Slices of Life #6

Good morning! It’s the start of a new week which calls for another Slice of Life, so let’s get on with the linking and listing, shall we?

 

The Life

I finished my second week at my real job and finally finished all the training at my part time job. I’m definitely loving that my schedule will be a little more balanced this week almost as much as I’m loving the fact that I got my first “big girl” paycheck! I may have spent most of it on student loans but still... I got one!! I’m also finally starting to step out a bit and hopefully meet some new people. I went to an (awesome!) free meditation at a local yoga studio yesterday and I found a trivia team on MeetUp to join up with later in the week. Branching out on my own has never really been my thing and neither has having lots of plans with large groups of people… but I figure I should find something to do besides work!

A great post I’d love to forward to some of my classmates who are already complaining about the interest rates on our student loans now that we have to pay the money back.

Why you shouldn’t take Facebook posts seriously  or maybe even think about leaving it for good.

Signs that you’re working at a job you love , my current jobs check quite a few of these even if the training schedule was a little crazy.

The Eats

I’m still loving on my CSA. Share #2 included greens, zucchini, broccoli, garlic scapes, and a ton of basil. That didn’t stop me from swinging by the farmers market on my way to work one day and picking up a few green peppers and a bunch of tomatoes… at least I remembered the honey I went there for in the first place? BF and I also decided to sign up for a membership at Sam’s Club. I may not need it now while I’m swimming in produce but I can definitely see myself loving it once farm season is through. The recipes and foodie reads this week include:

The start to what looks like an exciting series of posts on eating clean. The BF may find it annoying everytime I point out the some of his “healthier” choices are low fat/low sugar/ low calorie due to additives that are best left out. Maybe if I throw the science at him from someone else it’ll stick 😉

Asiago Cheddar Zucchini Gratin (coincidence that I got zucchini in my CSA this week? I think not!)

A Farmers Omelette that the BF asked for ASAP

The perfect Mojito recipe which BF and I sampled on Saturday (good thing my mint plant is growing like … well like mint!) 

The Exercise

I’ve been taking it easy on my hip this week to make sure that when I start running again I’m able to do so without further incident. There’s been lots of hip strengthening exercises and general full  body workouts and a lot of yoga. There’s just enough room for my mat on the deck at our new place and I’ve been loving heading outside on weekend mornings (so I don’t wake the BF 🙂 ) All these gentle strengthening and stretching based exercises haven’t done much in terms of getting my sweat on, but they definitely make my body feel great.

Heart Opening Yoga, Dancing Warrior sequence, and Plank-a-thon have been by Youtube workouts of choice.

The whole workout looks a little much right now, but I love the stretches and the plyometric set!

What’s the best thing you read/ate/did this week? 

Slices of Life #5

Welcome back for another week of my particular brand of crazy. It’s Monday which means it’s time for another Slice of Life. Basically I share what I’ve been up to for the past week and link you to related posts from some all over the internet 🙂

 

The Life

I officially survived starting both of my jobs last week (despite my neighbor “choking” me during my CPI training). I’ve got a great caseload of upper elementary students for the next 4 weeks of summer school and a pair of clients at my part-time ABA gig. I had to generate my own therapy schedule for the first time ever which took a lot longer than it probably should have but it’ll get easier with time. I also took advantage of having a weekend to finally plant some herbs (just mint and basil in pots for this year) and catch up on some recipe photographing. For reading this week I found:

Inspiration to take it easy and enjoy the little moments from Lindsay at Cotter Crunch.

The Naked Face Project from Healthy Tipping Point. I’ve been working to streamline my personal routine and move into “greener” more natural beauty products and this project definitely takes care of that!

An interesting read from Greatist on the rising prevalence of autoimmune disease in 20 somethings (too bad Celiac didn’t make the list… guess I’m not as trendy as I used to be 😉 )

A defense of oil pulling from Wellness Mamma, who introduced me to the idea in the first place. It’s still a part of my weekly routine and I really do feel as though I’ve seen improvements.

A seemingly fair review of my old favorite grocery store Trade Joe’s from Savvy Sugar that looks at their discounts from both sides of the aisle. Either way the closest TJ’s is now almost 40 minutes away so I won’t be shopping there any time soon 😦

The Eats

I am still swimming in salads from my first round of CSA produce (though I’m not gonna lie I’m excited for round 2 this week!) I had salad for lunch almost every day and I’ve still got enough for a few more this week. I finally cut into my kohlrabi and decided it’s one of my new favorite veggies, I sliced it super thin and used it to make a variation on my Kale Slaw.  Aside from salad it’s been lots of beans and rice, eggs, lentil tacos, and lots of pesto. Other great eats I found include:

Drool worthy Seafood dip from Peas and Crayons that BF is trying to bribe me into making ASAP.

