Whew - I'm just about to the point where I need to dust the cobwebs off my laptop and this blog! After a brief hiatus the last two weeks (the longest since I started almost two years ago!), it feels good to be back. I've certainly been busy but also missing the opportunity to write. And it's one of those things which is hard to come back to after a break - like so many habits, it's often much easier to just keep going without "breaking the chain" as opposed to getting back into the swing of things. But I think I needed time away - I've been experiencing some…
Three Ingredient Paleo Cherry Pie Bars
I vastly underestimated how much I would LOVE being a homeowner. As someone who tends to take commitments pretty seriously, owning a home has always been one which sounded a bit overwhelming. Yes, although I realize that homes can always be sold and you can still move if you ever wanted to or needed to - it still seemed like a scary commitment. However, after we have been living here for about a month and a half, we have been hard at work making upgrades to the house and it has been tremendously rewarding and fun. I now totally get everyone's obsession with all things HGTV,
Paleo Banana Bread Muffins (Easy Enough for Even the Non-Bakers)
Yesterday marked three years of #mandjhappilyeverafter. It seems simultaneously that our wedding was just yesterday and yet so long ago since so much has happened since then. We've moved internationally (and are currently coordinating the move back home!), traveled all over Europe, adopted our two little fur babies, and have grown tremendously as individuals and in our relationship. Anytime that I stop even briefly to consider my life, my relationship with Jonathan is something which I never cease to be grateful for. Even when I'm really feeling sorry for myself, I cannot ever come up with any evidence contrary to the fact that he is the best husband in the world. Thankfully…
Keeping Perspective and Paleo Strawberry Cashew Truffles
As someone who absolutely loves to travel (for fun, NOT work), I have had the opportunity to go on several trips accompanied by others. My most frequent travel partner is naturally my husband, but I have also traveled with friends and family in recent history, some relationships more closely knit than others of course. And I've seen that it can be interesting to learn what certain people value or consider a vacation. For some people, doing as little as possible aside from sitting poolside in the sun is ideal. For others, it's not a holiday unless that means drink in hand at all times. There are beach goers, there are adventurers, and…
Exploring Colorado: The Value of Nature and a Paleo Trail Mix
There are probably very few absolute truths, ideas or recommendations that everyone will agree on out there. But one that I have yet to find hotly disputed is the value of nature and being outside. Across a variety of different areas of research and expertise, across time and cultures, in literature, media, and in daily life it seems that a constant element of the "good life" includes time spent in and an appreciation for nature. Beautiful landscapes and wildlife can be awe inspiring and rejuvenating in ways that cannot be paralleled. And thankfully, over the past month my many travels have included ample opportunity for time spent out and in…
The Benefits of Reading Fiction and Dark Chocolate Paleo Granola
I am definitely what one would call a creature of habit and love my routine oh-so-much. Recently my guided journal provided me with a writing prompt to describe the ideal/perfect morning. And to be honest, as I considered the idea, it didn't look all that much different than business as usual. I'd still get up early (usually between 5-530 AM) surrounded by my little fam and I'd prefer to eat one of my "normal" breakfast foods in my kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand and messy bun atop my head, before I head out to teach and take barre. Initially when I think about these types of questions,…
Plan it in, Do it Anyway: Checking off the Summer Goals with a Whole30 Green Gazpacho
LOVE SUMMER! It's been a fun and fabulous couple of days - the weather couldn't have been too much better and Jon and I had time over the weekend to cross off a few of the Summer Bucket List items! We both have pretty full agendas with some impending travel over the next couple months and since planning is my favorite sport, we had spent some time a few weeks ago to map out tentative dates, book events, buy tickets, etc. for the fun things we wanted to do. I've learned that for me at least, it's important to schedule in time not only for the serious and work related…
Emotional Contagion and Chocolate Coconut Energy Bites
Have you ever stopped to really consider the tremendous impact that those around you have upon your experience of any given situation? Most people have noticed that the jokes in their favorite sitcom are much funnier when accompanied by a fellow couch-mate than when on one’s own, and the breathtaking sunset is even more spectacular when we are with someone else to share in awe with us. Similarly, when your Debbie Downer colleague walks into the office grumbling about Monday again, the week ahead may not seem as unsurmountable to you as it does to her, but certainly doesn’t lift your spirits. When we are around those who are sad,…
The Benefits of Being Optimistic :: Dairy-Free, Vegan and Paleo Queso Dip
Optimism is something I really never gave too much consideration to. I have always really prided myself on being a realist – not overly pessimistic or cynical, but definitely not an unfailing hopeful (although I suspect many people may choose to classify themselves in this way, just as everyone insists they are a “better than average driver.” Except me. I am a terrible driver and I don’t care. I blissfully have not attempted to drive in about 3.5 years now and I love it). However, I have the opportunity to work for one of the most eternally optimistic people that have ever walked the earth. My boss is unfailingly positive…
Positive Thinking, the AIM Method, and Spirulina Bliss Balls
I wrote not too long ago about the Cognitive Triangle which describes the interplay between the way we think, feel, and act. Although we may mistakenly believe that one always influences the other, there is a lot of evidence which shows that in reality, each of these processes actually both affects and is affected by the others. In that post I considered the ways that acting the way we want to feel can lead to a shift in our emotions, which is something I have tried to remember in my day-to-day experiences. But more recently I read about the power of positive thinking on our subjective well-being in Ed Diener…
