Cheering up with berries.

Fruit, especially berries and citrus (the latter known as a natural anti-depressant) can really brighten your mood. It's that tartness that makes you force a smile! I made this very pretty salad today. It's peppery arugula, microgreens, basil, pomegranate seeds, and strawberries with just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Poms are still in season and you can find some huge ones out there. Look at those beauties, it's jewelry for salad! I feel cheery indeed and cleansed. I think I have been depriving myself hence craving the bad 'treats", meaning wine and Nat Sherman's. I'm going back to any other crave when I want those two so bad: Frozen hot chocolate, Crown Burger, filet mignion, mousse cake at SL RoCo, whatever floats my boat (rootbeer that is). When I indulge in those I really need a little to satisfy. Okay sometimes I do suck down all 20 ounces of Hatch's frozen dark hot choc, but I don't get headaches or cough! I'm also pretty good at balance and moderation now, as well as eating/drinking shit-tons of raw greens. I also cut out cheese again and I think that's causing tantrums. However I am so grateful to have what I have and for everything that I am. I kinda beat myself up not working out in three whole days, but I can't because I did 20 calf lifts on the escalator today, and I had a nice hour-long walk. I'll do some kind of stretching at least tonight if I don't do Combat that just came in the mail, or kettle bells, or even hip hop with Shaun T.

Feeling 'brighter'. Eat some tart fruit!

SG

Good and the bad-ish

I ate all vegan today with the exception of Jr. Mints at the movies. Django Unchained. If I appreciate Tarantino's love for old 60's campy westerns and had to see a surprising performance by an almost unrecognizable Samuel L. Jackson, should I feel guilty?

Breakfast: 1 glass lemon water, 8 ounces iced coffee, 16 of a spinach, banana, lemon, pineapple smoothie. Lunch: Gwyneth Paltrow's chickpea salsa in lettuce cups. Snack, 3/4 of a Jr. Mints box, frozen. Dinner: Pineapple stir fry in my new Christmas Le Cruset skillet!

I'm going to try Les Mills Combat on DVD tomorrow.

Love,

SG

Happy New Year!

Now feel free to pooh pooh me. (I just wanted to say pooh pooh) I have this twisted idea that NYE should be celebrating you, and not getting plastered and feeling shitty the next day. Last night I watched the Rockin' NYE on the tele, reminiscing the AB flashbacks, eating Amy's vegan burritos and almond milk with a bit of gluten-free brownies. I felt refreshed this morning, went to a friend's vegan cafe and had a healthy, lucky, black-eyed pea and kale soup. I took home some vegan tacos and had them after my pedicure at 2pm. I took a bath, used my massage pillow, did light yoga. Then I played with the cat, watched Die Hard With A Vengeance, and had a salty (oops) Beto's bean burrito with NO CHEESE but pico de gallo requested instead, and more raw yam sticks in salsa. I'm drinking lemon cuke water and I made a spinach, pineapple, grape, hemp, and chilled water smoothie for tomorrow. I'll also make more of my own soups in the future and Gwenyth Paltrow's recipes on her Goop website. There's a chickpea salsa that looks awesome, and a carrot ginger dressing that looks more amazing.

I could really feel the heaviness and dehydration from the Beto's burrito. I was fine on the two Amy's.  It’s definitely smarter to get products with nutrition labels on them. I’m going to hot yoga at noon, then I'll make a soup, salad, and those healthy snacks. Going to also stock up on Brazil nuts and try eating 1 spoonful of olive oil a night. I saw it on Goop.

Have a beautiful 2013!

Love,

SG