Some great tips on loving you leftovers from Meghan at Clean Eats Fast Feets.

A Buzzfeed Sangria roundup that could keep me and my friends buzzed all summer long. *side note find local friends ASAP so I have an excuse to make sangria* 

A fun new contest with a hefty prize from Bobs Red Mill (the maker of my beloved GF oats).

The Exercise

Exercise this week has dwindled significantly in terms of running. I think the change up in surfaces by my new place (gravel, mulch and grass) and the increases in mileage I’d been trying to build all added up and left me with one very sore hip. Despite all the stretching and foam rolling my PT bestie suggested I still can’t go more than a mile without things feeling funky. Since both of my jobs are active I’m officially on a running rest until everything feels 100%. That doesn’t mean I’ll be taking it easy though! I’m looking at plenty of yoga, HIIT workouts with minimal jumping, and slow hikes on the trails until I’m back to normal. I’m not sure yet how this will impact my plans to run a half-marathon with the BF this fall, but I’ll be sure to keep you all posted. No fitness links this week, just a reminder to listen to your body 🙂

Who’s got a recommendation for low impact at home workouts? Anyone want to come over for a sangria party?

Slices of Life #4

I start my grown up job today (and I may be more than just a little excited)!! I’m incredibly blessed that all my licensure worked itself out in time and I can start my first day of summer school on a good foot. I also get to meet my new ABA client at job number two this evening (because working just one job clearly isn’t enough for me). But while I’m off doing that I figured I’d leave you with a little recap of the past week, with another round of Slices of Life.

 The Eats

Lots of smoothies, stir-fry, and veggie burgers for me. I actually spent the last two weeks eating fully vegetarian until I went home for Fathers Day and we made my dad barbecue chicken…a girls gotta have some balance, right? I also found…

A Gluten Free Bread that looks like real bread- I can’t wait to try this recipe from The Non-Dairy Queen (Thanks to Lindsay for sharing the recipe).

A delicious Green Smoothie recipe and a fun contest from The Gluten Free Treadmill.

The Exercise

I already mentioned the last week was filled with puppy love, which included lots of walks. But it also included two 4-mile runs and my first time running on something besides the sidewalk. My legs definitely felt like jelly going through the grass and up the smallest of hills, but the view of the lake by my new place was totally worth it! Speaking of new places…

The Life

I’m officially, officially all moved in with the BF (and his mom) now. No take backs 😉 He may have commandeered majority of the dresser drawers and closet space, but I think we managed to blend our stuff together pretty well. I particularly love my little “kitchen” which is basically our mini fridge filled with my CSA share and a shelf for all the rest of my food supplies (thankfully we were able to make room for my giant blender in the actual kitchen!).

As for the rest of the life I got my first CSA share of the season and I’m definitely looking forward to the next 8! This one was loaded with greens including a new to me veggie kohlrabi, Meghan assures me it’s tasty just about any way you cook it though I haven’t tried it out yet. I also went back down to visit my parents (which seems weird since I haven’t been gone that long) but we had to do a little something for Fathers Day. I know everyone thinks they have the best dad ever but unless you’re my long lost sibling I hate to tell you you’re wrong. My dad is an amazing man who works so hard to care for our family and I was glad to go enjoy another family dinner (love you dad!). As far as links go this week I found:

A dose of reality from Katherine the Peanut Butter Lover.

A thought provoking post from Olive to Run- still don’t know if I have good answers but I love her for asking the questions .

A hilariously awesome book recommendation (and a serious case for berry envy) from Jenn at Peas and Crayons

Whats the best link you found in the last week? Anyone else out there who works multiple jobs? 

Slices of Life #3

My vacation time is quickly coming to a close and I’m more than ready ( I get another month off after summer school ends in mid-July and I have no idea what I’ll do with myself then!). The past week I’ve been checking boing things off my list like a physical and another TB test as well as taking an online Autism module for job number 2 and spending hours on the phone with the state trying to check down my licenses. Getting all those fun things done means that I can really relax and enjoy my last few days of total freedom.

While I wasn’t waiting on hold with the state this week I did manage to read some awesome posts and check some fun things off my list, so lets get to it!

