The Food!

As promised, this post is dedicated to all of the unforgettable, incredible, delectable, edible [duh!] meals at Health and Fitness week this year! HUGE thanks to Head Chef Alicia Ojeda for being the brains behind these creations and staying up all hours to make sure things were running smoothly, Sous Chef Katy Craine for contributing your vision, taste buds, and hard work into every meal, and everyone on the kitchen staff for making these meals happen! It just wouldn't have been the same without you.
Oh! And of course! A very special thanks to Jungle Janie who was the "Ambiance Fairy" at every meal. Your creative genius at rearranging placements, napkins, flowers, etc. made every meal feel unique and special. I especially looked forward to dinner where Janie incorporated a theme; this year it was famous artists [Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Frida Calo, Norman Rockwell...] and I had so much fun guessing each night who it was.

It goes without saying, but in case you were wondering, ALL of these dishes are made with EXCLUSIVELY organic, raw, whole plant [fruit and vegetable] foods. No oil. No salt. No refined additives. Just pure, natural goodness of REAL food. Be amazed:

MMmm I can taste it now...personal deep-dish apple pie. THE American Comfort Food, totally guilt free. 

Gazpacho night! Made with tomatoes that I hauled to Washington from my garden :)

Figgy Pudding at its best, with a side of leopard spotted banana. 

Mango-OJ with a side of...mango! All topped with a raspberry sauce, made from berries harvested on the property.

I LOVE edible centerpieces, and these grapes are just divine. I didn't realize that Washington was wine-country; I drove straight through it and stopped at a farm stand on the way back to take some of these grapes home with me...they didn't last the drive.

This was one of my favorites. Super simple mango pudding [just mango] with "Campbell's Tomato Soup" in the middle. Perfect complimentary flavors, the sweet n' salty blows me away every time.

Gosh, these just keep getting better and better! Yepp, it's lasagna raw-style. Made with a special marinara, pesto, and marinated mushroom filling. 

 You can have your ice-cream, and eat it too! Ice cream for lunch anyone? Awesome.

Other epic meals worth mentioning that I unfortunately ate before snagging a picture of:

Taco Night with ALL the fixins'

"Meat-loaf with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy"...unforgettable. Yes! Still vegan and raw!

Tabouli and Israeli Salad with tahini dressing

Banana Pancakes with Banana Milk

Thai Night!

The food is definitely reason enough to go to the next FoodnSport event.

H&F Week Review

I know I know, I totally left you guys hangin' as far as anticipating Health and Fitness week [last week] and not writing a single blog entry about it yet. That's not like me; I usually blog every day, or every other day of  a FoodNSport Event. I guess it just goes to show how truly exhausted I was every day last week. It definitely speaks to the nature of the event: 6 hours of workouts and 2+ hours of lecture daily really only leaves room for eating and sleeping.
The week was epic. I made the 14 hour drive to Sedro Woolley, WA the day before the event started which gave me enough time to recover; the right side of my body was sore all week, which happens when you drive all day without cruise control. I had never been to the Northwest before and OH MY it is gorgeous!! It felt like a perfect fusion of East and West coasts: totally lush and green, with sharp mountains peaks. There were about 21 other people there which made it a nice and intimate group. I finally connected with Shari Leiterman, one of the instructors, who hails from Florida but has lived the last 12 years or so in Utah! Weirdly enough, part of me did miss Utah so it was fun to chat with her about familiar places and tips on where to go to get the best produce etc.
Alicia Ojeda was the head chef and what a treat that was! Wow. I will do a whole blog post on the food she created because it was that good! I also squeezed in an interview with her, which I plan on posting in the near future on YouTube!
The week, in all of its soreness, was also extremely productive for me. I took some of my CLC tests, asked a lot of questions [and got a lot of answers], discovered my weaknesses as far as working out, and made a ton of new friends! My roommate Lisa was a divine presence all week; she does figure competitions and just radiated self-confidence and ability. Coach Selby taught me all about static stretching and the importance of fitting it into your day, Buttercup [from England] taught me how to practice handstands [more on that later!], and of course Dr. Doug taught me all about the proper use of the body or as much as I could retain in a week. It blows my mind just watching him workout; he is 60 years old and is still running faster, jumping higher, lifting more, breaking personal records. Age 40 is when things are "supposed" so start going downhill, and he has completely defied the odds. This is what happens when you eat a diet that supports the uptake, transport, and delivery of oxygen to every cell of the body AND train your heart out.
More to come in review of this awesome event...I'm sad you missed it, but there is always next year!

Stunning view from a hike we took

Too Much Sugar!

5 more days, people. That's how many days of work I have left until I road trip it out to Seattle, Washington for Health and Fitness Week. Yes, a whole week of lifting weights, scrumptious eating, informative lectures, and like-minded friends, what a vacation! I can hardly contain myself! [Offer still standing for anyone wanting to join the Dot-mobile next Saturday...]

