Author Archives: Sarah

Feb 04 2013
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basics, food

Time is Money

Well, maybe in business.  But my theory is that the less I take care of my body with food and exercise, the more money I’ll spend on trying to fix it with medications and doctor visits.  Just my theory – take it or go to another blog.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how I “find time” to cook for myself at every meal. Apparently, this is an issue for a lot of people so I thought I would touch on it a bit.

Let me just make something clear first.  I don’t cook at every meal.  I am a big advocate of cooking food in bulk.  I probably learned this from my mom considering she only knows how to cook for 7 or more.  Not to mention, it is hard to cook for one person.  No recipe on the planet is designed for one serving and I definitely can not be bothered to do long division when I’m elbow deep in ground beef.  I usually set aside about 2-3 hours during one day of the week to get my cooking done.  It will take a little practice, but eventually you will be able to bust out a week’s worth of dinners in about 2 hours.  Here’s a little insight to what those 2 hours might look like for me in order of how I complete them:

  1. I pre-heat the oven to desired temperature (I cook everything on 400 degrees to save time).  While it’s heating up, I go ahead and season, cut, and prep my meat.  This whole process takes about 10 minutes
  2. Once I throw the meat in the oven, I know I have about 30 minutes or so (depending on what I’m cooking) before it will be done.  During this time, I chop all my veggies.  I like to dice up raw onions and peppers so I can throw them in my omelets even when I’m sleep cooking or slice cucumbers ready for munching.
  3. I toss all the veggies I want to keep raw into tupperwares and throw it in the fridge (put the veggies you will use together in the same container to save space and time).  Anything I am prepping for cooking goes to the side.  Once the meat is done cooking, it definitely needs to cool off before storing.  While it’s cooling, I go ahead and cook my veggies.  Good thing the oven is already hot so this will take no time at all!
  4. The last thing I prep while my meat is cooling and my veggies are cooking are any snacks or condiments I might need for my meals – my “quick foods.”  This includes little snack bags of homemade dressings to throw in my lunch box with my salads, portioned out bags of almonds, or anything else I plan on having ready to go when I am running short on time.  (By the way, tuna salad is an amazingly quick protein source you can whip up in bulk and have ready to eat).
  5. Usually when I am done with that, my veggies are ready to come out of the oven.  I pack up my meat, my veggies, and all my quick foods and throw them in the fridge!  Only thing left to do is clean up the tornado that just came through your kitchen.

For me, this multitasking in the kitchen seems very natural, but I understand it isn’t for others.  Hopefully this helps you with your time management and can make your healthy lifestyle simpler and easier to manage.

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Feb 01 2013
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life

not-so-terrible twos

So my paleo life has turned 2 years old today…and we all know there is nothing worse than a two-year old.

Just kidding. That’s only true with humans.

To be brief, my two years of grain-free living, minus a few tapas in Spain (……ok, maybe more than a few), have been awesome! It’s pretty cool to know that my food choices have directly impacted my daily life! I no longer suffer from migraines, acne, or bloating and I’ve also successfully avoided the flu (without shots) despite it’s plague-like characteristics. My energy levels are consistent throughout the day and I sleep like a drunk college kid…………even though I have no clue what that is like……………………………………………………………………………………….

Yes, it has been hard and yes, it takes a lot more time to cook every meal. But it has been so worth it. I would rather put a little more time and effort into my day cooking than spend that time covering up my face with makeup, suffering from a grueling headache, or hitting that 2 p.m. wall.

Anyways, this whole blog is basically devoted to my ranting about healthy eating so you can get your fill of that anytime. For now, I’ll just say “Happy Birthday” to my paleo self and eat my coconut flour cupcake.

Jan 28 2013
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basics, challenge yourself

Champions

I don’t normally care for series of any kind.  I usually lose focus when it comes to multiple editions of the exact same thing.

Take Hunger Games, for example.

Book 1 – entertaining.
Book 2 – “Didn’t I just read this?”
Book 3 – OMG someone die already.