 

The Eats

Staying on a budget has been much easier than I thought (though it helps that I inherited a lot of food from people heading out of town this month). I’ve been having a blast experimenting in the kitchen, and dining al fresco while throwing tennis balls for the pup. I’ve got plans this week to make up a few more easy freezer foods so I don’t have to worry about cooking as much while I settle in at my job and new place next week. I’m also super excited to finally get my first batch of CSA veggies this Thursday!!

I’m looking into growing a few herbs this summer with these tips from Averie Lane 

And I’m loving these tips from The V Spot on how to store the goodies I’ll be picking up later this week.

The Exercise

 

I got in all the miles I wanted to run last week, and then some when you add in walks with the pup (and let me tell you she loves to walk). I also focused quite a bit on core strengthening and yoga stretching last week because my lower back was super tight (I’ll be trying to bribe the BF into a backrub soon).

Back on Pointe is one of my favorite pinterest resources for easy workouts and this yoga flow definitely fits the bill.

This visual from Pretty Fit Body is also a great stretching guide.

The Life

 

Minus the courses and phone calls I haven’t been up to much this week. Spent some time cooking and photographing. Spent a lot of time walking and chasing tennis balls (lots and lots of tennis balls). Enjoyed some time in the sunshine making some vitamin D and reading for fun. s for the rainy days and long evenings… pup and I spent our time cuddled up on the couch working our way through Supernatural 🙂

This tutorial from It’s Always Autumn was great for helping me work towards better pictures with my trusty old point and shoot camera.

This post from the lovely Davida the Healthy Maven introduced me to some social media tips I hadn’t heard before.

And I got to stalk everyones adventures at this years Blend retreat… here’s hoping scheduling and budgeting all work out so that I can go to Boulder for next year!!

Slices of Life #2

Whew the last few days have been a whirlwind, both of activity and emotion. I’m officially moved out of my parents house which is exciting and scary and bittersweet (I’m at my aunt’s house dog-sitting for the next two weeks, though most of my stuff is already at the BF’s). I officially accepted and started training for my part time job (because obviously a full time job isn’t enough for me). I also had my last day at my current ABA job, which was really hard because I’ve grown to love the kiddo I worked with. The thing I didn’t do… blog… whoops 😉

 

The eats

This past week was a combination of snacks, smoothies, and my last few dinners with my family. This coming week starts my budget for the year as I start being responsible for my own eats. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try more veggie based meals and excited for the challenge of cooking good food on a limited budget. Now if only my CSA would start already! Some of the recipes I’m looking forward to trying this week include:

Broccoli Slaw from Cotter Crunch

Cheezy Chili Crackers from Eating for Balance

Lentil Tacos from Taste of Home

Farmers Market Salad from Peas and Crayons

annndd another batch (or 5) of Lemon Blueberry Granola from Clean Eats Fast Feets

The exercise

“Training” got off to a slow start this week, though I was definitely active. I got in lots of strength training while packing, unpacking, and repacking my life into the car to make everything fit. There was quite a lot of yoga which was so easy in my newly emptied room. I got in lots of slow, easy, cardio taking long walks around the neighborhood and park with my aunts dog. I did manage to run 4 hot sweaty miles which is not as many as I wanted, but at least it’s something. This week I’m planning to map out some runs around here to work on milage (I’m looking for 5 by the end of the week). I’m also looking into some at home crossfit based workouts for non-running days (mostly because BF is interested in trying it out, but neither of us have that kind of cash right now). Things on the list to try include:

At Home Crossfit from Simply Sadie Jane

HIIT from Pinterest

Yoga for Runners from Yogatic

My own spin on this Half Marathon Calendar from TrendHunter

The life

Like I said already moving out is both exciting and bittersweet. There was a lot to be done at the BF’s this past weekend including painting the room we’re moving into, moving all the furniture between the rooms, and helping move some of his/his mom’s stuff into storage in their garage. I’ve got some experience painting from when I worked with Habitat for Humanity and it was fun to show him the ropes. I finished developing and organizing my budget for the coming year. My wonderful Master’s degree came with a pretty hefty price tag, and though BF and I made the best of our space I’m really hoping to only have to live with him and his mom for no more than a year. Finally I checked a few things off my to-do list around here including starting my recipe page, updating my profile, and laying the groundwork for a few more regular features including this one. Slices of Life is my hybrid of a weekly recap and a link love post, with a little to-do list accountability thrown in for good measure. Helping me get all of this done in the past week were some of the following:

The 7 Baby Steps from Dave Ramsey (I also borrowed his book Total Money Makeover and plan to make BF read it)

6 keys for Young Adults becoming debt free also from Dave Ramsey

The Spending Fast from And Then We Saved

I may never be a famous food blogger from Clean Eating Veggie Girl

How do I find time to write from Blogging on the Side

Joining the Week in Review Party at Clean Eats Fast Feets and Marvelous in my Monday at Healthy Diva Life.

