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Celebrating Sunny Days in Ireland with My 2018 Summer Bucket List and Whole30 Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef
What a fabulous last two weeks it has been in Cork! The weather has consistently been the best that it has been since I've lived in Ireland and I am thrilled to have sunshine and warm days finally. It actually feels like summer which means it's time to pull together my 2018 Summer Bucket List - a tradition that Jonathan and I started a few years ago. It's my favorite time of year and I know that for me to ensure the optimal experience, I need to have some sort of plan. Making a Summer Bucket List is kind of like setting New Year Resolutions for me (but arguably more…
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Distinguishing Between Resolutions and Goals :: Whole30 Hazelnut Crusted Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce
How to Overcome Feeling Overwhelmed and a Whole30 Blackberry Marinated Steak
Leveraging the Familiarity Principle :: Basil Artichoke Chicken Butternut Squash Pasta with Cauliflower Alfredo
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Balance is NOT Key (for me at least!) + a Whole30 Stone Fruit and Blackened Chicken Salad
As I've written many times over the past year, the decision to dedicate time to truly knowing myself better has been life changing. Before that I would have, as most people do, just assumed certain things to be true without giving it much consideration. It's easy to be distracted by what I wish I were like or what I (or others) think I should be like. And thus I just assumed that I must like music (I really don't), that pizza is delicious (I have always been underwhelmed), and that "everything in moderation" is a good thing (not for an abstainer like me). And learning that, for me at least, balance is…
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Challenging = Breaking Up with Bad Habits, Easy = Whole30 Jamaican Jerk Steak and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner
A very common source of disagreement in the Vasquez household (and many others as I hear) is a difference in perspective on a particular issue. Jon is the prototypical male/husband whenever I am describing a problem, offense, or irritation that I am facing. He swoops in (sometimes before I have a chance to even finish giving the context) to save the day and "solve" the problem. I knowthat he means well and that his intention is to help me to move past whatever it is I am dealing with as quickly as possible. He is genuinely trying in earnest to support me. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, that…
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Curiosity as a Motivator: How what we attend to becomes more interesting and a Whole30 Avocado Egg Salad
“My True Rule is that persistence is its own reward. Somehow, the more you stay with something, the more you accumulate wisdom and meaning in whatever it is you're doing. Just by watering that flower, you get really attached to that flower." Bob Miller, President and Publisher at HarperStudios. I can remember vividly all throughout my education being completely enthralled and excited whenever there was an overlap in ideas or concepts between various classes or subjects or between what I was learning in school and "real life." I loved hearing about a new theory in science for example and then later reading about the same topic in a literature class,…
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Announcing the Flex in the City Studio Whole30 and a Delicious Whole30 Chicken Caesar Salad
Knowing When It’s Worth It and a Whole30 Chicken Salad with Avocado Poppy Seed Dressing
Leveraging the Familiarity Principle :: Basil Artichoke Chicken Butternut Squash Pasta with Cauliflower Alfredo
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Keys to Success: Take Action, Learn by Doing, and Make These Whole30 Spinach & Artichoke Meatballs with Lemon Cashew Alfredo!
It's a well known fact: If you don't use it, you lose it. While recently in Malaga, we spent time everyday "practicing" our Spanish, something which although I studied for about 12 years - I am not so great at anymore (ahora yo hablo un poquito y mas despacio). To be fair, between the four of us, we could cover the basic requirements needed to get around in terms of reading signs and understanding very basic conversational language. But as we struggled to formulate cohesive sentences and relied heavily on "Spanglish" or pointing, we reflected on the fact that it is much more challenging when you have to yourself communicate…
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If/Then Planning for Failure in Order to Succeed and a Whole30 Fall Salmon Salad with Avocado Poppy Seed Dressing
Balance is NOT Key (for me at least!) + a Whole30 Stone Fruit and Blackened Chicken Salad
A Love of Learning :: What I’ve Been Up to Lately and a Whole30 Strawberry Guacamole Swordfish with Coconut Cauliflower Rice
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Thinking Creatively About Creativity and a Whole30 Salmon on Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Vinaigrette
I think there are two types of people out there - there are those that really get a kick out of starting up new activities, hobbies, and projects, with diverse and wide-flung interests - the "Mile Wide" group. And then there are those that like to stick to more and more of the same, continually investing time, energy, and effort into their very specific and often nuanced areas of interest - the "Mile Deep" group. My husband and many of my close friends are in the former group. Jon is always trying out new and different sports, hobbies, reading topics, and ideas. It gives him energy and keeps him from…
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Purpose in Leisure Time and a Whole30 Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche
Ahh. That's a sigh of contentment after the three day May Bank Holiday weekend here in Ireland. It was a particularly quiet one for me since in addition to having an extra day off from normal work, Flex in the City was closed and Jonathan was away for round two of his sailing course. And although I love all these things (ok - definitely less so when it comes to the day job, but I do love teaching at the studio and spending time with my husband!), I have to say that it was a pretty fabulous few days at home and around town for me and little Coco. The weather was nice,…
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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (A Lesson on Repeat) and a Whole30 Spicy Shrimp with Avocado Puree Dinner
You know what "they" say: some people never learn. And you know what I hate: when I am one of those "some people." It's amazing to me how we (AHEM ME) can KNOW what we should do and yet we still do not do it. It's humbling to write about my recent experiences in this area, but my hope is that since this continues to be a struggle for me, maybe I can catch someone else at just the right time before he or she falls into more of the same himself or herself. The mantra of my day/week/month (probably life): Don't sweat the small stuff. Earth-shattering and groundbreaking I…
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Announcing the Flex in the City Studio Whole30 and a Delicious Whole30 Chicken Caesar Salad
Last week over at Flex in the City we announced something which I personally am extremely excited about – our very first Studio Whole30! At the end of last month, I became Ireland’s one and only Whole30 Certified Coach and this will be my first official event. As I have shared previously, I am extremely passionate about this program and after completing several successful rounds, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it did indeed live up to its bold promise to “change my life.” I have completely transformed my health, my habits, and my relationship with food and have experienced tremendous growth in many other aspects
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How to Overcome Feeling Overwhelmed and a Whole30 Blackberry Marinated Steak
You know those times when you have so much to do that you don't even know where to start? Yeahhhhhh. It's been one of those kind of weeks. I am completely inundated with actual work, rework, odd errands and nagging tasks, requests for small favors, and even fun events currently. I do admit to keeping myself pretty richly scheduled as a general rule, but it really does feel that often - when it rains, it pours. Although there are many things on my plate which are important and/or urgent, I have been feeling overwhelmed lately which is leading to an uncharacteristic and paradoxical level of inaction almost to the point…
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