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The Power of Routine (and Starting the Day with a Whole30 Tuscan Frittata!)
Habits and routines often have a bad reputation. Especially on the surface, many people consider it dull, tedious, or monotonous to do the same things consistently each day or week. However, I beg to differ, agreeing with British writer, Arnold Bennett who said “the pleasure of doing a thing in the same way at the same time every day, and savoring it, should be noted.” Although it’s exciting and beneficial to go new places and try new things, a routine can also contribute significantly to our happiness. And it certainly does to mine. I love traveling in general, especially the time recently spent back in the States with my family,…
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Distinguishing Between Resolutions and Goals :: Whole30 Hazelnut Crusted Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce
I know that at this time of year especially, there is no shortage of motivational quotes, inspirational advice, and “fitspo” photos flooding all media outlets. Conservative estimates say that at least 40% of people start their new year off by making some resolutions and goals. And although developing a new good habit or dropping an old bad one is something which can be done and beneficial at nearly anytime, there is something quite psychologically powerful about the start of a new year. I wrote previously about Katherine Milkman’s fascinating work related to fresh starts and how her research shows whenever we go through a change of season, literally or metaphorically…
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My One Word Theme for 2018 :: Prepare and a Whole30 Chili
I love words. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been passionate about learning, especially when it comes to reading and writing. Building a more expansive vocabulary continues to be a goal of mine and therefore I spend what I would consider a considerable amount of time consulting thesauruses and dictionaries to find the most impeccable, consummate, or quintessential means of conveying my message. Succinctness is not necessarily my strength, but I do actively strive to find the best fitting word to do the job. And in light of my affinity for words – it may not come as a shock that I am a big fan of…
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Avoiding the Comparison Trap, Focusing on Strengths and Eggs Florentine with Avocado Hollandaise
Over time, and this past year especially, I have been intently focused on understanding both myself and others better. I feel I have come a long way in recognizing the various dimensions on which we all differ, in terms of personality, inclinations, values, and paradigms, which has lead to unprecedented acceptance and appreciation for those around me. I say unprecedented because this is not something which necessarily comes naturally to me. I tend to be quite black and white and like most others, have reasons for doing things the way that I do. It is often confusing to me to see people both succeed or fail spectacularly via means and…
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Act the Way We Want to Feel (and Whole30 Chicken with Almond Butter Satay Dipping Sauce and Coconut Cauliflower Rice)
Causality dilemmas (most famously, the question of which came first – the chicken or the egg), represent situations of potential infinite regress, in which it is not clear which of the two events, situations, or phenomena is the cause and which is the effect. And while it may seem to be a deeply philosophical or fruitless concept, we are actually faced with such scenarios quite regularly in our lives. When I first moved to Ireland, it was a struggle and long process to get everything in order – finalize visas and registration, lease an apartment, open a bank account, switch phone service providers, hire an accountant for taxes, etc. Everywhere…
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Happy Birthday Coco: Lessons Learned From My Dog and a Whole30 Chicken Fajita Salad
Today is a very special day for a teeny tiny member of the Vasquez family – it’s Coco’s second birthday! For those who may not know, Coco is a miniature Yorkshire terrier with the breed’s characteristically BIG personality. She is endlessly full of energy, friendly to a fault and completely oblivious to her diminutive stature and the fact that she is not human. As I am someone who works from home alone during the days, she has been the perfect companion (sleeping curled up on my lap as I write this now) and adds so much joy and liveliness to our home. We didn’t have any while I was growing…
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Happy Thanksgiving! The Many Benefits of Gratitude and A Fall Roasted Vegetable Side Dish
In regards to #trending, I usually prefer to be a bit on the early adopter edge and my appreciation for something can be, and has often been, lessened as it becomes incredibly mainstream or overdone. Many times a concept or idea which was originally quite powerful, transformative, or transcendent can become stale, diluted, or cheesy as it reaches a point of oversaturation. However, despite of the fact that messages of gratitude are ubiquitous this week in light of Thanksgiving over in the US of A, I find it a topic too important to skip over. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays – it involves copious amounts of fall foods,…
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Whole30 Lemon Pepper Salmon and Lemon Thyme Roasted Cauliflower
In my recent reading, I have been made ever increasingly aware of how much we tend to stick with what’s familiar or what we know. Much of this is entirely subconscious and affects us in ways which are imperceptible even to ourselves. We tend to make sense of things and experience the world through our own lens based on what we have a basis of understanding or framework for and we often rely on heuristics or mental shortcuts in our daily judgments and decision making. However, more obviously, the tendency towards the familiar not only applies to our subconscious thought patterns and biases, but also to the overt choices and…
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The Precious Resource of Time and a Whole30 Slow Cook Tuscan Chicken Dinner
Today is my turn to pose one of those infamous hypothetical questions: what do you value more highly – time or money? I generally tend to overanalyze this type of proposition with thoughts of all the many tradeoffs to consider. If I had more time without money, what would I do and would it bring as much satisfaction as other activities, events or hobbies which do require some type of financial investment (travel, theatre, shopping, dining out with friends, etc.)? Conversely, if I had more time, could I use it to find new or better ways to generate additional income? Of course I don’t want to end up with more…
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Silly Questions and Whole30 Spaghetti Puttanesca
A few years ago, I remember going out for lunch with my sister and the youngest of my brothers, who at the time was probably about 10 or 11 years old. Sam has always been quite chatty and inquisitive by nature and LOVES to ask relatively random hypothetical questions. We might be folding laundry together and he decides he must know whether you would prefer to be blind or deaf. We could be packing our bags to head out for one of his soccer practices when he asks if I think it’d be better to know how to fly or to be invisible. Once he and I drove 6 hours…