***Although I must make an exception for my beloved Gossip Girl.  I could watch Dan Humphrey all day, every day.

Anyways, this past weekend, I had the opportunity and pleasure to travel to Dulles, Virginia to attend my regional Mary Kay January Jump Start.  (I haven’t mentioned this before, but yes, I am an active Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and I absolutely love it!) The January Jump Start is intended to be a more casual and inspirational event, boosting people to finish out the last two quarters of the year with success by doing a ton of year-to-date recognition and hosting amazing motivational speakers.  This year, we were rewarded with the opportunity to listen to Sean Key and Auri Hathaway tell their stories and teach invaluable lessons about being successful in Mary Kay business and in our outside lives.

http://bravearea.com/leadership/SeanKey.jpg

Sean Key – MK Vice President, Sales Force Education

http://www.unitwise.com/Content/images/home/nsds/auri.jpg

Auri Hathaway – National Sales Director

They were both incredible speakers, but the general theme of the weekend centered around the idea of being a Champion.  Sean Key kicked off the day by outlining the characteristics of being a champion.  All ten of these ideas can be placed anywhere in your life to be successful!  Whether you are wanting to finally keep a New Year’s resolution, land that job you have been dreaming about, or even beat the battle of the bulge, the Characteristics of a Champion can (and should) be implemented in everything you do! (I must warn you: if you share these secrets with others, you might find yourself amongst a group of champions, therefore not the idol that people aspire to be.  If you are ok with that, share away my children!)

So here they are, people, with reckless abandon for you to take and use and change your life with.  I chose to keep this as a list as opposed to draaaaaaaaaaagging it out as a series because frankly, it would eventually bore me to write that.

Characteristics of a Champion

  1. Champions win the victory in the head and heart before any of the work is done.
  2. Champions tap into their imagination more than their memory.
  3. Champions believe the risk of victory is worth more than the disappointment of failure.
  4. Champions have champion coaches.
  5. Champions know there is nothing more powerful than a winning attitude.
  6. Champions are motivated by the dream but made by the routine.
  7. Champions focus on maximizing strengths, not protecting their weaknesses
  8. Champions have unquestionable integrity.
  9. Champions go the extra mile.
  10. Champions never give up.

All of these characteristics, while slightly cheesy and cliché, are so important when you are trying to reach your goals.  I encourage you to go through this list with your goal in mind and be very realistic with whether or not you are showing the characteristics of a champion.

I also encourage you to watch Gossip Girl on Netflix if you haven’t already.

 

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Jan 23 2013
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food, paleo Video

Fat Head Revisited

I feel like I am having a bit of déjà vu as I write this, but If I haven’t mentioned it already, you all need to watch the documentary “Fat Head.”  The basic premise of the low-budget film is the health benefits one can attain from reducing their daily refined carbohydrate intake.    Despite the narrator’s monotonous voice and cheesy graphics, I absolutely loved this film when I watched it a couple years ago - not just because a “low-carb” diet is something I have always believed in, but because I felt like he made a complicated subject very easy for people to understand.  I think a lot of the reason why people struggle with nutrition is because they don’t really understand what they are supposed to do or why they are doing it.  This film made the low-carb case extremely user-friendly.

Fast forward about three years to today and the “Fat Head” documentary has been revisited!  Tom Naughton, the original director of the film, found it necessary to revamp his original stance.  After the filming of “Fat Head”, Tom continued to live the lifestyle he preached to the masses but unfortunately was a sucker to anything with a “low-carb” label, including all sorts of processed breads,  ice-creams, and snacks. 

(By the way, in my opinion, marketing gimmicks are the biggest reason why people fail to achieve their goals.  100 Calorie Packs ring a bell?  There is nothing healthy about 100 calories of processed Oreos or low-carb sandwich bread.) 

 If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know my nutritional mantra:

AVOID PROCESSED FOODS AT ALL COST!!!!

Needless to say, Tom has revamped his life and has since eliminated all processed foods from his diet.  This may seem like a small change to some people but is incredibly difficult in this day and age.  And it should be noted that this change in Tom’s life must have been significant enough for him to re-film a documentary that was already successful.  I hope this short clip leads to a full-length documentary because I would love to compare it to the original.  Take a few minutes to watch and definitely check out the original documentary, “Fat Head”, if you haven’t already!

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Nov 20 2012
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food, weight loss

this type A goes overboard

I would consider myself a Type-A personality.

Type A

The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status conscious, can be sensitive, care for other people, are truthful, impatient, always try to help others, take on more than they can handle, want other people to get to the point, proactive, and obsessed with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving “workaholics” who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.

That’s a lot of words.

Let’s just say I’m obsessed with structure.

I like to plan my day in time increments.  I like to organize things.  I like to make lists.  I like to count … anything (especially money).

usually what i look like

So when I experimented with diets that involved counting my macronutrients (things like protein, carbs, fats, etc.), I instantly latched on to that sense of structure and …

became completely and utterly OBSESSED.