 What’s one new thing you learned this week? Have you ever painted a room before? 

Changed for the better

Today I graduate from my Master’s Program in Speech Pathology. It’s been the longest, fastest 2 years of my life, and it’s hard to believe that this blog has been such a large part of it. I started my blog when I started my program two years ago as a way to chronicle my own experiences with whole body wellness as I began my journey towards life as a service professional.

Whole body wellness became an important part of my life after my undergraduate graduation. I knew that to be the therapist my clients deserved I had to take care of myself. And taking care of myself was the last thing on my mind at the end of my senior year.

The girl in that picture wasn’t happy and she definitely wasn’t healthy. A semester of rejection letters and failed plans for the future led to a lot of hours crying over the phone with my parents and pacing the BF’s room complaining how it wasn’t fair that I wasn’t getting the chance I deserved.  I was eating like crap, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t happy. And it shows. 

I moved home immediately after graduation, too depressed to celebrate, and too frustrated to focus on anything other than deciding what to do next. When I got my letter that summer saying I had been accepted off  the only wait-list I’d been on it was nothing short of life changing. Not only did it change my plans for my future by giving me a focus, but it changed my attitude about my health by giving me back my motivation.

I have always believed in the body as a system. I don’t think that you can treat anything (speech or otherwise) by focusing on the problem removed from the whole of the person. But I couldn’t advocate that approach with my clients if I didn’t practice it in my own life. I knew I needed to make changes to be the kind of therapist I wanted to be and to live the kind of life I knew I deserved.

 

As I walk across the stage today I’m ready to leave behind that sad, scared, girl and move forward as a positive, confident, professional. Each and every person I have met in this community has helped to shape me into the person I am today, and I can never thank you enough for that. Sure the past two years have changed my physical health, but more importantly they have changed my mental health. They have shaped me into the clinician I want to be, the person I deserve to be, and the set me forth towards a life I’d stopped dreaming of.

I may be graduating from my program, but I plan to make my health a program of lifelong learning. I may not know everything that’s coming on the road ahead, but I know that I am ready (physically and mentally) for anything that’s coming.

WIR #47: Where has the time gone?

Guys it’s officially my last week of graduate school! I have 4 days left at my medical placement, a ton of paperwork to hand in, a cap and gown to put on and then I get to start signing all my paperwork Sarah Pie, SLP-CF (not quite as cool as CCC-SLP/L but I don’t earn all those letters until I’ve worked for a year).

It’s so strange, I’ve been waiting for this week for what seems like forever, but now that it’s here I’m not sure how I feel about it. While I sort out my feelings how about I catch you up on life around here with a little Week in Review love?

I’ll be honest in the past few weeks I haven’t done a whole lot productive with my life, I’ve actually been in kind of a funk that I’m having a hard time shaking, but there comes a point where you’ve got to fake it ’till you make it, right? I figure getting back into a routine and reconnecting with all of you is a good a place to start acting like myself again.

One thing I feel like I’m constantly doing is organizing. Seriously it’s been like spring cleaning on crack around here as I organize my closet, take everything out, organize it again… I’ve also organized my car and my personal files (bills, car stuff, ect). Believe it or not I still have more in the works, I’ve got to finish clearing out all the apartment and childhood stuff in my parents basement before my move at the end of the month.

I’ve also been working, a lot. I have full control over the caseload at my medical placement (which is kind of terrifying!) though I still have a lot of downtime there because my supervisor and I haven’t quite managed to settle into a schedule… maybe for the last week we’ll make it work. On top of that I’m still doing ABA this month, trying to schedule an interview to keep doing ABA part time once I start my real job, and filling out/mailing off endless piles of paperwork to prove I’m not a criminal/lunatic/psychopath so that I can get my temporary license.

One thing I haven’t been doing so well is working out. I had a good stretch where I was getting back into runs, but then the weather turned icky and my motivation ran away. That lack of motivation has been a large part of why I’m feeling so off recently so I’m doing my best to push myself, even if I just do a little bit. I even put together a fancy looking calendar to keep on my phone to remind myself what I’m working towards.

I’m planning to run a 10k with the BF this fall so my goal is to slowly increase my mileage, while also working to get my pace back to where it was last summer.