I recently had a friend of mine get in touch with me over Facebook, asking me a few nutrition/diet related questions. I get this sort of thing all the time, and I don't mind at all. She's been incorporating more fruit into her diet and has been using an online tracking service to help her count calories on a daily basis. She was concerned because, according to this calculator, she was "over" on her sugars. She knows I eat a basically fruitarian diet and wanted to know what I thought of this.
Welp, I don't know exactly what her diet consists of, so it was hard for me to speak specifically to her situation, but I do know that the naturally occurring sugars in fruit are in a completely different category than the refined, factory-made, artificial sweeteners being pumped into processed foods. Part of me cringes when I hear people talk about "cutting out sugar" or having a "sweet tooth" and needing to "eliminate all sugar" from their diets. It is a well-meaning goal, and I certainly support cutting out refined foods and sodas, but lumping "sugar" into the "evil" pile subconsciously makes people fruit-phobic. There is a good reason why America has a sweet tooth! It's because every cell in the human body requires carbohydrates aka SUGAR. Sure, you can get carbs through breads, pastries, pastas, rice etc. but all of those things are complex carbs that, as the name suggests, requires the body to break them down and work for it's food. The carbs in fruit are simple carbs and flow perfectly, seamlessly into our bloodstream...eased along by the fiber [assuming that you are eating the fruit whole, not as a juice], and nutritionally complete [assuming it hasn't been cooked].

 Fruit is low in fat, has zero cholesterol, the perfect ratio of protein, is packed with vitamins, super-hydrating, is deliciously sweet when ripe, and makes a most satisfying meal because it is the sugar we are craving. Don't be afraid of making your next meal a fruit-filled one. And please, know the difference between natural sugar in fruit and artificial sweeteners designed to get you hooked on all the wrong junk.

Pump It Up Playlist

I am always interested in hearing what is on people's playlist and so I figure the best way to get feedback is to share my own. What better way to receive than to give? One can never tire of new songs to work out to!
A special thanks here for my hubby Michael who is always revamping my list and getting me the latest tune upon request!
I would rate all of the following songs, with requirements of pumpage [yes, I know that's not a real word], catchy beat, lyrics, and overall winner status, on a scale of 1-5 [5 being the best] at least a 3 or higher. Some of my choices are personal, some are classics, some are newbies, some are oldies. Some will make you question who the heck I am, some will scream my name loud and clear. Take what you want, don't take what you don't want, and PLEASE for goodness sake, share with me what songs get you going...I want to know!

1. Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
2. Anna Sun by Walk the Moon
3. I Love It by Icona Pop
4. Lights by Ellie Goulding
5. Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5
6. The Mother We Share by CHVRCHES [funny story: I first heard this song as a filler in between segments on NPR. Weird!]
7. Safe and Sound by Capital Cities [recently overplayed this song...have to give it a rest for a while now, but still good.]
8. Titanium by David Guetta feat. Sia
9. Beverly Hills by Weezer
10. Intergallactic by Beastie Boys
11. Just Can't Get Enough by Black Eyed Peas
12. Superstar by Lupe Fiasco
13. Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith
14. 10 Days Late by Third Eye Blind [yes, admittedly a weird song to pump me up, but TEB is one of my all-time favorite bands and this song rocks...even if it's talking about every girls' worst nightmare.]
15. Blinded by Third Eye Blind
16. Disco Inferno by 50 Cent
17. Hold On by Wilson Philips [if you like the music that came out of the 80s, you'll LOVE this.]
18. Hypnotize by Notorious B.I.G.
19. In Da Club by 50 Cent
20. Push It by Salt N Peppa
21. Raise Your Glass by P!nk
22. Remember the Name by Fort Minor
23. We Found Love by Rihanna
24. Rockstar by Nickelback
25. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
26. Speed Law by Mos Def [I challenge anyone to rap along and try and hit every word. Impossible.]
27. Walk This Way by Run DMC feat. Aerosmith
28. Numb/Encore by Jay-Z/Linkin Park
29. Roar by Katy Perry
30. Believe by The Bravery
31. Closer by Tegan and Sara [new song! Loving it!!]
32. Alive by Krewella [also new!!]
33. Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke [just for the record, I loved Robin Thicke before this song came out, and Miley Cyrus can't ruin it for me.]
34. Best of You by Foo Fighters
35. Counting Stars by One Republic
36. Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds [another 80's classic. Yes, I was born in the 90s (March, 1990) so this is going to sound weird...but this song makes me think of my 10 year high school reunion coming up in 2018 and makes me pump harder. Make those fools wish they'd been nicer to me!! hahaha]
37. Harlem by New Politics [newbie!]
38. Work Out by J. Cole
39. We are Young by FUN.
40. Eye of the Tiger by Survivor [because what work out list would be complete without it??!]

So this is really just a flavor...there are a lot more where this came from. Let me know what's on your list and if you download any of these, let me know which ones rock for you! :)