend, Matt, is sometimes the only thing that keeps me sane in my crazy world. What its like to be loved by a real man is unbelievable and an experience that I hope every woman has a chance in their lifetime to experience. My friends: My best friend Lilian and I have been hooked at the hip for 12 years now. Although sometimes we annoy the heck out of each other, she is the rock I can always lean on and learn from. We're very different and I think that is why we are so close, she always brings new opinions and ideas for me to learn from and I try to do the same for her.


Disclaimer: I am not an expert, these are opinions not facts. This is my judgement free zone where I can express myself and just be me. 

ok ready. get set. go.