Early Birthday Surprise

This is weekend was the perfect blend of fun and relaxation. It was the exact combo I needed after a week of ups and downs with my physical health. In and out of bed almost everyday, exhaustion, head aches, body aches....yuck! 

Andrew surprised me a while back with tickets to one of my favorite artists, Ingrid Michaelson. He even made arrangements for one of my best friends to travel all the way from Nashville to see it with me! 

The picture doesn't do justice for how close we were. We were only 6 rows back from the stage! Needless to say, my husband did a great job surprising me with this gift for my birthday. 

And a grateful "thank you" to Brittany for venturing over to Knoxville for less than 24 hours to encourage me! God has given me the best of friends. 

Meats vs. Veggies

via Katie

   Meat vs. Veggies

Chili

Pizza

Ice cream

Eggs

Burgers

Chick-fil-a

Macaroni

Cheese

Milk

Why am I listing all of these things?

Andrew and I have recently adopted an eating lifestyle that no longer includes the items. Crazy! I know! Those are some All-American foods right there that make the heart and tummy happy.  We made the decision over a month ago to start eating a plant-based diet. Why? Because we hate to eat good food.

No, just kidding :).  There is exponential amount of studies showing that plant-based foods (meaning no animal or animal byproduct but instead what is grown from the ground) are anti-inflammatory and, when the foundation of one's diet,  they have the ability to decrease one's chances of developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Do we think eating animal or animal products is harmful to us? NO. ONLY IF OVER CONSUMED
Will we never touch meat, cheese, or dairy again? SURE, WE WILL EAT THEM AGAIN

All we are trying to do is wrap our minds around more plant items such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plant proteins such as soy and nuts. So we agreed to go full force to, I guess, "rid" our bodies and start fresh. I imagine us over time incorporating animal foods back into our diet, but not for a while. And when we do, it will be in aN 80/20 ratio. 80 plant and 20 animal. Or maybe even less. Like 90/10?  Or maybe a couple times a week? I don't know yet.

Do we crave meat, cheese, or dairy? NO, NOT REALLY. (I try to create meals that have "meatiness" like bean or lentil stews.)
Aren't we lacking in vitamins and minerals animal foods provide? WE COULD BE, BUT WE WORK TO MAKE SURE WE AREN'T

We take multivitamins daily to help with B12 (which is only in animals), I make sure a protein source such as lentils, beans, soy, and whole grains are apart of each meal, I cook from a cast iron pot several times a week to help increase iron, flaxseed in our oatmeal and baked goods for omega-3, leafy greens for calcium, and then of course most things packaged are enriched and fortified with calcium.


Do we starve? ABSOLUTELY NOT
Is it hard? ONLY WHEN YOU TRY TO EAT OUT

We eat to our hearts content on great, seasonal, and farm fresh foods. I go the farmers market every weekend to pick up our produce for the week. I always leave my meals feeling full yet never bloated or stuffed. Our bodies feel great and we've both lost weight. :)




Do you think you could make the change? What would be hard for you to give up?

Daisy

Let me introduce to you the (somewhat) newest edition to our family. 

This is Daisy. Our sweet, adventurous, toy loving, snuggle bug. From the day we picked up Kyzer, we always knew we'd eventually get another. I know that sounds crazy, but Weimaraners work best in multiples not only for their sanity but also for the owners' sanity. So once we moved up to Knoxville we signed ourselves up with the Weim adoption organization here and with in a month were fostering this little girl. 

She's between 1 and 1 1/2 years old (not sure her exact birthday as of right now). The first month we didn't really like her and we weren't sure if we'd commit to keeping her. After a month of stability, figuring out her placement in the family, some obedience training, and actually feeling like she's apart of the family...she's become one of the sweetest doggies I know. 

They are in a constant game of tug of war at all times.

She is obsessed with playing fetch and will run from sun up to sun down if she could. Her and Kyzer are just like brother and sister. They play, snuggle, and get snappy when they don't like what the other is doing. The cutest is when one hurts the other and then goes and apologizes with a gentle kiss on the nose. They have no problem getting along and hate being separate from each other.  

Of course we now have 8 muddy paws to deal with on rainy days, another giant mouth to feed, and more dog hair to vacuum. 

Also in fun news......

after my first day :)

I GOT A JOB! I'm working as a contracted employee for Provision Health and Wellness to provide health coaching for their corporate wellness program. It's a mouthful. In summary, I meet with clients in their work environment to provide motivation and coaching in health changes and goals they want to work on. Sometimes it has to do with what they eat, others want to quit smoking, and some even just want to work on getting more sleep. Every time I go in it's different, which I really like. I get to work with these individuals for usually 9 months so I'm really excited to see the growth and changes my clients make. 

God is taking care of us :) And is it really October 1st already?!