I’d like to go ahead and add in that, not only was I counting my macros, this diet also included a time structure for when I would eat.  I won’t get into the details.  That would probably bore you to death.

Regardless of the plan I was on, I find that counting your macros has a huge place in the health and fitness community.  Everywhere I turn for information, I see the same things.

Count your calories

Pay attention to your macronutrient ratios

blah blah blah more counting

Frankly, all this counting made me absolutely obsessive over my diet.  And don’t get me wrong.  I love to obsess about things.  I’m obsessed with flossing my teeth, for example (but that is probably a good thing).  I am also obsessed with anything Justin Bieber comes out with.  Also not harmful in any way.  (HE’S OVER 18 NOW, OK?!)

hey you! don’t even deny singing ‘boyfriend’ in the car.

But it was all I thought about during the day.  I was so worried that my carb/protein/fat ratios were going to be skewed for some reason and I would dive head-first into a metabolic meltdown toward the muffin-top abyss.  Every day was spent weighing and measuring my food followed by logging it into a program to determine my exact macronutrient counts.  I just couldn’t take it anymore.

I don’t know how those health and fitness people live like that.  It’s exhausting.  No wonder people hate the idea of dieting or getting healthy.  No one wants to look at their meal and feel anxious not knowing if it will blow their calorie count for the day.  The entire situation made eating a stressful event and it wasn’t even worth it.  The results I was getting were so slow and practically unnoticeable.

Anyways, I just wrote a ton of nonsense just to tell you that I am back to my paleo ways.  I enjoy the intuitive eating style that I seem to fall into when I eat this way.  I am able to be more productive during my day because I am not constantly thinking about the next meal.  It just works for my lifestyle and my body and I seem to get great results from it.  And anyways, I have plenty of other things in my life to obsess over.  I don’t need to take the enjoyment out of my favorite pastimes – cooking and eating.

Sorry for the anticlimactic ending to this extremely late blog post.  Just thought you should know what I’ve been up to.

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Oct 04 2012
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workouts

New Gym, New Training

Well, well, well.  After all my bitching about my tiny closet for a gym in Madrid, I have finally hit the mother load.  I joined the snazziest gym I could find when I moved back to Atlanta and I am absolutely LUH-VING IT.
Of course, as I embark on the Ritz-Carlton of gyms, I decide to cut my training schedule down to the basics.  Go figure.  Anyways, I figure some of you all might be interested in this so I thought I would post.

Day 1 (Monday)

  • 5-min walk for warm-up.
  • Deadlift – 3 sets of 5-8 reps
  • Rest 5 mins.
  • Leg extensions – 3 sets of 6-8 reps
  • Rest 5 mins.
  • Chins – 3 sets of 5-8 rep

Day 3 (Wednesday)

  • 5-min walk for warm-up.
  • Bench press 3-4 sets of 5-7 reps
  • Rest 5 mins
  • Inclinde Dumbbell Press 3-4 sets of 5-7 reps
  • Pull-ups 2-3 sets with body weight.
  • Rest 5 mins
  • Weighted Dips (if you feel up to it) 2 sets of 5-7

Day 5 (Friday)

  • Squats 3 sets of 5-7 reps
  • Rest 5 mins
  • Walking lunges 3 sets of 10 reps (per leg)
  • Rest 5 mins
  • Stiff-Legged Deadlifts – 3 sets of 5-7 reps
  • Rest 5 mins
  • Overhead Press 3 sets of 5-7 reps

You’ll notice that I am not really doing that many sets or reps in my sessions.  Not only does it cut my time in the gym practically in half, but it also forces me to load up on some serious weight.  I am not playing around when I walk in that weight room, ladies.  I am puffing and grunting right along with the men (which I’m sure their dirty minds don’t oppose) and getting stronger with each session.

I am doing these sets in a format commonly referred to as Pyramid Style. The strength training pyramid means starting with a lighter weight and higher reps, then as you increase weight you decrease reps.   Pack on the weight people!!!  Remember, the most reps you are doing in one set is about 8 reps.

I am also doing practically NO cardio.  I love a good sprint session at the track, so I still manage to incorporate that on the weekends, but I am basically limiting my cardio to a light walk in the afternoon.  (The treadmill queens are cringing right now, I can feel it)

This is still a new routine for me so I will keep you updated on my progress, but I can already tell the strength gains I am getting from this.  Give it a shot if you are trying to make some muscle gains, whether you are a man or a woman, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

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Aug 04 2012
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food, recipes

Recipe: Fresco Quinoa Salad

I had a few dinner parties during my last few days in Madrid and I was on the hunt for an easy and quick dish to bring.  With the scorching temperatures in Spain, I knew I wanted to bring some sort of cold salad that my meat loving and vegetarian friends could all enjoy together.  Trying to use up the remaining items in my cupboard, I came up with this refreshing quinoa salad that makes an amazing side dish at your summer parties!