One thing that hasn’t been lacking around here recently is eating (a girl’s gotta eat). I may have gone on a bit of a “eat my feelings in the form of all the carbs” bender last week, but bread is good for the soul and bread with butter is even better! To go with said eating there has obviously been cooking, and (finally!) recipe photographing. I’ve made waffles, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, buckets of granola, and bottles of kombucha. Lets just say I’m ready for anything this week, and that includes sharing recipes with you guys.

I’ve pulled up my big girl panties and my positive attitude to try and turn things around for this week and find the motivation/enthusiasm I’ve been lacking lately, but now I want to hear from you:

What do you do when you have zero motivation? What kinds of workouts are you loving right now? Anything tasty come out of your kitchen this weekend?  

Linking up with the always lovely Meghan for her Week in Review

WIR #46: (almost) Wordless Wonder

Keeping it short today since I’m so late to the game… on the bright side I passed my comps this afternoon which marks the last “real” thing I have to do before graduation. Here’s a snapshot of my past week, not including today’s snow because I’m going to pretend that didn’t happen!

1. Gluten Free waffles made with my new (almost) free waffle maker.
2. Supernatural which I’ve been binge watching again.
3. Saturday’s gorgeous outdoor run.
4. Celebrating my (almost!) perfect pass on my Oral Exams.
5. Lemon Blueberry Crack granola from the one and only hostess of our weekly list-fest.
6. My lovely cap and gown for next month’s ceremony.
7. Bubble baths which have been a wonderful way to relax after long days at my medical placement.

Strawberry Spinach Smoothie

One of the (many) things I’m not loving about my medical placement is how much it has killed my appetite. My supervisor is fantastic and I’m enjoying working with some of the patients (even when they call me names). But if feeding people who are no longer able to do so themselves wasn’t enough to kill my appetite the smell in the place surely is…

I was already used to a “grab and go” lunch schedule from when I worked in the schools, but since starting here I’ve dropped from grab and go to go go go with no time or desire to stop for lunch. Which means a BIG breakfast is key for keeping me on my feet all day.

The BF got me a blender with this awesome single serve attachment for our anniversary this year, and now that it’s finally stopped snowing around here I’ve been drinking my breakfast like nobody’s business.

I like a smoothie that packs a punch in terms of flavor, and has enough in it to actually count as a meal (or in my case two). A combination of fruits and greens does just that, with some chia seeds for an added boost.

And of course it wouldn’t count as breakfast in my book if I didn’t add some tea in (though no worries there’s a mug on the side as well) 😉

Strawberry Spinach Smoothie

Serves: 1

Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

1 small, ripe, banana

1 cup spinach leaves

5-6 strawberries (add more if your berries are small)

1 TBSP Chia Seeds (1 TBSP flax seeds OR 1/4 oatmeal would add a good boost too)

1 cup Ginger tea (or 1 TBSP fresh ginger and 1 cup water)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Can be made the night before if stored in an airtight container.

What’s your favorite thing to make in a blender?

What’s something that totally kills your appetite? 

Slices of Life #2

I’m officially 15 hours away from my requirement for graduation. I’m in the midst of preparing for my oral exam next Monday. I pick up my cap and gown this Thursday. Can you tell I’m ready to be done with school?

Buuuuttt I still have about a month left until then and with things winding down that means I’ve been spending lots of my free time on the internet which means I have some link love to share with you all.

Yoga for better sleep- because earlier shifts at my medical placement have left me with a need to adjust my sleep schedule, and a little relaxation before bed is never a bad thing.

Spending Fast- I already said BF and I are going to be on a tight budget in the coming year and I meant it. I’ve been slowly researching tips and plans for success and this was one of the best I found.

5 ways to improve your morning- I used to be such a morning person, I don’t know when that changed but I’m trying to get back into it.

Lemon Blueberry Granola- I’ve been excited to make this for months and I still keep forgetting to buy the lemons! Meghan this is on the books soon!

Autism Acceptance- I believe that acceptance starts with awareness which is why I Light it up Blue each April as well as working to serve students on the spectrum all year. That being said the author makes an excellent point about how difficult reaching that acceptance can be and provides a valuable lesson to us all.

The 40 Hanger closet- For organizing and cleaning out my closet before moving.

Yogatic- the video may be labeled for new parents but the stress relieving moves have been great for me too.

Healthy Habits- I’m still working on a healthy routine and some of these tips are good.

Want to see more of the ideas I’m collecting? Be sure to stop by Pinterest where I organize all my ideas.