Fresco Quinoa Salad

This recipe makes a large batch, perfect for serving at a party of 10-20 people

Ingredients for Salad:
2 cups quinoa
1/2 of one large white onion
4-6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 of one red bell pepper
1/2 of one green bell pepper
1/2 of one yellow bell pepper
1 can of black beans
1 can of sweet corn
1/2 cup of cilantro, minced (you can increase or decrease based on your liking but I love cilantro!)

Ingredients for Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 2-3 limes (I like extra lime juice so 3 for me!)
1 Tablespoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
dash of hot sauce

To cook the quinoa:
Combine 2 cups of quinoa with 3 cups of water into a pot.  Bring water to a simmer and cover with a lid.  Allow quinoa to simmer until all of the water has been absorbed (about 20 minutes).

While the quinoa is cooking, you can prepare the other ingredients in a large serving bowl.
Chop the onions and peppers and combine in the bowl with the minced garlic and chopped cilantro.  Drain the corn and beans in a strainer and rinse thoroughly.  After rinsing, add corn and beans to the bowl.

Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small separate bowl making sure to mix thoroughly.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, set aside for it to cool before adding it to the other ingredients.  Once cooled, add the quinoa and dressing to the pepper mixture and mix thoroughly.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving.

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The great thing about this recipe is you can change it every time.  I don’t like tomatoes but my roommate loves them so he could substitute tomatoes for some peppers.  Or add more corn or more beans.  Whatever you like!!  Experiment in the kitchen and make this recipe your own!

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Jul 09 2012
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friends and fun, life, oh my thank you

Life Changes

Pretty much every single day I look around and think to myself

You have an amazing life.  Look at all that you have accomplished!  You achieved one of your biggest goals by moving to Europe.  This is so freaking cool!

Literally that has gone through my head at some point every single day for the past year.  And it usually happens during something completely mundane and normal – like going to the grocery store or on a run, for example.  Those small, unimportant moments remind me that I am doing those small, unimportant moments where people can only dream of living!  It is a humbling moment that reminds me how cool my life is.

gorgeous spain

But I would be lying if I told you I was able to move to Spain on my own hard work and dedication.  Yeah, there was hard work and dedication involved, but that alone would have never found itself in Spain.  It might have made it as far as the Spanish Consulate.  What really pushed me and helped me to achieve this goal were my friends and family back home.  And trust me, there is no fun in achieving your goals when you don’t have people to share it with!

As amazing as my friends back in Atlanta were to me, and despite how cool my life is, I also often catch myself feeling really guilty and selfish for taking on this challenge.  In the year that I have lived abroad, I have missed some really important moments in the lives of my friends – weddings, babies, promotions, …. more weddings (I’m almost 25 and from the South, don’t forget!).

Every time another major event takes place in the lives of those that helped me to get where I am today, I feel so bad for not being a part of their experience like they were for mine.  Granted, I might have the best excuse in the book, it doesn’t make it any less crappy.

Let’s be honest, I’m just mad I missed out on some killer cakes…

So I wanted to make a special thank you and apology to all of those that supported me in my journey.  Your friendship and motivation allowed me to achieve a goal I never would have been able to do on my own.  Furthermore, I want to sincerely apologize for missing your special day…or days, if that’s the case!  I wish I could have been there to celebrate with you and be the support you were for me.  While I can’t change this as it is now in the past, I want you to know that I solemnly promise to be a part of all of the big moments of your future.

‘How can you do that from Spain?’ you might be asking yourself.  Well I can’t.

But I promise to be a part of all your special days in the future because I won’t be living in Spain anymore.

That’s right friends, Life With a Fork, or Sarah as most of you know me, will be moving back to the good ol’ U S of A at the end of July and I couldn’t be more excited!  I love Spain and it will always have a special place in my heart, but it is time to come back to the people who allowed me to achieve my dream.  It’s my turn to help them achieve theirs!

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Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all my friends and family for all of your help, encouragement, well wishes, love, and support.  I would have never been able to achieve this without you!

– This is just a small glimpse of the things I’ve missed while I have been away. –

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Jul 04 2012
2 Comments
food, friends and fun, life, living in madrid, random things i eat, restaurants

Pride and Pig

So this has been quite the eventful weekend here in Madrid.  Some big things took place during the past few days:

1.  Spain won the European Cup title

2.  Madrid hosted one of the largest gay pride festivals in the world

3.  And I experienced a whole new way of enjoying pork

There is not much to be said about the Euro Cup Championship other than Spain proved, once again, to be the best football team in the world, and in my opinion, also the best looking.

hello boys

The big win was only the conclusion to a wild and crazy weekend in Madrid.  Every year the city is flooded with men and women from around the world to participate in the Orgullo celebration (orgullo means “pride” in Spanish).  While the celebration lasts about 3 days, the main attraction is the parade on Saturday which hosts ….. pretty much all walks of life.  One thing I loved about this celebration was that even though it is advertised as a gay pride celebration, the entire city got involved to show their support.  It was a really fun event and definitely brought an exciting energy to the city!

Orgullo 2012 – gay pride weekend in Madrid

Lastly, the weekend was made complete by a visit from a few American friends.  As they were ending their European tour, I was excited to show them around the city during the last few days of their month-long excursion.  While completely unnecessary, the boys were kind enough to invite me to dinner with them to Sobrino de Botín as a thank you for the unofficial tour.  In case you didn’t know, Sobrino de Botín is also known as the oldest restaurant in the WORLD.  The specialty at this restaurant is cochinillo,or suckling pig.  And even though it is a six person requirement, the four of us ordered not just a portion, but the entire pig.  I will say that it was a bit odd to have my dinner looking at me while I ate, but the taste of the pork was unlike any I have ever had before.  The skin was super crispy and the meat was tender and juicy and the entire restaurant smelled like bacon sizzling on the stove.  I also took a taste of a couple more unusual parts of the animal that were considered delicacies, specifically the brains and the tongue.  I don’t necessarily recommend getting as adventurous as I did, but I definitely recommend visiting this restaurant if you ever find yourself in Madrid.  Reservations are easily made (we made our Friday reservations for the same night) and the price point is extremely reasonable considering the restaurant’s fame.

cochinillo at Sobrino de Botín

It was a great weekend in Madrid and I hope you enjoyed a little peek at it!!

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Jun 18 2012
7 Comments
food, friends and fun, random things i eat, recipes

Recipe: Meatloaf

I never thought I would write this post.

I never even thought I would like meatloaf.  It just sounds disgusting, doesn’t it?

But after years of cooking for myself, meatloaf has become a bit of a staple in my house mainly due to its convenience, ease of preparation, and price point.  And the fact that it makes great leftovers.

When I decided to host a potluck dinner at my house, my strategy for providing the main dishes for nearly 20 people was this: make it delicious….but more importantly make it cheap.  Have ya’ll heard about the euro lately?  My point exactly.

Enter meatloaf and broccoli casserole.

Little did I know what a huge hit this would be.  So much of a surprise that the only pictures that were taken weren’t even of my poor little loaf.  He was just a mere extra to the main attractions.

….in the photographs that is.  This recipe will definitely be well-loved by your family and friends as it was mine.  I hope you will try it out and let me know how you like it.

Meatloaf

The moisture in this dish comes from the use of mushrooms.  There is no need to add any breadcrumbs to this meal making my version grain-free and gluten-free.

2 pounds of Ground Beef
1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
4-5 cloved of garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen spinach, chopped
1/2 cup canned pureed tomatoes
2 whole eggs
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Pepper
1 Tbsp Oregano

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  In a bowl, combine all ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of the pureed tomatoes for later.  Make sure to thaw your spinach and squeeeeeeeze out all the water before chopping and adding to the bowl.  It is best to combine these ingredients by hand as to avoid over-mixing (tough meat. sick.).  Once thoroughly combined, add mixture to a metal loaf pan.  Make sure to leave about 1 inch of space from the top of the pan since the meat will extract a lot of liquid.  Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (or until the edges are beginning to look crispy.  At that point, pour the remaining 1/4 cup pureed tomatoes on top and broil for about 10 minutes.  Once finished, the edges should be nice and crispy, the tomato puree should be slightly reduced, and the loaf should feel firm.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe and please let me know how it turns out for you!!

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*Disclaimer: I never measure ingredients when I am cooking.  I know that this annoys people so I did my best at estimating the amounts.  I encourage you to tweak the recipe as you see fit!

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